Chapter Thirty-Seven: Chen Hao and Fan Yirou

After their playful antics, the three finally settled in a quiet restaurant. Chen Hao seemed to have little appetite, ordering only a simple bowl of porridge which he left untouched. He sat in silence, gazing at the two beautiful women across from him, both of whom had occupied a significant place in his life, lost in thoughts unknown to anyone but himself.

Opposite Chen Hao sat Fan Yirou and Gu Mengyan. Neither spoke; Gu Mengyan sat tense and rigid, her head bowed, as if she feared Fan Yirou beside her. It shouldn’t have been so, but she couldn’t help but recall how she had repeatedly spoken ill of Fan Yirou in front of others.

Fan Yirou, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, as though Gu Mengyan's previous behavior was nothing more than a mischievous child’s harmless prank. She knew well how her actions as a child had left a psychological shadow on Gu Mengyan—indeed, had their roles been reversed, she would have harbored the same resentment.

Understanding the wisdom of letting things be, Fan Yirou refrained from teasing Gu Mengyan any further today. The two friends hadn’t seen each other in a long while, and so Fan Yirou now clasped Gu Mengyan’s hand, resting her chin in her other palm, gazing fixedly at Chen Hao across the table. Her look mirrored the one Gu Mengyan often wore when she stole glances at Chen Hao, as if she wished to press him into her heart.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!” At last, Fan Yirou broke the silence. “Chen Hao, you’ve gotten more handsome over the years! Oh, how I regret not tying you to the bed before you left for school and taking some photos of you without your clothes.”

“Uh…” Chen Hao was speechless. “Ha! You’ve grown prettier yourself! But your queenly and mischievous style hasn’t changed a bit. Why would you want my naked photos, anyway? I’m no celebrity—you couldn’t sell them online.”

He meant it as idle banter, but unexpectedly, Fan Yirou answered quite seriously, “Oh, you’re the man of my dreams! When you’re not around, I can only rely on my memories to imagine you. Though my love for you is enough to etch your every smile and frown in my mind, nothing compares to a photo or video for vividness. With those, I could look at them on lonely nights… Oh~ hehehehe!”

Gu Mengyan, already annoyed at Fan Yirou calling Chen Hao ‘big brother,’ now clenched her teeth in fury at the increasingly outrageous words. The grinding sound was audible even to the neighboring tables.

Chen Hao hurriedly intervened, “Stop! Enough! No more—no, no more jokes!”

“How could it be a joke?” Fan Yirou’s face clouded with longing. “After all these years, haven’t you figured out how I feel? From the moment I first laid eyes on you at Mengyan’s tenth birthday, I was utterly captivated. You weren’t much older than me, but your extraordinary bearing, handsome looks, the physique honed by martial arts, your deep gaze, and your gentle, attentive care—at that moment, I was hopelessly lost.”

Her words pulled Chen Hao into memories, though his recollection of that time differed greatly from Fan Yirou’s account.

He vaguely remembered that, though his skin was fair, he was far from handsome and short for his age, his martial arts training making him even smaller compared to his peers. The daily practice left him exhausted, and his gait was more slouched than upright. As for taking care of Fan Yirou? That was a joke; he’d merely shown her the way to the banquet hall and then promptly went to Gu Mengyan’s room to find his little sister.

The reality was nothing like Fan Yirou’s version. Which of her words were true, and which were fiction?

Did she like him? Perhaps so. Over the years, Fan Yirou had no other male friends, often inviting him out, and he always accompanied her when he had time. Their interactions did seem somewhat like those of a couple.

Outings meant accompanying Fan Yirou shopping; in return, she would pick out clothes she liked for him. Or they’d go to amusement parks and ride the pirate ship, where she’d scream and cling to him in fear. Chen Hao never understood why she insisted on riding the pirate ship if she was so afraid—wasn’t the Ferris wheel just as nice? They often went to the movies together, and during walks, Fan Yirou would hold tightly onto his arm, sometimes resting her head on his shoulder.

Yet, to say they were truly a couple, or that Fan Yirou liked him, didn’t seem entirely right. Such behavior could also be normal among close siblings, as was the case with himself and Gu Mengyan. Fan Yirou had never formally confessed or defined their relationship—it all seemed like a game to her. Chen Hao, for his part, always regarded Fan Yirou as a sister, like Gu Mengyan. The three of them had grown up together since they were ten, with Fan Yirou moving in a few years after Gu Mengyan.

If Fan Yirou ever formally confessed, perhaps Chen Hao would accept. They knew each other well, had no blood relation, and shared a solid foundation built since childhood. Their families were well-matched, and despite Fan Yirou’s quirky personality, she was a genuinely good and kind girl, much like Gu Mengyan.

As for Chen Hao’s ideal partner? The kind of girl that exists only in anime—there’s no such thing in real life. Chen Hao wasn’t foolish enough to daydream, and he waited for their relationship to truly be established. He ignored the love letters from girls at work mainly because of Fan Yirou. Deep down, he had already envisioned her as his future wife.

Why hadn’t Chen Hao, as a man, taken the initiative to confess? The main reason was his fear that even if he confessed, Fan Yirou would respond excitedly in a teasing tone, “Ah! Then let’s start our romance right away!”

And so, in the end, Chen Hao never knew what their relationship truly was. He decided to wait until everyone felt the time was right, then propose outright.

Another reason was Gu Mengyan. Fan Yirou was Gu Mengyan’s closest friend—no, her mischievous companion. He had to consider his sister’s feelings. During the time he lost contact with Gu Mengyan, he became closer to Fan Yirou. He worried that a sudden shift in the trio’s relationship would unsettle Gu Mengyan, so he sought the right moment to bring them all together again.

This was partly why Chen Hao chose Fan Yirou as his business partner after resigning to start his own venture. With his family’s influence, he could have his pick of partners, even those willing to invest with no concern for losses.

Even without a partner, Chen Hao could easily open a martial arts school with his family’s resources. But his main motive was to reunite his two sisters.

If Gu Mengyan knew what Chen Hao truly thought of Fan Yirou, she would regret it deeply—regret inviting Fan Yirou to live with them years ago, regret leaving home and losing contact with her family. But it was too late now. In her absence, Fan Yirou and Chen Hao had forged an unusual intimacy.

Though their relationship hadn’t reached its final step, and they had never even held hands, Fan Yirou’s emotional bond with Chen Hao as adults was stronger than Gu Mengyan’s. If Chen Hao had to choose between Gu Mengyan and Fan Yirou as his wife, he would unhesitatingly choose Fan Yirou.

The emotional foundation was one thing; more importantly, though Gu Mengyan and Chen Hao were not blood relatives, they were siblings in name.

Gu Mengyan shuddered at the thought. She didn’t know what Chen Hao was thinking, but she understood well that Fan Yirou was her greatest rival in love.

Likewise, Fan Yirou must have felt the same—if she truly loved Chen Hao, then Gu Mengyan was her biggest threat.

What a mess—two best friends, both in love with the same man, each the other’s rival. Was this a soap opera? It couldn’t go on like this, Gu Mengyan decided.

“I say…” Gu Mengyan finally spoke. “Are we just going to sit here all day, lost in thought? Chen Hao, you invited Yirou to talk business, didn’t you? Let’s get started—enough dawdling!”