My brother and I fell in love with the same woman.
Her name is Chen Yumo, and she is half a year older than me.
Being introverted and not good with words, I often find myself at a loss for what to say when I see her.
However, my brother is eloquent and emotionally intelligent, often making Yumo laugh.
So, it's likely that the one Yumo has feelings for is my brother.
In the year my brother was accepted into university, we could hardly scrape together the tuition and cost of living, as we only had each other for support.
My brother then suggested I find work in a coal mine in Shanxi to finance his education.
He promised me that as his brother, so long as he could graduate, he would ensure my sacrifices would not be in vain.
The job at the mine paid well, but it was also dangerous.
In the past four years, I've witnessed multiple safety incidents.
The most perilous one was when a coal kiln collapsed recently, and I was nearly buried alive.
Though I narrowly escaped death, I was injured.
Afterward, the mine owner gave me twenty thousand yuan, considering the matter settled.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, my brother had a bicycle accident and injured his leg, requiring money for hospitalisation. I transferred the twenty thousand to him and quickly headed home.
I had no idea which hospital my brother was in, and nobody answered when I called, so I had no choice but to head to Aunt Wang's house next door to seek information.
"Zhang Fan, who told you your brother had been hospitalized? Today's his girlfriend's birthday, I heard he's throwing a party in that high-end restaurant up the road!"
Was my brother not in the hospital?
He has a girlfriend now?
Auntie Wang glanced at me before she continued, "The prices there are crazy high, easily costing a few thousand. Your brother just graduated and hasn't found a job yet, I wonder where he gets the money?"
Truth be told, even though I managed to save some money over the past four years, I've never been to such an extravagant restaurant. Every penny I've earned was hard-won, not easily come by.
But look at my brother! Spending thousands just for a meal?
Not that I'm saying he shouldn't be celebrating his girlfriend's birthday. But he didn't have to go overboard, we should live within our means, after all, none of us are born with a silver spoon. There's no need to put on a show.
And what angered me more was that he lied to me.
For years, I've been worried about him not having enough to eat or wear. Even if that meant I had to live a bit frugally myself, I made sure he never went without.
But in the end, he used the excuse of being hospitalized to deceive me. Those two thousand dollars I gave him were hard-earned!
Unable to contain my anger, I decided to head over to the restaurant Auntie Wang mentioned.
The interior was opulent, like stepping into a palace.
Soon, a stunning face appeared in my line of sight.
It was Rain Ink, whom I haven't seen for four years.
Dressed in a black skirt and a light-colored blouse, her elegant outfit accentuated the graceful curves of her figure. She was the epitome of elegance and sophistication, tinged with a hint of sensuality.
In that moment, my heart seemed to stop beating, her beauty was breathtaking.
Sister Yumeng saw me as well, and she quickly strode towards me and said, "Zhang Fan?"
I responded, "Sister Yumeng, long time no see."
A strong surprise flashed across her pretty face, soon replaced by anger. She said, "You left without a word four years ago. I've been searching for any news of you since, but you seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth! It wasn't until two months ago that Brother Yong informed me you had gotten married. Congratulations on getting married so young! When you came back this time, why didn't you bring your wife to show everyone?"
I got married?!
Caught off guard by her words, I was left speechless.
I've been working in the coal mines for the past four years, when would I have had the time to get married?
Just as I was about to explain, my brother came out of the private room where Sister Yumeng had emerged from.
That day, my brother was in a suit and leather shoes, even wearing a pair of glasses. Looking very studious, he completely embodied the aura of an intellectual.
In contrast, I was dressed plainly, looking like a person who grew up in poverty. The difference between us brothers was distinctly clear.
My brother didn't expect me to be there. A wave of nervousness and confusion crossed his face before he managed to squeeze out a smile towards me.
"Xiao Fan, when did you come back? Today is Yumeng's birthday, we are celebrating it here."
While he was speaking, he didn't forget to subtly hint at me with his eyes. Afterward, he turned to Sister Yumeng and said: "Yumeng, everyone's waiting for you. You go in first. I'll have a little chat with Xiao Fan."
Sister Yumeng threw me a hard glare, then she walked into the room.
It wasn't until then that I realized the girlfriend that Aunt Wang mentioned regarding my brother was actually Sister Yumeng.
For some reason, I felt a surge of anger in my heart.
"Bro, aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?!"
"Xiao Fan, I'm sorry. I wasn't actually injured, I lied to you. I just wanted to celebrate Yumo's birthday..." my brother said with apologetic eyes.
"I know it's hard for you to earn money. Those 20,000 yuan can be considered as a loan from you, and I'll pay you back someday."
"Why did you tell Yumo that I got married!" I questioned him.
My brother hesitated for a few seconds before he put his arm around my shoulder, "I know you have feelings for Yumo too, but you should understand, she likes me. And...we've already...been intimate."
Even if I was slow, I knew what he meant. I felt a pain in my heart as if a needle was pricking it.
After a while, I managed to control my emotions and asked, I don't want to know about your relationship. I just want to know why you told her I got married?
My brother explained, "These two matters were unrelated, but Yumo mentioned how you had suffered a lot in the past few years. You dropped out of high school and worked to put me through school. She didn't want you to suffer anymore and insisted on resolving your marriage situation before dating me. So, I lied to her that you were already married."
I said, "You two have already been intimate, and you're not officially dating yet? Is Yumo that casual?"
My brother couldn't help laughing. "Xiao Fan, you don't understand Yumo at all. In that kind of situation, every woman behaves the same; they desire it but deny it verbally. Once they've done it, they fear others finding out...you'll understand when you have a girlfriend."
Is Yumo really like that?
A sharp pain twisted in my heart.
Later, my brother took me to a private dining room where seven or eight young people sat. They were all his classmates, none of whom I knew.
As we were wrapping up, a waiter pushed in a dessert cart bearing a cake.
A bunch of roses were sticking out of the cake, on top of which was placed a small red box.
My brother stepped forward and opened the box, which to my surprise, contained a diamond ring.
Holding the ring, he approached sister Yu Mo, earnestly saying, "Yu Mo, would you be my girlfriend?"
Everyone in the room echoed him, urging sister Yu Mo to accept my brother's proposal.
"Yong, what are you doing? We were just supposed to have a meal, why did you buy such an expensive gift? You should take it back; I can't accept this." Sister Yu Mo hastily declined, but in my view, she was pretending as they had already slept together.
My brother adjusted his glasses and said, "Yu Mo, I didn't dare to confess my feelings to you before because I didn't have the means to take care of you. But now that I've graduated from university, I believe I can make you happy. Moreover, Xiao Fan is married now, so I don't have any lingering concerns. Yu Mo, can you give me a chance to look after you?"
Sister Yu Mo, her face full of mixed emotions, looked at me and said, "Zhang Fan, don't you have anything to say?"
"Xiao Fan is my biological brother, of course, he would want me to be with the person I love too, right Xiao Fan?" my brother nudged me with a wink.
Although I was also attracted to sister Yu Mo, how could someone like me, who hasn’t even finished high school, be good enough for her?
And what's more, she's already slept with my brother! And she has the gall to ask my opinion? It’s utterly ludicrous!
I took a few large gulps of alcohol and, forcing a smile, said, "My brother is a good man, you two will be happy together."
"So, should I thank you for blessing us?"
After saying this, Sister Yu Mo, in front of everyone, put on the diamond ring.
