My younger brother borrowed my gaming account and spent all his time sweet-talking top players into boosting his rank. I didn't pay much attention. Until one day, the most popular guy on campus cornered me. “You call me ‘Husband’ so sweetly in the game. When can I make it official in real life?” “?” Who? Me? 1 After graduating high school, my little brother, Finn, was living the good life at home. He ate whatever he wanted, and sweet-talked me into letting him borrow my full-skin gaming account. Every night, he’d hide in his room playing games. At first, it was normal. But then, he started talking to people while playing. “You got first blood again, Big Brother! You’re so awesome!” “Big Brother, they’re chasing me, I’m scared, waaah.” “Wow, you’re too good, Big Brother~” “I feel so safe with you!” It was so affected and weird. Mom, Dad, and I outside felt a wave of nausea just listening. One day, I couldn’t stand it anymore and planned to go in and warn him not to embarrass me with my account. My mom stopped me. “Let him be. He just finished his exams, let him enjoy himself for a bit. We’ll deal with him when school starts.” I thought about it. She had a point. I hadn’t played in ages anyway. And he couldn’t possibly do too much damage to the account. Until one night at dinner. Finn sneakily put a piece of meat on my plate. I immediately knew something was up. I frowned. “What did you do now?” He acted offended. “What? Why do you think so badly of me, Sis!” When I glared at him, he forced a smile. “Okay, so I’ve been talking to a ‘God-tier’ player in the game recently. I’ve only been texting him, but now he wants me to turn on my microphone to play with him…” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not helping you run a scam.” He clasped his hands together and bowed to me frantically. “Please, Sis! Just say a word or two, and I’ll find an excuse to turn the mic off right away.” I put down my chopsticks and told him clearly: “No. Way.” Me helping my brother pretend to be a girl to talk to a stranger? Never. Even though Finn had been acting like a spoiled brat since graduation, he didn’t dare argue too much with me. He just went back to his room dejectedly. I heard the game login music shortly after he closed the door. A few minutes later, I suddenly got a WeChat message. The contact name was “Ethan Chen.” I chewed on my chopsticks, trying to remember. That should be the most popular guy on campus. He was handsome, brilliant, and his family seemed loaded. I’d met him a few times at club events and politely added him on WeChat. But we had barely ever chatted. He forwarded a graphic listing what to avoid eating and doing when you have a cold. Me: $$?$$ He quickly sent a follow-up message. $$Don’t eat these when you have a cold. Take care of yourself.$$ I was confused. “?” When did I get a cold? How did I not know? And are we even close enough for him to care? ________________________________________ 2 But because we weren’t close, I debated for ages about how to respond. Finally, I just replied: $$Thanks, got it.$$ Even if I didn’t have a cold, it could just be a kind reminder. If he sent it to the wrong person, Ethan would be the one who felt awkward. He never admitted he sent it to the wrong person. I didn’t think much of it. Finn kept badgering me about using the microphone several times. He said he had run out of excuses. I was so annoyed I finally snapped: “If you want to pretend to be a girl, why don't you just buy a voice changer?” He looked at me in sudden realization, his eyes lighting up. “Sis! You’re a genius!” I slowly frowned. But from that day on. It sounded like he really did start voice-chatting with someone. And his voice was even more affected than before. My mouth twitched, but I was too busy to care. I had tons of stuff going on with the end of the semester, and the school forced us to participate in some pointless basketball scrimmage. In the afternoon, our Liberal Arts department played against the Computer Science department. My professor insisted I go deliver supplies. When I arrived with water and snacks, the court was completely packed. I was shocked: “Why are there so many people today?” My friend whispered: “Don’t you know? Ethan Chen is playing for Computer Science today!” “He’s amazing at basketball! You’re lucky to catch him play!” I was astonished. I put my hands on my friend’s shoulder, stood on my tiptoes, and looked onto the court. I saw Ethan leaping high, executing a beautiful dunk. His jersey fluttered up slightly. Revealing the taut lines of his abs beneath the fabric. He turned his head, and the sunlight hit his sharp profile. Time seemed to slow down for a second. “Wow, he’s really hot,” I couldn’t help but say. My friend agreed: “Right?” I had seen him before. But in a white jersey, Ethan Chen seemed even more charming. The girls around us were screaming non-stop. After the game, our team narrowly lost. I quickly called the players over for water and a rest. Our main player, Sam, took the water I offered and grumbled: “If it wasn’t for Ethan Chen, I would have crushed those coding nerds.” I laughed: “Okay, okay, you’d crush them.” He looked offended: “You don’t believe me?” I shrugged. “I didn't say that.” Sam turned around in a huff, looking for someone to back him up. And ran right into someone. Ethan Chen, a towel draped over his shoulder, had walked over to our side, standing right behind Sam and me. Sam jumped: “What are you doing here?” Ethan ignored him and just stared at me. In front of everyone, he slowly held out his hand to me. “I’d like some water too.” Sam’s jaw dropped. Confused, I quietly reminded Ethan: “Hey, you’re from Computer Science.” Wasn't he on the opposing team? Was he asking the wrong people for water? His expression didn’t change. “I know.” I didn't understand. But out of basic courtesy, I handed him a bottle of water. “Uh… here you go.” What a weird preference. Does he like drinking our team's water? While I was wondering, Ethan took the water and drank a small sip. “It’s sweet,” he confirmed about our water. Before I could figure out what to say, Ethan suddenly tilted his head and asked: “Are you playing tonight?” “?” Playing what tonight? ________________________________________ 3 While I was trying to figure out what Ethan meant, Sam slapped Ethan’s shoulder. “Tonight? Playing what tonight?” “Our department is having a dinner gathering tonight. You want to come?” Ethan shot Sam a look, moving his hand off his shoulder. He looked at me instead. “Are you going?” I paused, then nodded. Even though I wasn't on the basketball team. The dinner was planned much earlier. Ethan didn't hesitate. He turned and asked Sam. “Mind if I join?” Since he asked, of course, no one minded. Everyone agreed immediately, and we even invited some other people from his department. But someone please tell me. Why was Ethan sticking to me like glue?! From the moment we got into the cars until we arrived, he maintained a distance of less than two feet from me. His gaze made me so uncomfortable. I tried hard to remember. Did I offend him somewhere, or did I owe him money? No, right? He was shadowing me so closely. I stopped before sitting down at the table. I turned and forced a smile: “Please, you go first.” He seemed momentarily stunned, then smiled, looking like he understood something. “Sure.” He casually pulled out a chair nearby. I sighed in relief and quickly rushed over to sit next to Sam, far away from Ethan. Although I didn’t look in Ethan’s direction. I could feel a look of surprise and disbelief focused on me from his seat. I felt inexplicably guilty. Sam was oblivious. When I sat down, he grinned widely. “Chloe, want to play some games while we wait for the food?” “Sounds good,” I replied vaguely. ________________________________________ 4 We settled on the classic game of Truth or Dare. The first person asked was Ethan Chen. The eternal heartthrob, the campus darling—his dating life was the most gossiped about subject. So when people asked him how many girlfriends he’d had, I couldn’t help but look over curiously. My eyes met Ethan’s gaze. The corner of his mouth instantly lifted in a smile that was stronger than any AK-47. He looked around, then shyly lowered his eyes. “Half a one.” Everyone was baffled. “Half a one? What does that mean?” “How do you only date half a person?” “‘Half a girlfriend,’ that’s a new one.” I was confused, frowning slightly. He explained shyly: “It’s someone I’m currently developing a relationship with.” “But we’re very happy with each other… We’re just waiting for an official confirmation.” “She said she wants to pick an auspicious day.” Everyone nodded, finally understanding. They started teasing him. “You, the guy who looks like he should have a long line of girlfriends, has never had an official relationship?” “What’s so strange? Ethan is famously aloof and doesn’t let anyone close.” “Lots of people chase him, but has he ever dated anyone?” “I heard that, but who knew Ethan was so pure?” … Everyone was very excited to get the gossip on Ethan. Only I was sitting rigidly in my chair. Hold on. What was with Ethan’s shy glances at me? I wasn't the one he was developing a relationship with! But that girl was truly strange. Waiting for an auspicious day just to start dating? And Ethan actually went along with it. Hilarious. Someone else asked curiously: “Which girl managed to snag Ethan?” “Is she from our school?” Ethan sipped his tea, his head still bowed. “Yes.” “As for who, she’ll tell you when the time is right.” His voice was laced with unconcealed excitement. I had a strange feeling. The girl was probably here. Among the people at this dinner.
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