Li Xinyue sat curled on her pink loveseat that night, her usual brightness dimmed like a birthday candle after the party's over. Her phone was open to a chat she wasn't supposed to be in — one that replayed Jin's thoughts, word for word.
[Ichiro acts like he's helping, but it's always for control. He manipulates them through favors so they'll dance when he pulls the strings.]
She had read that line twenty times.
And it lined up. With everything.
His suggestions. His sweet warnings. The time he told her not to apply to the scholarship "because it was too stressful" — only for him to apply and win it behind her back.
She sat in silence.
Then she got up.
---
The Next Day – Family Hall
Everyone was gathered for breakfast. The long table was lined with traditional dishes. Jin sat at the far end, calmly sipping congee.
Ichiro was beside Father Li, smiling as he handed over documents.
"Father, I was organizing our business portfolio again last night," Ichiro said, all modesty. "I noticed some inconsistencies in Jin's management report..."
[Oh look. Another setup. Same bait, different day.]
[Let me guess. I'm going to be framed for some 'oversight' I didn't commit.]
[Can't wait.]
Jin didn't even blink.
Li Xinyue stood up.
"Actually… about that," she said, voice sharp. "I reviewed those reports myself. The inconsistencies were corrections—ones that Ichiro originally suggested."
Silence.
Ichiro's smile flickered. "Xinyue, I—"
"You told me he was acting strange. Breaking things. You lied."
She stepped closer.
"You said Jin-gege was unstable. But you're the one who tried to delete my presentation file. You even renamed it 'final_draft_trash.docx.'"
Ichiro paled.
[She found it. Sooner than I thought.]
Father Li: "Ichiro… Is that true?"
Ichiro opened his mouth—
"Maybe he just made a mistake!" said one of the older brothers, still clinging to denial.
But the truth had already entered the room, uninvited and irreversible.
---
Later – Courtyard
Jin stood alone, staring at the pond. The koi swam lazily, unaware of the drama unfolding above them.
Xinyue approached quietly.
"Thank you... for not rubbing it in," she said.
He shrugged. "Wasn't necessary."
[It's not satisfying to be right when the cost is watching someone break.]
[And they always break the same way—shock, regret, anger, then guilt.]
She fidgeted.
"I never… I never doubted him before."
[No one ever does. That's the point.]
"I feel stupid."
[You weren't stupid. Just trusting. And he used that.]
"...Do you hate me?"
He turned to her.
"I don't hate anyone."
[I just want to leave.]
[The more they change, the more it feels like acting.]
[As if they're trying to rewrite the script because they know what's coming.]
[I don't belong here.]
---
Inside – Group Chat
Grandma Li: "...He wants to leave."
Lianhua: "Of course he does. He thinks we're pretending."
Qiaoqiao: "Then maybe… stop pretending. Maybe let him go?"
Father Li: "We can't. Not now. Not when we finally see how blind we were."
---
Final Scene – Jin's Room
He packed a small bag. Just enough to walk away if he wanted to.
Ergouzi popped up in his mind.
Ergouzi: "So… vacation? Or exile?"
[Jin]: [Whichever gets me out of this overdramatic theater first.]
[I'm not your main character.]
[And I never asked to be.]
---
Next Chapter:
Chapter 23 – The Smile of the Bride to be