Mandy Gu’s young kept man contacted me out of the blue. “We’ve been on 100 dates in total. She initiated 68 of them, and I asked her out 24 times.” “Oh, and 8 times were at your place.” … I knew him. He was a minor character in Mandy’s new drama. I remember the first time I saw him on set, I knew. This 18-year-old boy looked exactly like Mandy’s first love from years ago. She still couldn’t forget him. “You’re just a personal assistant with a measly $300 monthly salary.” “You can’t satisfy her needs. I can satisfy everything.” With a click, the call ended. After standing there stunned for a long time, I put out my cigarette. Then I edited a text message and hit send. [Sis, I agree to the arranged marriage.] That night, Mandy’s young kept man called me. His sickeningly sweet voice made me nauseous. “Ethan, I’ll call you ‘bro’ one last time.” “You know what? I just got out of Mandy’s trailer.” “Just now, we used up the hundredth one.” My hand holding the cigarette trembled, ashes falling onto the leather sofa, burning a small black hole. “And then?” The other end of the line seemed startled by my feigned calmness, sounding a bit dissatisfied. “Mandy doesn’t love you at all!” “To tell you the truth, the set was on break today, but she stayed behind to be with me.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Are young people these days always so blunt? After taking a deep drag of my cigarette, I replied. “I’ve been by her side for ten years. You’re not the first man to appear in her life.” An angry voice came from the other end of the phone. “Mandy is an A-list actress. You’re just her personal assistant with a $300 salary. Do you think you two are a match?” “You can’t satisfy her needs. I can satisfy everything!” “Both in bed and in the entertainment circle!” I smirked. Turning my head, I looked at the twelve dishes laid out on the table. They had long gone cold. Each one was made by me, all Mandy’s favorites. An hour ago, Mandy called to say she had to work late at the set and wouldn’t be coming home. An hour later, her kept man called to gloat. No wonder everyone else on the crew got time off except the two of them who were “working overtime.” No wonder her voice sounded a bit breathless on the phone earlier. I lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke. “Anything else interesting? Go on.” My attitude angered the person on the other end of the line. “Ethan, let me tell you the truth!” “Last month when you had a gastric ulcer emergency, she was with me when you called her. I told her not to go.” “On your birthday six months ago, she didn’t come back because she was out of town with me at a hot spring.” “Don’t forget, there was also that incident three years ago…” … Beep beep beep. My brows furrowed as I hung up the phone, my chest aching uncontrollably. She even told him about the incident from three years ago. And during all those moments when I was struggling alone, Mandy was cuddling and flirting in someone else’s arms. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. A first love is indeed a first love. Even with just a slight resemblance, it could make Mandy willingly give her all. Without realizing it, the ashtray was full. Three years ago, Mandy accidentally got pregnant with my child. But we weren’t married. Although I had been her boyfriend for many years, I always claimed to be her personal assistant to the outside world, living and eating with her. Because Mandy was still waiting for her first love who had gone abroad years ago. She refused to marry for Lucas Lu’s sake, so naturally, she wouldn’t keep a child with me either. Three years ago, Mandy went to the hospital for an abortion without discussing it with me. “My child can only be Lucas’s. This is non-negotiable and doesn’t require your consent.” “Remember your place, Ethan. You’re just my personal assistant. Don’t foolishly think you can tie me down with a child.” Around the same time, this young kept man joined the crew. His name was Alex Liu. The moment I saw him, I knew. He looked very much like Lucas Lu. Very much like that childhood sweetheart of Mandy’s.
Originally, Alex was just an extra. But Mandy insisted on signing him, bringing him into every production she was in. She even gave him a stage name, Alex Lu. Over the years, Mandy had many men around her, coming and going too many to count. But besides me, he lasted the longest. Because he really looked too much like Lucas. Like that sunny, tall Lucas who had gone abroad and never been heard from again. How could she not like him? I stood up and cleared the ashtray. With a beep, my phone received a message. “Have you considered it? This arranged marriage would benefit both our families.” “Little Ethan, you’ve been drifting outside for that actress for so long. It’s time to come home.” I paused, looking back at the house I had shared with Mandy for years. Empty and cold. Yes, indeed there was nothing worth staying for anymore. I let out a sigh, opened my phone, typed a line and hit send. “Sis, I’ve broken up.” “I’ll attend the engagement party as scheduled next week.” I turned off my phone and tossed it into the bathtub behind me. The surface was covered with red rose petals, scattered as the phone fell in. Red roses were Mandy’s favorite. If she knew I had thrown my phone in there, she would definitely be angry. But what did it matter? In a week, everything would be over. Ten years ago today, I met Mandy. I had been orphaned since birth, but fortunately, I had a fabulously wealthy CEO sister. She had me receive an elite education from a young age. As the sole heir to the Zhou Group, my sister secretly groomed me for my safety. Ten years ago, I skipped grades and was admitted to the top finance program at a prestigious university in the country. That’s when I met Mandy. She was my senior, three years older than me. After starting university, it was my first time interacting with people outside the family. Mandy provided me with a lot of help and encouragement, making me quickly let my guard down. On my eighteenth birthday, my sister was busy with an international conference and had no time for my birthday. From childhood, I had always been taught that birthdays were meaningless, that it didn’t matter whether they were celebrated or not. But that night, for the first time, someone celebrated my birthday. It was also the first time someone taught me the meaning of birthdays. It was very late that day, and it was pouring rain. Somehow Mandy found me, holding an umbrella, with a cake in her hand. The usually elegant and intellectual Mandy had messy hair, runs in her stockings, and was soaking wet, looking completely disheveled. But when she found me, the first thing she said was, “Ethan, are you cold?” In that instant, I completely let down all my defenses. Not long after, we naturally got together, and she took me to meet her friends. When her friends saw me, they exchanged glances. “Mandy, this guy doesn’t look anything like Lucas Lu.” “Have you moved on?” At that time, I didn’t know who this Lucas Lu was that they were talking about. Every time I wanted to ask, Mandy would interrupt me. “It’s nothing, just a friend.” “I’ve forgotten all about him.” But later, as I gradually became more involved in Mandy’s life, I discovered that this man called Lucas Lu was actually Mandy’s first love. Although Mandy said she had forgotten him, traces of him were everywhere in her life. From the small photo she always kept in her wallet, To the fact that every boyfriend she had besides me looked very much like Lucas Lu. Even her choice to become a celebrity was so Lucas Lu would see her. She lied to me, and to herself. She had never forgotten Lucas Lu from the very beginning. But I still held onto hope. To make Mandy completely let go of him, to marry her and have children and live an ordinary life, I forced myself to ignore all of this. For a full ten years. I accompanied Mandy from being unknown to becoming the lead actress in hit dramas. After graduation, I gave up inheriting the family business to become her personal assistant, earning a pitiful monthly salary. $300, not even enough to buy what I used to in the past. But in these ten years, Mandy never agreed to my proposals. She even had an abortion without discussing it with me. “I will never marry you, give up that idea.” “If you’re willing, you can always stay by my side as my personal assistant.” Lucas Lu was her bottom line, not to be touched by anyone. Naturally, that included me. Countless times in the middle of the night, when she was sound asleep, she would mutter “Lucas, Brother Lucas.” And when she woke up and saw it was me, her eyes were full of disappointment and loneliness. “…Oh, it’s you.” Then Mandy would always sigh softly and bury her face in my arms, coyly saying with her head down, “Ethan, I’m hungry.” And I would always remain silent for a long time. Looking at her face that had become thinner and thinner for the camera, I would get up and light a cigarette. “What do you want to eat?”
Mandy didn’t come home until the next afternoon. I was lying in bed when the sound of the door closing woke me from a nightmare. In the dream was the child Mandy and I never had. Mandy took off her coat and collapsed into my arms reeking of alcohol, no longer resembling the A-list actress she was. “I’m home.” I didn’t want to talk, not even looking at her. “Ethan, why aren’t you responding to me?” She tried to kiss me like before, but I dodged it. Mandy instantly became angry. “Ethan, don’t go too far. What are you sulking about!” As she finished speaking, her eyes caught sight of the twelve dishes on the table. Each one was her favorite. Mandy thought I was upset because she didn’t come home last night, so she approached me again, trying to control her temper. “Ethan, we had to work overtime at the set last night. I didn’t want to either.” “Let’s heat up the food and have a meal together, okay?” Mandy had always been a clean freak. Every time she finished work, she would shower first thing before coming home. But this time, her body carried the scent of an unfamiliar cologne. I no longer felt hurt by this, just utterly exhausted mentally and physically. “Mandy.” “Hm?” “Let’s break up.” Mandy froze for a second, sitting up straight. In the dim room, I couldn’t see her face clearly, but I could hear her extremely impatient sigh. “Ethan, what are you going crazy about now?” “You’re not a kid anymore, always throwing tantrums.” Mandy turned over, lighting a cigarette. “Hah, break up?” “With your $300 monthly salary, which woman besides me would be blind enough to like you?” “Who would marry a man with no car, no house? Are you being childish?” My body stiffened. If I hadn’t met her, I wouldn’t be earning a $300 monthly salary, but would be sitting on the Zhou Group empire. For her sake, I had given up almost everything that was within my grasp. But in the end, all of this became the sharp knife she used to stab me. “Mandy.” Looking at that face I had once loved deeply, I couldn’t help but ask. “If one day I suddenly disappeared and married someone else, you…” “Enough! Ethan, are you done with this nonsense?!” Mandy irritably interrupted me. She threw the bedside lamp onto the floor, her tone full of impatience. “Marriage, marriage, all you ever talk about is marriage!” “I’ve been so busy lately, and when I come home I have to see your gloomy face. Isn’t it annoying?!” “I don’t have the energy to play house with you!” Mandy took a deep breath, putting out her cigarette, her tone softening slightly. “Stop making a fuss, okay? Next week, come with me to see my parents.” “Don’t misunderstand.” “They’ve been pressuring me about marriage. Help me deal with it.” My eyes suddenly stung. I really didn’t know what I had been hoping for. The person Mandy wanted to marry had always, always been only Lucas Lu. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing the name “Alex Lu” on the screen, Mandy’s furrowed brows instantly relaxed. She turned her back to me, her voice becoming cute, like a girl in the throes of young love. I had to admit, this kept man really knew how to make her happy. “Hello.” Alex’s voice came through, but I couldn’t make out what he said. After a few exchanges, Mandy’s expression suddenly turned worried. “What happened to you?” “Don’t worry, I’m coming over right now.” Mandy hurriedly put on her coat, ready to leave. Looking at her back, I couldn’t help but laugh, “A colleague?” “Mm-hmm.” “Mandy, do you think I’m an idiot?” “He called earlier today.” Mandy’s movement of putting on her high heels suddenly stopped. Although I couldn’t see clearly, I guessed her expression must have turned very ugly. “What did he tell you?” I had always been in the habit of recording calls. I scrolled through my phone’s memory and played those few minutes of the conversation for her. Mandy’s brows furrowed. She just glanced at it and continued walking out. “Don’t blame him, he’s just childish.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be back later.” “He’s hurt, I should go check on him.” I laughed coldly. “Fine, you don’t need to come back after you leave.” “Next week…” “Enough, Ethan.” She interrupted me again, her beautiful eyes full of impatience. “You’re not a kid anymore, can’t you understand? After all these years, I just realized how annoying you can be.” “If anyone’s leaving, it should be you. Who are you trying to scare?” “Don’t forget this house was bought with my money. You’ve been the parasite all along.” With that, Mandy slammed the door and left. I didn’t try to stop her, just closed my eyes completely. In the darkness, I muttered to myself. “Mandy, I’m getting engaged next week. I’ll send you an invitation.” ———-This is the cutoff point———-
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