My Brother Was First My Boyfriend And Later My Husband

Chapter 16

Translator: PastTimer

Editor: PastTimer
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On my first day of moving to the dormitory, I met two of my three roommates.

Gu Mingzhang was the highest-scoring in liberal arts from the province of Shanxi. I had seen him on the news. He had the typical appearance of a northerner, which was tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes. His temperament made him seem a bit like one of those gangsters, but his way of speech was surprisingly mature, giving people the illusion that he was older than he looked.

Cao Junwei was a sports student. He wasn't from out of town like us but a local. He was also tall, played basketball, and was considered very handsome from the perspective of the girls of our age.

There was also an empty bed gathering dust, which had no owner until the third day of school. On the third night, just before the lights went out, a thin and short boy came in carrying a woven bamboo bag.

The boy introduced himself as Chen Ling, he said that there was something wrong at home so he got delayed.

We helped him tidy up his things, during which he only spoke in a whisper. One could see at a glance that he was a simple and shy individual.

Later, I learned from the counsellor that Chen Ling came from a small town in Sichuan. Not long after the college entrance examination, his father died of cancer and his mother struggled to make ends meet for his tuition and travel expenses.

It wasn't just me who lives with misery in this world. Everyone had their own unique pain that they had to deal with.

Chen Ling wasn't good at speaking and I didn't like to talk very much. Although Gu Mingzhang wasn't cold by nature he rarely initiated the conversation. Only Cao Junwei opened his mouth frequently, complaining that the dormitory was too quiet and made him feel like he was in a Buddhist temple¹.

The days were full of his common complaints. In general, the relationship between the four of us wasn't so bad.

The semester soon flew by and I returned to the Gu mansion when winter vacation came.

When I came back, Gu Yan was also there. That day was the first time I saw him again after leaving his apartment.

He seemed taller and more mature in appearance. We had nothing special to say to each other, so we stayed distant and kept distant, even more so than when we first met.

My mother wasn't happy. I could see that her smile was fake.

My stepfather still looked as serious as the first time I saw him. He occasionally glanced at my mother, his gaze passing right through her and seeing who knows what.

I think that my mother's unhappiness came from greed. Now that she had money, she wanted to be loved.

And there was nothing wrong with a woman who wanted love.

Aunt Wang had said to me in private that my stepfather didn't particularly care about what my mother did as long as she dressed up like that woman.

The 'that woman' she said was the first love of my stepfather, a common girl, just like a mother.

This was the problem of large, rich families. Gu family refused to accept a cross-class marriage. My stepfather was forced to break up with his first love and marry Gu Yan's mother.

After marriage, Gu Yan's maternal family suffered from a failed investment and was deeply affected. At that time, my stepfather reunited with his first love.

Later, the couple divorced and Gu Yan's mother left the Gu household, her only condition was that my stepfather could not marry 'that woman'.

Gu Yan followed his mother to England and didn't return to China until his mother died when he was ten.

Later, my stepfather's relationship with his first love who wanted marriage failed the test of time. The other party broke up with him and later got married to an ordinary office worker.

The story forever ends there, however, since 'that woman' died in a car accident four years ago.

All love becomes more precious with death.

Therefore, my father married my mother.

Real dog blood², I thought.

I asked Aunt Wang why she told me that story. Aunt Wang said, the Young Master, he's not a bad person, and told me not to hate him.

Yes, Gu Yan wasn't a bad person, but he had done evil things to me.

Putting myself in his shoes, I could probably understand his rejection of me and my mother and somewhat even his atrocities towards me.

I didn't hate him, but I can't forgive him.

A pair of cold hands reaching into the quilt and invading my body were still what I dream of when I have nightmares.

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Notes:

1- Because the monks are meditating often in Buddhist temples, there is a general impression that Buddhist temples are very quiet.
2- Dramatic

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