Chapter 21 — My Best Friend's Older Brother Took Responsibility for Me

The comment section exploded immediately: *Wow, you did these in college? Amazing!* *Second prize in National Design Contest?! Didn't know you were this good!* *Your ex claimed he found you clients? Your first contract email timestamp predates dating him by three months!* Comments on Chu Yan's posts flipped rapidly: *Bro, you bragged about finding her clients, but her contract predates your relationship!* *Sure you remembered right?* *How do you explain that video anyway?* His friends tried defending him, but every comment was countered by new evidence.

The final blow came from a former colleague of his who posted a long essay: *Since we're exposing, I won't hold back. At the company, Chu Yan constantly took clients to karaoke lounges—not once, just caught once by bad luck. Everyone knew, but didn't speak up. He claimed it was filthy, but played hardest every time.* The post blew up; Chu Yan went wild cursing on his page, which was screenshot and shared, exposing more dark history. Like a rolling snowball, Chu Yan deleted posts, locked his account, and packed up leaving Jiangcheng the next day. Ye Zhiyi forwarded the locked account screenshot: "He fled." "Yeah." "How do you feel?" "Nothing." "Not satisfied?" I thought briefly. "No—just felt it should have ended long ago." Ye Zhiyi stared at me. "You've changed." "Changed how?" "Before, you'd cry over stuff like this—now you don't even bother frowning." "Probably because I have solid support behind me now." "Me or my brother?" "Both." She laughed, and I laughed too.

Three months later, spring returned to Hecheng—willows along the river dyed a fresh green. I was promoted to head Styling Team 3, with four members under me; Xiao He remained my close assistant. My Gala trophy sat neatly on my desk, polished daily by Xiao He. Yuan Yuan gained a kilogram; Dou Dou mastered chewing TV remotes. Ye Zhiyi passed her driving test, immediately driving the small Fit into a flowerbed. Ye Zhihang got a girlfriend outside the entertainment industry—gentle and quiet. Ye Zhiyi huffed for days: "Why does everyone get a sister-in-law while I get nothing?!" Li Yingqiu and Ye Ding'an flew to Hainan to avoid the cold, telling me before leaving: "Hi Bao, take care of the house for me." I accepted with a bright smile.

Over these months, my relationship with Li Hangzhi developed noticeably: From short Q&A texts initially, his talking frequency increased significantly, though naturally remaining concise. He would always wait in the company lobby when I worked overtime late, waiting silently in his car. He'd bring a full medicine cabinet to my room whenever I coughed. He'd observe me styling clients from a corner, leaving only when finished. And when I casually murmured *I miss home*, he brought my mother to Hecheng the next day. How he did things remained consistent—never announcing beforehand, never waiting for thanks, just quietly doing it as if it were his default duty.

At night, we sat on the balcony again. The monstera plants had grown over a meter high, but the middle pots were cleared—the space dividing our balconies was gone, two lounge chairs placed side by side. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Li Hangzhi." "Mm." "Outside the club that night, did you really think for only two seconds?" "Mm." "What if I were a scammer?" "You weren't." "How were you sure?" "Watched you for half a year—didn't need two seconds."

I looked up at him; he looked down at me. The night breeze wasn't warm, but his body heat brought peace. "Lin Wan." "Yes?" "You deserve it." "Deserve what?" "Everything."