I confessed to Julian seventeen times. Each time, he rejected me without hesitation. Just as I was about to give up, I accidentally stumbled into his room. The cold walls were plastered with my photos. On his bed lay a body pillow with my image. A whiteboard meticulously tracked my interactions and intimacy levels with every guy I knew. I froze on the spot. Seriously? After all this, he still has the nerve to say he doesn't love me? So, I pretended not to know and sent him two messages. "Mr. Vance, I've thought it through. I won't bother you anymore." "By the way, I have a kissing scene tomorrow. Want to come give me some pointers?" 1 My dad sold me to Julian Vance. His company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and in desperation, he came up with the brilliant idea of selling his daughter. The Vance family is old money, famous in elite circles. Dad went straight to them. At first, he tried to sell me to the eldest son. The eldest son was already married, but my dad didn't care. He said rich guys always have a wife at home and a side chick outside. So basically, he wanted me to be a mistress. I obviously refused, crying snot and tears at the Vance family gate. Maybe my crying face was too ugly, because the eldest son wasn't interested. Instead, the reclusive second son, Julian, looked down at me. His face was cold, features sharp, eyes dark and distant. I had heard rumors about him. He was the black sheep of the family. Antisocial, weird, always alone. Even his father disliked him. My dad had no hope with him and was dragging me away, but Julian stopped us. He leaned down slightly and asked eighteen-year-old me: "Do you want to come with me?" I don't know what I was thinking at the time. Maybe I was just tired of being pawned off by my dad. Or maybe Julian was just really, really good-looking. So, I nodded and asked: "Can I?" 2 Julian gave my dad a huge sum of money and took me back to his villa. I assumed I was his trophy bird in a gilded cage, but something was off about him. He spent a fortune to keep me, fed me well, treated me well, but never touched me. Our rooms weren't even on the same floor. I lived in the sunny master bedroom on the second floor. He lived in the dark, damp basement. At first, I thought he was waiting for me to get older. But after two years, when I turned twenty, he still showed no interest. I figured maybe he was shy, so I decided to take the initiative. I put on a white dress, channeling that innocent "first love" vibe, showing off my collarbone and arms, and greeted him at the door. Julian just frowned, took off his suit jacket, and wrapped me up like a burrito. "You'll catch a cold wearing so little." Then he walked straight to the basement without looking back. I didn't give up. The next day, I posed seductively on the sofa, giving him "come hither" eyes while slowly lifting my shirt to show off my abs. Julian pursed his lips and asked, confused, "Why isn't the AC on if it's so hot?" The third time, I put on perfume and threw myself into his arms. He leaned down, his breath tickling my ear. Just as the mood was getting steamy, he asked: "Did you not shower? You smell weird." ... It was like winking at a blind man. So, I decided to be direct. 3 The day I confessed to Julian was a normal weekend. During dinner, I told him I liked him. I thought he'd say yes. After all, he was so good to me. He never hesitated to give me money. When I said I wanted to be an actress, he set me up with an agency and resources immediately. But just as I was feeling confident, Julian's spoon paused. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Don't let it happen again." I thought he was just being dense, but he really rejected me. I cried under my blanket that day, heart-wrenching sobs until the sun went down. I didn't understand. If he didn't like me, why keep me? Why be so good to me? It's easy for a naive girl to fall for that, okay? But I am persistent. After crying, I confessed seventeen more times. Each time with a different speech, full of deep emotion. I refused to believe he wouldn't be moved. But he really wasn't. He rejected me ruthlessly every time, saying there was no possibility between us. Even though I liked him, after being rejected seventeen times, I lost hope. I realized he was a stone that couldn't be warmed. That night, Julian went on a business trip. I was sitting on the stairs, hugging my knees and crying, when a snake suddenly slithered past me. I jumped. I remembered seeing a small snake when I first moved in. I was terrified, and Julian had the whole villa fumigated. I hadn't seen a snake in years. Where did this one come from? Cold sweat dripped down my back as I watched it. It went downstairs to the basement, straight to a door, and slipped through the crack. That was Julian's bedroom. If a snake got into his bed... Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps. I wanted to go in, but I remembered Julian's rule. He never let anyone into his room, not even the housekeeper. He always locked it when he left. Maybe he was in a rush today and forgot. Hesitating, I grabbed a stick and pushed the door open, thinking of the snake. But what I saw froze me in place. 4 Julian's room was minimalist gray. But the wall facing me was covered in photos. Photos of me. From when I was eighteen entering the house until now. Different times, places, expressions. Some were from my Instagram, some were selfies I sent to tease him, and some were candid shots I didn't even know he took. My eyes widened in shock. Then I looked at the whiteboard next to the wall. It was filled with Julian's bold handwriting. "Greg, college classmate. Chats with Ranran every few days. Average looks, no threat." "Zhou, record label owner. Frequent 'accidental' meetings. Ulterior motives. Handled. No threat." "Xie, obsessive fan. Stalked Ranran. Reported to police. In jail. No threat." ... It detailed every interaction I had with the opposite sex. Every name had an X next to it, except the last line. "Perry, male lead in Ranran's new drama. Rising star, clean record, good looking, popular with women. High threat." Note: "Likes to message Ranran. Minimize contact outside of filming." I stared at the board dumbfounded. He was... investigating me? If he didn't like me, why do this? Why block me from other guys? I suddenly remembered college. Guys chased me, but after Julian visited, they'd all distance themselves. Could Julian actually like me? My heart pounded. I scanned the room and my eyes landed on his bed. It was neat, but the pillow was out of place. It was a body pillow. With a life-sized print of me on it. My face burned instantly. I imagined him sleeping with that pillow every night. I thought he was a gentleman. Turns out he's a pervert. But if he likes me this much, why reject me? I couldn't figure it out. The snake slithered out the window while I was staring. I looked at the wall of photos and remembered his rejection today. "Ranran, I'm not interested in you. I just see you as a sister. Stop thinking like that." Who makes a body pillow of their sister? What a pretender. I pretended I saw nothing and quietly left his room. Looking at the sunny sky outside, I let out a long breath. Then I took out my phone and sent him two messages. [Mr. Vance, I've thought it through. I won't bother you anymore.] [By the way, I have a kissing scene with Perry tomorrow. Want to come give me some pointers?]
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