Chapter 1
Jiang Yan found a magical pocket watch that could hypnotize people.
The watch swung back and forth in front of me.
Jiang Yan repeated himself.
“Come on. Say it after me.”
“The person you’ve always liked—the one you’ve secretly been in love with—is Song Yaozhou.”
My eyes were vacant as I echoed him.
“The person I’ve always liked—the one I’ve secretly been in love with—is Song Yaozhou.”
Satisfied, Jiang Yan put away the watch and snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“Wake up!”
My gaze gradually cleared, though my head felt a little dizzy.
The moment I stumbled, Jiang Yan reacted quickly and caught me.
He instinctively began finding fault with me.
“Faking another fall? You’re so afraid of pain. One day, if I’m not here to catch you, you’ll…”
Before he could finish, I shook off his hand.
There was none of my usual tenderness in the way I looked at him, and my voice was cool.
“Thanks.”
Jiang Yan seemed stunned.
He could only watch me walk away.
“Did the hypnosis work? Is that watch really so powerful?”
His friend slung an arm around his shoulders.
“Come on. Your little childhood sweetheart isn’t clinging to you anymore. You’re a free man now. Don’t you like the prettiest girl in your department? It’s her birthday today. Let’s go pick out a gift for her.”
Jiang Yan stood there without moving.
“What is it? Regretting it already?”
Someone shoved him, and only then did he snap back to his senses.
He laughed.
“Why would I regret it?”
“She’s been pestering me for almost ten years. I finally got rid of her. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m just worried that if she stops following me around, my parents will think I bullied her again.”
“Worst case, I’ll hypnotize her back when the time comes.”
Their voices faded as the group walked farther away.
I stopped.
Then I turned and glanced back at them.
Believing that a pocket watch could hypnotize me made about as much sense as believing I was Empress Wu Zetian.
Jiang Yan and I had grown up together. He used to be my little shadow.
When we played house, I was the princess and he was my knight.
When I was the empress, he was my dog.
It was only in the past few years that Jiang Yan suddenly seemed to grow a mind of his own.
I was used to having him around, so when he stopped coming to find me, I began going to find him instead.
Sometimes Jiang Yan would complain about me in front of his friends.
“Here she comes again.”
“She’s kind of annoying.”
I would turn around and leave, only for him to chase after me.
He would grab my arm and beg me to make up with him.
“Jiayi, I was wrong.”
“I have my pride too. I was only putting on an act in front of them.”
“You have to let me save a little face. You can’t order me around like a dog in front of them, can you?”
As time passed, more and more people misunderstood our relationship.
In everyone else’s version of the story, I became the girl who had secretly loved and pursued Jiang Yan for years.
After hearing it often enough, even Jiang Yan himself believed it.
I had originally gone to see Jiang Yan this time because I wanted to clear things up with him.
Instead, he came to me first.
When I reached the place where we had agreed to meet, I saw him talking with several friends.
“Can that watch really hypnotize someone?”
“There’s only one way to find out. You have nothing to lose anyway.”
“Haven’t you always found Qin Jiayi annoying? If you can use hypnosis to drive her away, so much the better.”
Jiang Yan hesitated.
“Actually, I don’t really…”
“Jiang Yan.”
I called his name.
“Did you want to see me?”
I truly had not expected Jiang Yan to summon me for something like this.
So he wanted me to hate him.
If that was what Jiang Yan wanted, that was what I would give him.
I had just finished half the roast duck my mother had asked me to bring him when my phone vibrated with a message from my roommate.
[Are you going to Su Wan’s birthday party tonight?]
[I have to make an unexpected trip to my grandmother’s. If you’re going, could you take my gift to her?]
Su Wan was the girl Jiang Yan liked.