My mom told me to go drop something off for my brother's girlfriend. I pushed the door open and walked in. Only to see a gorgeous man, half-naked, with a tight, chiseled six-pack. I didn't understand, but I fully supported it. I stammered, tears welling in my eyes, "H-hello, sister-in-law!" My brother's ghostly voice sounded from behind me: "Very polite, but your sister-in-law is in the back." Me: ??? 01 What a massive misunderstanding! I violently spun around to face the beautiful features of my brother's actual girlfriend. In an instant, my face turned beet red. I was so embarrassed I wanted to find a crack in the floor and dive right in. My brother grabbed me by the collar, his voice gritting through his teeth right next to my ear, "Evelyn, what the hell goes on in that brain of yours every day?" Then, he bent down, picked up a white T-shirt from the sofa, and threw it at the man without a second thought. "Put a shirt on, my girlfriend is staring." A pang of sorrow hit my heart. I don't know if my future sister-in-law was staring, but I definitely was. Mainly because I hadn't looked long enough! The man let out a breathless chuckle. He casually pulled the shirt over his head. The cool droplets of water flicked from his wet hair accidentally landed on the back of my hand. "Why are you back so early?" My brother shot him a cold glare. "My mom called and said my sister was coming over. I was worried her wild imagination would convince her that a home invasion or something was happening, so I came back to make sure she was safe." He then abruptly changed his tune: "I just didn't expect—she'd imagine a male sister-in-law for herself." The end of his sentence was dripping with absolute annoyance. I was being publicly executed and didn't dare say a word in my own defense. The man, however, seemed highly amused, narrowing his eyes to look my brother up and down: "Alex, with your looks, even if my sexual orientation was mistaken, I wouldn't waste my time on you." "Relax." 02 Clearly, this was how they normally interacted. And I had actually heard of this handsome guy's name long ago. He was my brother's best friend from college—Liam Reynolds. After graduating, my brother honorably became a corporate drone, while Liam, thanks to his outstanding performance over four years, successfully secured a spot in a graduate program at the top-ranked university in my area—State University. Originally, Liam had come to my brother to ask for help looking at apartments. Who would have thought that while passing by a coffee shop, a delicate girl would "accidentally" twist her ankle and bump right into Liam's chest, spilling her coffee all over his jacket? The girl looked deeply apologetic: "I'm so sorry I ruined your jacket. Let's exchange numbers, and I'll compensate you, okay?" It was obvious she had ulterior motives. However, Liam, acting as the ultimate heartbreaker, expressionlessly pulled up his Venmo QR code: "That'll be seven thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven dollars." The girl's face lost its color, her voice full of disbelief: "Are you robbing me for one jacket?" Liam simply pulled up his purchase receipt. After carefully verifying the amount, the girl played dumb and fled without looking back. My brother vividly recreated the scene for me, looking incredibly smug. "This guy is a neat freak. Since the coffee got on his clothes, and my rented place was nearby, I brought him up to take a shower. I even generously sacrificed my own clothes for him." I shook my head and sighed, "That was close. He almost got a girlfriend." It's true what they say: when God opens a door for a handsome guy, he shuts a window. Clearly, the compensation was fake, and hitting on him was the real goal. My brother acted all deep, "You don't get it. This guy has experienced scenes like this countless times during his four years of college." "When school started, out of a whole closet full of clothes, there weren't many left at the end of the semester that hadn't been 'accidentally' spilled on." That makes sense. There are many ways to pursue someone, but damaging their property is definitely the most unwise. I totally agreed and muttered under my breath, "That way of hitting on someone is so cliché. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't do that." However, this lighthearted joke fell into Liam's ears. A subtle light flashed in his eyes, and his calm voice sounded from above my head: "So, how do you pursue people?" "I..." I was instantly speechless. I looked up and met his pitch-black pupils. His searching gaze held a hint of seriousness. Looking at this 360-degree flawless, handsome face right in front of me. My heartbeat suddenly— Skipped a beat. 03 The apartment Liam rented was right upstairs from my brother's. The distance from the university campus and my house was only three miles. Although it was very close, whether at school or near my home, the number of times I "accidentally" ran into Liam was exactly zero. At the beginning of the new semester, everyone was busy with school stuff. This included the fact that I failed Calculus last semester, and then failed the makeup exam at the start of this semester. For a moment, I didn't know whether to doubt my brain or my luck. Seeing me crying my eyes out, my roommate, Chloe, wanted to laugh but didn't dare. To help me adjust my mood and get over the trauma of failing twice, Chloe took me to a party organized by her friends. They were all friends she had made in the college town. People the same age always have more to talk about, and everyone was having a great time. Except me. After four rounds of games, I had drank for three of them. Realizing my alcohol tolerance was reaching its limit, I wisely raised a white flag and chose the "Truth or Dare" penalty. A senior guy casually pointed to a dark figure in the far corner of a table. "Go ask that handsome guy if he wants to make out." Absolutely wild. The atmosphere instantly heated to the extreme. I looked in the direction he pointed. The dim lights flickered, smoke swirled, and through the shifting silhouettes, I couldn't clearly see the handsome guy's face. But I could faintly deduce from his broad shoulders and the long, elegant fingers holding the glass— He had an extraordinary aura. Countless expectant gazes landed on me. I was nervous, even a little desperate, but I didn't want to be a poor sport. It wasn't like we were actually going to do it anyway. I steeled my resolve and stood up. To prevent showing any fear and killing the mood, I deliberately straightened my posture and marched over. The glass cabinets reflected my image, looking righteous and marching like a soldier. Until I walked right up beside him, closed my eyes, and mustered all my courage: "Hi handsome, wanna make out?" I was afraid of his answer, so my mouth moved at double speed, "No? Okay, never mind." After saying that, I turned to leave. But right at that moment, a drunk person passing by stumbled and bumped hard into my back. I lost my balance. My whole body pitched forward, weightless. In a complete accident, I landed squarely on the man's lap. In my panic, I looked up and met an incredibly striking yet very familiar face. My red lips brushed against his cheek, leaving a soft, ambiguous mark. The dim lights made his gaze towards me obscure. We were so close our warm breaths mingled. My heartbeat suddenly lost its rhythm. It wasn't until a large, warm hand steadied my lower back that I finally snapped back to reality. My heart plummeted to the bottom of the ocean, my face ashen, ready to bid farewell to this beautiful world. I was doomed. I took the joke too far. I had harassed my brother's best friend. 04 Every single hair on my body stood on end with stiffness. I was so embarrassed I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. But Liam didn't seem to plan on giving me the chance to play dead. "Evelyn, who exactly did you want to kiss?" That casual sentence woke me up like a bucket of cold water. I bounced up like a spring, pressing my hands together in prayer. "Good brother, I just lost a game of dare. Please don't tell my brother, okay?" His gaze swept over me. His deep, cold expression looked like he was thinking, but when he opened his mouth, his answer had nothing to do with my question. "You shouldn't go around calling people 'brother'." "Understand?" In the dim environment, his deep voice seemed coated with a hint of seductive provocation. I inexplicably felt the air around me thin out. My heart was beating a little erratically. I nodded blankly, but when I spoke, I still sounded dazed and silly, "But brother, you have to..." Halfway through my sentence, I realized something was wrong and quickly retracted it. He turned his head away and crushed the half-burnt cigarette between his fingers. It made it impossible for me to see his obscure gaze clearly. But I heard a very faint chuckle from him. Probably because the alcohol was starting to eat away at my brain, my head felt even dizzier. "You've been drinking," Liam stated flatly. But it wasn't a question. To prevent him from telling my brother about my drunken embarrassment, I said stubbornly, "Just a little bit, but it's nothing." He didn't seem to understand the subtext of my words. "Sit for a while. Your brother is coming over soon. You can have him take you back to school, or go home with him, either is fine." "My brother?" That little bit of dizziness and unknown fluttering in my heart vanished instantly. I even suspected Liam was intimidating me. Threatening me. When he saw my brother, he was going to snitch on me hardcore. Saying I acted terribly when drunk. Saying I harassed him. My voice trembled slightly, "My brother can't know I'm here. Before he gets here, I have to leave." I was in such a rush that I bumped my calf hard against the corner of the table in my panic. My wrist was gently grasped by his palm. Warmth spread layer by layer. His voice seemed deep and comforting, "Don't panic." But the end of his sentence carried a hint of amusement, like he was watching a good show. "Little sister, it seems you're a bit too late to run." At the same time, a ghostly voice sounded from behind me. With a bit of gritted teeth: "Evelyn, you've really got some nerve. I can bump into you anywhere now?" Ugh— My life is over. 05 I think I'm sick. Ever since that night, Liam's ambiguous smirk, his dark, shifting gaze, and the feeling of my lips brushing his cheek... there was too much. Like a spam pop-up ad constantly appearing in my mind, impossible to get rid of. At the same time, it was accompanied by a strange current zipping through my chest. An absurd and bold thought emerged: Could I be harboring inappropriate intentions toward my brother's best friend? This realization made my face lose all its color once again. It wasn't until my roommate Chloe excitedly grabbed my arm that I finally snapped back to reality. "Babe! They're done!" "Did you see the guy in the blue jersey, number 9, in the crowd? That's my crush! Isn't he ridiculously handsome?" Saying that, she sighed, "It's a pity I didn't get to see him playing basketball. He must have looked incredibly attractive." Today was the State University departmental basketball league. Chloe had gotten a guest pass early on, put on flawless makeup, and dragged me along to cheer for her crush. But because our Calculus professor suddenly rescheduled class, we missed the game. By the time we rushed over, the basketball game was almost over. Chloe happily pulled out her phone, the camera swaying as she aimed it at her crush's face, but right as she pressed the shutter, she captured another figure. She gasped, "Liam Reynolds!" My teenage heart fluttered with a mix of emotions. All my absent-mindedness was instantly replaced by an inexplicable nervous energy. "Wh-what?" Chloe didn't notice my strange reaction and excitedly handed her phone to me. In the photo, the man's bangs were slightly messy, his facial bone structure was incredibly superior, his tall figure and clean, sharp muscle lines were visible under the white jersey. The setting sun cast a glow over him, making him look inexplicably radiant. My heart beat wildly. Beside my ear, Chloe was still excitedly educating me: "Don't tell me you don't know who he is? He's practically the campus heartthrob at State University. The most handsome grad student. It's just that he's very aloof. Rumor has it the number of girls he's rejected could circle the track three times. He's an existence you can only admire from afar..." "Oh, I'm not talking to you anymore. My crush saw me! I'm going to bring him some water~" The power of love. The same girl who almost dies running the 100-meter dash in PE class... in the blink of an eye, she was already squeezing into the crowded field. She didn't even bother to take her phone. My gaze fell back onto the phone screen. Just as the phone was about to go to sleep, my finger tapped the screen, accidentally zooming in on the picture. Those eyes, which looked deeply affectionate even when looking at a dog, almost filled the entire screen. It felt like he was looking right at me. The next second, those very eyes actually appeared right in front of me. "Secretly taking pictures of me?" I spun around in a panic, my hand trembling, and Chloe's phone went flying through the air. Seeing it was about to go into freefall. I made a desperate grab for it. But the phone landed steadily in that man's long, elegant hand. And I— Grabbed his strong, pulsing wrist. His palm was slightly warm. He tilted his head down, his eyelids slightly lowered. I don't know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to smile. "Evelyn, are you trying to destroy the evidence?" The curve of his lips made my head spin. "No." Chloe's phone was the newest iPhone, worth over a thousand dollars. I breathed a sigh of relief, "How could I bear to?" But the moment the words left my mouth, I realized something was wrong again. I bit my lip. "I wasn't secretly taking pictures of you." "Oh." His tone was flat, "I thought you were going to deny everything after we created a scandal." Is there any possibility that I am a living person, not a corpse? What I feared most was the person involved coming to interrogate me. I braced myself, and under his burning gaze, I earnestly explained: "I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't see that it was you." "Oh." He sounded indifferent. "I thought you were going to refuse to take responsibility after we caused a scene." Is there any chance I’m alive and not dead? What I dreaded the most was the person involved coming to confront me. I braced myself and quickly stated my position. "I will take responsibility, but I don't know how to make it up to you." After all, the whole school is talking about it now. I felt a bit frustrated. "I'm sorry, I ruined your reputation..." I sighed dramatically as I said it. But looking up, I met his slightly surprised eyes. However, it was only for a moment before a spark danced in them. "Reputation? Ruined?" He enunciated the words slowly, repeating it once. What was a simple sentence from me suddenly seemed to hold countless deeper meanings. I bit my tongue, ready to argue, but the man looked at me seriously, looking as if the situation was grave: "It seems you really have to find a way to take responsibility for me." 09 I looked up. In disbelief. Could such a good thing really happen? Twisting my fingers together, I felt a glimmer of anticipation. "How should I take responsibility?" But he didn't respond to me. He just lowered his head and casually scrolled through his phone. It was as if the sentence that had me imagining things was just a casual remark from him. Probably just words spoken in the heat of the moment. Pushing down my disappointment, I was just about to try and save face. The next second, my phone buzzed. Immediately after, Liam calmly held his phone in front of me. On the lit screen, there was a brand new friend request. [I am Liam Reynolds.] "First, you have to accept the friend request." Whether it was at the bar, in the public lecture, or accidentally rejecting his friend request, ultimately, I had acted recklessly. Thinking about it, as the first step of compensation, "Can I buy you a coffee?" He raised an eyebrow, almost without hesitation, "Sure." While waiting for the coffee, I was genuinely curious. I tapped into his WeChat profile picture. His Moments feed was very clean, mostly reposted academic articles. The only photo related to life was one someone else had taken of him. It was a very casual angle, not posed at all, yet still so handsome it was hard to look away. Unlike me, whose massive Moments feed was always endless, documenting everything from birthday parties to my dog chewing up my slippers. I repeatedly zoomed in on that photo. Drooling. However, when I went to exit, my finger slipped, and I hit 'like'! Help— Before I could undo it: "Evelyn." He called my name softly. It was the most plain, deep tone, yet I always felt it sounded so good. Like a low chant. I clenched my fingers, feeling a bit shy, playing dumb: "What's wrong?" Looking at someone else's Moments isn't a crime. He smirked, "I'm sitting right in front of you." "Huh?" I think the way I slightly opened my mouth, not understanding why, must have looked incredibly stupid. That's why he smiled so amiably. "If you want to look at me, just look up. Why take the roundabout route and look at my Moments?" "Or—" He paused slightly, "You want to get to know me?" Everything fell silent, with only the sound of my heart pounding. The one who falls first always loses their composure easily. In front of him, my novice status was too obvious. I didn't know if he had seen through my teenage crush. But I always felt his smile held a deeper meaning. What did he mean by asking that? What did he mean exactly?! I tried to argue: "I... I was just thinking..." He was extremely patient: "Thinking what?" Thinking— Thinking about getting you. 10 I heard the sound of my own surrender. I gave up struggling. If I like him, I like him. If I like him, I should fight for him. Why should I force myself to give up? So what if he's my brother's best friend? If someone like my brother can be his best friend, why can't someone like me be his girlfriend? So what if he's out of my league? I want to try and see. After cheering myself up, I decided on a one-word strategy: Chase! Before I could even rack my brains to figure out where to start, my brother, with his loose lips, completely exposed the fact that I failed Calculus last semester while we were eating. My dignity, boo hoo hoo── So, my mom furiously kicked me and my books out of the house. Also caught in the crossfire was the fat dog who was happily eating. I rescued him during my freshman year. Before my brother could even enjoy the show, he received an order from our mom: "Make sure she gets some serious Calculus tutoring!" My brother looked shocked: ??? Wait, me? Tutor her? I was incredulous: ??? Wait, him? The dog... The dog, not understanding why, wagged his tail furiously, only wondering why his food bowl got thrown out too. Although I hated my brother for playing dirty, I also found it funny. That idiot tried to be clever and ended up shooting himself in the foot. But if I really relied on him to tutor me in Calculus, I'd probably fail again next year. However, that bit of disgust towards my brother was quickly shattered by some sweet thoughts. The moment I thought about Liam, who lived just one floor above my brother, I couldn't help but let out a smug, villainous chuckle. How could this be considered a pathetic eviction? This is a heaven-sent opportunity! Liam lives right above my brother. The rabbit loves the grass near its burrow, the early bird gets the worm—perfect timing, perfect location, perfect people. My plan to win him over starts now! Liam has a habit of going for morning runs. So, the first step in chasing my future husband: accidentally "run into" him. Imagine the soft morning light, the spring breeze brushing our faces. After our run, we admire the beautiful morning scenery together. Romance and chemistry slowly heating up... It! Simply! Couldn't! Be! Better! However, the ideal is plump, but reality is bone-thin. I had already run three laps around the apartment complex, and I hadn't even seen Liam's shadow. Starving, my body, unused to exercise, was truly running out of energy. Just as I was about to give up, a familiar, tall figure gradually became clear in the halo of light not far away. He was wearing a simple black athleisure outfit, his messy bangs falling casually over his forehead, radiating youthful energy. I stood on my tiptoes and waved, putting on an act with zero preparation, "What a coincidence, Liam." I jogged towards him. But because I had run two miles without eating breakfast, my low blood sugar kicked in. In the moment my vision went black, I thought to myself, this is bad. However, the imagined scene of embracing the cold, hard ground didn't happen. I fell into an embrace carrying a fresh, clean soap scent. Those hands gentlemanly held my shoulders. "Evelyn, is this your low blood sugar acting up? Let me take you to get some breakfast." I originally wanted to say no need, I have a habit of carrying candy with me. But before the words could leave my mouth, in my gradually clearing vision, Liam's incredibly handsome face up close also became clear. I swallowed hard, a greedy thought flashing through my mind. My hand, which was in my pocket holding the candy, let go. Let me just forget the fact that I can split a durian with my bare hands. The world still needs some delicate, helpless little white lotuses. I silently leaned a bit closer to him. My eyelashes fluttered, and I pinched my voice into a sweet, syrupy tone, "Thank you~ Liam." But he looked panicked, "Is your low blood sugar this severe? You don't even have the strength to speak. I'm taking you to the hospital." Me: ...
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