Chapter 06: Game

After the organizers finished their speech, a giant screen began playing a documentary recording the ten-year history of Xinghe Bay Hotel. The entire banquet hall was enveloped in the shifting interplay of light and shadow.

Ming Can took small bites of a cherry, staring intently at the series of celebrity check-in photos flashing across the screen, dazzling like a kaleidoscope of flowers.

Ming Zheng, sitting beside her, held back for a long time before finally giving in and asking, “Are you very familiar with Chi Yao?”

“Not really,” Ming Can replied. “Just ordinary classmates.”

Ming Zheng: “Alright.”

Ming Can turned her gaze to him. “Dad, do you hope that I’m familiar with him or not?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ming Can’s second aunt, sitting on her other side, spoke bluntly. “You and Chi Yao must get along well and strive to settle this marriage as soon as possible.”

Ming Zheng responded unhurriedly, “Take it slow. Cancan is still young—her studies are the priority.”

They had all seen the Chi family’s attitude today—they were very satisfied with Ming Can.

People’s desires are never satisfied, always shifting with the wind. Suddenly, Ming Zheng felt that the Chi family’s boy was the one reaching above his station to marry his daughter.

As for the rest of the Ming family—especially the eldest, whose power had gradually been sidelined in recent years—they were naturally displeased at the idea of their third brother gaining such a powerful in-law like the Chi family. However, the old master had already reviewed the marriage plan and given his four-word evaluation: a perfect match. It seemed he was quite in favor of it.

Ming Can continued eating her fruit, finding the endless business talk at the banquet table dull and repetitive. Before long, a waiter approached her, bending slightly to ask:

“Miss Ming, do you still need to go to the lounge?”

Earlier, Ming Can had asked Chi Yao where she could find a quiet lounge—this waiter was probably arranged by him.

Ming Can nodded and briefly informed her father that she was leaving the table to handle some schoolwork.

Ming Zheng didn’t stop her. “Go ahead.”

The elders all knew that Ming Can held leadership positions at school and juggled multiple responsibilities. Even Ming Mo, who was most at odds with Ming Zheng, viewed his niece through the filter of an exceptional student—whatever she did was inherently right, and there was no need for adults to interfere.

In reality, the funding application form for the entrepreneurship competition could easily be filled out later tonight. Ming Can simply wanted to leave this place and find a quiet spot to relax for a while.

Following the waiter, she arrived at a spacious and tranquil lounge. With a soft whoosh, she plopped onto the cushioned sofa.

As soon as the door closed, Ming Can didn’t waste any time—she took out her phone and started filling out the form.

About fifteen minutes later, someone pushed the door open. Ming Can looked up at the visitor and lifted the corner of her lips. “Thanks.”

She was referring to him arranging the lounge for her.

“Ah, don’t mention it.” Chi Yao sat down on the sofa beside her. “Serving our class rep is only natural.”

Ming Can, for once, didn’t ignore him. While still looking at her phone, she casually asked, “You went to pick up your brother just now? Back so soon?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Yao was genuinely stunned. “How did you know?”

“Your parents mentioned it. I just happened to overhear.”

“Oh, he just passed by, came in to say hello, and then left,” Chi Yao said, resting his hands on his knees, his gaze slightly lowered. He then asked Ming Can, “What else did you hear?”

Ming Can shook her head. She was mentally calculating various amounts, multitasking, and casually asked with mild curiosity, “Is he your maternal cousin?”

Chi Yao corrected her, “Paternal cousin.”

Ming Can was surprised. “Your uncle’s son? I remember your uncle only has a pair of fraternal twins, and they’re still very young.”

At a banquet last year, Ming Can had seen Chi Yao’s uncle, Chi Yanpeng—the legendary entrepreneur who single-handedly led Xingchi Group to rise into a commercial giant. His wife looked about ten years younger than him and was holding the hands of a little boy and girl, both still under a meter tall at the time.

Chi Yao replied, “They were born to my step-aunt. My Brother doesn’t like appearing in public, so many people have never seen him.”

Ming Can had previously thought that among the second generation of the Chi family, Chi Yao was the only one barely old enough to discuss marriage.

It turned out there was also a paternal cousin. She wondered how old he was and whether he was already married.

However, even if he were of marriageable age and unmarried, Ming Zheng would never consider him as a prospective son-in-law. A match must be between equals, as the eldest son of the Chi family’s leader, his marriage alliance would require someone of the highest status, practically a crown princess. Meanwhile, Ming Zheng was neither the head of the family nor a designated heir. The Ming family was vast and complex, and everyone could clearly see how much power Ming Zheng actually wielded and how many resources and benefits he could leverage. In the purely transactional world of arranged marriages, where emotions were irrelevant, Chi Yao, the Chi family’s second son, was already the most optimal choice for Ming Zheng as an in-law.

Of course, if emotions were involved, that would be a different matter.

As for Ming Can herself, when it came to feelings, she had always remained in an ambiguous state.

She was highly self-aware, constantly reminding herself that power and wealth outweighed everything. In theory, she supported any legitimate means of acquiring resources—including treating her own marriage as a transaction.

However, due to her age, the 19-year-old Ming Can still retained a certain degree of naivety: marrying some inexplicable man she didn’t like sounded incredibly frustrating—could they all just get lost?

This ambiguity directly led to her willingness to attend tonight’s banquet, yet at the same time, she had no intention of putting on a pleasant expression.

The discussion about Chi Yao’s cousin ended there. Chi Yao didn’t say much more, and Ming Can had no further curiosity. She quickly put the Chi family matters out of her mind and focused on her work.

Chi Yao, treated like air, was utterly bored. With nothing else to do, he grabbed his phone and started playing a MOBA mobile game.

After finishing a match, Ming Can also completed filling out the form and sent it to the project leader.

She then received a message from Aunt Zhang, saying that Miaomiao had already fallen asleep.

Ming Can let out a soft sigh. Being a kid is so nice—you get to sleep at eight o’clock.

After putting down her phone, Ming Can stared blankly into space, contemplating whether she should go back outside and continue playing the role of a hedgehog without its spines. Her gaze drifted to the person beside her, only to find that he was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and Ming Can suddenly curled her lips into an indifferent yet subtle smile—

Wasn’t the whole point of attending this banquet today to size up this person?

In that case, there was no need to go out and pretend to be polite anymore—she might as well stay here and continue this so-called sizing up.

Seeing that Ming Can was no longer busy and didn’t seem inclined to leave, Chi Yao pointed at his phone. “Do you play Honor of Kings? Want to team up?”

Since she had nothing better to do, Ming Can nodded. “I do.”

After spending a few minutes updating the game, Ming Can logged in. Chi Yao invited her into the lobby, only to realize that their rank difference was too large to queue together in a duo.

Ming Can didn’t play often, so her rank was only Diamond, while Chi Yao was already at King. For a King-ranked player to queue with a Diamond, they would need to pull in three more players to form a full five-player team.

Chi Yao didn’t hesitate and immediately pulled in a familiar teammate, introducing him as his junior, someone he often ranked up with.

That junior then invited a classmate of his, leaving them still one player short.

The junior turned on his mic and loudly asked, “Brother Yao, how come you have time to play today?”

It sounded like he was aware of the celebration at Xinghe Bay tonight.

Chi Yao turned on his mic as well. “Whatever I’m doing doesn’t stop me from playing. Do you have anyone else? We need a support.”

The junior replied, “There’s a girl I know, I’ll call her… Ah, crap, she just started a match… Never mind, I’ll find someone else.”

Chi Yao glanced at Ming Can and, growing impatient, urged, “Hurry up.”

“Alright, alright.” The junior swiftly scrolled through his friends list. Noticing a familiar avatar lighting up, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, “My maternal cousin just logged in! I’ll invite him.”

Hearing the word “cousin”, Chi Yao was momentarily stunned and instinctively said, “Wait—”

This junior was named Jiang Xiaoan, who had just come of age. He was the child of Chi Yao’s uncle’s first wife’s younger brother.

When they were younger, a few boys of similar age often played together. Although Jiang Xiaoan wasn’t biologically related to Chi Yao, he was particularly drawn to Chi Yao’s free-spirited and mischievous personality, something that kids found especially appealing. Jiang Xiaoan loved trailing behind Chi Yao, whereas he wasn’t nearly as close to his actual maternal cousin, who had a cold demeanor and spoke little.

Before Chi Yao could say anything, Jiang Xiaoan had already pressed the invite button and, unaware of the situation, asked, “What’s wrong?”

In the brief silence that followed, a player accepted the invitation and entered the team lobby.

His avatar was a misty blue sea of smoke, plain and without any embellishments. His in-game ID was cx1234.

It looked just like a bot account.

Ming Can lounged lazily against the sofa. When she glanced at the commonly used heroes displayed under this player’s avatar, her brows furrowed ever so slightly.

Chi Yao’s tone remained relaxed. “Nothing, just worried he might clash positions with my classmate.”

His concern wasn’t unfounded.

Ming Can and cx1234 had a 100% overlap in their commonly used heroes. Both specialized in playing jungler. If they queued together, one of them would have to give up the role.

And Ming Can had no intention of yielding.

She remained silent for a moment before casually calling out to Chi Yao, “Hey…”

She was about to suggest kicking this player and finding someone else.

But before she could finish, cx1234 suddenly displayed his “All-Rounder” badge—indicating that he could fill any role and play any position.

At least he was self-aware.

Ming Can had no objections after that, and the five-person team officially started the match.

Once they entered the hero selection screen, Chi Yao, picking first, chose the flashy marksman Gongsun Li, making his intention to show off blatantly obvious.

Ming Can, picking second, instantly locked in the jungler hero, Jing.

The atmosphere in today’s five-stack match carried a subtle tension. Fortunately, Jiang Xiaoan, the self-proclaimed mood-maker, was there to liven things up. After hyping up his Brother Yao, he eagerly flattered Ming Can as well, acting overly familiar. “Brother Volcano’s mains scream high-level play. I’m ready to get carried, hehe.”

Ming Can’s in-game ID was “SunMoonVolcano“, and her avatar was an optical prism refracting flames. There was no indication of gender, and all her commonly played heroes were domineering jungle carries. Out of habit, Jiang Xiaoan automatically assumed she was a guy and called her Brother.

Ming Can had no interest in correcting him, nor did she feel like speaking. Chi Yao also had no intention of explaining on her behalf—he simply told Jiang Xiaoan to cut the chatter and hurry up with his hero selection.

Jiang Xiaoan picked a fighter for the top lane, while his classmate chose a utility-focused mid-laner.

That left only the support role.

As the countdown ticked down second by second, cx1234 still hadn’t locked in a hero.

Support heroes had low damage and no thrill of securing kills, so no one liked playing them. It was only now that Jiang Xiaoan suddenly recalled his father’s constant nagging: Your wealthy uncle-in-law is now your former uncle-in-law, but your cousin is still your blood cousin. The Jiang and Chi families must not sever ties, so you must maintain a good relationship with your cousin… Regret hit him all at once. Out of selfishness, he had chosen a top-lane fighter instead of filling the support role, leaving the most boring position to his cousin.

Jiang Xiaoan hesitantly suggested, “Cousin, how about you take the top lane? My hero can play support too.”

Chi Yao, eager to win, immediately shut him down. “Are you kidding? How is a fighter supposed to play support?”

Jiang Xiaoan hesitated. “Then… Cousin, just bear with it for this round and pick a tank support. I’ll fill the role in the next game.”

Chi Yao nodded. “Something like Zhang Fei or Bull Demon, the tankier the better.”

The two of them went back and forth, offering cx1234 suggestions on what to pick.

Although cx1234 had their audio on, they hadn’t listened to a single word.

Hard support? Tank? Not happening.

As the countdown hit its final second…

He locked in Yao (Yaria)—

The canyon’s universally recognized soft girl support, fragile beyond belief. Her skills revolved around perching on teammates’ heads, waving her hands like flower petals. Wherever her teammate went, she followed, like a sparkling head accessory.

As the cute, pastel-colored soft support princess appeared on the screen, both Chi Yao and Jiang Xiaoan were stunned. The latter couldn’t help but blurt out, “Brother… is that really you?”

Could his account have been hacked?

They had never seen him play this hero before. In their memory, he was a ruthless jungle king, slicing through opponents with icy precision and dominating the battlefield. Now, suddenly switching to an adorable, soft-support role—it felt so unnervingly bizarre ah!

Ming Can’s mind wasn’t caught up in their internal turmoil.

The game loaded quickly, and the five of them dropped into the canyon. While Chi Yao and Jiang Xiaoan were still mentally reeling, Ming Can had already purchased her items and phased through a wall into the jungle.

Yao was incredibly weak in the early game, with almost no lane control ability. Ming Can was just about to type and tell Yao to follow her in the jungle for faster clears when she saw the pink little deer first check the vision in mid-lane, then immediately hop over to her. After that, Yao obediently stuck to Ming Can the entire time.

Ming Can led Yao through two full jungle clears, and by the time Yao reached level four, they unlocked the ability to attach to a teammate.

Without hesitation, Yao latched onto Ming Can’s head.

Jiang Xiaoan, checking the map and catching sight of this scene, involuntarily shuddered.

Putting himself in that position—having his cousin perched on his head—felt like carrying an ice-cold glacier river. He wouldn’t dare move. He seriously wouldn’t dare move.

Only Brother Volcano, fearless in their ignorance, would dare to roam the entire map with his cousin riding along.

At that moment, Ming Can was crouching in the mid-lane bush, lying in ambush.

The enemy mid-laner stepped forward to clear the wave. Ming Can seized the perfect moment, predicting their movement and stunning them. She immediately activated Jing’s Domain, executing a flawless Flying Thunder God combo, eliminating the target in an instant.

Jiang Xiaoan, who had been closely watching Ming Can’s movements, cheered, “Brother Volcano you’re insane!”

Immediately after, Ming Can invaded the enemy jungle and ran into the opposing jungler head-on. The enemy didn’t hesitate, throwing out a control skill. But the Yao on Ming Can’s head jumped down at the perfect moment, absorbing the crowd control effect. In a flash, they refreshed their skill and reattached to Ming Can, leaving only an afterimage behind. Their hand speed was so fast that Ming Can remained completely unharmed, protected without a single gap.

Jiang Xiaoan grew even more excited. “Cousin is actually a top-tier Yao player? My deepest respect!”

After Ming Can and Yao dominated the enemy jungle, she finally had a moment to type a few words: 【Good support.】

Aware, skilled, and obedient. Ming Can rarely praised anyone in games, but this Yao was genuinely impressive.

In the lounge, Chi Yao watched Ming Can type in real time.

Her eyes were fixed on the screen, a soft rosy hue spreading across her cheeks, and the corners of her lips subtly lifted. She seemed genuinely content, as if she had found immense satisfaction in the game.

His gaze shifted back to the match.

The enemy support and marksman were sticking together, forcing Chi Yao to lane against both of them alone. For the first few minutes, he managed to hold the tower and clear waves, but at some point, he suddenly couldn’t hold on anymore. The enemy marksman repeatedly killed him.

Ming Can, bringing Yao along, helped him once, but shortly after she left—he died again, inexplicably.

Since the start of the game, Chi Yao spoke for the first time, whining in a deliberately lazy tone, “I’m suffering! Yao-mei, can you follow me? I need a support too!”

Only Jiang Xiaoan responded, “How about I protect you?”

Chi Yao wasn’t interested in his offer and continued playing the victim. “I died again. Brother, can you really bear to see me, a marksman, struggling to farm?”

At that moment, Yao was still attached to Jing’s head. As Jing walked, she suddenly stopped for a few seconds. Then, a new message popped up in the team chat:

SunMoonVolcano: 【Go follow him.】

Without hesitation, Yao obediently detached and hopped off, heading straight for the gold lane, following orders without question.

Chi Yao had finally succeeded in separating the two, and through the mic, he flattered his cousin a few times, coaxing him into sticking with him.

Now in a 2v2 lane fight, Yao attached to Chi Yao, providing protection. Brimming with confidence, Chi Yao dove under the enemy tower, unleashing a flurry of moves. The result? One dead, one injured. The one who died—Yao.

While Chi Yao, barely escaped with a sliver of HP.

Yao’s small, fragile body lay alone under the enemy tower, looking utterly pitiful. Chi Yao stared at the scene, a little dazed.

Was that a misplay? Did he fail to use a skill? He could’ve sworn Yao could have escaped with him just now.

Before he could dwell on it, Yao respawned and immediately reattached to him, sticking close once again.

This time, Chi Yao wised up. He played more cautiously, focusing on farming instead of dragging Yao into risky plays just to show off.

But despite his careful approach, in the next five minutes, Yao still died twice.

Each death was incredibly close—just as Yao was about to leap back onto him and escape, they would fall just short, collapsing within arm’s reach, helpless and beyond saving.

When Yao had been following Ming Can, they hadn’t died even once.

But now, after switching to protect Chi Yao, they had died three times in a row, each time being left behind by the marksman—weak, pitiful, and helpless, collapsing on the battlefield.

“Wait a second…” Chi Yao stole a glance at Ming Can beside him, feeling a burning unease in his chest but only daring to mumble softly, “Brother, your mechanics are slipping… This isn’t on me.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Chi Yao saw Ming Can holding her phone, head lowered, typing again.

Seeing Yao entrusted to the wrong person, Ming Can’s protective instincts flared up—she regretted handing him over to Chi Yao.

A new message popped up in the team chat:

SunMoonVolcano: 【Yaoyao, forget about him.】

SunMoonVolcano: 【Stick with me, I’ll carry you.】

Jiang Xiaoan stared, utterly dumbfounded by these two lines of dominant, commanding text—

What kind of plot is this? A battle for Yao-mei? The domineering Brother Volcano forcefully claiming my weak, helpless, and completely dependent cousin?

…

Chi Yao nearly ground his molars to dust, quickly muted his mic, and turned to Ming Can in frustration. He insisted, “He’s the one feeding kills! I swear I didn’t sell him out.”

Ming Can remained unimpressed. “He was playing just fine before. Why would he suddenly start feeding?”

“This… How would I know?” Chi Yao sputtered.

Chi Yao grabbed the teacup from the coffee table. It was just plain water inside, yet drinking it felt like downing a mouthful of 82-year-old green tea, bitter and unspeakably frustrating.

Meanwhile, in the game, Yao still had a few seconds left before respawning.

Ming Can had just returned to the fountain to heal, and as she was about to leave, she deliberately stood by the fountain for a few extra seconds, waiting for Yao to revive.

As soon as Yao respawned, they instantly attached to Ming Can, as if boarding a royal sedan chair, never touching the ground, and escorted wherever they needed to go.

By this point in the match, Jiang Xiaoan had grown bold, fearlessly stirring the pot: “Welcome back, Your Highness.”

Chi Yao, now utterly exasperated, turned off  his mic entirely, having no way to argue back.

From that point on, Yao never left Jing’s side, the two of them unstoppable—slaying gods and crushing foes, tearing through the enemy base as if it were empty. They stormed the Nexus, securing a clean victory.

So satisfying.

Ming Can set down her phone and let out a relaxed sigh, finally understanding why so many guys enjoyed carrying “girls” in ranked matches.

“It’s still early, let’s play another round,” Chi Yao suggested. Seeing that Ming Can had no objections, he immediately queued up another match.

As they entered the hero selection screen, Chi Yao unmuted his mic, stretching lazily. “So tired… I’m playing support this round. Time to take it easy.”

But before his words even fully landed—

Their first-pick teammate seemingly deaf to the conversation, instantly locked Yao, shattering any dream of Chi Yao and Ming Can being a duo again.

“What the hell?!” Chi Yao couldn’t hold back a curse. Only then did he remember—back in the team lobby, his cousin had somehow swapped positions with him, moving from fifth pick to first pick. Which meant he had priority to pick heroes first.

Do all high-IQ people plan this far ahead? So cunning? So devious?!

Jiang Xiaoan was completely lost in the current situation. “Wait… brothers, is playing Yao really that much fun?”

Do you two real-life, ultra-rich, handsome guys really need to fight each other just to play the delicate little princess support?

“Oh, absolutely,” Chi Yao muttered weakly, utterly defeated. Then, he turned off his mic, pretending to be dead.

As for cx1234, he hadn’t uttered a single word from start to finish. He remained completely indifferent to the pleas, teasing, and complaints around him—like a deep, silent pool that only absorbed and never responded. No one could extract a single reaction from him.

After this match, Ming Can had no intention of continuing.

Before leaving the team lobby, Ming Can casually tapped on cx1234’s profile, curious to check out the player behind such an agile Yao…

Wait.

National Top Jing?!

Ming Can’s eyelid twitched slightly. There was a brief moment of embarrassment, like showing off sword skills in front of Guan Yu^[1]“Showing off sword skills in front of Guan Yu” is a metaphorical expression. It refers to the idea of trying to impress someone who is already a master in that field—essentially, embarrassing … Continue reading. But before the feeling could fully settle, her confidence smothered it instantly—

She just didn’t play often. She hadn’t bothered grinding for a ranked title, that’s all. Skill-wise? It was still up for debate.

Just then, two friend requests popped up in her game notifications.

Just as a call came in, Ming Can absentmindedly accepted the friend requests, exited the game, and picked up the phone.

On the other end, Ming Zheng asked where she had gone. Ming Can casually responded, giving a few vague replies before saying she’d be back soon.

Chi Yao followed her as she left the lounge.

Back in the banquet hall, the dazzling, dreamlike lights cascaded down, making Ming Can squint slightly. The emotions stirred up by the game instantly settled into calmness.

The real world was just as boring as ever.

She endured the rest of the celebration until it finally ended, and the guests began to leave in an orderly manner.

Ming Can still refused to go home with her father, insisting on taking a cab back to school on her own.

Coincidentally, Chi Yao’s family was also there. Li Ran gave her son a gentle push and suggested, “Ah Yao is heading back to school too. Why don’t you two go together? It’s not safe for a girl to take a cab alone at night.”

At those words, Ming Can’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and for a brief moment, a flicker of panic flashed across her face.

In reality, Chi Yao didn’t stay at school over the weekends. His family usually had to nag him repeatedly on Monday mornings to get him back in time for class.

Chi Yao gave Ming Can a probing glance before smoothly agreeing, “No problem. Take my family’s car.”

Ming Can’s face turned a little pale. Her gaze flickered over Chi Yao’s face, lingering for a moment before she hesitantly nodded.

He didn’t expose her.

Since last month, Ming Can had moved out of the school dorms and rented an apartment off-campus. She hadn’t told her family, but it wasn’t something she could hide from her classmates. And since Chi Yao loved sticking around her, he naturally knew.

After bidding farewell to the elders, the two of them took the elevator downstairs.

Ming Can leaned against the wall, her cheeks illuminated like flawless jade under the light. She exhaled softly and slowly, her long lashes curling upward, as she cast a quiet, knowing gaze at Chi Yao, who seemed hesitant to speak. “What do you want to say?” she asked.

Chi Yao hesitated. “Are you… living alone?”

Secretly moving out of the school dorms, keeping it from her family… It all seemed a little too suspicious.

Now that he had asked, Chi Yao suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Ming Can: “…”

Yes, that’s right. She was keeping a delicate, soft-skinned little man off-campus, one that couldn’t be seen in public, someone she had to hide away in secret.

And not only that, there was a very real possibility that he might even be your son.

Seeing Ming Can stay silent, seemingly avoiding the question, Chi Yao’s temple twitched. He couldn’t suppress the frustration in his voice as he said, “Class rep, you do realize we were basically on a blind date tonight, right?”

“I know.” Ming Can had no intention of currying favor with the Chi family, but she also didn’t want any misunderstandings. So she casually clarified, “I’m single. I just moved out for some peace and quiet.”

“Oh.” Chi Yao visibly relaxed, letting out a breath of relief.

But in the next instant, a playful glint flashed in his eyes. He leaned in slightly, closing the distance, and asked with clear interest, “Then, what do you think of me?”

Ming Can averted her gaze, her tone as indifferent as an interviewer dismissing a candidate: “Next.”

“…” Chi Yao choked on his words for a second before retorting, “There is no ‘next.’ I’m the only eligible young master of the Chi family.”

Ming Can kept her eyes on the blinking floor numbers, casually replying, “Don’t you have a Brother?”

She could swear to the heavens, that remark was purely to shut him down, nothing more. She had absolutely no interest in his Brother.

But Chi Yao didn’t seem to think so.

Using his height advantage, Chi Yao looked down at Ming Can, trying to read her expression, but found nothing unusual. Yet, inside his own head, his thoughts were spiraling into chaos. He suddenly recalled that sly, manipulative Yao from the game earlier. What bad luck. If you’re going to be ruthless, don’t blame me for being merciless.

With a casual tone, Chi Yao drawled, “My brother’s thirty this year, and his kids are already running around.” Then, with a slow smirk, he added, “What, you want to be a stepmom?”

---

Author’s Note:

Your brother isn’t even thirty yet, but indeed, his kids are already running around everywhere…

Almost there! The synopsis is coming soon!!!