Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I kissed my best bro.

Why would two men do that?

Lu Tinglan must have been half-asleep and kissed the wrong person. He must have mistaken me for his true love.

That had to be it!

I tried very hard to forget it.

But the moment I closed my eyes, all I saw was Lu Tinglan.

He was the kind of guy with a handsome face and long legs, a straight-A genius. I heard he became the top science scorer in the entire province at seventeen, and there was always a string of girls chasing after him.

Although we were in the same dorm, we didn’t have much to do with each other.

Later, my sister Jiang Mian fell for him too and begged me to get close to him.

So I got his contact information, went to classes with him, played basketball with him, went hiking with him, and tried my hardest to create chances for him and Jiang Mian.

Lu Tinglan was always complaining that I kept leaving halfway through, but I couldn’t explain it to him.

Until that time we went to Iceland to see the aurora.

To have a perfect night with Lu Tinglan, Jiang Mian drove the RV away and left me behind in the snow at thirty degrees below zero.

“My brother went back ages ago. He’s always like that. Let’s head back too, okay?”

The truth was, I was about to die.

I was so cold my mind was fading, yet my whole body felt burning hot. Then the snow cave burying me was suddenly smashed open by a fist, and a pair of large, trembling hands cupped my face.

It was Lu Tinglan.

So he had realized I hadn’t returned to the guesthouse and come back alone to look for me.

What was he saying?

I couldn’t hear anymore.

I only felt that his palms were so cold. So comfortable against my skin. I wanted to lean into his arms and keep sleeping…

Growing up in a family like mine, I became insecure and gloomy, so I never liked making friends.

Lu Tinglan was the fifth person to barge into my world.

I came to see him as someone as important as family.

My best bro.

The shrill ringing of my phone woke me from my dream.

The space beside me was empty. Lu Tinglan was already gone.

“Hello? Jiang Yao, I’m at the city hospital right now getting an abortion. Come sign the papers for me, then take me home.”

Jiang Mian’s haughty voice came through the receiver.

“Same rules as always. Don’t tell Mom, Dad, or Big Brother. Keep Brother Lu Tinglan in the dark too. If you dare say even half a word to him, you’ll regret it!”

Maybe out of guilt, or maybe because I felt I owed her an apology, I had agreed to anything Jiang Mian wanted since we were little, indulging her and trying to please her unconditionally.

But now, I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

“I’m not going.”

“Jiang Yao, what did you say? Are you insane?”

“I said I’m not going. And here’s some advice: have a little self-respect. Don’t catch some filthy disease and infect the whole family.”

I hung up coldly, and my mood instantly lightened.

I tried getting out of bed and moving toward the bathroom.

The System’s healing power was excellent.

Aside from the cast on my right foot, there weren’t really any injuries left on my body.

Just as I touched the wall, Mom’s call came chasing after me.

“Jiang Yao, what kind of attitude was that when you talked to your sister? She’s sick and went to the hospital. Why aren’t you taking care of her?”

“How could the Jiang family have something as ill-bred as you?”

My lips trembled a few times before I spoke hoarsely.

“Mom, Jiang Mian is sick, but do you know I almost died?”

“Are you still going on about that? There has to be a limit to your tantrums.”

“On Mumu’s death anniversary, you made a scene and tried to jump off a building. You vicious little thing-why didn’t you just fall to your death? Why don’t you actually die and show me?”

“My Mumu was so obedient, so outstanding, and he still left us. But you, you little debt-collecting ghost, no matter how hard we try, we can’t get rid of you…”

I nodded calmly.

“Mom, I will die. Don’t rush me.”

I hung up. When I looked up, I abruptly found myself face-to-face with Lu Tinglan.

He was gripping my medical records tightly, his knuckles white from the force. Every breath he took seemed to be preparing for an eruption.

Especially that cold, dark look in his eyes.

It was terrifying.

“Jiang Yao, do you dare say what you just said one more time?”