Chapter 18

The most painful thing in the world is to think you have everything, only to watch it all turn to ash on the eve of your triumph.

Jiang Yao never heard from her System again.

She seemed to have given up.

She threw her head back and laughed until tears streamed down her face. “Because I love you! I love you, Fu Liuchuan!”

“If I hadn’t gotten rid of Fu Liuliu, you wouldn’t have even spared me a glance.”

“Yes, I killed her! And I didn’t just kill her, I destroyed her face-but was I wrong? She was a pervert to begin with! Do you know what she said about you when she was drunk?”

She straightened her neck, a sweet but malicious smile on her face, like a flower whose petals were all dipped in poison.

She mimicked my lost, confused tone. “What do I do, Yao Yao? I can’t keep pretending.”

…

I was suddenly pulled back into a memory from two years ago.

It was Fu Liuchuan’s birthday.

I handed him the tie and sapphire cufflinks I had carefully chosen months in advance, but my face was a mask of indifference. “I just bought these randomly. Take them or leave them.”

The dark blue tie lay in his pale hand, draping softly over his knuckles. It made the small, dark mole next to it seem strangely alluring.

Fu Liuchuan looked down at it for a moment, then closed his hand around it.

“I’ll double your allowance next month,” he said, his expression unchanging.

As he spoke, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

I realized with despair that even the most ordinary action, when performed by him, was enough to ignite a secret desire in me.

So I said nothing, just stood up and strode towards the door.

That night, I got myself completely drunk.

I clung to Jiang Yao, who was still my good friend back then, and slurred, “What do I do, Yao Yao? I can’t keep pretending.”

“Whenever I see my brother, the only thought in my head is to strip him naked.”

“Do you know what I was thinking when he held that tie today? I was thinking it would be perfect for tying his hands…”

Jiang Yao recounted that night’s conversation with an almost crazed energy.

An overwhelming sense of shame washed over me. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Fu Liuchuan’s expression.

“Do you understand now, Fu Liuchuan? Your sister, Fu Liuliu, wasn’t the rebellious girl you thought she was.”

“She was a pervert, a disgusting slut!”

The answer she received was a sickening thud.

Fu Liuchuan grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the sharp edge of a nearby step.

Again, and again.

Until Jiang Yao’s forehead caved in, her entire face covered in blood.

He finally let go and took a step back, letting her collapse like a pile of trash.

“A pervert?”

“But my feelings… have always been the same as hers.”