Ever since that night, I made a point to meticulously check the ingredients of everything before taking a single sip.

One day, the moment I opened the front door, the heavy stench of alcohol hit me like a wall. Lin Sichen—the very man who had forbidden me from drinking—was passed out cold on the sofa. His absurdly long legs dangled awkwardly over the edge, looking almost comical.

I walked over and nudged his shoulder. “Lin Sichen, go to your bedroom.”

He opened his eyes slowly. They were bloodshot and glistening with moisture. There was no trace of the cold, ruthless corporate tycoon about him; right now, he looked more like a abandoned puppy.

I couldn’t help myself and poked his cheek. “Are you still conscious?”

He braced his hands against the cushions and sat up, staring at me. “Who are you?”

Oh, he was completely wasted. My playful side instantly flared up. “I’m your big sister.”

“Sister?”

“Yup. Try saying it.”

He obeyed like a good little boy. “Sister… big sister.”

My heart instantly turned to mush.

“How old are you?” I coaxed.

“Six.”

Ah, no wonder he was being so well-behaved. The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug, his voice trembling slightly. “Sister… why doesn’t anyone like me?”

I went rigid for a second. He was, after all, a fully grown man—two years older than me, no less. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t startled. But seeing someone this drop-dead gorgeous looking so broken easily triggered my maternal instincts.

I gently patted his back. “Who says nobody likes you? You’re so good, so handsome—how could anyone not like you?”

“They don’t… Mom doesn’t like me, Dad doesn’t like me either…”

His voice hitched with a quiet sob, and a second later, I felt a warm teardrop fall onto my collarbone. It hit me then—in the month or so I’d lived here, I had never seen or heard a word about his parents. The Lin family looked pristine and glitzy on the outside, but it turned out there were plenty of skeletons in their closet, too.

Not knowing how to properly comfort him, I just babbled whatever came to mind. “They do like you. Everyone likes you. Your grandma likes you, I like you… we all like you.”

“Really?!”

He snapped his head up instantly, a brilliant smile breaking across his face. Okay, yeah, mentally he really was six years old right now.

And then—the nightmare began.

He flipped on the TV to watch Winnie the Pooh, scrambled onto the coffee table, and even carried the potted plants from the balcony into the living room to line them up as a “train.”

I pressed a palm to my forehead. I hired myself out to play his fake girlfriend, not to be a babysitter!

After a exhausting round of wrestling, coaxing, and bargaining with him, he finally put forward his condition: “Sister, kiss me.”

Me: ???

“Sister, kiss me, please…”

He was actually pouting and acting needy. My scalp went completely numb.

“Let’s recap… how old are you again?”

“Six.”

…Well, kissing a six-year-old on the cheek shouldn’t be a big deal, right? I rationalized it to myself. I’d just pretend I was drunk, too.

I wiped his tear-stained face with my sleeve, then softly planted a quick peck on his cheek. He instantly became as docile as a kitten, curling up on the floor and falling fast asleep.

The next morning, the moment I opened my eyes, I found a text from Lin Sichen:

Tsk. Looks like he completely blacked out last night. Honestly, it was for the best. Otherwise, I had no idea what soul-crushing sarcasm he would have thrown my way.

The event turned out to be the textbook definition of a “high-society banquet.” Hosted on a ultra-luxurious yacht, the lights glittered over overflowing glasses of fine wine. Everyone was draped in designer clothes, treating wealth less like money and more like an accessory.

The moment Lin Sichen stepped on board, he was swarmed by a tight circle of CEOs. Greetings, clinking glasses, networking—everything moved in a seamless, practiced ritual.

“CEO Lin, it’s rare to see you bring a girlfriend to an event!”

“Indeed! This is a first, isn’t it?”

I found it mildly hilarious listening to them. It felt straight out of a melodrama, like those lines where the loyal butler says, It’s been years since I’ve seen the Young Master smile.

Lin Sichen nodded, flashing his standard commercial smile. “Allow me to introduce my girlfriend—Jiang Yuan.”

Right after the introduction, they immediately pivoted back to talking shop.

So, I bowed out gracefully and focused on my primary mission: the food. The buffet was stacked with high-end delicacies, and I dutifully sampled every single one. Midway through a bite, I happened to glance up and caught Lin Sichen’s eyes on me. It lasted for only a fraction of a second before he turned back to his conversation as if nothing had happened.

…Bizarre.

Out on the deck, someone suddenly yelled, “A shooting star!”

I wandered outside and saw a group of socialites making earnest wishes with their hands clasped together. I closed my eyes and joined in. Without overthinking it, I made my wish: I hope I get stupidly rich, with more money than I could ever spend.

Practical. Sincere.

“Miss Jiang, it’s been a while.”

I snapped my eyes open—and my mood instantly plummeted. Ye Sheng.

Still wearing that sickeningly arrogant smirk. The scumbag ex-boss who had tried to impose a “workplace rule” on me. That day, I had kicked him straight where the sun doesn’t shine, which earned me a termination letter… and an invisible spot on the industry blacklist. Honestly, I’d thought about pushing him overboard before, but unfortunately, the law frowned upon that sort of thing.

I tried to brush past him, but he grabbed my wrist.

“Where are you working these days? Being able to snag an invite to a party like this… I take it you’re keeping some old CEO warm at night?”

I scoffed, my brows furrowing.

He smirked contemptuously. “Spill it, who is he? Let me do a little digging. A girl like you… you almost ended up in my bed anyway—”

He hit the deck hard.

It wasn’t me. It was Lin Sichen.

“L-Lin… CEO Lin?!” Ye Sheng clutched his stomach, his face drained of color. “She’s… she’s your girlfriend?!”

“Don’t let her fool you! This woman is calculating as hell, back when she worked for me—”

Another brutal punch landed. Every time Ye Sheng opened his mouth, Lin Sichen threw another strike. By the time Ye Sheng shut up, he barely had the breath left to speak anyway.

I stood frozen for a few seconds before rushing over to pull Lin Sichen back. He grabbed my wrist and locked his gaze onto Ye Sheng, his voice cold and deliberate.

“Apologize to her.”

“I… I’m sorry! Jiang Yuan, I’m sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have provoked you!”

An apology delivered under duress… but damn, it still felt satisfying to hear.

That was when I noticed Lin Sichen was leaning against the railing, pulling me close. His tall frame shielded me from the crowd, looking entirely accidental yet undeniably intentional. Plenty of eyes were watching us now. The subtle aroma of wine drifted from him.

…Wait a second. Was he drunk again?

I asked cautiously, “How old are you right now?”

“Twenty-six.”

I let out a breath. Okay, good, still the adult version.

He leaned in closer. The sea breeze whipped past us, but his words were so clear they were impossible to ignore: “Jiang Yuan, my girlfriend… doesn’t have to put up with being mistreated by anyone.”

…Okay, that line was a bit much. The kind of line specifically designed to make a girl’s heart skip a beat. I stole a glance at him.

And then I remembered. According to the office gossip mill, Lin Sichen had an untouchable “White Moonlight”—a girl from the wealthy Tang family named Tang Shu. They were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. But three years ago, she moved abroad to pursue her career, and they lost touch. Since then, no other woman had ever been seen by his side. Everyone assumed he was holding out for her return.

Honestly, it sounded pretty romantic.

Not long after, I was making my usual lunch delivery to his office… when I ran right into Tang Shu.

She was sitting right inside his office.

I stood outside the door, caught in a dilemma: Should I walk in… or turn around and bolt? In front of his legendary White Moonlight, did I—the fake girlfriend—still need to play my part? If I kept acting, wouldn’t I be getting in the way of their grand reunion?

While I was having a full-blown existential crisis in my head, Lin Sichen spoke first.

“My girlfriend, Jiang Yuan.”

Then he turned to me. “Our new head of legal—Tang Shu.”

…So he did want to keep the act going. It clicked instantly.

I stared at him, coming to one undeniable conclusion: The handsomer the man, the more scheming he is.