I asked my online boyfriend what he did for a living. He said he collected bottle caps. I said I swept streets. To keep up the act, I shared my street-sweeping tips daily, and he told me which bottle caps were worth the most. Then we met in real life. We stared at each other, dumbfounded. He was my billionaire stepbrother. Him: "Sweeping streets?" Me: "Collecting bottle caps?" We locked eyes and said in unison: "Nice story, bro." 1 I lost a game of Truth or Dare, and my friends made me use a random dating app to find a boyfriend. I had to date him for a month. No breakups allowed. But after actually dating him, I realized I was starting to like him. That wasn't the big problem. The small problem was, when we started, I used a fake name, "Riley," and casually mentioned I was a girl from a rural village with no education who could only find work sweeping streets. He believed it. He even told me he collected bottle caps for a living. I still remember how carefully he asked if I would look down on him. Being head-over-heels in love, I obviously said the right thing. "A street sweeper and a bottle cap collector? We're a match made in heaven!" He was clearly thrilled. "That's great, babe! Let's meet up. I can't wait to see you." We arranged to meet at a coffee shop. But before I could see my online boyfriend, I ran into my stepbrother, Julian. "What are you doing here?" Julian and I are a blended family. After my mom divorced my dad, she got together with Julian's father. We became step-siblings in name. But by then, I was already in college, and Julian was out starting his own AI and robotics company. We rarely saw each other, so we weren't exactly close like traditional siblings. I honestly didn't understand how someone could have such a poisonous tongue. He roasted me every time we met. So, I usually avoided him like the plague. Every time we spoke more than two sentences, the classic bickering script would start. Like now. "Dressed like this... are you cosplaying a mud golem?" Julian looked me up and down, suppressing a laugh. I gritted my teeth. "What do you know? It's called Earth Tone fashion." Clearly, he had no taste. I clenched my fist, then noticed he was holding a single rose. "Ooh, bringing a flower? Going on a date?" I reached out, but Julian dodged immediately, looking protective. That confirmed it. He was giving it to someone. "Brother, bringing a single rose that costs less than ten bucks to meet a girl? That's a bit cheap, isn't it?" "You wouldn't understand." I shut up. Didn't argue. I wanted to see which unlucky girl caught Julian's eye. My phone suddenly rang. It wasn't my boyfriend, but it reminded me. Julian was here. If my boyfriend saw him, would he be intimidated? While I was thinking, my mom called. "Stella, your brother is coming home tonight. Let's have dinner together. Come home now, I need to talk to you." 2 I hate this! Why is meeting up so hard! It's not like I'm asking for the moon! The problem was Julian sitting at the next table, looking like he wasn't leaving anytime soon. Forget it. Today wasn't the day. Retreat! I packed up and left immediately. To hide my identity, I had parked my car miles away and took an Uber. Once in the car, I messaged my boyfriend. "Sorry babe, my mom called me home for an emergency. Can't make it today." "It's okay. Something came up on my end too." Then he transferred me $520. (Note: 520 sounds like "I love you" in Chinese) How many bottle caps did he have to collect to earn that?! "I found a wallet while collecting caps yesterday. Returned it to the owner, and they insisted on giving me $500." He got $500, but added $20 of his own money for me. He loves me too much. I'm crying. "Babe, if I give you a ten-dollar rose, would you think I'm cheap?" Seeing this message, I didn't hesitate. "Of course not! It's the thought that counts, not the price." Forget a ten-dollar rose; I'd accept a dollar store plastic flower. I thought of the rose in Julian's hand. Yup, my babe is way more sincere! It was afternoon when I got home. Before I could speak, Mom dragged me upstairs to change. I was confused, like a puppet being maneuvered. Until evening came, and Julian returned. And there was a stranger at the dinner table. "Who's this?" The man looked up at me and gave a shy smile. I had a bad feeling. "This is the son of a friend. Just here for a casual dinner and to meet you." A blind date? I instinctively tried to deflect. "Mom, Julian just got back from abroad today. Shouldn't we be celebrating him?" Before I finished, Julian waved his hand dismissively. "Your future is more important. A welcome dinner is unnecessary." "Yeah, Stella. Your brother has other plans tomorrow. You meet him first." Before I could speak, Mom pushed me into a chair. The man opposite me kept glancing up, making me uncomfortable. "Which school did you graduate from, Ms. Stella? What do you do now?" This time I answered first. "Not much education. I sweep streets now. Salary is $1,500 a month. But I spend more than I earn, so I still need my parents' help." I didn't expect Julian to react more violently, suddenly coughing. "What did you say?" I wanted to ask if he looked down on street sweepers, but Mom cut in. "No, no. Stella started a company with friends focused on urban greening. Last month they hired unemployed middle-aged women for city cleaning. They even got an award!" The man's face relaxed. But Julian's gaze on me became strange. "Stella Lin, what were you doing at that coffee shop today?" 3 Everyone at the table looked at me. If I said I was meeting an online boyfriend, Mom would kill me. In a panic, I smiled. "I heard you were there and wanted to see you. But you were holding a flower, looking like you had a date, so I didn't want to disturb you." When I first met Julian, I couldn't accept having a new brother, so I bribed his staff to report his schedule. I avoided any dinner he attended. So me knowing he was at the coffee shop didn't raise any suspicion. Instead, Mom and my stepdad focused on him. "Really? Julian is dating? That's wonderful!" "Where is she from? What does she do? How old is she? Bring her home!" Julian's smile faded. He kicked me under the table. I kicked him back. Thanks to Julian's love life, no one paid attention to me in this awkward blind date. I quickly ate a few bites and left, planning to walk in the garden. But the blind date guy chased after me. "Ms. Stella, I really think we're a good match. Let's add each other on WeChat and chat." I looked at him. Simple suit, gold-rimmed glasses. Mom's type: elegant and scholarly. Too bad I felt nothing for him. And I already had a boyfriend. "I don't like you. Sorry you wasted a trip." His smile froze for a second, but he spoke again. "Actually, I'm just doing this for my family too. Let's add each other to deal with them. I promise I won't harass you." To get rid of him, I added him. He left tactfully. "I'll visit Uncle Jiang and Auntie Lin another time. By the way, I'm Luke." Julian couldn't handle the interrogation and left to hide out. That gave me an idea. A beautiful life beckoned. I moved out of the house efficiently. Without a curfew, I called my friends to the bar that night, vowing not to go home sober. Halfway through my drink, my boyfriend messaged. "Babe, miss you. Let's call." Damn. Why now? I looked around. My friends were drinking, playing games, singing. The DJ outside was blasting music. The voice call was ringing. If I answered this, how could I pretend to be a street sweeper? The call ended, then rang again. He wasn't giving up. I ran around the bar and finally ducked into the bathroom. Away from the music. Perfect. I picked up. His voice was raspy and sexy. "Babe, you finally answered. I missed you." So sexy. But why did it sound familiar? 4 "Babe, why aren't you talking? Did I disturb you?" "Of course not." I spoke and realized my voice was terrifyingly rough. Probably from screaming karaoke earlier. I sounded like a robot with a sore throat. "You sound tired. Was work hard today?" I felt even more guilty. He was collecting bottle caps. I was drinking at a bar. "It was okay. I'm used to it." "You make my heart ache. I got paid today, $5,000. I'll send you $5,200 in a bit." He's too good. I'm crying. "Why give me money?" It wasn't even enough for tonight's bar tab, but it was his monthly salary. "It's okay, take it. My job covers room and board, I don't spend much. Some caps are worth a lot, I get a bonus." I felt worse. Just as I was about to refuse, the bathroom door slammed open. Two drunk girls stumbled in, vomiting into the sink. "That vodka was strong!" "Keep going later! No sipping!" They walked out arm in arm, shouting drinking games. "Sisters are good! Five crabs! Six six six!" They were loud. My boyfriend heard everything. "Babe, are you at a bar?" Cold sweat ran down my back. I spotted a janitor's closet in the corner. "Yeah, I'm working... at a bar. I got a job as a cleaner here today." "Cleaning is hard work, especially with drunk people vomiting. I'm worried you'll be too tired. Was the old job bad?" "I had no choice. The street sweeping jobs are all taken by older ladies. They say we young people are unstable and won't hire us. I was lucky to find this." After much explaining, I finally smoothed it over. I don't know if he believed it, but I did. Unexpectedly, a few days later, he introduced me to a job. I looked at the listing. Company Cleaner. Female. Local resident. Under 30. Most importantly: Full benefits, salary $15,000 a month. What kind of company pays a cleaner that much?! I looked at the company name. WenYu Group. Isn't that Julian's company?! His company is rich enough to pay cleaners like execs? I was suddenly jealous. "Babe, I saw this ad online. You have to try. It's a great job." But... I'm Julian's sister. If people found out I was a cleaner at his company, I'd be a laughingstock. "Babe, opportunity waits for no one. Go!" "I'll try tomorrow." "Go today. Their HR stays late." "How do you know?" He paused for a long time. "Uh, I picked up a lot of coffee lids downstairs there before. Guessed they work overtime. Anyway, go try!"
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