Chapter 9

It didn’t surprise me to see Zhou Wan here—after all, she is Zhou Si’s younger sister.

But the way she looked at me right now was like she’d just witnessed Mars crashing into Earth.

I had no idea how I looked in that moment, but later, when I got home, I saw all kinds of marks on my body. No need to guess where they came from—Zhou Si had definitely left behind the evidence of his “crimes.”

Still, I didn’t plan on hiding anything from Zhou Wan. I smiled, striking first:
“Where’s your brother?”

Zhou Wan blinked, pointing downstairs. “He’s… in the kitchen.”

“Didn’t think he’d be any good in the kitchen, but I have to admit, his cooking isn’t bad. Too bad I’m not in the mood to eat.”

I turned to leave, but Zhou Wan stepped in front of me.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Home.”

She gave me this sly little smirk. “Litchi, aren’t you gonna explain yourself?”

“Explain what? That your brother and I went three hundred rounds last night?” I smiled without a trace of warmth.

Zhou Wan clicked her tongue. “And I thought we were besties—how could you sneak around behind my back with my brother?”

Clearly, she still didn’t know I was aware of her dirty little thing with Chen Zhicheng. She still had the nerve to joke with me, but I really wasn’t in the mood. I couldn't even fake a smile.

Seeing the deadpan look on my face, her grin started to fade. “Litchi… what’s going on with you?”

Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to fall out with Zhou Wan. Over a scumbag guy? Was it worth ruining a friendship that went back to childhood, when we were both running around in split-crotch pants? But I was mad. Mad that she had no boundaries. Mad that she never treated our years of friendship seriously. She could’ve chosen anyone—but she just had to pick her best friend’s boyfriend. That says something about her character.

But then again, I slept with her brother last night. I guess that evens the score.

Zhou Wan was still blocking the stairs, so I kept my cool and said, “Could you please move?”

She wasn’t having it either. “What’s with the attitude? Why are you giving me that face?”

I laughed coldly. “If I were really in a bad mood, you’d be dead by now.”

“You’re acting crazy, Xie Li!” she shouted. “What did I ever do to you?!”

Zhou Wan had always been spoiled. She grew up with everyone pampering her, so of course she couldn’t stand being in the wrong. We’d argued since we were little. Fight, make up, repeat. It was just how we were.

I hadn’t planned to say anything. But the way she kept pushing me—I snapped.

“You think I don’t know what you’ve done?”

She froze. “W-what… what do you mean?”

I mocked her. “‘W-what’? Why are you stammering if you’ve got nothing to hide?”

“I’m not hiding anything!” she insisted.

I snorted. “If you liked Chen Zhicheng, you could’ve just told me. You’re my best friend—I’d have backed off. No problem. But you had to be disgusting about it.”

I didn’t wait for her reply. “Move.”

Zhou Wan blocked me again. “Xie Li, it’s not what you think…”

“MOVE!”

“Xie Li—”

“I’m not saying it a third time. MOVE.”

She still wouldn’t budge. I lost patience and shoved her.

What I didn’t expect was that one push would send her tumbling down the stairs.

I watched, horrified, as she rolled for about two meters before landing hard on the floor with a thud.

“Aaaahhh!! It hurts!!” she wailed.

I bolted down the stairs and ran over to check on her. She hadn’t hit her head, but judging from how delicate she usually is, she was definitely going to be sore for a while.

Just then, Zhou Si appeared from the kitchen, probably drawn by the commotion.

Zhou Wan spotted him and immediately turned into a tattling schoolgirl. “Ge! It was Xie Li! She pushed me down the stairs!”

Zhou Si didn’t rush to help her. Instead, he turned his head and looked at me. He didn’t say anything, but those sharp peach blossom eyes of his seemed to ask, Was it you?

I didn’t say a word, just stared back at him, refusing to look away.

Those eyes—last night, under the glow of the bedside lamp—they’d burned with heat as he forced me to witness scenes that still made me blush to remember. Zhou Si always looked so proper and serious in public, but in bed, he really knew how to wear someone out.

But now those same eyes looked so unfamiliar.

Of course they did. To Zhou Si, Zhou Wan was his real sister. I wasn’t. No matter what she did, as her brother, he was going to stand by her.

And honestly? Zhou Wan wasn’t wrong. I had pushed her. Even if it wasn’t on purpose, I still did it.

Zhou Si finally broke the silence, glancing at Zhou Wan. “You’ve got enough breath to yell, so you’re probably not dying just yet, huh?”

“I fell down the stairs! I think I have a concussion!” she screamed.

He looked down at her like he was watching a soap opera. “Oh? Want me to call an ambulance?”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed.

Zhou Wan glared up at me, still lying dramatically on the floor. “You two are in cahoots! I’m telling Mom and Dad!”

I sighed and bent down to help her. “Princess, could you tone down the tantrum? When you were sneaking around with my boyfriend, didn’t you think karma was gonna catch up to you? And look—here it is!”

“You’re the one who deserves karma! I didn’t do anything!” she yelled. “Unlike you, I wouldn’t even want someone like Chen Zhicheng!”

“Oh? So why were you holding hands and whispering sweet nothings?” I shot back coldly. “Stop lying already. I saw everything. And I didn’t just see it—I took pictures.”

I pulled out my phone and opened the gallery to show her the shots I’d taken the day before.

Zhou Wan clearly hadn’t expected me to have evidence. She grabbed my hand. “Xie Li, listen to me! I didn’t mean to—please don’t be mad!”

I shook her off. “I’m not mad anymore. You hooked up with my ex, so I hooked up with your brother. We’re even.”

As soon as I said that, Zhou Si’s face went pitch black.

I’d never seen him angry before, but Zhou Wan had always told me that when her brother got mad, nobody in the Zhou household dared make a sound.

I figured he must be furious now—because Zhou Wan, who never shut up, suddenly went completely silent.

Sure enough, Zhou Si finally opened his mouth. “Xie Li,” he said, his tone icy. “Do you think playing these childish little games is fun?”

That smug, patronizing tone of his always pissed me off. He constantly looked at me like I was just a kid. And this time? It hit a nerve.

“Yeah!” I yelled. “I’m a kid! You’re older! You’re so great!”

Zhou Si scoffed. “Older? Oh, I think you know exactly how grown-up I am.”

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