Flames of the Past

My father was a firefighter. That day, he died in a blaze trying to save his comrades. It just so happened that my mother was in labor that same day. She didn't learn the tragic news until after I was born.

The day after my birth, my mother jumped from the rooftop. No one saw it coming.

My father was an orphan, and my mother came from a single-parent family. She had a half-brother. They saw me as a burden and refused to take me in. So, I became a homeless child.

At the critical moment, the firefighter my father had saved showed up. When he learned of my situation, he couldn't bear to let me suffer and adopted me.

Uncle had a son of his own, a year older than me. For as long as I could remember, he had told me all of this.

"Uncle, that was my father's choice. I don't blame you," I said.

Uncle's surname was Rivers. His son's name was River Rivers.

And for as long as River could remember, everyone told him he had to protect his little sister—it was a debt the Rivers family owed her. River didn't understand when he was little, but he listened to the adults. He shielded me from the start, beating up anyone who bullied me. Every kid in the kindergarten knew I had a brother named River, and they didn't dare mess with me. As a child, I thought I was the happiest girl alive.

Later, Uncle Rivers retired from the military and went into business. He made a fortune. River started high school, but he began to change. He started to hate me. Even when I offered him candy, he'd throw it on the ground viciously and tell me to stay away.

That day, when the high school entrance exam results came out, I was at home nervously staring at my phone. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my score. Soon after, a message popped up on my phone. It was an acceptance notice from Jialing No. 1 High School.

I froze. A message appeared in the family group chat. "Congratulations, Lily! You got into Jialing No. 1. What do you want, Lily? Uncle will buy it for you."

That day, only River and I were home. River saw the message, came downstairs, and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Lily, how much longer are you going to torture me?!"

I was stunned. Tears streamed down my face involuntarily. "I'm sorry, I don't know. I applied to No. 7." That night, Uncle Rivers somehow found out. He gave River a severe beating.

Uncle Rivers slapped River across the face. "I changed Lily's application. If her father hadn't saved my life back then, do you think you'd be where you are today? River, I'm telling you, our family owes her a debt we can never repay!"

River didn't say a word. He just stood there, silent.

River hated me, and I didn't want to force myself on him, even though I really liked him.

That day at school, River texted me: "Lily, don't have any contact with me at school."

I hadn't planned on seeking him out anyway. I was afraid he'd hate me even more.

Even though we were at the same high school, we barely had any contact. Later, Uncle Rivers noticed I was coming home late and ordered River to walk home with me.

So River started waiting for me after school. He'd walk beside me, keeping a careful distance.

I would often look at our shadows under the streetlights, making the hands of our shadows touch, pretending we were holding hands.

River was very popular in high school. Good grades, good at basketball—tons of girls chased after him. His name was a permanent fixture on the school's confession wall. He changed girlfriends quickly, but they were all beautiful and sexy, without exception.

I remember that night at the school gate, River was holding hands with a girl. He pulled her into his arms and saw me.

"Get lost!" he mouthed with a frown. I immediately lowered my head and went back to the classroom.

Our classroom had a perfect view of the school gate. I saw him hold the girl's head and kiss her. When the girl left, River took off his jacket and put it on her, patted her head, and sent her off.

He watched her back. I watched him. After a while, he texted me: "Come down."

We walked home as usual, without a word. Just before we reached the door, he suddenly stopped. "Don't tell my parents."

I nodded, and we went inside together.

The next day at school, my friend came over excitedly and shoved her phone in my face. "Lily, someone confessed to you!"

I took her phone and looked. It was me, alright.

"I want to confess to Lily Lin from the freshman honors class. I've liked you for a long time."

Attached was a photo of me, clearly taken secretly. My face could handle it, so even with a weird angle, I still looked good.

Honestly, I had no interest in dating. I just wanted to study hard and get into a good university. That was it.

"Lily, don't you want to know who it is?"

I handed the phone back to my friend and looked at her excited face. "I want to study hard and improve every day. Also, you got the third-to-last question wrong."

She was sitting in front of me. I saw her test paper at a glance and pointed out her mistake. She deflated like a balloon, turned around, and poked at her notebook with her pen.

That evening after school, I didn't see River, so I waited for him at the school gate.

There was only one moon in the sky, no stars. I waited for a while, then took out my phone and texted him: "Where are you?"

He didn't reply. I mustered up my courage and went back into the school. Everyone was gone. The moonlight on the ground was eerily bright.

I turned on my phone's flashlight and walked towards his classroom. The light in the hallway outside River's classroom was broken, flickering, adding to the creepiness.

I knocked on his classroom door. "River, did you leave?"

"Classmate, everyone's gone. Who are you looking for?" A hand grabbed my shoulder, and a low voice came from behind me.

My heart sank. Cold sweat dripped down my head. I slowly turned around and saw him grinning from ear to ear, looking especially terrifying under the pale full moon.

"Ah!" I screamed, closed my eyes, and slapped him.

"Ow!" Another scream. I opened my eyes. A boy was sitting on the ground, holding his left cheek, looking at me with teary eyes.

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Ten minutes later, we were sitting in the classroom. The boy was holding his left cheek, his eyes accusing me of my crime. I had been so scared that I put all my strength into that slap.

"I'm sorry, I thought you weren't human." ...

"If I'm not human, am I a ghost?" The boy was furious. I swallowed. It was a reflex.

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I should be asking you that. What are you doing at my classroom door so late?"

"I forgot my homework. Came back to get it."

"I was looking for River."

"Another one of River's admirers? No way, don't you know he already left with the teacher's permission to take care of his girlfriend?"

I wanted to explain, but I remembered River told me not to look for him at school, so I kept quiet. But what he said made me anxious. River had girlfriends before, but he'd never done anything like this.

"When did he leave? And, do you know his girlfriend's name?"

"No way, you're his admirer and you don't even know that?"

I looked at him, my eyes getting a little wet. I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry. I'll tell you everything I know." The boy took a tissue from his desk and handed it to me. As he spoke, my heart began to ache.

River's girlfriend was named Chi Yi. She had just transferred here. She studied ethnic dance and had a cool, aloof face. As soon as Chi Yi arrived, she caught everyone's attention. But Chi Yi was sharp-tongued. Someone confessed to her, but she rejected him. Her reason was simple: "Your face doesn't do it for me."

Chi Yi's proud and aloof attitude piqued River's interest. On the fifth day after Chi Yi arrived, River confessed. But Chi Yi just looked at him and said, "Player." Then she walked right past him.

River, with his good looks, excellent grades, and athletic talent, had won the hearts of many girls at school. This was his first rejection, and it bruised his ego. It was like a novel's CEO plot: "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention." River immediately broke up with his current girlfriend and launched a full-on pursuit of Chi Yi. Love letters every day, fresh flowers every day.

Eventually, the homeroom teacher found out and called both River and Chi Yi to the office for a lecture. Chi Yi was furious when she came out. She scowled and asked River what it would take for him to leave her alone.

"Be my girlfriend for three months, and I'll stop."

"One month, or no deal."

River looked at Chi Yi and grinned shamelessly.

"Three months. Otherwise, I'll keep this up every day. Tomorrow, I'll buy a truckload of roses and bring them to school. Then I'll get a bunch of balloons, each one tied with a little note full of cheesy pick-up lines. And I'll hang a banner across the street from the school that says, 'Chi Yi, my goddess, I love you like mice love rice.'"

So they got together. After that, River cut off all contact with other girls and focused entirely on Chi Yi.

Chi Yi would go to dance practice every afternoon. River would wait for her to finish and bring her water. He'd steal her hair tie and wear it on his wrist. He'd deliberately show it off when playing basketball, and after every winning shot, he'd brag to his teammates: "My girlfriend is my lucky charm. With her hair tie, winning is a piece of cake."

I sat next to the boy, listening to all of this. Was I sad? I asked myself. I was clearly hurting, so why wasn't I crying?

"Thank you. It's late, I should go." I picked up my backpack, said my goodbyes, and walked out quickly without looking back.

"It's so late, wait for me! I'll walk you!" The boy chased after me. I didn't want to lose it in front of him, so I refused and walked faster.

"Hey, little girl, where are you going? Want big brother to walk you?"

As I passed an alley, a hand grabbed my backpack and pulled me inside, covering my mouth.

I stared at them in terror.

Three men with dyed yellow hair. The leader looked like a zombie, gaunt and sallow.

The other two were the same. They all had knives.

Seeing this, I started to tremble. "No, thank you. I need to get home. My family is waiting for me."

"Stay with big brother for a while, and I'll let you go, okay?" The man grinned and reached for me. I swung my backpack at him and tried to run, but the other two grabbed me.

"Big brother likes them feisty."

When I saw him trying to pull off my clothes, I screamed with all my might: "Help! Someone help me!"

Before I could finish, the man slapped me hard. "Shut up, you bitch!"

They grabbed some garbage off the ground and stuffed it in my mouth. I was in despair. The school wasn't in the city center, but in a remote suburb. Taxis rarely came this way. We usually had to walk a bit to get to the bus stop. There were hardly any houses nearby. River usually walked with me. Tonight, I could have left early, but I stayed to look for him.

The man's hands were tugging at my skirt. Tears blurred my vision. No matter how much I struggled, the two men held me down.

River, where are you?

"Hey, picking on a girl? What kind of man does that?" A familiar voice rang out. It was the boy from earlier. I opened my eyes and saw him fighting with the three men.

"Run! What are you waiting for?" He turned and saw me standing there like an idiot, and yelled at me.

I wiped my tears, grabbed my backpack, and ran.

After I had run a short distance, I fumbled for my phone and called the police. I gave them the address, then hid because I was afraid they would catch up. I didn't come out until I heard the sirens. I walked back to the alley.

The three men were gone. The boy was lying in a pool of blood, unconscious.

I covered my mouth and walked over, crying, but a policeman stopped me.

They were securing the scene. When they saw me, they asked if I had called the police. I nodded numbly.

Then I was taken to the police station to give a statement. At the station, I told them everything that happened. The policeman frowned, typed on his computer, and eventually pulled up files on the three men.

"It's them!" The moon was bright that night. I could see their faces clearly in the moonlight, so I recognized them immediately on the computer screen.

These three had been in trouble before, for drug use, but they hadn't hurt anyone. They had been sentenced to three years in rehab. We found drugs at the scene. They must have just gotten high, which is why they were so bold.

"Officer, what about that boy? How is he?"

"He was stabbed twice. The attacker probably sobered up, got scared, and ran. Didn't even take the knife. The boy will be okay. He's alive," the officer said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Then the officer told me to call someone to pick me up. I scrolled through my contacts and finally called River. I didn't call Uncle Rivers because I was afraid River would get beaten when he got home.

"Can you come pick me up? I'm in trouble. I'm at the police station, River."

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" As soon as the call connected, I blurted it out. Then I heard a girl's voice on the other end. I froze. Then River's voice came through: "I want to spend a little more time with my girlfriend. Since you're kicking me out, fine. See you tomorrow."

"Ah Yi, give me a..."

"Get lost!" There was a loud slam of a door.

The boy grumbled, then answered me. "I'm coming!" Then the line went dead. I stared blankly at my phone.

River arrived quickly. When he got there, he saw me sitting on the bench.

"Are you...?"

"Her brother."

"Show me your ID and fill out this form." The officer handed River a form. River asked what happened. By the time the officer finished explaining, River had finished filling out the form.

"Lily, let's go."

I followed behind River. We were silent for a long time.

After a while, River spoke, his voice a little choked. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I texted you. You didn't reply."

River was stunned. He didn't say anything. He got into the car without a word, and I followed.

The ride home was eerily quiet. When we got home, Uncle Rivers was standing in the living room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw us.

"Why are you so late tonight?"

"Uncle, I lost the jade pendant my mother left me. River was helping me look for it, that's why we're late," I quickly explained.

Uncle Rivers tensed up again. "Did you find it?"

"I forgot. I left it at home today." I gave an embarrassed smile.

Uncle Rivers patted my head. "It's okay as long as you're safe. Go upstairs, wash up, and get some sleep."

I said okay and went upstairs with River. After my shower, I dried my hair, turned off the light, and got ready for bed.

There was a knock at the door. I opened it. It was River. "Want some milk? It helps you sleep."

"Thanks." I took the milk and closed the door.

As I closed the door, I saw River's lips move, but I didn't hear anything. I drank the milk and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I got up, washed up, and went downstairs for breakfast. Aunt Rivers put my portion on the table.

"Where's River? Isn't he up yet?"

"He was gone early this morning. I don't know where he went. Lily, don't you ever follow his example."

I finished my breakfast, nodded, grabbed a bottle of milk, and headed to school.

So early, River must have gone to pick up Chi Yi, right? I went to school with that thought, but when I asked his classmates, they said River hadn't come, and neither had Chi Yi.

They were both on leave. People said they went on a date. I went back to my classroom in silence. After school that evening, I quickly packed my things, hoping to leave with the crowd.

At the school gate, two people stopped me.

"Lily?" Two boys, a head taller than me, looked down at me. I instinctively stepped back, scared. They looked at their phones, then at me.

"It's you!" One of them frowned. The other reached out to me. The fear from yesterday came flooding back. I turned to run, but he grabbed my backpack.

"Your bag is so heavy. Let me carry it." The boy snatched my backpack.

I looked at them, confused. "Who are you?"

"Brother Rivers sent us. He told us to walk you home."

My emotions were on a roller coaster.

I looked at them with a hint of resentment. "You looked like you were about to bully me."

Both of them scratched their heads sheepishly. Then they stood on either side of me like bodyguards and walked me home.

When I got upstairs, I saw River's room. I put my backpack down and went back downstairs. Uncle Rivers was reading the newspaper. "Uncle Rivers, River isn't back yet?"

"No. I don't know where he's gone again."

I nodded, said "Goodnight" to Uncle Rivers, and went back upstairs.

Tomorrow was Saturday. I decided to visit the boy who saved me.

Since I didn't set an alarm, I woke up at eleven in the morning. I scrambled out of bed, threw myself together, bought some fruit on the way, and went to the hospital. Since I was the only witness, I had come with the ambulance, so I knew which room he was in.

I pushed open the door and saw the boy who saved me, and River, in the bed behind him.

A girl was sitting by River's bed, feeding him. In contrast, the other boy looked pretty miserable.

When I walked in, three pairs of eyes turned to me. It was my first time seeing Chi Yi. Her skin was fairer than snow, her eyes clear as spring water. She had an elegant, noble air about her. She was wearing a white chiffon dress, her long hair flowing down her back. She looked at River with a hint of exasperation.

River hadn't expected me to show up. He stared at me in surprise. The other boy's eyes lit up when he saw me, but then the light faded as he thought of something.

"Classmate, I came to thank you." I put the fruit basket by the boy's bed, not giving River a second glance.

River looked at me, then looked away. He took Chi Yi's hand and asked her to feed him a grape.

Hearing River's voice made my eye twitch. When I looked at the boy, he had a look of resignation on his face, mixed with a hint of disgust. "I never got your name."

I put the fruit basket on his bedside table. As if out of spite, I sat down, picked up a pear, and started peeling it.

Seeing me sit next to him, the boy's joy was obvious. He grinned happily.

"My name is Peyton."

When Peyton smiled, he showed two little fangs and two shallow dimples.

"My name is Lily."

Peyton blinked, then suddenly leaned in close to look at me.

"I know you, Lily." I was startled by his sudden closeness and leaned back. The nearly peeled pear fell to the floor. Peyton looked at the pear on the ground and pouted in disappointment.

"Ha, you know her, so what? Why do you have to get so close? Peyton, are you trying to pull something?"

River glared at us through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on Peyton. It was like he was watching a prized cabbage about to be ravaged by a pig. Peyton leaned back against the headboard and smiled sideways at River.

"Come and hit me, then."

River's eyes were blazing, but he couldn't move. Just as he was about to say something, Chi Yi slapped him on the head.

"River, stop being so childish."

River obediently lay back down and didn't move. My heart ached a little. I picked up the pear from the floor and was about to throw it in the trash.

"Wait!"

Peyton spoke up. I looked at him, holding the pear, confused.

"It's not good to waste food. Go wash it. I'll eat it!"

"But it's dirty."

"It hasn't been three seconds. If you pick it up, it's not dirty!"

Under Peyton's protest, I had no choice but to go find some water to wash the pear. When I came back, I gave it to Peyton. He took it and bit into it without a hint of disgust. "Sweet!"

"Peyton, are you here alone in the hospital? Where are your parents?" I had been in the room for a while and hadn't seen any family. Peyton's face fell when he heard my question.

Seeing his expression, I knew I had said the wrong thing. Just as I was about to try and make up for it, Peyton spoke.

"My parents are both researchers. They're usually very busy and don't have time to see me."

I nodded and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"The doctor said the wounds aren't deep. I need to rest for two weeks. Once the stitches are out, I'll be fine."

The stone in my heart finally dropped. Then I thought of something and asked him if he had eaten lunch. He shook his head. I went down to buy him some. On my way back, I ran into Chi Yi.

Chi Yi saw me too and walked over. "Are you River's sister?"

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"Nothing. River told me about you. Do you know how he ended up in the hospital?"

My grip on the lunchbox tightened. I asked quietly, "How?"

"He spent yesterday looking for the three men who hurt you. When he found them, they had just gotten high. I don't know the details. When I got there, River was slumped on the ground, telling me to call the police. He had multiple fractures. Even then, he joked with me, asking if I'd still want him if his face was scarred. Last night, he was worried something would happen to you, so he sent people to walk you home. He didn't tell anyone what happened to him. Running into you today, honestly, we were both surprised. Lily, please don't tell Uncle and Aunt about this when you get home. I don't want River to get in trouble." After Chi Yi finished speaking, her eyes were glistening with tears. She looked at me with a hint of pleading.

"I won't say anything," I told her.

She smiled, wiped her tears, said "Thank you," and went inside.

I tightened my grip on the lunchbox, took a deep breath, and went inside. I handed the food to Peyton. "I have something to do, so I need to go. I'll come see you again, Peyton." Then I left again, not daring to look at River the whole time. I went downstairs, took a taxi home, and shortly after I arrived, I got a friend request. It was from Peyton. I accepted it.

As soon as I accepted, Peyton messaged me: "So when are you coming to see me again?"

"I'll come tomorrow."

"Great!"

Then Peyton asked me a bunch of questions. He was being so annoying that I tossed my phone aside.

At dinner, Uncle Rivers's face was dark. "Where has that boy River gone? He hasn't been home in two days."

"Uncle Rivers, he's at a friend's house. I saw him today when I was out."

Uncle Rivers trusted me completely. His expression softened when he heard that. "Tell him to come home early."

I said okay, finished my dinner, and went upstairs. After my shower, I checked my phone. There were 99+ messages. I opened them, and they were all from Peyton.

"Lily, Lily, why aren't you answering me?" "Lily, what are you doing?" "Lily, this hospital food is terrible. It's not as good as the food you bought me."

I replied with an ellipsis. The next second, Peyton called me directly. I answered.

"Lily, you finally replied to me—"

"I went to eat. I didn't see it. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you. And to say goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lily." Peyton lowered his voice on the last sentence, making it particularly alluring.

When I went again the next day, River had already been moved to a different room. Talking with Peyton, he always found topics to make me laugh. When I got home that night, River was already there. Uncle Rivers asked him about his injuries. River stammered and explained that he had fallen down the stairs.

A month later, Peyton was discharged. After that, Peyton would always come find me at school. Every time he saw me, he'd smile. Slowly, our relationship grew closer. I only contacted River when absolutely necessary. Peyton was very good to me. He'd accompany me in whatever I wanted to do. Wherever I went, he'd follow.

It was winter break. I suddenly wanted to go hiking to see the sunrise. I texted Peyton about it, and he agreed immediately. The next morning, we packed up and met at the foot of the mountain. Halfway up, I collapsed from exhaustion. Peyton laughed, crouched down, and told me to get on his back. He carried me up the mountain.

At the top, we watched the sunrise together. After a while, he suddenly spoke. "Lily, I've noticed you for a long time. I like you." He looked into my eyes, and I was the only one in them. I was stunned.

"But I don't want to date in high school."

Peyton patted my head. "Then when we get to college, you can be my girlfriend, okay?" I nodded. Peyton hugged me excitedly.

It turns out that when you're truly loved by someone, you can let go of someone you've liked for a long time. The moment Peyton hugged me, all the memories of Peyton and me flashed through my mind: the late-night phone calls, the gifts for every holiday, Peyton's company when I was sad, and all the effort he put into making me happy. In that moment, I decided I didn't want to like River anymore. As we were walking down the mountain together, River saw us.

When I got home, River spoke to me for the first time in a while. "Are you with Peyton now? Lily, don't date so young."

"Date young? River, who are you to talk? What I do with Peyton is none of your business." I cut him off before he could finish. It was the first time I had talked back to him.

River hadn't expected me to talk back. He frowned. "Lily, Peyton is no good!"

"He's better than you in every way."

"I'm your brother. Can you just listen to me?"

Hearing that, I let out a sarcastic laugh, went to my room, and locked the door. That argument was the last time I had any contact with River for a while.

Senior year of high school came quickly. River got busy. Peyton, however, repeated a grade and ended up in my class. He said he wanted to go to college with me.

River was busy, and he was also busy dating Chi Yi, so he didn't have time to bother Peyton and me. After the college entrance exams, River and Chi Yi went their separate ways, far apart. River studied fire engineering technology, while Chi Yi stayed with ethnic dance and went to a media school.

The only thing left between Peyton and me was a thin piece of paper. But we kept working hard for our promise. I chose to stay in Jialing for college. Peyton and I both wanted to become journalists. After a lot of hard work, I got into my dream university, majoring in journalism. When I got into college, Peyton was as happy as a three-year-old. He hugged me.

"Lily, will you be my girlfriend?"

I naturally agreed.

In college, Peyton treated me so well that everyone was envious. Peyton and I became the couple everyone envied.

"Peyton, did you have a girlfriend before me? How else would you know so much?"

I pretended to be angry. Peyton laughed and pulled me into his arms.

"Because it's you. That's why I learned what girls like. And you're the only one worth learning so much for. So please don't leave me, okay?" Peyton said this very seriously.

I reached up and touched his hair. "Of course I'll stay with you, Peyton. Forever and ever!"

When Peyton heard this, he looked into my eyes. We stared at each other. Suddenly, he leaned in closer and closer. His breath was on my face. I closed my eyes nervously.

Then I heard Peyton chuckle. "You had something in your hair. I was just fixing it, Lily. What were you thinking?"

I opened my eyes, embarrassed and blushing because he had seen right through me.

"Peyton, you're overthinking!" I was so mad I turned and walked away.

Peyton chased after me, coaxing me as he walked. "I'm sorry. I was overthinking. Lily definitely didn't want to kiss me." I stopped and turned around, punching him lightly in the arm. It wasn't hard.

But Peyton immediately crouched down. "You hit an old wound." He held his stomach and looked up at me pitifully.

I got worried and crouched down beside him. "Is it bad? Should we go to the hospital?"

I was so worried that I missed the sly glint in Peyton's eyes.

"I want to go sit on that bench over there." I followed Peyton's finger. There were stone benches and tables in a small grove of trees across the street.

I helped him carefully cross the street. After he sat down, I was very nervous.

"Does it hurt a lot? Can you walk? Should I call 120?" I picked up my phone to call, but Peyton grabbed my wrist, still wearing that pitiful expression.

"I want a kiss from my girlfriend. A kiss from my girlfriend will make the pain go away."

I blushed again. Looking at him, I immediately knew he was tricking me, but I still asked, concerned, "Peyton, stop joking."

Peyton pulled me onto his lap. His handsome face had a hint of grievance. "But I really want a kiss from Lily." I admit, I could never resist Peyton when he was acting cute. He had a face that could be either sweet or cool, and when he acted cute, I could never say no. He must have figured that out, because he did it all the time. I thought I'd get used to it after a while, but I never did.

"Someone might see," I said, holding on to my last shred of dignity.

Peyton coaxed me again. "No one will see. Hardly anyone passes by here."

We were in a park on campus. There really weren't many people around.

I gave in to Peyton's pleading. I couldn't resist his persistence. I quickly pecked him on the lips. Peyton didn't react at first. When he did, he licked his lips, took my face, which I was hiding, and turned it towards him.

"That's not how it's done, Lily." He held my chin and deepened the kiss slowly. Then he held the back of my head. When the kiss ended, my face was as red as a monkey's butt.

Peyton tapped my nose. "I really like you, Lily."

He buried his head in my shoulder and nuzzled me gently, like he was acting cute. "Lily, will you marry me right after graduation?"

"Yes." If it weren't for what happened with River, I would have thought my life would be this happy with Peyton forever.

After college graduation, I married Peyton.

On our wedding day, I saw River for the first time in four years.

He was in the audience, wearing a suit. His features were more defined, his skin no longer pale, but a wheat color.

He was holding a glass of wine, watching me from below. The look in his eyes was like that of an older brother watching his younger sister get married—a bit of reluctance.

Uncle Rivers's family gave me a very generous dowry. They even put a house in the city in my name. Uncle Rivers said most of the money for it came from River. I suddenly understood. All these years, I had been fooling myself. River never liked me. He had always seen me as a sister.

When it was time to throw the bouquet, I held it and walked towards him, step by step, under the gaze of the crowd. "Brother, when will I get to drink at your and Chi Yi's wedding?" I handed the bouquet to Chi Yi and asked teasingly. Chi Yi was standing next to River. She blushed when she heard this.

Chi Yi took the bouquet. River held her hand. "Soon. I'll marry her soon."

Peyton stood beside me, holding me, and smiled brightly. "Yeah, brother. I'll be your best man then."

River looked at Peyton with a tight smile. "You're something. If you don't treat Lily right, you and I will have a little talk."

"I worked hard to get this wife. Of course, I'll cherish her." Peyton and River stared at each other. After a moment, Peyton whispered to me, "If he hits me and I can't fight back, will that be embarrassing?"

My eye twitched. I pulled Peyton away to continue the wedding ceremony. When it was time for the bridal chamber, River pulled Peyton aside to drink. The more they drank, the more into it they got. In the end, Peyton was drunk and passed out. River was also so drunk he was barely conscious. He stood on a stool and pointed at Peyton. "Get up! Why are you lying down? Let's keep drinking! Come on, bottoms up!"

In the end, Chi Yi and I each dragged one of them home.

Later, I started working while preparing for graduate school. Peyton would always look at me pitifully. "Do you really have to go to grad school? I don't want to be apart from you."

"If I can get in, I'll go. It's all about improving myself."

Later, I went undercover in a factory. The food they produced there was making people sick, so they sent me to investigate.

I thought it was just a regular junk food factory. I didn't know it also housed a small drug lab. I gathered evidence and was about to sneak out and call the police.

But I was caught that night. They tortured me. They whipped me. When I passed out, they splashed me with salt water to wake me up. I was beaten and kicked all night. By morning, I had no strength left.

"Peyton," I whispered his name before I passed out. When I woke up again, I was in a fire. I dragged myself along, moving towards the bathroom, relying on my memory.

By the time I reached the bathroom, I had used up all my strength. I took off my jacket, soaked it in water, and covered my mouth and nose. I sat on the floor and pounded the ground with my fists, over and over again.

"There's someone up there. Get him out first. I'll go check upstairs." River passed the person to his teammate and ran upstairs.

Through the raging fire, River charged in. The pounding sound suddenly stopped. River relied on his instincts and moved a little further inside. He turned a corner and saw the bathroom. He went in and found Lily unconscious on the floor. River picked her up and ran out. As he reached the ground floor, he saw a light fixture hanging from the ceiling, swaying precariously. He heard a creak, and the light fell. River sped up. There was a crash. The light hit him. He shielded Lily with his body. He thought of something and pulled a box from his pocket. "Brother Rivers!"

"Get her out first. Then call for help." The man nodded, carried Lily away, and River crawled out bit by bit.

"The boss will avenge us!"

A figure staggered out of the fire. He had a bomb vest strapped to his body. River had just freed himself from the fallen light fixture. Seeing the man about to run back into the fire, he ignored the pain and tackled him to the ground.