Here's the translated text in English: --- My best friend's younger brother is such a cocky guy. The first time we met, I accidentally walked in on him getting out of the bath, and he just tossed a shirt over my head. My friend tried to ease the situation: "This is my sister's beautiful friend, isn't she pretty?" He shot me a cold glance and said sharply, "Really ugly." Hmph, just a cocky guy, right? I'll show you, big sister can handle this! After a period of caring for him with all my heart and little details... I gave up. He remained as arrogant as ever, even refusing to call me "sister." Just two days after I gave up, he sent me a message for the first time- Cocky guy: Is this a case of pursuing by pretending to let go? Cocky guy: Sister. 1 I went to my friend's house to drop off something and unexpectedly bumped into a handsome guy just getting out of the bath. He was tall and had long legs, with visible muscles, and the little fabric he had was barely covering essential parts. Before I could take a good look, I was covered by a shirt. My view was blocked, and only then did I realize what happened, unable to help but scream. My friend came out upon hearing the commotion. I pointed at the handsome guy, now wrapped in a towel: "Who is that?" My friend: "My brother." Me: ?? Wait a minute, I remembered her brother as a short, dark kid! My friend turned to the handsome guy, trying to ease the awkwardness: "This is my sister's beautiful friend, isn't she pretty?" He coldly looked at me: "Really ugly." After saying that, he turned and went inside. Me: ... Wow, turns out he's a cocky guy! Me: "How old is he?" My friend looked apologetic: "My brother... is twenty, and he went through his rebellious phase pretty late." I stared at my friend and squinted: "As long as he's of age." My friend had a knowing smile and immediately sent me her brother's WhatsApp: "Help me put him in his place." 2 The cocky guy's name is Mu Wang, he's in his junior year at T University, and apparently, he's quite a prominent figure at school. Indeed, he has the qualifications to be a cocky guy. I became even more interested and started "friendly" exchanges with Mu Wang on WhatsApp. Me: "Brother, wanna grab a meal together sometime?" Mu Wang: "Who are you?" Me: "Your sister's friend, the one who bumped into you while you were getting out of the bath." He didn't respond for a long time. Me: "?!" !!?? That little brat deleted me? I quickly found my friend: "Your brother deleted me, hurry up and make him add me back!" My friend: "He doesn't listen to me; you'll have to talk to him yourself." Me: "How can I talk to him when he's deleted me?" My friend: "Do you play League of Legends? He's playing ranked with his classmates tonight; I'll give you my account." Waaah, my good friend, I'm so grateful for you. That night, when I was on the mic in the game team and heard a voice that wasn't my friend's, Mu Wang's classmate was surprised. "It's not Mu Wang's sister, huh?" a soft-voiced boy asked, "Who are you, sister?" I softened my tone: "I'm Mu Wang's sister's friend..." "Oh, oh, can you support, sister?" "I can." "Then just lay back; we'll carry you." I cried; what a treasure of a brother! Mu Wang is like nothing compared to this! I need to change my target! Then Mu Wang played as marksman, and I, as support, had to stick with him. Mu Wang: "Support, go check the bush." I happily went over. Then I got gang-beaten by a bunch of big guys hiding in the bush and died. Mu Wang: "Support, don't throw." Me: ? Weren't you the one who told me to check the bush? After that, similar incidents happened many times, and I seriously suspected that Mu Wang was trying to mess with me. --- Feel free to ask if you need anything else!
Chapter 1
[1]
My bestie's younger brother is such an arrogant guy.
[2]
The first time we met, I accidentally caught him coming out of the shower, and he just tossed one of his clothes over my head.
[3]
My bestie, Averie Butcher, tried to smooth things over, she said,
[4]
"This is my bestie, Martha. Isn't she pretty?"
[5]
He gave me a cold, disdainful look and said,
[6]
"Ugly."
[7]
Oh, such an arrogant guy, huh? Let's see if I can't handle you.
[8]
After a period of my attentive care, thoughtfulness, and attention to his every detail...
[9]
I gave up.
[10]
He remained as arrogant as ever and hadn't given me any friendly response.
[11]
Then, two days after I gave up, he messaged me for the first time,
[12]
"Is this playing hard to get?"
[13]
"Beauty."
[14]
1
[15]
I went to Averie's house to drop something off and ran into a handsome guy fresh out of the shower.
[16]
He was tall with long legs and well-defined muscles. Only a tiny amount of fabric covers his private parts.
[17]
Before I could take a good look, one of his clothes was thrown over my head.
[18]
Blinded, I belatedly realized what happened and couldn't help but let out a scream.
[19]
Averie came out at the sound.
[20]
I pointed at the handsome guy now wrapped in a towel,
[21]
"Who is this?"
[22]
Averie said,
[23]
"My younger brother, Ryland."
[24]
I was filled with confusion in my mind.
[25]
Wait a minute, I remember Ryland was a short, dark-skinned little guy, wasn't he?
[26]
Averie turned to the handsome guy, trying to ease the awkwardness, "This is my bestie, Martha.
[27]
Isn't she pretty?"
[28]
He gave me a cold look and said,
[29]
"Ugly."
[30]
And with that, he turned and went back inside.
[31]
I was speechless.
[32]
Wow, it turned out he was an arrogant guy!
[33]
I asked Averie,
[34]
"How old is he?"
[35]
Averie, looking apologetic, answered,
[36]
"He's twenty,
[37]
and he was just a bit rebellious."
[38]
I squinted at Averie,
[39]
"As long as he's an adult."
[40]
She revealed an understanding smile and promptly pushed the Whatsapp of him to me, and said,
[41]
"Help me teach him a lesson."
[42]
2
[43]
The arrogant guy's name was Ryland Butcher, a junior at Starlight University, and he's apparently quite popular on campus.
[44]
He certainly had the qualifications to be an arrogant guy.
[45]
My interest piqued, I started a friendly conversation with Ryland on Whatsapp.
[46]
"Hey, wanna grab a meal together sometime?" I asked him on Whatsapp.
[47]
"Who are you?" He responded.
[48]
"Your sister's friend, the one who caught you fresh out of the shower." I answered.
[49]
He didn't reply for a long time.
[50]
I was filled with confusion.
[51]
Then I tried to send message to him on Whatsapp again. But I only received red exclamation mark.
[52]
What?
[53]
Did the brat delete me?
[54]
I quickly contacted Averie on Whatsapp, "Ryland deleted me, get him to add me back!"
[55]
"He doesn't listen to me, you'll have to talk to him yourself." Averie responded me on Whatsapp.
[56]
"How can I talk to him if he deleted me?" I continued to ask her on Whatsapp.
[57]
"Do you play League of Legends?
[58]
He and his classmates will play with me tonight, I'll give you my account." She responded me on Whatsapp.
[59]
Oh, my amazing bestie, I'm eternally grateful!
[60]
That night, when I joined the team chat, Ryland's classmates were surprised to hear my voice that wasn't Averie's.
[61]
"You're not Ryland's sister?"
[62]
A soft-voiced boy asked,
[63]
"Who are you?"
[64]
I replied gently,
[65]
"I'm Ryland's sister's friend."
[66]
"Oh, do you know
[67]
how to support?" He asked then.
[68]
"I
[69]
do." I replied.
[70]
"Then just relax,
[71]
we'll carry you to win."
[72]
I was touched. What a treasure of a younger boy. Who cares about Ryland? I'm switching targets!
[73]
Then Ryland played as the archer, and I had to follow him as support.
[74]
Ryland said,
[75]
"Support, go scout the bush."
[76]
I eagerly went.
[77]
And got ambushed by a group of enemies hiding there.
[78]
Ryland said,
[79]
"Support, see you."
[80]
Excuse me?
[81]
Weren't you the one who told me to scout the bush? I thought.
[82]
This happened several times, and I seriously suspected Ryland was doing it on purpose.
[83]
In the end, I didn't contribute much in the game.
[84]
Even though we won, I was still very annoyed.
[85]
Ha, you like playing archer, huh?
[86]
I'll play a soft support.
[87]
In the second game, I decisively picked game character Yaria.
[88]
Then Ryland picked the side lane hero, Ma Chao.
[89]
I was speechless.
[90]
Throughout the game, whenever I jumped onto Ryland, he'd speed up and use his skills to send me into the enemy crowd, watching me die alone while he left gracefully.
[91]
I even seem to hear his faint laughter.
[92]
I was furious!
[93]
Unknowingly, we started losing, with all three high ground towers destroyed.
[94]
The soft-voiced boy was very puzzled,
[95]
"Ryland, how can you, a national server Ma Chao, play so poorly against lower-ranked players?"
[96]
I snorted,
[97]
"Maybe even a national server Ma Chao has off days."
[98]
Ryland suddenly stopped beside me,
[99]
"Get on."
[100]
"Why?"
[101]
I was confused.
[102]
"To carry you
[103]
to get victory."
[104]
Ha, I didn't believe it, surely he was going to send me into the enemy crowd again.
[105]
However, I did as he said anyway.
[106]
After all, this brat hadn't added me back on Whatsapp yet.
[107]
To my surprise, he got serious, scoring double and triple kills, and quickly pushed to the enemy's high ground.
[108]
Of course, I died in the process.
[109]
When our team wiped out the enemy team, he walked into the tower and deliberately got himself killed.
[110]
I was confused,
[111]
"What are you doing?"
[112]
Ryland didn't answer, but the other boys teased,
[113]
"The couple heads home in pairs."
[114]
I blushed.
[115]
What nonsense, these kids have no sense of propriety.
[116]
3
[117]
After the game that night, I realized I forgot to ask Ryland to add me back.
[118]
Knowing he wouldn't see it, I still sent him a message in frustration, "Annoying brat, always bullying me."
[119]
Unexpectedly, it went through.
[120]
I was stunned for two seconds, just about to retract it, when Ryland replied, "Oh."
[121]
I was speechless.
[122]
"But you looked really cool turning the game around at the end." I said to him on Whatsapp.
[123]
Ryland replied, "Oh."
[124]
What kind of reaction is that, so indifferent.
[125]
"Can you say something else nice?" I continued.
[126]
Ryland didn't reply for a long time.
[127]
My heart skipped a beat, was he going to block me again?
[128]
"Just kidding, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, just don't block me!" I said.
[129]
Two minutes later.
[130]
"Going to sleep." Ryland replied.
[131]
I stared at my phone, unable to suppress a laugh.
[132]
Annoying brat, being so arrogant to me will have its price!
[133]
4
[134]
After that, I started bothering Ryland on Whatsapp whenever I had the chance.
[135]
But it was all trivial conversations.
[136]
Like, have you eaten, have you slept, did you miss me?
[137]
He ignored all the previous questions, only replying instantly to the last one.
[138]
No, impossible, don't dream about it.
[139]
Oh, the first time I failed to chase a man, and it was a little brat?
[140]
Unwilling to give up, I sought advice from Averie.
[141]
She dragged me to a bar, where we drank and she vented, "I don't know when Ryland started excelling in his studies, got into a top university,
[142]
and then became all weird..."
[143]
I listened patiently until I was thoroughly drunk. Averie patted me and said, "I just called Ryland over.
[144]
I'm leaving now, seize the opportunity."
[145]
Before I could say anything, she was already gone.
[146]
Bored, I waited until someone approached me,
[147]
"Add me on Whatsapp, beauty."
[148]
To avoid being pestered, I complied easily.
[149]
I could always delete him later.
[150]
The man persisted, "Are you alone?
[151]
Want to
[152]
leave together?"
[153]
I rubbed my temples in annoyance and looked up to see Ryland.
[154]
"No, my boyfriend's here to pick me up."
[155]
I smiled, pointing to Ryland in the distance,
[156]
"There he is."
[157]
The man wisely backed off.
[158]
Ryland walked up to me, looking down from above.
[159]
In the dim bar light, I couldn't make out his expression, but I sensed he might be angry.
[160]
Was he upset about being forced to pick me up by Averie?
[161]
I whispered,
[162]
"You didn't have to come..."
[163]
Ryland replied,
[164]
"And then you'd leave with another man?"
[165]
With confusion,
[166]
I was taken aback.
[167]
"No."
[168]
Feeling a bit tipsy, I stood up unsteadily and leaned towards Ryland.
[169]
He suddenly grabbed me, dragged me out of the bar, opened the car door and threw me into the back seat of the car.
[170]
Then he leaned into the car, his arm resting against my side, his nose almost touching mine, and I could even see the trembling of his eyelashes.
[171]
My heart was pounding wildly.
[172]
In the heated, alcohol-laden atmosphere, Ryland's words were cold, "You can flirt with others,
[173]
just don't involve me."
[174]
What?
[175]
Did he think I was just playing with him?
[176]
I really meant it!
[177]
The alcohol had me too weak to explain, so I lay limply in the back seat.
[178]
He drove to my apartment building and then noticed something was off with me.
[179]
"Faking being drunk?"
[180]
Ryland asked.
[181]
"I feel like throwing up,"
[182]
I replied.
[183]
Ryland was speechless.
[184]
"Don't throw up in my car."
[185]
He warned.
[186]
Perhaps still caring for his car, he got out and pulled me out.
[187]
I leaned weakly against him,
[188]
"Could you please not be so cold towards me?"
[189]
He stayed silent.
[190]
I continued to complain,
[191]
"Take me to a hotel."
[192]
Ryland stiffened,
[193]
"Not a chance."
[194]
I felt wronged, "I live on the fifth floor, no elevator,
[195]
I can't climb up."
[196]
Ryland was silent.
[197]
After a moment of silence, he suddenly crouched down,
[198]
"Come on my back."
[199]
Huh?
[200]
Was he going to carry me up?
[201]
"I want you to
[202]
carry me in your arms!" I said.
[203]
"You have
[204]
some seconds." He replied.
[205]
I quickly jumped on.
[206]
Having drunk, my senses were dulled, and the entire process seemed to pass by without me really feeling anything. All I remember is that the scent of Ryland was very pleasant.
[207]
It was like fresh grass after rain, carrying a hint of spring.
[208]
He took me home and even got me a glass of water.
[209]
I deliberately leaned on him, and when he pushed me away, I fell, forcing him to catch me again.
[210]
I felt great to tease the brat.
[211]
Initially, I planned to pretend to be drunk to keep him from leaving, but I reconsidered.
[212]
Ryland dragged me to the bed, and as he turned away, I lightly brushed my lips against his ear.
[213]
He reacted as if electrocuted, then quickly left, almost as if fleeing.
[214]
I was stunned.
[215]
Did he just leave like that?
[216]
The alcohol had mostly worn off. I sighed, feeling a bit annoyed, and went to the convenience store to buy two bottles of beer.
[217]
Leaving the store, I opened a can and saw someone standing under my building from afar.
[218]
The red glow of his cigarette flickered and finally disappeared as I approached.
[219]
He took some steps forward, his face gradually becoming clear from the shadows.
[220]
"Is pretending to be drunk fun?"
[221]
Ryland asked.
[222]
5
[223]
Oh,
[224]
no.
[225]
I instantly started acting as drunkenness again, stumbling towards Ryland, slurring,
[226]
"You haven't left yet."
[227]
He stared at me silently, the situation growing awkward.
[228]
Luckily, I was thick-skinned, determined to act as drunkenness, leaning against Ryland like a limp noodle, mumbling nonsense.
[229]
"Are you worried about
[230]
me?"
[231]
I knew he wasn't.
[232]
"Clearly,
[233]
you care about me."
[234]
The more I spoke, the more absurd it became.
[235]
"Do you secretly
[236]
like me?"
[237]
What was I even saying?
[238]
Unexpectedly, Ryland didn't push me away, standing still like a statue, letting me lean on him and speak nonsense.
[239]
I didn't want to probe whether he saw through my act. Looking up at him, I pitifully asked, "I spent a long time on my makeup today,
[240]
do you think I look good?"
[241]
Ryland's eyes flickered, and he suddenly pinched my cheeks.
[242]
His sudden action startled me into forgetting to react, letting him mold my cheeks into strange shapes.
[243]
He looked at me and chuckled lightly,
[244]
"Ugly."
[245]
The hallway is dim, but his eyes shone unusually bright.
[246]
It took me a moment to process.
[247]
Did he just call me ugly?
[248]
I decided to make him carry me upstairs again, starting to act silly.
[249]
Ryland watched leisurely, and when I tugged at him, he pinned me against the hallway wall.
[250]
The strong presence overwhelmed me, and I froze.
[251]
Ryland leaned in slowly, stopping just short of touching me.
[252]
He squinted, his tone unreadable, "The pretending game ends here.
[253]
Next time, have someone else take you home."
[254]
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
[255]
Leaving me full of confusion.
[256]
Did he see through me?
[257]
Why didn't he call me out when I was acting?
[258]
And what did he mean by having someone else?
[259]
Did this brat really think I was that easy?
[260]
Before bed, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I picked up my phone, typed a long explanation in the chat box.
[261]
But just before sending, I deleted it all.
[262]
Maybe I was too forward, causing him to misunderstand me.
[263]
Forget it, I'll tone it down. Don't want to scare the him away.
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