The younger sister pretends to be hypnotized, and her older brother gets addicted.

The crescent moon was obscured by dark clouds in the night sky.

Ruan Yang had not yet noticed the sudden drop in room temperature.

Her eyes lit up when Ke Yun was mentioned, and she introduced this special person to Jiang Yanci.

"Her name is Keyon. She saved me today. She's the most special person I've ever met. By the way, she's Italian. Her Italian name is Federico Orsini, or something like that... She's from Sicily, and her family is in the jewelry, shipping, and tobacco business."

"...Big brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

The slow-witted little butterfly finally sensed the cold air from Siberia.

Jiang Yanci clenched his fists.

The infamous Italian man.

They are extremely good at sweet talk.

It's understandable that a naive young girl like Yangyang would be deceived.

Every woman who has been to Italy has been deceived by Italian men.

Jiang Yanci spoke gently, ruffling Ruan Yang's hair.

"That was just a crush, not love."

Ruan Yang knew that it was definitely not love.

She admired Ke Yun, but it wasn't the kind of love she had...

Ruan Yang knew that her older brother had always hoped that she could be happy.

If I told him that Ke Yun is actually a woman and that their marriage is a sham, my brother would definitely not agree.

Moreover, Ruan Yang had promised Ke Yun that she would not tell anyone her secret.

"No," Ruan Yang explained.

"I like her. I feel comfortable and safe with her. I also like her appearance. She has a healthy tan, beautiful muscles, amber eyes, and two cute little fangs when she smiles. She's also the same age as me. She might have been a little aloof at first, but after spending more time with her, I found her to be very warm and cheerful..."

Ruan Yang counted Ke Yun's good points on her fingers, afraid that her brother would disagree.

She spoke these words from the bottom of her heart.

Compared to all the guys Ke Yun had met on blind dates, she was absolutely amazing!

Ruan Yang was like a chattering little bird, talking non-stop.

They didn't see Jiang Yanci's frozen expression hidden in the shadows.

The young girl he considered his future wife was now excitedly listing the good qualities of other men.

An Italian man I've only known for one day.

Amber eyes.

Tiger teeth.

Cheerful and enthusiastic personality

He's the same age as her.

She is clearly a copy of Jiang Zhuo.

So, even if Yangyang forgets Jiang Zhuo, she will still be attracted to boys of the same type?

He could tolerate Ruan Yang's feelings for Jiang Zhuo because Jiang Zhuo was his younger brother.

Jiang Yanci couldn't accept that Ruan Yang would fall in love with a man she had only known for a day.

"Yangyang, you're still young. That's not love, it's just curiosity about a foreign man. If you marry him, you'll have to learn Italian, integrate into his family, leave your home and your relatives and friends. That's not an easy thing."

Ruan Yang sensed the disapproval in Jiang Yanci's tone.

She hurriedly explained, "Ke Yun promised me that I can stay in China after we get married. She respects me and won't force me!"

How can I get my brother to believe and agree?

Ruan Yang racked his brains and uttered a famous line from angst-filled youth literature—

"Loving the right person is love; loving the wrong person is youth!"

"Moreover, I believe that love can overcome all difficulties!"

Jiang Yanci's heart seemed to tremble, as if his heart petals had detached and merged into his blood.

Love overcomes all difficulties.

This delicate little girl, who cries at the slightest pain, is now going through all sorts of hardships for a man.

Jiang Yanci's gentle mask finally cracked with those words.

"What kind of spell did that damn Italian man cast on you?"

No, she didn't.

Ruan Yang didn't know how to prove Ke Yun's reliability until she noticed the rubber band on her wrist.

"Look, this is a gift from her."

During the meal, Ke Yun noticed that her hair was down and bought this hair tie.

I just bought it casually at a boutique next to the restaurant; it wasn't a gift.

But most guys wouldn't think of that.

Only girls would empathize with such details.

Ruan Yang really felt that Ke Yun was better than most boys, and that it would be very pleasant to be with her.

Jiang Yanci's gaze was fixed on that hair tie.

It's just a very ordinary hair tie.

So cheap that you can even see the glue overflowing and solidifying, and the deformed knock-off Mickey Mouse.

It fit loosely on her slender wrist, next to the Cartier bracelet he had given Yangyang.

Any fraction of the hair ties in her jewelry cabinet is far more expensive than this one.

But now, she's completely captivated by this hair tie.

Jiang Yanci's jaw tightened as he tried to control his emotions.

He didn't want a white-haired guy to ruin his relationship with Ruan Yang.

He tried to keep his tone calm, but the strength with which he gripped Ruan Yang's wrist betrayed his unease.

"Yangyang, how many girls has he used this trick on before this?"

"Do you know about heart-shaped stones? Every girl who receives one thinks it's unique, but this man will give one to every girl."

"No." Ruan Yang shook her head, her wrist aching slightly as she struggled. "Although she's had many exes, she's not a womanizer."

He has many exes.

But it doesn't mean he's fickle.

How absurd.

Jiang Yanci narrowed his eyes, sizing up Ruan Yang in front of him.

This is the umpteenth time today that Yangyang has defended this Italian man.

The little girl he pampered with money shouldn't be moved by a cheap hair tie.

An atmosphere of confrontation filled the air.

The dim yellow lights and the blue hues of the night blend together, creating a tranquil beauty.

Jiang Yanci's eyes darkened. "Yangyang, even if I don't agree, will you still marry him?"

The shadow cast on his deep-set face added to his menacing aura.

Ruan Yang clenched her fist.

The day Jiang Zhuo returns to China is drawing closer, and she doesn't have much time left.

The sudden collapse of the crystal chandelier last time left a considerable shadow on Ruan Yang.

Just a hair's breadth away, and that heavy lamp would have smashed down on my brother's head.

The thought of Jiang Yanci's passing sent a dull ache through Ruan Yang's heart.

In a time and space unknown to her, her brother had already died once because of her.

She didn't want the tragedy to repeat itself.

Only when she gets married and sheds her villainous supporting character persona can those who love her be safe.

Ke Yun is currently her best marriage prospect.

Ruan Yang raised her face and looked at Jiang Yanci with a firm gaze. "Yes."

She knew her older brother cared for her.

The reason he's not agreeing now is simply because he hasn't met Ke Yun yet.

In order to allow her elder brother to meet Ke Yun, Ruan Yang deliberately exaggerated the situation:

"If you don't agree to this marriage, I'll... go to Italy with Ke Yun and never come back, and I never want to see you again!"

As soon as she said it, Ruan Yang realized she had gone too far.

She lowered her head, not daring to look into Jiang Yanci's eyes.

Jiang Yanci did not move.

Suddenly, a sweet, savory taste welled up in my throat, and a metallic, metallic flavor burned up my esophagus. My heart felt like it was being gripped and then released, leaving behind a hollow spasm.

He never imagined that one day Ruan Yang would say she would never return to the Jiang family and never see him again.

This is her home.

She's giving up her family for a man now.

She doesn't even want her older brother anymore.

If the price for hypnotizing Ruan Yang and making her forget Jiang Zhuo was to completely eradicate her from his life, then he would rather she still remember.

Throughout his life, he was law-abiding and self-disciplined.

He engraved all the "cannot," "should not," and "cannot" into his bones, in exchange for an impeccable mask of a brother.

But behind the mask, flesh and blood grew wildly on the face.

He didn't speak; the silence was broken only by the sound of their breathing, which made the stillness all the more profound, creating a suffocating feeling of being in a vacuum.

Ruan Yang clutched the hem of her skirt; she could hear her own heartbeat.

Like beating a drum.

One sound after another pounded against my eardrums.

She dared not look up, like an ostrich.

Until a "click" broke the deathly silence.

It's the sound of a metal lighter rubbing together.

The next second, her chin was forced to lift.

The familiar firelight came into her eyes, the orange-red halo flickering, casting the sharp features of the face opposite her in a dim light, but illuminating the pair of long, narrow, scarlet eyes with perfect clarity.

Ruan Yang felt inexplicably uneasy.

She was held captive by that strong, unyielding hand.

She couldn't snatch the lighter, nor could she blow it out.

"Yangyang, look at me."

Jiang Yanci, who was always calm and composed, showed no trace of composure in his eyes at this moment.

His voice was slightly hoarse, his lips were very close to hers, and his warm breath fell on the corner of her lips, with a slight tremor.

"Yangyang, love me."

Ruan Yang's eyes narrowed, thinking she was hallucinating.

Jiang Yanci did not notice this unusual behavior.

"No." He chuckled softly, then said with utmost seriousness, "Baby, let's get married."