In the twenty-third year since I was adopted by the Lewis family, everyone assumed I would marry Adam Lewis. But he thought I was beautiful yet brainless, far inferior to the intelligent beauty he met in college. I knew he probably didn’t love me, so when he went abroad as an exchange student with his smart female classmate, I agreed to an arranged marriage with the Chen family. After I got engaged to the eldest son of the Chen family, Adam returned. When he saw me with my fiancé, he went crazy. “Melody, didn’t you promise you’d only be with me? How could you break your word?” I was just about to enter Adam’s room with a plate of cut fruit when I heard laughter from inside. “Adam, when are you going to marry Melody?” “We heard your parents are practically hounding you about it. Last time you ran out in the middle of an experiment, it was to take your mom’s marriage-pushing call, right?” “Your family is interesting, adopting an orphan and still following the old ‘child bride’ tradition… But seriously, Melody has been devoted to you, only liking you from the beginning until now. As for her looks and figure…” Another burst of laughter erupted, mixed with suggestive undertones. “She’s just the type men like, and conveniently has an empty head. You can easily manipulate her to do whatever you want in the future. How perfect!” My hand, ready to knock, froze. My heart sank. That’s right, everyone knew I liked Adam. But everyone also knew he didn’t like me. Sure enough, his voice rang out, clearly annoyed. “Whoever likes her can have her. I won’t marry her no matter what. Weren’t we going to play games? Are we still playing or not?” Adam didn’t want to discuss it, but someone always had to push the topic. “If you don’t like her, then it must be Cassy. Everyone knows our talented Cassy only smiles for you!” The teasing continued in waves. Outside the door, I stood holding the fruit, unable to move, feeling suffocated and miserable. Unlike his vehement denials when teased, Adam only chuckled lightly when Cassy was mentioned. Then came the sound of glasses clinking and chairs moving. The topic seemed to have been forcibly changed. I’m an orphan, adopted by the Lewis family when I was very young. From an early age, people joked that I was Adam’s future bride. Mom and Dad never stopped them, always smiling as they watched us, saying they were observing our compatibility. Later, when more people said it, Mom and Dad would ask me too. “Melody, would you like to marry Adam in the future?” “Yes!” After that, I followed Adam around like a little tail, but he always kept his distance. At the dinner table, he would push the food I put on his plate straight into the trash without even looking at it. When Mom and Dad asked him to pick me up from school, he ignored it. I would wait by the roadside until dark, then slowly walk home alone. When I saw him at school and greeted him, he acted as if he didn’t hear me, walking past me expressionlessly. Some people privately speculated about our relationship, but he always said he wasn’t familiar with me and not to associate us. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong to make him dislike me so much. I snapped back to reality, looking at the tightly closed study door, just like the barrier between Adam and me. He was inside, and I didn’t even dare to knock. I thought for a moment, then decided to take the cut fruit back to the kitchen, staring at the carefully arranged plate of fruit. “Well, well, what’s our little beauty hiding here for?” a frivolous voice sounded behind me, making me turn around sharply. I was startled by the voice behind me. I turned to see Paul, Adam’s friend, who was one of the people talking upstairs earlier. He leaned against the kitchen doorframe, his eyes shamelessly roaming over my body, a smile with unclear intentions on his lips. Seeing that I didn’t answer, Paul seemed to get more excited. He crossed his arms and walked a few steps closer to me, his gaze falling on me without any restraint. “But Melody, how do you have such a good figure… None of my girlfriends are as… hot as you.” The man’s slightly flirtatious comments made me frown instinctively. I was about to leave when Paul suddenly grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”
Paul snickered and leaned in closer to me, grinning. “Little sister Melody, you’d be better off with me! How could someone like Adam ever like a pretty face with an empty head like you?” He looked me up and down, his gaze so blatant it was as if he was undressing me with his eyes. “The one standing next to him will only be someone like Cassy. That talented beauty next to Adam is what you call a perfect match. Standing next to you, it’s like a young master with his servant girl. Do you understand the difference?” The contempt in Paul’s tone was undisguised, his equally disdainful gaze falling on me. Paul’s words made my face turn pale. But it’s possible that I understood this point even more clearly than he did. I had actually seen Cassy before. Once, Mom asked me to bring something to Adam at his university. I searched all the way to Adam’s lab and saw him smiling in a way he had never shown me, listening attentively to a girl with a high ponytail opposite him. The two stood side by side, discussing complex formulas that I couldn’t understand at all. I watched them through the glass window. The two seemed to be in a world of their own, with no room for anyone else. They also looked very compatible, like formulas arranged together, always without a place for me. That day, I handed the things to Adam’s classmate without even thinking of going in. Come to think of it, I was just an adopted daughter of the Lewis family. I was already incredibly grateful that they had given me a second chance at life. How could I dare to go along with Mom and Dad’s jokes and think that I was worthy of Adam? Just as I was lost in thought, Paul suddenly let go of my arm and pulled me into his arms! “What are you doing!” I cried out, instinctively pushing him away hard. In the struggle, my elbow hit the drying rack at the edge of the sink. The plates on it fell into the sink with a loud clang. Paul’s arms were like iron clamps, gripping me so tightly that I couldn’t break free. “Let go of me!” I saw a flash of satisfaction cross Paul’s face. In my panic, I heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. Adam and a few other friends appeared at the kitchen door, probably alarmed by the noise. When Paul saw them, he let go of me as if he had been electrocuted. He quickly stepped back and immediately put on a surprised and angry expression, pointing at me. “Adam! Look at her!” His voice was loud, filled with accusation. “I just saw her standing here in a daze and came over to check on her out of kindness. She suddenly threw herself at me and hugged me!” He laughed coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping across my face. “What? Can’t get Adam, so you’re trying to seduce me? Want to be a daughter-in-law of the Phillips family? Melody, you’re really overestimating yourself!” “That’s not true! He was the one who…” I hurriedly tried to explain, my whole body shaking as I attempted to clarify what had just happened. But no one gave me a chance. The few friends who had come down with Adam looked back and forth between Paul and me with suggestive gazes, smiles on their faces as if they were watching a good show. They clearly believed Paul’s twisted version of events. Adam’s face was terrifyingly dark, his gaze falling on me like knives, filled with undisguised disgust and impatience. “Enough!” He harshly cut off my unfinished words. “Melody, look at yourself! Go back to your room and change your clothes! Stop embarrassing yourself here!” Embarrassing myself? I lowered my head instinctively. Only then did I realize that during the struggle, water from the sink had splashed out, soaking a large part of my chest. The thin summer fabric clung to my body when wet, clearly outlining the curves of my chest. I instinctively covered my chest with my hands, still able to hear a few laughs from around Adam. Embarrassment and overwhelming grievance instantly broke through my last line of defense. He didn’t even think about listening to my explanation. I rushed out of the kitchen, almost fleeing back to my own room.
After returning to my room, I changed my clothes as quickly as possible. At the same time, I heard the commotion outside getting quieter, as if Adam had taken his friends and left the house. I sat on the bed, tears falling uncontrollably. In high school, it was no secret that Adam and I lived under the same roof. People often joked that I was Adam’s child bride. It happened so often that Adam finally snapped, slamming down the book in his hand with a cold face. “I don’t like idiots. Stop associating us in the future.” Compared to someone like Adam who was always at the top of the class, I was indeed not very smart, always hundreds of places behind him in rankings. I knew what Adam said was true, but I still felt sad inside. Even studying hard at home in private didn’t help much, and I didn’t dare ask Mom and Dad for tutoring. Instead, it was Adam who accidentally saw me studying at home and casually tossed me his unused notes. The top student’s notes were indeed helpful. My grades improved significantly, and I attributed it all to Adam’s notes. At that time, I used my saved pocket money to prepare a beautiful notebook for Adam, secretly placing it in Adam’s desk drawer. But I never imagined that when Adam took out the box with my name on it, the notebook had turned into lingerie. I still remember Adam getting angry. In front of the whole class, with an ashen face, he threw that box along with its contents hard at me. “Melody! Can’t you have some self-respect? This is outrageous!” The box hitting me really hurt. I was slow to react, watching the bright red lingerie fall to the ground, feeling a chill from head to toe, not understanding why my gift had turned into this. Suppressed laughter and whispers immediately erupted around us. I was at a loss for words, feeling my face burn hot. Adam’s embarrassed and angry gaze made me feel even more cornered with nowhere to hide. That incident ended with me being forced to transfer schools amidst all the gossip at school. Fortunately, Mom and Dad believed me. They knew I wasn’t the kind of person who would do such a thing. Only Adam, from that day on, looked at me with nothing but cold disgust. The already thin relationship between us completely broke, becoming increasingly estranged. That night, Adam and his friends didn’t come back. Mom and Dad were out of town and hadn’t returned. I was scrolling through TikTok when I unexpectedly came across a video of Adam. On the screen, against the background of a noisy bar, the camera was focused on Adam. Someone holding a phone asked loudly, “Adam! Tell us now! Melody or Cassy, who do you choose?” In the video, Adam seemed to have had a bit to drink, but his eyes were still clear. He didn’t even hesitate for a moment, a careless smile on his lips. “Cassy.” Decisive and straightforward. The screen went dark, leaving only my pale face. From then on, I started deliberately avoiding Adam. When he came home on weekends, I would find various excuses to stay at school. Even on days when I had to go back, I tried to stay in my own room as much as possible, reducing the chances of running into him. We became like two parallel lines living under the same roof, never intersecting. But Adam changed a bit. In the past, he never cared about any of my social media posts, but these days he started frequently liking my posts on Facebook. I don’t know how many times I picked up my phone, saw the scenic photos Adam had liked, thought for a moment, and still chose to delete them. Along with the other posts Adam had liked in the past few days. It was as if doing this could really make our relationship return to something purely platonic. But no matter how much I tried to avoid him, when I received a call from Mom and Dad saying I had to come back for dinner tonight, I had no choice. “Melody, your brother has decided to go abroad as an exchange student for a while. Come back tonight, we’ll have a farewell dinner as a family.” I didn’t know how to feel. Perhaps it was relief. If he left, I wouldn’t have to hide so carefully anymore. I couldn’t refuse Mom and Dad again, so I had to go home reluctantly. But as soon as I got home and opened the door, I saw a girl with delicate features standing with Adam. When they heard the sound and looked at me, Adam hadn’t had time to retract his doting smile for her. My gaze lingered on the girl. Wasn’t it supposed to be a family dinner tonight? But why… why was Cassy here?
“You must be little sister Melody? I’ve often heard Adam mention you.” Cassy was beautiful. She took the initiative to shake my hand, then familiarly linked her arm with mine. The moment he saw me come back, the smile on Adam’s face disappeared without a trace, and he turned to enter the kitchen. Cassy was lively, talking about how she was about to go abroad with Adam as exchange students, and might even share an apartment with him in the future. “Adam is so attentive and considerate. He even suggested we live together, worried about my safety as a girl alone. Your brother is really a good man.” I forced myself to squeeze out a smile uglier than crying. “Yes, he’s very good.” Very good indeed, so good that I’ve been chasing after him since childhood, yet I can’t even touch his shadow. I was so immersed in my own thoughts that I didn’t even hear clearly what Cassy said afterwards. At that moment, I just nodded and said “good” mindlessly, not realizing that Cassy had just asked me if I thought it was good for her and Adam to be together. “Dinner’s ready.” I instinctively looked up and saw Adam, who had returned without me noticing, standing in the hallway not far away, his gaze heavy as he looked at me. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly averted my gaze. Mom and Dad’s attitude towards Cassy’s presence was lukewarm, only polite at best. Cassy kept trying to liven up the atmosphere, but neither Adam nor I said a word. Just then, a pair of chopsticks reached over, placing a glistening piece of sweet and sour ribs in my bowl. I froze, looking up at Adam. A nameless anger suddenly surged in my heart. I silently used my chopsticks to push that piece of rib he had picked for me to the side. My heart felt sour and bitter. He had always disliked me, even hated me a little. Why did he have to create this illusion of caring about me before he left? After dinner, Adam got up to send Cassy home. I returned to my room to sort out some seasonal clothes. As I passed by the living room, I heard Mom and Dad’s lowered voices coming through the slightly ajar door. “…It seems Adam really doesn’t like Melody.” It was Mom’s voice, tinged with a sigh. Dad was silent for a moment before saying, “You can’t force love. We can’t push the kids too much. We’ve always said the two of them would be together when they grow up, thinking that from childhood to adulthood…” Mom continued, “That’s true. By the way, the Chen family brought up the marriage arrangement again a few days ago. I think that Chen boy seems quite steady…” “Mm, I’ve met the Chen boy a few times. His character and abilities are not bad, and his family background is comparable. It’s just that I don’t know if Melody…” Yes, Adam doesn’t like me. Everyone knows that. Even Mom and Dad have finally given up. That’s good. I know Mom and Dad’s business hasn’t been going well lately. The Chen family is someone Mom and Dad want to partner with. If I can play a role in this, it’s a way to repay Mom and Dad for raising me. I took a deep breath and pushed open that slightly ajar door. Mom and Dad looked at me in surprise. I tugged at the corners of my mouth, putting on an obedient smile. “Dad, Mom.” “I’m willing to get engaged to the Chen family.”
The day I met Noah Chen was the same day Adam left for abroad. After that dinner, Adam and I returned to our clearly defined boundaries, though I could feel Adam looking at me several times, but when I turned around, I only saw his back. I met Noah Chen. As the only son of the Chen family, I had often heard about him. He was wild in his youth, but before he even graduated from high school, he had helped his family secure a big project. From the start of college, he had been working part-time at his family’s company while studying at a top domestic university. When Noah saw me, he couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve always felt a bit awkward around good-looking people who act unpredictably like him. So when he rested his chin on his hand and looked at me lazily, I couldn’t help but ask a question. “Why… do you want to…” Get engaged to me. Noah also smiled and gave his answer, “Because you’re beautiful!” I didn’t quite understand. If it’s just about looks, there are so many people more beautiful than me. But at that moment, what flashed through my mind were the words Adam’s friend had said. “…The type men like, and conveniently has an empty head. You can easily manipulate her to do whatever you want in the future. How perfect!” I didn’t say anything more. From the moment I agreed to Mom and Dad’s proposal, I had treated my marriage as a transaction of gratitude. So whatever Noah wanted in the future, I would go along with it. But Noah turned out to be quite different from what I had heard. Before, I had heard that Noah was flirtatious and unreliable, full of nonsense that you couldn’t tell was true or false. I agree with the part about him being full of nonsense. Otherwise, this guy wouldn’t send me a message saying he was going on a business trip and how tired he was, and then appear outside my school leaning against his car the next second. Noah always found various reasons to ask me out on dates. Today is the one-week anniversary of our engagement, today is some random holiday, today is the one-month anniversary of our first meeting… He always came up with new ideas, whether it was picking me up from school or coming to my house to pick me up, always in a high-profile manner. At first, Mom and Dad were worried that we wouldn’t get along well, but when they saw me glaring at him and then unable to hold back a smile, they started smiling along with us. And I seemed to be getting more and more used to Noah’s presence. He never joked about my looks or figure like others did. He sincerely praised my A+ grade report, and affirmed my clumsy but hardworking interest in learning to make clothes. He also didn’t spare his time, accompanying me to the library, to small diners, doing many things that Adam would find a waste of time just hearing about. And I also seemed to be more adapted to having him around, even adapted to the point where I had forgotten how long it had been since I had thought about Adam, or instinctively started to hide when I heard Mom and Dad mention Adam at home.
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