Chapter 1

“Well? Have you found her yet?”
Murmurs buzzed through the grand ballroom.
Tonight was supposed to be the fairy-tale engagement of a princess and a prince.
The princess was my older sister, Nguyen Thu, and the prince was the man I had silently loved for the past four years.
It sounded like something out of a romance novel, but life was never that fair.
Nguyen Thu was the pampered golden girl of the family, shining like a flawless gemstone.
As for me, I was just the daughter of the mistress, always used to keeping my head down and living in the shadows.
Yet tonight, the princess had vanished into thin air.
Her phone went straight to voicemail, her messages sat unread; she might as well have flown up to the moon.
“Is she picking up?” my father asked, his brows furrowed in a dark scowl.
I held up my phone, the screen flashing red with the dreaded call failed notification.
I gave a small shake of my head. “Still can’t get through.”
He ground his teeth and stormed off, murder written all over his face.
Looking up, I caught sight of a familiar silhouette out on the balcony.
At that exact moment, my phone buzzed—it was a call from my sister.
I hastily swiped to answer, but before I could even speak, her arrogant voice snapped through the speaker:
“Tell Dad that there is no way in hell I’m marrying Sheng Yang! I hate him! Make him cancel this stupid party right now, or he’s never seeing me again!”
I uttered a quiet “okay,” and the line went dead in my ear.
I relayed her message to my father.
Hearing it, his face flushed an angry, furious red.
I couldn’t help asking, “Was a marriage alliance with the Sheng family really that necessary?”
He merely shot me a cold glare and didn’t bother to answer.
I turned on my heel and followed the shadow I’d spotted out on the balcony.
The sultry summer night breeze whipped through my hair, stoking the wild, desperate longing I had buried deep inside my chest for so long.
He was leaning lazily against the railing, casually spinning a silver lighter between his fingers, his expression distant and completely detached from the festive chaos inside.
I hesitated for a heartbeat, took a deep breath, and stepped closer, gently tugging at the hem of his jacket:
“My last name is Nguyen too, and my sister doesn’t want you… how about I be your fiancée instead?”
He lowered his gaze, letting out a soft, low chuckle.
“Look up.”
I raised my eyes to meet his, my heart hammering against my ribs like a war drum.
“Is that a yes?” I asked in a whisper.
Sheng Yang arched a brow, his voice drawing out lazily.
“Being my fiancée involves kissing and holding. Can you handle that?”
My face flared bright red like a ripe tomato, and I stammered,
“I… I can handle it.”
“Mhm?”
“I can kiss… and I can be held, too.”
He leaned down, whispering two words against my ear that completely froze me in my tracks.
“That part… you’ll have to wait until we’re married for that!” I panicked, stumbling half a step backward.
He stared at me intently for a few long seconds before a low chuckle slipped past his lips.
“Alright, then. I suppose I’ll reluctantly let you be my fiancée.”
My heart skipped a violent beat.
He reached up, placing a hand behind my neck and pulling me softly back into his space.
“There are so many people watching, fiancée… aren’t you going to stake your claim?”
Before I could even turn my head to look around, he caught the back of my head, guiding my lips to his.
“Open your mouth,” his voice brushed softly against me just before the kiss landed.
My entire body went rigid, my ears burning as if they’d been scalded in boiling water.
When he finally pulled away, I was breathless, my lips still trembling.
He smirked, the pad of his thumb gently grazing my lower lip.
“Next time, remember to close your eyes. Even I get a little shy, you know.”
I mumbled under my breath, “But… you didn’t close yours either…”
A dry laugh escaped him. ” slipped my mind. I’ll make sure to correct that next time.”
The engagement party proceeded right on schedule.
In my father’s eyes, as long as the two families joined forces, it didn’t matter which daughter was tied to the deal.
Nguyen Thu didn’t want Sheng Yang? Fine, I’d take her place.
Once the banquet wrapped up, Sheng Yang insisted on driving me home himself.
Before I unbuckled, he handed me his phone.
“You didn’t save my number. What, were you planning to use telepathy to reach me later?”
Blushing furiously, I quickly punched in my digits and handed it back.
He raised an eyebrow. “WeChat on the same number?”
I nodded.
“Make sure you accept my request when you get upstairs.”
As he leaned over to push the door open for me, my lips accidentally brushed lightly against the shell of his ear.
I flinched, pulling back in a panic.
He looked at me, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
“Sneaking a kiss on the sly?”
“… I did not!”
He let out a rich laugh.
“Next time, feel free to do it right out in the open. I won’t say no.”
My face burning, I scrambled out of the car and bolted straight into the house.
Pressing my back against the heavy front door, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm, I buried my hot face in my hands and scolded myself:
Nguyen Mian, you are seriously hopeless!
Watching the girl scurry away like a tiger was chasing her heels, Sheng Yang let out a helpless, affectionate chuckle and shook his head.
The faint, sweet scent of fruit she left behind still lingered in the air inside the car.
He took a deep, lingering breath, leaned back against the headrest, and closed his eyes.
His mind was entirely filled with the image of the petite girl out on the balcony last night—her shy, timid eyes, and the way she had tugged at his jacket like a little kitten pulling on a big dog’s tail.
That soft, delicate sensation made his throat bob slightly, a smile involuntarily tugging at his lips.
Ping, ping…
The chime of a message pulled him sharply out of his daydream.
Annoyed, he glanced down at his screen:
Bu Lin: 【Where are you?】
Bu Lin: 【Get your ass out here for a drink.】
Sheng Yang: 【Downstairs at my fiancée’s place.】
Sheng Yang: 【Not going.】
Bu Lin: 【???】
Sheng Yang: 【Got a wife now. I don’t run around anymore.】
Bu Lin: 【… (smirking emoji)】
A moment later, the roar of a sports car engine tore through the night, speeding away from the villa complex.

Back inside my house.
I grabbed my phone the second I walked in.
Sure enough, there was a pending friend request from Sheng Yang—and his profile picture was… just a blurry, mysterious silhouette that looked straight out of a horror movie poster.
Trembling slightly, I tapped accept, hastily tossed my phone aside, and scurried into the bathroom to wash my face.
As soon as I stepped out and picked my phone back up, ping—a message popped up.
Sheng Yang: 【Made it home.】
I hurriedly replied with a cute, obedient sticker of a kitten waving hello, practically shouting: “Yes, sir, message received!”
Sheng Yang: 【Goodnight.】
I: 【Goodnight.】
As much as I tried to sleep, my heart was hammering like a festival drum, and I tossed and turned, utterly unable to close my eyes.
It all felt like a fever dream—the kind of impossibly sweet dream you’re terrified of waking up from.
That night, I closed my eyes and prayed: Please, when I wake up tomorrow, don’t let this vanish into thin air…

The next morning.
The absolute first thing I did upon waking up was grab my phone and open WeChat.
Seeing that the chat window with Sheng Yang was still right there, I sat there grinning like an absolute fool for a solid half-hour.
Day two of being engaged also happened to be the first day of my sophomore year of college.
After washing up, I trotted downstairs, utterly surprised to see Nguyen Thư sitting at the dining table—it was a rarity for her to ever be home this early in the morning.
I pulled out the chair next to hers, narrowing my eyes.
“Don’t you ever pull a disappearing act like that again. Were you trying to give the whole family a heart attack?”
Nguyen Thư just flashed a mischievous grin, fished a heavy gold bracelet out of her bag, and slid it straight onto my wrist.
“Thanks for covering for me yesterday, my sweet little sister.”
I grabbed her hand, halting her movement.
“Do you remember that love letter I secretly wrote back in high school?”
Nguyen Thư nodded. “Of course I do. The most embarrassing, face-turning-red letter of the year.”
I took a deep breath.
“The guy I liked back then… was Sheng Yang.”
Her hand froze mid-motion, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
“Nguyen Mian, are your eyes full of mud or something?! Why on earth would you have a crush on him?!”