The day after their whirlwind wedding, Siyu flew to Rio.
Tang Li was about the last person in their circle to hear about it.
Some online surfers with lightning-fast internet had even seen posts from people who’d run into Siyu in Rio before she did.
Qiao Ning was so furious she swore she’d hire eighteen male models for Tang Li.
“Who does he think he is? It’s only the second day, and he’s already flown off to Rio by himself. Who’s even there?”
“Did he even think about you? Your marriage has given the paparazzi and reporters enough to live on. How could he leave you here all alone?”
“It’s okay, Ningning.” Tang Li, the person actually involved, calmly comforted Qiao Ning instead. “He just went to Rio. It’s not like he went whoring.”
“?”
Qiao Ning’s mouth twisted into a mocking smile. “Sweetie, you know I hate women who lose their heads over love. Don’t tell me you still like him.”
“No. I don’t. I don’t like him.” Tang Li denied it three times in a row. “I just don’t think it’s worth caring about. You’ve known Siyu long enough. The two of us are only putting on a show for the media, at most.”
“I’m just furious he’s making people laugh at you like this.”
“How could that be? I don’t feel any particular way about it.” Tang Li made a face to coax Qiao Ning into smiling, then hugged her from behind and wheedled, “Come on, weren’t you supposed to fly to the Maldives? Why haven’t you left yet?”
“I’m worried that scumbag will trick you into giving him your body and your heart!”
“How could he? I don’t care at all.”
That very night, the person who’d insisted she didn’t care booked out Nevernight City and announced that all the night’s expenses were on Third Young Master Tan.
The bar on the first floor went wild.
Everyone cheered and thanked the Third Young Master for his generosity.
In the dance hall, a horde of demons danced wildly to deafening heavy metal.
Tang Li picked a sofa and sat down. The manager behind her immediately led over eighteen carefully selected male models and lined them up in front of Qiao Ning.
Under the dazzling lights, every one of them was devastatingly handsome.
One young man in particular looked uncannily like Siyu in profile. Even his hair, when the white lights flashed over it, was the same blue-gray shade that Siyu had once dyed his hair.
The manager eagerly began introducing him. “Mr. Tan—”
Tang Li glanced at him, her small face impassive, and cut him off. “My surname is Tang. If your Mandarin pronunciation isn’t up to scratch, I suggest you practice.”
The manager hurriedly nodded. “Of course, of course. This one—Miss Tang, let’s get back to the handsome young Brothers. This one is known as our Nevernight City’s Little Young Master.”
Tang Li: ?
They had knockoffs now, too?
Little Young Master was quick on the uptake. He immediately sat beside Tang Li and put on a sweet, high-pitched voice. “Big sister~”
“…”
Tang Li shivered.
Good grief. With the lighting like this, the more she looked, the more he resembled Young Master.
Seeing that she seemed interested, the manager launched into his sales pitch. “Our young Brothers will keep you company while you eat, drink, and have fun. I’d recommend that you sign up for membership, Miss Tang. Once your cumulative top-ups reach fifty million, you can upgrade to our diamond membership, which lets you add the young men’s private contact information. We also provide diamond members with private rooms.”
The manager looked as if he were about to reach right into Tang Li’s wallet.
“No, thank you.” Tang Li pressed a hand to her forehead.
She glanced over the other seventeen male models. It wouldn’t be right to slight them, either. “Let them sit down one by one first.”
“Of course.”
At the manager’s signal, the male models gathered around Tang Li.
But her gaze stayed fixed on Little Young Master.
“What kind of liquor do you like, Big Sister?” Little Tan Siyu was practically leaning against her.
Tang Li was panicking inside, but she kept her face composed. After answering Little Tan Siyu’s question, she asked him, “How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
“Are you in college?”
“Yeah. I’m earning money for tuition.”
Little Tan Siyu gazed at Tang Li with a pitiful look. “Big Sister, get me another bottle of champagne~”
Dazzled by his looks, Tang Li simply nodded and told him to open one.
Little Tan Siyu pushed his luck. “What about two bottles?”
“You can open as many as you want.”
“But I don’t just want to open bottles.” Little Tan Siyu suddenly leaned closer, until their noses were almost touching.
Tang Li nervously clutched her purse.
—If Little Tan Siyu kissed her, should she push him away?
**
Some distance away, Jiang Ji and Lin Youqi exchanged bewildered looks.
“Isn’t that Brother Yu’s Fairy Girl?”
“Could that pretty boy across from her be Brother Yu?”
“Like hell he is! He’s an impostor!” Lin Youqi suddenly sprang up. “What do we do? Fairy Girl would rather fool around with a fake than—”
He cut himself off, then leaned curiously into Jiang Ji’s camera. “What are you doing?”
“Get lost.”
Jiang Ji smacked his head away, took a photo of the impostor almost kissing Tang Li, and sent it straight to Tan Siyu.
Lin Youqi leaned over to look at their chat. “If Brother Yu and his Fairy Girl have a bad relationship, it’ll mostly be your fault.”
Jiang Ji said, “Go disperse those ducks causing trouble.”
“What, Brother Yu can fly to Rio and have a good time, but Fairy Girl can’t drink and sing with a handsome guy?”
Lin Youqi was determined to be fair to both sides.
“Who told you Brother Yu flew to Rio to have a good time?”
“Wasn’t he going to watch a game?”
“You’re the ball.”
“Fuck you, Jiang Ji. Don’t make me hit you.”
“If you’ve got energy to spare, take it out on the ducks.”
Jiang Ji gave him a shove from behind, sending Lin Youqi straight over to Tang Li.
“Hey, Sister-in-law.” Lin Youqi flashed her a bright smile.
Tang Li: ?
“Tsk.” A trace of impatience flickered in Little Tan Siyu’s eyes. “And you are—”
Just then, Tang Li felt her phone vibrating in her purse and hurriedly bent her head to rummage for it.
She stared at the unlisted number on the screen, hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“Hello?”
“Do you like the counterfeit?”
Even with the call on speaker, Tang Li couldn’t make out what the person on the other end was saying. “Who is this?”
The call abruptly ended.
A text popped up the next second.
【Tang Lizhi, don’t look at the counterfeit.】
Tang Li immediately stood and glanced around.
She was almost certain the number belonged to Tan Siyu.
Was Tan Siyu back?
Impossible.
The flight from Rio took at least thirteen hours, and people online had photographed him in Rio that very morning.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the text again. For no apparent reason, her heart began to race.
Her slender, pale fingers typed a line into the message box, then she hit send.
Lin Youqi was calling the male models over one by one to line up and leave, while craning his neck to see what Tang Li was writing.
“Want me to come closer so you can see?”
Tang Li folded her arms and regarded him calmly.
“Okay—no, thank you, Sister-in-law.” Lin Youqi nearly bit his own tongue.
**
Eighteen thousand kilometers away, Tan Siyu’s phone rang.
【The counterfeit is good, and he calls me Big Sister.】
He looked down at the words in the green chat bubble and fell into thought.
What did that mean?
Was Tang Lizhi hinting that he should call her Big Sister?
Was she trying to bait him?
He wasn’t the kind of fish who’d take the hook that easily.
Five minutes later, Tang Li frowned thoughtfully at the text that appeared on her screen.
【Big Sister.】