Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Today is my engagement ceremony.

Just as I was about to open the door and make my appearance, I suddenly received an extremely long text message from my fiancé.

To sum it up: I'm sorry, I've run away from the engagement.

Huh? He ran away? Then who is the person inside right now?

1

The door to the banquet hall swung open before me.

That person, whom I hadn't seen in ages, stood under the spotlight, breaking into my sight unexpectedly.

Even though it had been so long since we last met, I did miss him a little.

But at this very moment, I truly wished I could pass out immediately and sleep for ten or half a month, just to avoid facing the impending "fight arena" (a chaotic and tense situation).

He was dressed in a well-tailored suit. Noticing that I hadn't moved for a long time, he walked over to me in person.

When he got closer, I couldn't help but sigh— the boy from back then had clearly grown into a mature man.

"Sister, I'm back. Are you happy?"

Heh, with him saying that, could I even answer "no"?

But what I was more curious about was— he was wearing the formal dress that I had personally chosen for my fiancé. What on earth did he want to do by standing here like this?

It seemed like Mason Black could read the doubt on my face.

Suddenly, he smiled, leaned forward, and moved so close that our noses were almost touching.

"How could my sister's engagement ceremony be without me, the male lead?"

"......"

I knew it would be like this.

Don't be fooled by Mason Black's decent appearance and high IQ. When it came to matters like this, he was as stubborn as a mule.

So I didn't plan to argue with him. I just lifted the hem of my dress and tried to walk around him.

However, when I stepped onto the platform and was about to go to the front row to find my parents, I realized— in this huge banquet hall, apart from Mason Black and me, there wasn't a single other living soul!

The anger that I had been holding back surged up to my forehead in an instant.

I turned around and snapped: "Mason Black, what do you want? Where are Mom and Dad? And where is my fiancé? Did you do something to him!"

Mason Black just slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers and strolled over unhurriedly.

He picked up a lock of my hair— which I had carefully curled that morning— and played with it in his hand. Not satisfied, he leaned in and sniffed it. Then, he casually picked up a glass of juice from the side table and handed it to me.

"I've already asked Mom and Dad to go back first. Sister, you must be thirsty, right? Have some juice."

I shot him an annoyed glare. I had been busy with the engagement preparations all morning, and I was indeed parched.

So I didn't overthink it. I took the juice from his hand and gulped it down.

I was still smacking my lips, savoring the taste, when I suddenly saw Mason Black grinning strangely— like he had just succeeded in a trick.

My heart skipped a beat. No way, no way... Did he drug my drink?

Before I could even finish my internal rant, my head started to feel dizzy.

I really wanted to curse...

But I had already lost all my strength in an instant. I could only stand steadily with Mason Black's support. Right before I completely blacked out, I felt a wave of warmth by my ear.

Mason Black's deep voice drifted into my ears: "Fiancé? Sister, how could you forget again? I'm your fiancé."

2

When I woke up, I was being held tightly in Mason Black's arms— so tightly that I could barely breathe.

I hadn't noticed this in the banquet hall earlier, but now that I looked at him up close— even though he was a handsome guy, those dark circles under his eyes, which were so heavy they seemed to droop to his cheekbones, completely ruined his look.

It was obvious that he had rushed back from abroad overnight, and he probably hadn't even gotten a wink of sleep on the plane.

Looking at Mason Black's exhausted face, I had planned to have a good talk with him when he woke up.

But well, I really couldn't hold it in anymore—I was desperate to go to the bathroom!

I carefully tried to shrink back into the quilt. Every time I moved, I would look up at Mason Black to check if there was any reaction. Only when I saw that he was still motionless did I dare to make the next move.

After struggling and panting for a while, I was finally about to break free from his hold. But suddenly, Mason Black pulled me back into his arms in one swift motion— all my efforts were in vain, back to square one.

Wow, so he hadn't been asleep at all!

"Let go."

Maybe my voice sounded a bit cold, because I could feel Mason Black's breathing suddenly hitch, and his chest began to rise and fall more intensely.

He held me even tighter, as if he wanted to merge me into his very bones and blood. In a muffled voice, he said: "No."

I sighed. I didn't have the time to play this tug-of-war with him right now.

"If you don't let go, your sister is going to die from holding her pee."

Upon hearing this, Mason Black finally let go of his arms reluctantly.

When I got up, I was a little surprised. I thought— why did he believe me so easily this time?

But when my foot stepped onto the soft plush carpet, I realized—

Whoa! Oh my god!

A long, dazzling thin chain was tightly wrapped around my ankle.

At that moment, I didn't even get angry. Instead, I had a feeling of "I knew it would be like this".

No matter how much time passed, Mason Black was still the same Mason Black as before...

When I turned around, the culprit (the one who had done this) was staring at me with a messy bedhead, looking a little guilty. His eyes had turned so red that they were almost unrecognizable.

He looked like— if I even said one word to scold him, he would immediately burst into tears right in front of me.

I just glared at him and then turned around to go to the en-suite bathroom in the room.

After sitting on the toilet and taking care of my business, I didn't hurry to get up. I just propped my chin up and thought about how to get out of this situation.

But the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I had no idea how Mason Black had managed to sneak back to the country without anyone noticing. Normally, he should still be abroad, swamped with all kinds of courses.

It turned out that all the effort I had put into bribing his roommates was for nothing. Not a single one of them was reliable— when it really mattered, none of them had my back.

And Mason Black didn't even send me a heads-up before sneaking back. If he had, I wouldn't have ended up in such a passive position.

I looked around this unfamiliar room in annoyance, and somehow, memories of the past started to flood my mind.

3

More than ten years ago, a terrible traffic accident happened on the only road leading to a famous scenic spot in the suburban area of the city.

A family of three, who had set out happily for a trip, only had Mason Black survive in the end.

Because Mason Black's father and my dad were very close friends, my dad couldn't bear to let his good friend's only surviving child live alone in an orphanage. So he simply took Mason Black home with him.

I knew my dad had always been a man who valued loyalty. So when my mom found out about this, she didn't say much. Instead, her compassion was aroused, and she felt extremely sorry for Mason Black.

But when I came home from school, I was shocked. I suddenly saw a strange boy in the house, and my mom was sitting beside him, sobbing uncontrollably. I almost thought Mason Black was my dad's secret love child from outside.

In that split second, I even had it all figured out— who I should side with and how to divide the family property.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. After my dad told me the whole story about Mason Black, I didn't have that so-called feeling of "having my parents' love taken away".

Anyway, my family had more than enough money to spend. It didn't make much difference whether there was one more person or one less. I just treated Mason Black as a younger brother whom I could tease and play with whenever I wanted.

But under the urging of my dad and mom, every day I ended up acting like a nanny— worrying about whether Mason Black was adapting to life in my family, whether he had any psychological trauma, and whether he was happy at his new school...

The first few months went smoothly. With my meticulous care and guidance, Mason Black gradually emerged from his sorrow. Apart from being a little too clingy, there was nothing unusual about him.

He would follow me around, calling me "Sister" "Sister" all day long. It really made the young me suddenly experience the joy of "raising a kid". After all, who wouldn't want to have an obedient, cute little brother who would let his sister tease him?

But an unexpected turn came out of nowhere.

One day during the holidays, I was curled up in the hanging chair in my room, secretly reading a romance novel. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash from downstairs, which scared me so much that the book flew out of my hands.

I didn't have time to think about anything else. I quickly slipped on my slippers and ran downstairs. At a glance, I saw Mason Black lying on the ground with blood all over his head. Next to him was an antique vase that my dad had just bought not long ago— it was shattered into pieces, so unrecognizable that you couldn't even tell what it originally looked like.

Together with the maid at home, who had also turned pale with fear, we finally managed to send Mason Black to the hospital in time.

Because of this incident, there were no more display stands for collections or similar things in my house.

As for Mason Black's injury, it wasn't serious. He woke up that night.

The only slight problem was— it seemed like he had hurt his head badly. To put it in the clichéd plot of a romance novel— he had lost his memory.

At first, I thought it was a good thing that he had lost his memory. Even though it felt a little unfair to his deceased parents, for Mason Black himself, it meant those terrifying memories were finally erased from his mind.

But within a few days, I deeply regretted having that thought.

After Mason Black was discharged from the hospital and came home, my parents ordered me to take good care of him and keep a close eye on him. They even threatened to "punish me severely" if another accident like that happened again.

It was at that moment that I really had the illusion that Mason Black was their biological child.

Could it be that they were afraid that I, the "adopted daughter", would bully the "real young master" they had gone to so much trouble to find? So they made up a story to trick me?

It was just when I went to get him his medicine— Mason Black, who had been lying obediently on the bed just a moment ago, was gone.

When I finally found him, I saw Mason Black hiding behind the grape arbor that had been set up in my backyard to escape the summer heat. In front of him were two maids, chatting while doing their work.

I didn't know what they had been talking about before I arrived, but at that moment, both Mason Black and I could hear their conversation clearly.

"— But the young master really seems like he was specially found by Master and Mistress to be a companion for the young lady."

"Yeah, look at how affectionate he is towards the young lady. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes the son-in-law someday."

It wasn't until the two maids left that I realized I was one of the main subjects of their gossip.

The word "speechless" was practically written all over my face. Was it really okay for them to talk about two kids like this?

I was still feeling confused when I saw Mason Black turn around, his eyes filled with tears. His voice was as soft as a whisper: "Sister, is what they said true?"

"No, it's not." I answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Then why do you have the surname Chu, and I have the surname Qin?"

Oh, this...

I was left speechless on the spot. But little did I know— my silence, as I racked my brains to figure out how to tell him the truth, was taken by Mason Black as an admission of guilt.

From that day on, this misunderstanding spiraled out of control.

Before we went to college, I didn't have any particularly strong reactions to this matter.

It was just that Mason Black became even more clingy to me. He would intentionally or unintentionally try to please me and take care of me, as if he was afraid that I would get angry and drive him away.

The only thing that was a bit too much was— I suddenly had an extra "dad" (someone who was overly strict) keeping an eye on me.

But it wasn't until he somehow found out that I had a boyfriend in college that I finally realized how serious the consequences of this misunderstanding could be.

4

On Sunday, I specially put on the red slip dress I had bought a few days ago, getting ready to go on a date with my boyfriend.

But as soon as I went downstairs, I ran straight into Mason Black.

Mason Black was smiling, but there was something terrifying about that smile. However, at that time, I was as stupid as could be and didn't notice it.

"Sister, you're dressed so nicely. Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going shopping with Olivia Green." I looked directly at Mason Black, not showing the slightest hint of guilt.

Olivia Green was one of the very few people who had passed Mason Black's strict checks and screening over the years. In the end, Mason Black had finally nodded in approval, allowing her to become my friend and later even my best friend.

As long as I said I was going out with Olivia Green, he usually wouldn't stop me too much.

So come on, Mason Black— ask all you want! I had prepared a whole bunch of excuses last night. Today, I was definitely going to get out of the house smoothly!

"Be careful, and come back early."

I nodded, pretending to be well-behaved, while wondering to myself—

This is weird. Why didn't he ask any more questions?

Before I could think more about it, the phone in my bag vibrated. I lifted my hand to check the time and realized I had wasted so much time. So I hurried out the door.

As soon as I saw my boyfriend, I rushed over and gave him a big hug.

I had met him in a club at school. He was good-looking, gentle, and easy to get along with. So when he confessed his feelings to me half a month ago, I didn't hesitate much and agreed.

Even though our relationship had only progressed to holding hands so far, the days filled with love were really sweet.

We had a great time at the amusement park. We sat on a bench, each holding an ice cream cone. Before we knew it, our eyes met. The atmosphere was perfect. As I watched his face getting closer and closer, my fingertips started to tingle.

"Sister."

A cold voice came from behind me, scaring me so much that I almost jumped off the bench. Luckily, I only slipped a little, and my boyfriend pulled me back in time.

But that one small action made Mason Black explode like a suddenly ignited firecracker. He pulled me up in one go and stood in front of me, shielding me completely.

"Chloe, who is he?" my boyfriend asked.