Chapter 8 — My Best Friend's Older Brother Took Responsibility for Me

I happened to stand nearest to the main entrance, holding a kettle of freshly boiled water to refill hot water in the kitchen. The door opened. Light from the entrance ceiling shone down: Very tall. Broad shoulders. Dark grey trench coat. A white tea scent drifted off him—identical to the scent in the Mercedes G63, and identical to the scent outside the Civil Affairs Bureau that day.

Holding the kettle, I stood frozen in place. The phone in my pocket vibrated once. I didn't look down, but I knew what the text said.

Ye Zhiyi sprang up from the sofa, shouting excitedly, "Brother! You're finally..." Li Yingqiu also stood up. "Hangzhi, come in quickly—Miss Wen has been waiting for you."

Hangzhi. Li Hangzhi. The moment that name dropped from Li Yingqiu's mouth, something in my head clicked into place, assembling every piece of the puzzle. Li. Hangzhi. The character *Zhi*. The person with a single-character WeChat display name. The person with the white Samoyed avatar. The person who bought me two diamond rings—one for sincerity, one for fidelity. The person with a cold, concise voice, spending money like water, yet somewhat unmanageable in bed. The person I dragged away at the bar door. And the person who registered a marriage with me. He was Ye Zhiyi's eldest brother! The man standing at the door right now in a dark grey trench coat, carrying a white tea scent, brought home by his mother to go on a blind date with Wen Ruyue!

Holding the kettle by the entrance, I was less than two meters from him. Light illuminated his entire face: Perfect bone structure, sharp lines, high brow bone—matching the face in my memory from that night and outside the Civil Affairs Bureau with zero discrepancy.

He saw me too. His gaze swept from the door, past Li Yingqiu, past Ye Ding'an, past Wen Ruyue, and finally stopped on my face. Not surprised. Not shocked. As if he had known all along I would be here. The kettle in my hands grew warm. I wanted to say something, but my mouth opened without sound.

Ye Zhiyi chattered beside him, "You're back—come sit! Miss Wen is here, the blind date target Mom arranged for you..." She suddenly noticed her brother's gaze. "Brother? What are you looking at?" She followed his eyes, saw me, looked back at him, then back at me—head pivoting like a ping-pong match. Li Hangzhi paid no attention to his sister. Crossing the doorway, as he passed me, he slightly lowered his head. I caught the subtle white tea scent close up. His lips moved, voice low enough for only the two of us: "I'm back."

I turned to stone. The phone in my pocket vibrated again. This time I looked down: A new message from "Zhi"—*Open the door for me.* Time sent: Two minutes ago—meaning he sent it before stepping inside.

I looked up; he had walked into the living room, taking off his coat to hand to Aunt Wang. Li Yingqiu pulled him toward Wen Ruyue. "Come, this is Xiao Yue of the Wen family." Wen Ruyue stood up, politely extending her hand. "Hello, Mr. Li." Li Hangzhi looked at her once—a single glance. Then, ignoring her hand, he turned back to look at me by the entrance.

"The kettle is hot. Put it down."

Hearing his words, everyone turned to look at me. Ye Zhiyi frowned. "Brother, are you talking to a kettle? That's my best friend Lin Wan, not your maid!" Li Hangzhi didn't answer. Looking at me, he added, "Why are you standing there?" It sounded like a question, but his face held no doubt. He wasn't surprised at all—he knew I was here all along.

I finally set the kettle down on the side cabinet, hands trembling slightly. Only one thought looped in my head: He was Ye Zhiyi's eldest brother. My husband was Ye Zhiyi's eldest brother! The fierce, boring, unromantic workaholic who punished leapfrogs and barely came home... was the man I dragged from the bar, married the next morning, and who bought me a tens-of-millions diamond ring.

Ye Zhiyi turned to me. "You know my brother?" I opened my mouth to speak. Li Hangzhi's phone rang; he ignored it. Ye Zhiyi asked again, "Lin Wan, how do you know..."

"We know each other," Li Hangzhi answered for me. He turned to Ye Zhiyi, tone nonchalant. "Not just known. Registered married."