Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I only found out today that Li Xinglan had a younger brother.

We were in the middle of an all-out argument when the front door was pushed open from outside.

A tall, slender young man appeared before me. His skin was very fair, and a head of softly curled black hair hung by his cheeks. His dark eyes swept over me, expression unreadable.

As he passed, he only called out lightly, “Bro.” When he looked at me, his clear eyes were cold and indifferent.

What kind of little fairy-boy was that?

The moment I saw him, I changed my mind and hauled my luggage back to the second-floor guest room.

Li Xinglan thought I’d backed out, so he put on that arrogant act again. That evening, when it was time for dinner, I took a few bites and set down my chopsticks, only to have him sneer right in my face.

“Why aren’t you eating? Changed your mind and decided to leave?”

Compared with his meanness and rudeness, I picked up a handkerchief and gently dabbed the corner of my mouth before answering politely, “I’m not leaving for now.”

“By the way, what’s your brother’s name?”

“Li Xinghe… No, why are you asking?”

“He’s good-looking.”

Seeing that I seemed to be planning to go after him, he finally lost his composure. “What are you up to?”

I tossed my long hair and narrowed my eyes. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I don’t want to be with you anymore. I want your brother.”

“You!”

“What? It’s fine for you to look down on me, but not for me to choose someone else?”

“You messed with me and now you want to mess with my brother too?”

Seeing his noble-sacrifice expression, I couldn’t help laughing. “If being with me is that painful, you could just hand over the chance to someone else, couldn’t you?”

“This is the 21st century. You’re free.”

With that, I set down the handkerchief and stood up. In the face of his livid expression, I gently brushed the dust from his shoulder.

“I respect your freedom. In return, please respect mine.”

The next day.

I was strolling around the Li Residence when I unexpectedly ran into Li Xinghe.

He was standing beside a cluster of bright roses, head lowered as he watered the flowers. Tiny beads of sweat dotted his glacier-cold forehead, and his long, jointed fingers held the thin glass watering can, white almost to the point of translucence.

Unlike the polished scumbag Li Xinglan, he looked beautiful and quiet.

I cleared my throat and started an awkward conversation. “Xinghe, that’s a beautiful name.”

“After drinking, you don’t know the sky is in the water; a bed full of Qingmeng pressing down on Xinghe. Very evocative.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing that he didn’t even lift his head, I pressed on awkwardly. “Um, hello, Xinghe. I’m Qin Meng.”

His movements stilled.

Only then did he look up at me. It was the kind of look a man gives a woman, full of cold scrutiny and contempt.

“Do you talk to everyone like this?”

“Huh?”

What did I say?

Before I could voice my confusion, his face darkened and he turned to leave.

On that intoxicating spring night, just like his arrogant older brother, the younger brother had shown the same utter disdain for me.

Back in my room, I thought it over carefully for a long time, starting from the very first thing I’d said.

“‘A bed full of Qingmeng pressing down on Xinghe’… what’s wrong with that line?”

Wait. Qingmeng…

Qin Meng…

Well then. So this was a world where only I got hurt.