Chapter 2

For “taking away” Jake, my younger sister feels guilty towards me.

Later at home, she held my hand, her face full of guilt, saying she had tried to refuse… She was afraid I would be upset, hesitated for a long time, even blocked him. But liking someone is beyond control; even if reason tells her it’s wrong, her heart still thinks of him.

My younger sister stared at me, as if trying to find traces of reconciliation: “You can understand, right?”

I smiled: “You and he got together after we broke up, you haven’t wronged me.”

As I said this, I looked into her eyes.

A trace of panic flashed in my younger sister’s eyes, and she nodded.

After gaining my forgiveness, my younger sister began trying to mediate the relationship among the three of us.

She deliberately ordered Jake to buy milk tea for me, asked him to carry my bag, and when dining out, she would have Jake peel shrimp for me and put it in my bowl.

And Jake complied with each request, he would smile helplessly at my younger sister after buying fruit for me under the scorching sun.

Without my younger sister, I might never have known this gentle and accommodating side of Jake.

A few days later, my younger sister, under the guise of exercising, dragged me to the park for a hike.

At the foot of the mountain, we got out of the car, and Jake was already waiting for us. He wore a windbreaker, his posture tall and slender, and was smoking with his head down.

My younger sister frowned and said something in a teasing manner, Jake extinguished the cigarette in a nearby trash can and naturally held her hand.

Jake had a heavy smoking habit, which she disliked, and after that, he indeed smoked much less.

What I couldn’t achieve in half a year, she managed with just a word of dislike for the smell of smoke.

This contrast made me feel amused yet bitter.

Feeling a gaze, I looked up to see the man behind Jake.

He bore a resemblance to Jake, but his features were more defined, possessing a gentle handsomeness in the morning light.

It was his cousin, Alex.

Alex was my high school classmate, though we didn’t interact much. After graduation, we went to different universities, and my impression of him was limited to: excellent grades, quite tall, and good-looking.

He nodded politely, seeming to remember me.

He should remember, right?

Following the mountain path upwards, my younger sister’s shoelace came undone. She didn’t move, just looked at Jake expectantly.

Jake paused for a second, then smiled and squatted down to tie her shoelace.

Witnessing this, I couldn’t help but feel a bit self-mocking; when had Jake ever been so accommodating in front of me?

In this relationship, the protector had always been me.

Jake’s family was far from perfect; his mother passed away in melancholy, and his father got involved with his stepmother two years after his wife’s death.

Or rather, Jake’s mom was still alive when the two of them were already secretly involved.

In the second month of our relationship, I was at his house celebrating his birthday, Jake got drunk, his blurry eyes fixed on my face, “Do you know? Someone said I should call my mom ‘aunt’.”

His tone was indifferent, “Said I was born from their illicit affair.”

I had already heard this from friends, shook my head: “They’re talking nonsense.”

Jake laughed: “My mom hated me so much, maybe it’s true.”

I didn’t know how to comfort him, could only stare at him, holding back the sourness in my eyes.

Jake looked at me deeply for a while, suddenly pulled me onto the sofa, rested his head on my lap, burying his face in my embrace.

I stroked his hair, feeling pity for a man for the first time.

Before this, I had never been in a relationship, my heart wholly devoted to him, without reservation.

My younger sister once scolded me for being foolish: “Sis, men won’t cherish someone as silly as you.”

Her words came true.

Late at night, he tugged at my clothes, pleading for me not to leave.

When a guy you like shows vulnerability and dependence in front of you, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

That night, he hugged my waist from behind, lying side by side with me, tightly pressed together.

Upon waking, I found myself facing him, Jake staring at me without blinking, not knowing how long he had been watching.

The man who looked at me with such eyes, it turned out, never liked me.

Perhaps, he just needed someone to accompany him through that most difficult phase.

The mountain path grew steeper, my younger sister worriedly turned back to remind: “My sister is clumsy, Alex, take care of her, don’t let her fall.”

Alex curved his lips: “I’m behind her, don’t worry.”

I hadn’t exercised in so long, climbing left me breathless, almost being pulled up by Alex. By the time we reached the summit, Jake and my younger sister had been waiting for over ten minutes.

Alex released my hand, twisted open a bottle cap, and handed me water: “Still the same as before, running a few steps and your face turns red.”

My face was numb, didn’t hear what he said, just focused on gulping down water.

He chuckled, helping me move my sweat-damp ponytail from my neck.

The mountain breeze blew, refreshing me entirely.

I don’t know if it was my imagination, but Jake stared at my hair, his expression somewhat cold.