I accidentally sent my new wedding cosplay photos to my best friend's brother instead of her. I retracted the message at lightning speed and resent it to my best friend. Usually a lightning-fast replier, she took forever to get back to me this time. "Want some tea on my brother?" "He was just crying! Crying while cooking, but stubbornly insisting it was the onion fumes." "I heard him muttering something about 'only telling me after getting married'..." "Did my brother get rejected by his secret crush?" 1 Chloe was still rambling on. My brain had already filtered for the critical information. "Your brother is cooking today! Can I come over for dinner?" Chloe replied: "..." Gossip is precious, but free food is priceless. I quickly changed and knocked on the Chen family's door next door. Ethan opened the door. The man usually in a suit and tie had changed into loungewear. But the look in his eyes wasn't as relaxed as his outfit. There was a thick fog in his eyes, making my heart tremble. The atmosphere froze for a moment. I stood at the door, unsure if I should stay or go. Chloe popped her head out from behind her brother. She shoved him aside: "Why are you blocking the door? Let Qing in." She pulled me towards the dining room. Whispering gossip about her brother, Ethan. I was a bit distracted. Ethan's misty eyes were soaked in sadness. I looked back at him at the door. He was still in the posture from when Chloe pushed him. Wind blew in from the open door. Fluttering his clothes and hair. Ineuliably pitiful. I snapped back and said to Chloe: "Your brother really took a hit. He looks dazed." 2 My attention was quickly drawn to the dishes on the table. I filled a small bowl with rice. And complained to Chloe. "To shoot that wedding set, I starved my waist a whole size smaller these past few days." Chloe leaned in and circled my waist with her hands, praising: "Omg Qing, your waist is so tiny!" As soon as she finished speaking. A crisp "clatter" came from the kitchen. We turned our heads together. We saw Ethan had accidentally knocked over a soup bowl. Soup dripped down the edge of the table, making a mess. He seemed to be looking at me, eyelashes slightly lowered, gaze landing on my waist. That gaze felt tangible. My heart tightened. He quickly looked away, grabbing a paper towel to wipe the table. He spoke, his tone chilly: "Just for a few photos, starving yourself like this. Does the person taking photos with you not care about you at all?" My cosplay partner and I were doing a wedding shoot; everything we did was to make the photos perfect. Why should she feel sorry for me? Chloe snickered and answered for me: "Bro, what do you know?" Ethan didn't reply. He walked over, took the bowl from my hand, and added another scoop of rice. When he pushed the bowl back to me, there seemed to be heartache in his eyes: "Eat more." My heart moved, a strange feeling. I obediently started eating as Ethan wished. Once I started, I lost control. Accidentally ate too much. Couldn't hold it back and threw up. I clutched a tissue, bending over awkwardly, dying of embarrassment. "Are you okay?" Ethan squatted down to look at me, his tone much softer than before. I pursed my lips, eyes darting around. How do I say this? That I actually ate a whole pack of super spicy fire noodles before coming, plus the huge bowl of rice he gave me... I literally ate until I puked. That would be too embarrassing. While I struggled with what to say, Ethan suddenly raised his hand and rubbed my lowered head. "If you don't want to say, it's fine. Go to the hospital if you feel unwell. If something happened that you're afraid to tell Mom and Dad, tell your big brother." His voice was soft and gentle, as if afraid to scare me. The atmosphere suddenly quieted down. Maybe because I just threw up, my heart was racing uncontrollably. 3 After puking at Chloe's, I went home listlessly. Everything that just happened kept replaying in my mind. When Ethan spilled the soup and looked at my waist; When I threw up a mess, and he immediately squatted down to care for me. I thought I could handle this rationally. But meeting his eyes, I still couldn't resist. My phone dinged. It was a message from Chloe. [Qing, my brother seems even more upset.] [He's been sitting on the sofa without speaking, holding his phone doing who knows what.] [I sneaked up behind him and saw him searching—] [How to steal someone who's about to get married.] [What to do if the person you like isn't treated well by their partner.] [How to take care of someone who might be pregnant.] I was stunned for a few seconds before realizing what she meant. Partly sympathizing with that unknown girl; judging by these search records, she had it rough. Partly frustrated with myself. Ethan is already planning to steal a bride for the girl he likes. Why does my heart still pound uselessly for him? It felt like a ball of wet cotton was stuffed in my chest. The unspoken crush dragged up past memories to haunt me. Back in school, Chloe often asked Ethan to tutor us. Claiming to "plagiarize knowledge from her brother's smart brain." But over time, as Ethan got stricter, Chloe started making excuses to skip tutoring. One day, only Ethan and I were left at home. He flipped through his thick reference book, seriously looking for practice questions for me. I waited boredly, my gaze drawn to a Polaroid on his desk. In the photo was a girl sleeping soundly on a desk, hair covering her face. She was draped in a boy's jacket, the one Ethan often wore. I stared for a few seconds, trying to figure out who it was from the figure or hair. Before I could figure it out, Ethan snatched the photo from my hand. He looked at the girl in the photo and smiled incredibly gently: "I like her." His voice wasn't loud, but very serious. Those words smashed into my heart. My brain buzzed, and I felt empty. Since then, I thought, no matter how much I like him, I must stop. I won't like someone who doesn't like me back. 4 The next day, Chloe shook me awake. She pulled me up, excited as if she won the lottery: "Qing! I know who my brother likes!" I was groggy: "...Huh?" Chloe shoved clothes onto me: "Get up! I'll take you to see my brother's secret crush!" I was dragged to the coffee shop downstairs from the Chen family company. Chloe ordered a coffee for me and pointed to the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window: "Look over there." I looked. It was a long-haired girl reading documents, composed temperament, gentle features. "Our company's VP, Jane Yu. Super nice, great at her job." Chloe rested her chin on her hand, looking at me, slightly melancholy: "But she's getting married. How can my brother steal the bride?" My heart felt incredibly sour. I sipped my coffee slowly, making conversation: "How do you know your brother likes her?" Chloe grinned triumphantly: "Yesterday my brother drank a lot in sorrow. I asked who he liked, but he wouldn't say." "So I changed the question to what kind of person he likes, then eliminated the girls around him one by one based on the conditions, and finally confirmed it was her." "He said he likes long hair." I subconsciously touched my waist-length hair. "Big eyes, long eyelashes." I quickly glanced at my reflection in the black phone screen. "A bit of a temper, good at fighting for herself." I scratched my head, feeling that was me too. Chloe listed a few more. We looked at each other, feeling weird. "Hiss—" Chloe frowned: "Why doesn't my brother like you? I feel you perfectly match these conditions too." She beamed, getting excited. "Qing, if only you were my sister-in-law!" Chloe's voice was a bit loud, drawing glances from people around. Jane Yu was no exception. She walked over in her stilettos, greeted us gently. And ruthlessly dragged the struggling Chloe into the company to work.
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