Who would want that!
An Li was so angry that her chest rose and fell unevenly. She clenched her teeth and dragged Duan Zhuo out by force.
He, on the other hand, had been chatting quite smoothly with the doctor.
He had even listened carefully to a lot of medical advice on her behalf.
“Duan Zhuo, can you not talk nonsense?” she said righteously. “I’m not your wife.”
He pressed his thin lips together, smiling in an innocent, harmless way. “I know.”
“Then why are you still spouting nonsense?”
“When you’re out, your identity is whatever you say it is.”
If he wanted to be her boyfriend, then he was her boyfriend. If he wanted to be her husband, then he was her husband.
“Besides, my mouth is on me.” Duan Zhuo lowered his head, looking at the girl whose cheeks were puffed up like an angry pufferfish. With interest, he bent slightly at the waist and leaned down to meet her gaze. “If you don’t like me, then kiss me to death.”
“…Duan Zhuo!”
“Husband’s here.”
An Li’s voice had been too loud, making them—already eye-catching—draw even more attention from passersby.
Several girls who walked past Duan Zhuo were practically melted by the way he casually called himself “husband.”
Handsome face, tall figure, pleasant voice, and extremely good at flirting—he was basically a walking heartthrob.
Most importantly, he seemed devoted. Even when girls surrounded him, his eyes were only on An Li.
If An Li kept losing her temper at him, it would seem like she didn’t know what was good for her.
She didn’t want to keep entangling with him in public either. “Forget it. We’ll talk when we get home.”
That one sentence made Duan Zhuo feel delighted.
They had a home.
A home they would return to together, even if they argued.
Since An Li had difficulty walking, Duan Zhuo handled queuing, payments, and collecting medicine for her.
Seeing that he had helped, she decided not to hold it against him for his loose tongue in front of the doctor.
An Li only needed to sit on a chair and wait for him.
Over there, now alone, Duan Zhuo caught the attention of two girls who thought he was single. They boldly went up to ask for his contact information.
No one knew what he said to them, but the two girls visibly lost their enthusiasm and left awkwardly.
Duan Zhuo returned carrying a bag of medicine, walking at an unhurried pace. His long legs moved like he was on a runway, as if the hospital were a fashion show, drawing attention from all around.
It was all because he was too attractive.
An Li took the medicine from him. Seeing him staring at her, she subconsciously touched her face. “What are you looking at me for? What’s wrong?”
“Baby, aren’t you going to praise me?”
“What?”
“Just now, two girls asked for my WeChat, but I didn’t give it.” He said, “I told them I have a wife, and we have a great relationship.”
“…So, so what?”
“So I’m very devoted. Date me.”
None of the advantages he had previously listed about being a boyfriend had been accepted by her. She had rejected him on the grounds that he had too many girlfriends.
He couldn’t tell her that those women had only been part of an act, a façade he put on to avoid being constrained by his family.
She wouldn’t believe it anyway. In her eyes, he was nothing but a flirtatious scumbag.
He could only prove it through actions.
However, An Li still didn’t believe him. Instead, she felt his behavior was more like a deliberate show. “Rejecting someone’s WeChat doesn’t count as being devoted. Don’t you still have a bunch of girls in your contacts?”
Duan Zhuo simply handed his phone over. “Let my girlfriend delete them.”
An Li froze.
He had said “let my girlfriend delete them.”
How could she dare to take it?
Even if he weren’t a playboy, she still wouldn’t be with him.
A face like his gave her no sense of security.
“Duan Zhuo, stop pestering me,” An Li shook her head and said seriously. “I don’t want to date.”
“Then let’s get married.”
“……”
It was like talking to a wall.
There was no reasoning with him.
Seeing her silent, Duan Zhuo thought she hadn’t heard. “Let’s get married. It’s still early—we can go register first, then meet the parents…”
“No!” An Li interrupted him.
He had been speaking enthusiastically, but after being cut off, he fell silent for a few seconds. His gaze darkened as he stared at her without blinking, his tone lowering. “Why? Are you still thinking about my brother?”
“It has nothing to do with him…”
How could she possibly marry Duan Zhuo? They didn’t even have a relationship…
If anything, there had only been that one night.
But last night had just been an accident.
“I really don’t get what’s so great about my brother. Just a pretentious guy,” Duan Zhuo snorted coldly. “Besides, he already has a fiancée. They’ll probably get married next year.”
An Li was shocked. “What? He… he has a fiancée?”
“What, you didn’t know?”
She probably didn’t. Otherwise, why would she have written him a love letter to confess?
“She’s the Wen family’s daughter, Wen Shuyi. She just returned from studying abroad the day before yesterday,” Duan Zhuo said seriously. “My mom personally chose her as my brother’s wife. You know how my brother is—he does whatever the elders say.”
Duan Xingning had always been obedient and sensible since childhood, the model child in the eyes of elders. The Duan family had originally planned to cultivate him as the heir. However, he lacked talent in finance and instead excelled in music composition.
So their mother decisively changed direction, not wasting his musical talent. She had him train rigorously, and he eventually became a top star in the music industry.
As for the business path, it fell to Duan Zhuo. Though he was now the heir of the Duan family and had led it to flourish over the years, in the end, he was just a substitute—someone who happened to pick up what his brother didn’t want.
Everyone seemed to revolve around Duan Xingning. Even An Li, who had grown up with them, only liked the older brother.
Why?
Couldn’t the younger brother win just once?
An Li didn’t notice the flash of ruthlessness in Duan Zhuo’s eyes. Her heart felt suspended as she hesitated, stammering, “Duan… Brother Duan, does he really have a fiancée?”
“If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see,” Duan Zhuo glanced at the time. “Miss Wen wants to build a relationship with him, so she’s planning to work as an assistant in his band.”
“An assistant? Huh? But I…” An Li was stunned, pointing at herself.
She was Duan Xingning’s assistant.
Four years ago, because of her secret crush on him, An Li had applied to a music school. By chance, she graduated successfully. However, as a non-teaching arts graduate, job prospects were scarce. After graduation, she couldn’t find work, so Duan Xingning let her join his band to do miscellaneous tasks.
Duan Xingning’s Star Voice Band was affiliated with the Duan family’s company, so Duan Zhuo naturally knew about her job. Thinking that she would not only have to face Duan Xingning but also be forced to witness their affection in the future, he couldn’t help but feel a bit gleeful.
Duan Zhuo drove An Li to the entrance of the band. “They should be inside. Go take a look.”
An Li’s fingers tightened around the seatbelt, but she didn’t move for a long time.
She knew.
Ever since that night with Duan Zhuo, there had been no possibility between her and Duan Xingning anymore.
But the feelings she had harbored for years couldn’t be cut off all at once.
“Nervous?” Duan Zhuo raised a brow at her hesitation. “Or… heartbroken?”
“No…” She shook her head. She didn’t seem that heartbroken. “If he finds his own happiness, I… I won’t be sad. I’ll bless him.”
Then it seemed she didn’t like his brother that much after all.
After all, if you truly loved someone, you couldn’t bring yourself to bless them.
For example, if An Li and Duan Xingning were together, Duan Zhuo wouldn’t just refuse to bless them.
He’d probably want to crawl under their bed on their wedding night and steal her away.
“I have a way to make you the bride at my brother’s wedding,” Duan Zhuo said.
An Li looked at him suspiciously. “What way?”
What ridiculous idea was he coming up with now?
“Marry me.”
An Li: “?”
“Then my brother and I will hold our weddings at the same time. He’ll be the groom, and you’ll be the bride. That way, you two can also have a perfect ending.”
As for him, he would reluctantly sacrifice himself and have his wedding on the same day as his annoying brother.
An Li had been nervous about meeting Duan Xingning and his fiancée, but Duan Zhuo’s words completely derailed her thoughts.
What kind of logic was that?
He could probably argue that the earth was square.
And she must be crazy for actually listening to him for so long.