It was already eleven o’clock at night, and I was still going wild in the Zhulong Bar. I had lost count of how many nights it had been. I only remembered that Su Xiaomo had left a month ago, and I was using this clumsy way to prove that I had lost in love.
Su Xiaomo was the campus belle, pursued by many. I liked her too, and to stand out among her many suitors, I meticulously planned many unexpected romantic gestures for her. Especially on graduation day, with the help of my good friend Liu Shi, I arranged 999 roses into a giant heart under Su Xiaomo’s dormitory. I stood in the center of the heart, shouting loudly: “Su Xiaomo, I like you.” Again and again.
All the dorm windows opened, and screams echoed in the night sky. When Su Xiaomo, who was wearing headphones and listening to her MP3, was pulled downstairs by her roommates, she was stunned.
At that moment, I felt indescribably proud. I walked up to her, just about to say some romantic words, but saw tears in her eyes. I understood their meaning: it wasn’t touched, but anger. Su Xiaomo rejected me on the spot and then went alone to work in an unfamiliar city.
When my phone showed Liu Shi’s call for the sixth time, I answered: “Bro, where are you? Can you come and pick me up?” After that, everything went black.
In the morning, Liu Shi was gone, but there was a note on the table. It read: “Zhiyang, you got drunk last night. I didn’t have time to tell you, my brother had a car accident, so I had to rush home. Also, stop drinking so much. If Su Xiaomo were here, she wouldn’t want to see you like this. I left some job information for you in the drawer. Take a look when you have time.”
Real men don’t cry easily. I lifted my head and sniffed hard. How lucky I was to have such a brother. Four years of university bunking made Liu Shi my best friend. After graduation, we rented this apartment together.
Liu Shi quickly found a job, while I spent all my time healing. Liu Shi knew all about my feelings but never said anything. He just picked me up when I got drunk and listened to my drunken words quietly.
The apartment phone rang, and I hurried to answer it. Before I could speak, a girl’s voice came through, very hostile: “Liu Shi, why is your phone off? Are you deliberately avoiding me? Your name is Liu Shi for a reason; your heart is as hard as a rock.” Who was this girl to talk about my brother like that? I snapped: “How long have you known him? How much do you know about him to say his heart is like a rock?” The girl was stunned: “You’re not Liu Shi. Who are you?”
“Who I am is none of your business. What does his heart have to do with you?” I hung up angrily, feeling inexplicably satisfied. The girl called again, her tone improved: “I was rude earlier, I apologize. I urgently need to find Liu Shi, but I can’t reach him, so I was emotional.” Seeing her change in attitude, I didn’t want to make it difficult for her. I honestly told her that Liu Shi’s brother had a car accident, and he rushed back home.
“Brother? Car accident?” The girl started mumbling. Impatient, I asked why she was looking for Liu Shi. She hesitated and said she was An Wen, the boss of Dali Network Company. She had signed a contract with Liu Shi to design a game software, and Liu Shi was supposed to collect the game script today, but he was nowhere to be seen, and his phone was off.
If Liu Shi delayed the game’s completion, the company would suffer significant losses, and Liu Shi would have to pay a penalty for breach of contract.
Hearing about the penalty, I was no longer so confident. I quickly explained that Liu Shi had an emergency and couldn’t come. I told her that I was in the same field and could take over the design.
An Wen seemed reluctant but agreed after considering the circumstances. A true friend is someone who stands by you when it matters most. I quickly changed and rushed to Dali Network Company.
An Wen was younger than I had imagined, very attractive, giving off an aura of competence. I secretly worried for Liu Shi; with such a formidable boss, he must be under a lot of pressure. I took the game script and was about to leave when An Wen invited me to lunch.
What was this woman up to? I couldn’t help but wonder. During lunch, she kept asking about Liu Shi. It turned out she liked him. I secretly laughed. Liu Shi had kept this from me. Assessing An Wen, I saw she was a good match for Liu Shi. I decided to help him out: “Do you like Liu Shi?”
An Wen almost sprayed her coffee on me. She looked at me for a long time and said: “If I say yes, will you help me pursue him?” Her straightforwardness impressed me. I made an OK gesture, assuring her it was in good hands.
Just a day later, I regretted it. An Wen was like a tyrannical girlfriend, calling me daily to check if Liu Shi was back or to ask about my progress. She even threatened me, saying if I wasn’t confident, I should call Liu Shi back immediately. Her pressure was unbearable, but for my brother’s sake, I endured. Liu Shi’s phone was still off, so I texted him, asking about his brother’s condition without mentioning my work here.
Later, An Wen became even more demanding. She came to my apartment to supervise my work. As soon as she entered, she pinched her nose, saying the place smelled weird and that the decor was tasteless. Seeing her arrogance, I had an idea: “Liu Shi will be back soon. To give him a fresh environment, why don’t you help tidy up? He also has a pile of clothes to wash.” I added, “You know, I’m quite busy with work now.”
An Wen glared at me but finally started cleaning. After a whole afternoon, the apartment looked brand new. To reward her hard work, I cooked instant noodles for her. She was chatting on the computer, and when I peeked, I saw she was using Liu Shi’s QQ account! Liu Shi had even given her his password. I felt a pang of jealousy.
Suddenly, An Wen’s face turned sour. I thought the computer had a problem, but when I looked closer, I was stunned. An Wen had opened Liu Shi’s chat history with Su Xiaomo. From their chats, it was clear that Su Xiaomo liked Liu Shi, and Liu Shi seemed to like her too, but he didn’t dare accept her feelings because of me. They had even agreed to wait until I found someone else before considering being together.
I admit I felt lost at that moment, but thinking about An Wen, who liked Liu Shi, she must have felt worse. Forgetting my own sadness, I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what to say.
From that day on, An Wen didn’t call or visit my apartment. I called Liu Shi’s phone every day. Finally, one day, his phone was on. He said he was coming back soon. I told him I knew everything and that he should honestly face his feelings and not let his angel cry again. After hanging up, Liu Shi sent me a text: “Will you blame me?” I replied: “You will always be my best brother.”
I finally finished the game software and couldn’t wait to deliver it to An Wen’s company. Honestly, she hadn’t rushed me about the design, which made me uneasy. I was more worried she might do something drastic. An Wen was working in her office, seemingly expecting me, with a smug look: “You finally came?”
“How have you been?” I asked. An Wen looked at me and asked: “How about you?” I nodded: “Very well, full of energy.” An Wen nodded and handed me a stack of documents. It was a labor contract.
I was shocked. What about Liu Shi? Given her stubborn nature, was this her revenge because Liu Shi liked someone else? An Wen seemed to know what I was thinking and laughed: “Don’t overthink. Liu Shi has nothing to do with my company. This job was always meant for you.”
Seeing my confusion, An Wen explained: “Liu Shi is my cousin. I know you’re good brothers. I also know Liu Shi likes Su Xiaomo but didn’t dare to accept her feelings because of your friendship. Sometimes I was mad at you, wondering how you had such charm that made my cousin give up on someone he liked. When I heard Su Xiaomo had an accident, I called him, questioning why his heart was like stone, refusing to see her. To my surprise, he rushed to her. Then I realized it must have been you answering the call.
Liu Shi had asked me to help you find a job, so I made up this ‘job’ to test you and let you accept their love slowly—the chat records were shown to you on purpose.”
I finally understood I had been set up by this girl: “Aren’t you afraid I’d break up with Liu Shi over this?” An Wen scoffed: “I’d rather my cousin choose Su Xiaomo over you. That’s his lifelong happiness, which you can’t provide. Besides, I don’t think you truly love Su Xiaomo. It’s more about the pride of winning the campus belle.”
I was indignant: “Hey, how do you know I don’t truly love her?” An Wen giggled: “
Because you fell in love with me.” “Impossible. Don’t be conceited,” I stammered. An Wen leaned close and whispered in my ear: “Don’t feel embarrassed. I like you too. Now we’re even.”
Happiness descended unexpectedly. I couldn’t care about anything else and held An Wen’s hand…
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
