"Half-fathers, same mother"—You Ran didn't quite understand this. Why could two people have different fathers?
It took her a long time to gradually learn the truth: before marrying her father, her mother had married another man and had a son named Gu Chengyuan. However, her mother was unhappy with that man, so they separated when Gu Chengyuan was seven years old. Later, her mother married her father and had her.
It doesn't seem complicated now, but for You Ran at the time, it was enough to confuse and destroy her little mind.
You Ran originally thought that you knew who was related to whom from birth, just like she knew from a young age that she and her cousin Ren Tingting were related, but not to Chen Xiaoming next door.
Therefore, You Ran found it difficult to accept that Gu Chengyuan, her suddenly added older brother, was suddenly appearing. Of course, this did not mean that she disliked him.
On the contrary, You Ran liked him, liked this handsome young man with a dashing look in his eyes, because every time Gu Chengyuan came to You Ran's house, he would bring her delicious snacks or a plush doll.
More importantly, when You Ran talks to him, even if the topics are childish and ridiculous, Gu Chengyuan will listen patiently, unlike other adults who, even when they laugh, do so perfunctorily.
In that room filled with serene blue floral patterns, little You Ran would stroke the head of her teddy bear and softly retell the stories her teacher told her at school, while Gu Chengyuan sat beside her, listening attentively.
Time passed by, and gradually, the two grew up.
The teddy bear was nowhere to be found; in its place were piles of reference books. She sat leisurely at her desk, biting her pen, her eyebrows furrowed in a tearful gesture, while Gu Chengyuan, standing beside her, acted as her tutor.
"Wrong, the auxiliary line should be added here." Gu Chengyuan picked up his pen and added a dotted line to the diagram.
With a quick glance, his thoughts became clear, and he swiftly solved the difficult problem.
After finishing, You Ran stretched and suddenly remembered what happened in the afternoon: "Brother, my classmate said you're very fierce."
"Why?" Gu Chengyuan asked.
“They say you never smile,” You Ran said.
"What did you say?" Gu Chengyuan asked.
“I said, you laugh a lot,” You Ran recalled.
To help You Ran concentrate on her studies, only a desk lamp was turned on in the room. Although the light was bright, the range of illumination was limited. At this moment, Gu Chengyuan tilted his chair back and leaned his body slightly backward, half of his body hidden in darkness and half in light.
"Actually, they're right, I don't laugh often."
"How could that be? I see you smiling all the time." You Ran didn't believe it.
“That’s because,” Gu Chengyuan said softly, “the person I’m facing is you.”
You Ran's brain structure is sometimes pathetically abnormal, and sometimes terrifyingly normal, and at this moment, she is in the latter state.
So, You Ran blushed when she heard those words.
She turned her head away, trying to avoid Gu Chengyuan seeing her emotions.
Because she also knew that she shouldn't have such emotions.
Gu Chengyuan and You Ran did not meet often, at most two or three times a month. Although You Ran always called Gu Chengyuan "brother", she did not subconsciously regard him as a real brother.
Because normal siblings will get together to play pranks, argue or even fight over things, and get tired of each other because they don't keep in close proximity.
But their situation was different; they only had pleasant memories together.
When something is too good to be true, it can become corrupted.
By then, You Ran had grown into a graceful young woman and had developed a vague understanding of relationships between men and women.
A handsome boyfriend who only smiles at you is irresistible to a young girl.
Especially when the man's attitude is also unclear.
It wasn't a misunderstanding. You Ran could sense that Gu Chengyuan didn't always act like an older brother in front of her. More often than not, when they were alone, he was a man in front of her.
Therefore, their relationship has always been ambiguous.
But for You Ran, that ambiguity was tainted with evil and inappropriateness, so whenever this happened, You Ran would always try her best to change the subject, just like now.
"I'm hungry, I'll go find something to eat in the fridge," You Ran said as she stood up.
That day, a relative of Li Mingyu's from his hometown passed away, so the couple rushed to attend the funeral. You Ran, who was in her second year of high school, was busy with her studies, so they had to leave her behind and entrust her to Gu Chengyuan's care.
In other words, at this moment, there are only the two of them at home.
And, the entire night, it was just the two of them.
Leisurely opened the refrigerator, intending to take out eggs and instant noodles to tide her over, but as soon as she stood up, she felt someone behind her... pressed tightly against her.
It carries the aura of antiquity.
You Ran couldn't find anything to say for a moment, so she could only stand there.
Gu Chengyuan made no other move, neither retreating nor leaving her body.
Gu Chengyuan was tall and straight; the top of his head only reached below his ears, and at that moment, she could feel his heartbeat on her back.
You Ran thought that Gu Chengyuan was calm because his heartbeat was completely different from hers—You Ran's heart was beating very fast.
Just as his heart was about to leap out of his throat, Gu Chengyuan spoke up: "Don't eat this, let's go out to eat."
You Ran agreed to the suggestion without much thought, because at home, in an environment where it was just the two of them, everything was dangerous.
You Ran originally thought that Gu Chengyuan would take her to a 24-hour fast food restaurant or a street food stall, but she was wrong—Gu Chengyuan took her to a bar.
A very lively bar in the city center.
"This isn't a place to eat." At the bar entrance, You Ran refused to go any further inside.
“Besides selling alcohol, they also have food inside.” Gu Chengyuan put his arm around You Ran’s shoulder. “Let’s go. You’re old enough to go into these places now…you’re old enough.”
When Gu Chengyuan said this, there was a vague, strange quality in his tone, as if something he had been waiting for for a long time had finally arrived.
At this moment, You Ran had no choice but to follow Gu Chengyuan into the bar.
This was the first time You Ran had ever been to a place like this. The lights inside were dazzling and mysterious, with a hazy, misty quality.
It was late at night, the bar's busiest time. On stage, a glamorous woman in leather boots and pants was dancing to the music. She swayed her curly black hair, letting madness run through her veins and bringing a liberating aura to everyone in the room.
The DJ next to him was also wild and unrestrained, the rolling music flowing out from his skillful hands, every note stirring people's passion.
As soon as you step inside, the tranquility of your daily life is completely overwhelmed by unbridled joy. All the guests are dancing wildly on the dance floor, swaying every pore of their bodies.
You Ran was overwhelmed by the deafening music and dazzled by the frenzied dance moves before her eyes. She felt as if she had lost her way and wandered into a world she had never been before.
You Ran felt a sense of unease about the unknown. She subconsciously gripped Gu Chengyuan's hand tightly, afraid that he would leave her alone.
Gu Chengyuan did not let go of her. He took You Ran directly to a private room in the bar, where many of his friends were already seated.
You Ran didn't recognize any of them, but looking at Gu Chengyuan and their familiar faces, You Ran suddenly had a feeling—Gu Chengyuan tonight was a stranger.
Gu Chengyuan's grandfather was a local military commander, and his father was also a military officer. Naturally, he had no choice but to be admitted to a military academy.
However, after graduating from military academy, Gu Chengyuan did not go to work in the army, but instead started his own business.
Thanks to his father's connections, Gu Chengyuan's career progressed smoothly, and most of these friends were just drinking buddies he met in business.
Almost every one of my friends has a woman by his side, mostly glamorous and mature types.
You Ran looked down at her T-shirt, jeans, canvas shoes, and ponytail, and felt that her hands and feet seemed to have grown a little longer, and she didn't know where to put them.
Gu Chengyuan's unique and relaxed demeanor quickly attracted everyone's attention. A tall, thin man asked with a smile, "Chengyuan, what's so special about your taste? Do you like little girls?"
You Ran blushed and waited for Gu Chengyuan's explanation.
But Gu Chengyuan didn't speak, he just smiled.
"No wonder you weren't very enthusiastic when I offered to introduce you to a girlfriend before. So you like this kind of younger girl?" The friend next to him started teasing.
Seeing that Gu Chengyuan still showed no intention of explaining, You Ran couldn't help but speak up: "Actually, I am his..."
My younger sister, my half-sister (same mother, different father).
But You Ran didn't say the second half of her sentence because Gu Chengyuan picked up where she left off: "She's my girlfriend."
As he spoke, Gu Chengyuan tightened his grip on You Ran's arm, becoming even more intimate.
You Ran looked at Gu Chengyuan with surprise, but his expression remained unchanged, his eyes swirling with the aroma of the foreign liquor in the glass.
The group of friends cheered, "Hey, this is the first time Gu Chengyuan has brought his girlfriend to meet us. It's a rare treat. Come on, let's all toast him."
Once you come out, any reason can become the key to getting someone drunk.
Gu Chengyuan didn't refuse. After drinking so many cups, his face didn't even turn red. It seemed that he often went out to play.
That night, You Ran realized for the second time how little she actually knew about Gu Chengyuan.
These friends seemed to be used to being casual, so after Gu Chengyuan finished drinking, they came up with a new game: "Come on, Chengyuan, give the little sister a kiss and let us see."
You Ran felt that things had reached their limit, and she hoped that Gu Chengyuan would reveal the truth at this point.
She thought he would, but Gu Chengyuan didn't.
You Ran could no longer sit still. Ignoring whether it was impolite, she hurriedly stood up, wanting to escape, to escape this unfamiliar bar, to escape this unfamiliar night, to escape this unfamiliar Gu Chengyuan.
But the moment she stood up, Gu Chengyuan swung his long arm and instantly wrapped it around You Ran's waist. With a pull, You Ran crashed heavily into Gu Chengyuan's arms due to inertia.
Before she could even cry out in pain, You Ran felt something cold touch her lips.
You Ran opened her eyes and saw Gu Chengyuan standing right in front of her.
He was kissing her.
You Ran felt as if her soul had instantly left her body, spinning in the dark room above, watching in shock as two people on the sofa did something they shouldn't.
You Ran wanted to stop him, wanted to scream and push him away, but her soul had already left her body... She was powerless.
You Ran felt as if her lips were being burned by the hottest fire in the world, and every nerve was melting.
But that was just her temperature... Gu Chengyuan's lips couldn't feel any temperature. Even when he was kissing her, You Ran, she still couldn't feel any temperature.
But the burning sensation was quickly extinguished, because immediately afterward, Gu Chengyuan used his tongue to pry open You Ran's snowy teeth, and a fragrant, cool liquid flowed down her esophagus and into her stomach.
As soon as she swallowed it, Yu Ran's head started to spin, and all her senses seemed to be veiled, no longer clear.
The people around him began to applaud and cheer for Gu Chengyuan's collaboration. The applause sounded muffled to You Ran, as if it were coming from the next private room.
Gu Chengyuan's lips were temporarily away from You Ran's.
In the dim light, the half-drunk You Ran looked at Gu Chengyuan and softly asked, "Why?"
Under the same dim light, the sober Gu Chengyuan looked at You Ran and softly replied, "Because... I have never regarded you as a younger sister."
Although it was said very lightly, the words were serious, and there was no hint of joking in them.
You Ran felt as if someone had hit the back of her head with a stick. It didn't hurt, but she was stunned and couldn't think or do anything.
You Ran wanted to escape this place, but Gu Chengyuan held her hand tightly, and she couldn't get away.