Chapter 2: The Rival

The moment I recovered, I was back out and about, happily meeting up with my friends.

I was in the restroom when I caught a glimpse of Fu Yanshen. I hurried out, only to run straight into a waiter.

“I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry!”

I flashed him my brightest smile, looking as genuinely apologetic as possible.

“It’s okay. My fault.”

He smiled back at me with a strange, knowing look.

Just as I finished washing my hands, the same waiter suddenly came over. He was big and muscular, and the look in his eyes was anything but friendly.

“Come on, sweetheart. Quit pretending.”

I shot him a cold look.

“Move.”

I was about to leave when he grabbed my wrist, a lecherous grin spreading across his face.

“Relax. I’m just trying to get to know you. Give me a chance, will you?”

I struggled, but he held on tight.

I was just about to scream for help when—

Thud!

A muffled grunt rang out, and the waiter went flying backward like a sack of potatoes.

Before I could even process what had happened, I found myself caught in a pair of strong arms.

I looked up.

Fu Yanshen stood there, his face dark as thunder, his voice icy.

“Do you have a death wish?”

He was about to stride over and finish the job when I hurriedly grabbed his arm, my eyes watering as I put on my most frightened expression.

“Brother… I want to go home.”

Honestly, I deserved an award for that performance.

I was so convincing that even I almost felt sorry for myself.

By the time we got home, I was curled up under the blankets like a little shrimp.

Fu Yanshen walked in and found me clutching a pillow. He said nothing, simply sat down beside the bed and gently stroked my head with his warm hand.

And that was my cue to begin my little performance.

I started crying for myself.

Tears streamed down my face like rain, while my sobs echoed dramatically throughout the room.

Fu Yanshen pulled me into his arms.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

Hearing that gentle, heart-melting voice from the usually cold and detached “Buddha,” I cried even harder.

I acted so well that I nearly convinced myself I was actually terrified.

After I’d cried myself completely exhausted, he gently wiped my face before standing up.

“Go to sleep. Call me if you need anything.”

I immediately grabbed his hand, looking up at him with the most innocent expression I could manage.

“Could you… sleep with me tonight? I’m scared.”

He paused.

A strange glimmer flashed across his eyes.

Then, eventually, he nodded.

“Okay. Be good. Don’t be scared.”

That night, I clung tightly to him, burying my face against his warm chest.

I slept straight through until morning.

…

When I woke up, the space beside me was already empty.

I sat up and reached for my phone. There was a message from an unfamiliar number.

[Miss, you never said your brother was going to beat me up this badly. That kick really hurt. My stomach still aches. I lost my job and got injured too. Aren’t you going to compensate me for the emotional distress?]

I smirked and calmly replied:

[How much?]

After he gave me a number, I transferred the money without hesitation.

A second later, another message came through.

[Perfect. Once the money’s in, I’m out of here. Good luck “landing” that Buddha of yours! 😉]

I tossed my phone aside with a deeply satisfied smile.

See? Sometimes you really did get rewarded for committing to the bit.

…

That weekend, Song Yan, Fu Yanshen’s best friend, stopped by.

The moment he saw me, he broke into a huge grin.

“Hey, little An An!”

“Yanshen’s upstairs in the study. Would you like something to drink?”

“Just a glass of water is fine. Thanks, An An!”

As he spoke, he casually ruffled my hair like we were old friends.

After he went upstairs, I happily poured him a glass of water and carried it up.

The study door wasn’t fully closed. There was a tiny crack.

I was just about to push it open when I suddenly stopped.

My name had come up in their conversation.

Song Yan clicked his tongue.

“An An is sweet and adorable. You seriously don’t like her?”

My heart started pounding.

I held my breath and pressed my ear closer to the door, waiting for some romantic answer.

But no.

Fu Yanshen’s low voice came through, edged with faint impatience.

“Not interested.”

Three short words.

Simple. Blunt.

More than enough to crush the tiny little fantasy that had just begun blooming inside me into dust.

I took a deep breath, forced my expression back under control, then casually pushed open the door.

Before turning away, I stole one last glance at him.

The so-called “Buddha” was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sitting seriously in front of his computer, his ten fingers tapping away at the keyboard as though he hadn’t just delivered the most brutal rejection imaginable.

Fine.

Just you wait.

…

Before long, Fu Yanshen’s birthday arrived.

Choosing a gift for this spoiled young master who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth nearly cost me half my hair.

He had no shortage of designer clothes or luxury watches, so I decided to take the artistic route.

I drew him a portrait myself.

When he received the gift, I clearly caught a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

And when I saw how carefully he put the portrait away, I secretly preened.

Hmph.

So he did know what was good when he saw it.

The birthday party was lively and packed with guests.

Fu Yanshen was dragged around by his father to entertain the older members of the family, while my mother was busy chatting with the other society ladies.

As for me?

I found myself a quiet corner and completely isolated myself from the world so I could focus on one very important task—

eating snacks.

“An An!”

The sudden shout nearly made me choke on my pastry.

I looked up and saw Jiang Xiaobei.

I immediately turned my head away, pretending we had never met.

That guy was like a ghost who simply refused to disappear.

Looking utterly dejected, he dropped into the seat beside me.

“Why have you been giving me the cold shoulder lately? I text you and you don’t even reply.”

“I’ve been busy.”

I sighed.

“Busy doing what? You’re on break now! Your favorite singer has a concert coming up. I already bought the tickets. Come with me!”

“Not interested.”

I borrowed those exact words from someone else and used them to turn him down.

“Don’t be so cold. Come on. He’s an amazing singer…”

Jiang Xiaobei was the youngest son of the Jiang family, one year older than me. He had been pursuing me persistently for several years.

I just couldn’t bring myself to like him.

He was way too childish and had absolutely no sense of maturity.

“Go play somewhere else.”

I waved him away like I was shooing off an evil spirit.

He continued rambling beside me, but I had stopped listening a long time ago.

Because across the ballroom, Fu Yanshen was standing with a woman.

She had luminous fair skin and a short haircut tucked neatly behind her ears, giving her a lively, confident air. Every smile she flashed carried a deadly kind of charm.

I nudged Jiang Xiaobei.

“Is that your sister?”

“Yeah. She just got back from overseas.”

I nodded.

Then I noticed Uncle Fu and Uncle Jiang exchanging meaningful smiles before tactfully slipping away, leaving the two of them alone.

Oh.

So that was what this was.

A blind date.

A classic match between two equally matched families.

Of course.