Chapter 9 - I Have a Crush on a Man

After dinner, Gu Nianbin felt it was too stuffy in the house, so he went for a walk in the front yard. After walking down the steps, he saw the little girl, who happened to straighten up. The girl looked up and was shocked at the sight of Gu Nianbin. Dragging the broom, she ran away again. Gu Nianbin raised his hand and called out, “Hey!” However, the little girl ran as fast as a bunny, probably not hearing him. Gu Nianbin dropped his hand, not knowing why he wanted to stop her.

It was in early autumn. Although it was past 7 pm, but instead of getting dark, the sky was reddish, like the color of the sunset’s afterglow. He lit a cigarette and looked quietly at the tall plane tree. It seemed as if a young girl was standing under the tree with her head tilted. Then she smiled at him and said, “Brother Bin…”

At that time, she was just a 16-year-old girl who started to yearn for love. One day, she came to tell him her little secret. “Brother Bin, I have a crush on a man!”

At the age of 20, he didn’t know how to conceal his emotions. He was stunned as if struck by a clap of thunder. He looked pale and asked, “Who is he?”

The little girl flushed shyly and said hesitantly, “Swear to me that you won’t leak it out. Then I’ll tell you.”

“Ok, I swear!” He put up his right hand and swore to her. He just wanted to know who the man was.

She leaned over and whispered a name in his ear. “Jiang Kaiwei.”

Everyone knew this name. As the heir to the Jiang’s Group, he was a handsome but arrogant man. But what made him so well-known was that he earned over 800,000 yuan when he first invested in stocks at the age of 15. He was thus hailed by the media as a financial prodigy and a business genius. This remained the hottest topic for quite a while.

He knew that the Xia family was the second-largest shareholder of the Jiang’s Group. Besides, Xia Xiaowan and Jiang Kaiwei were also childhood playmates. But how could she get a crush on Jiang Kaiwei? Then what about him? What could he do? What should he do?

He stood still and remained speechless. Xia Xiaowan shook his arms and said, “Brother Bin, why don’t you talk to me?”

What could he say? Could he say “No, I don’t allow that because I like you”?

His love for her lasted for years, but he didn’t know when it had begun. At first, he just thought she was a chubby and lovely girl speaking in a childish tone, always following him and Xia Nanze like a little tail. At that time, he thought the reason why he treated her so well was that he had no younger sisters. But when Gu Shanshan was born, his affection for Xia Xiaowan even increased. When he grew up, he finally realized that his affection for Xia Xiaowan was love, though he shies of admitting it. The love had been natural and cumulative over the years. It also accompanied him through the most disobedient and innocent youth…. He had intended to keep this to himself until he was able to propose to her. And he had even imagined how happy she would be when he proposed to her. But when Xia Xiaowan whispered the name in his ear that evening, he knew that his love would be unrequited all his life.

At that time, he was no match for Jiang Kaiwei in any aspect. Jiang Kaiwei was like a glittering and dazzling diamond, while he was like a piece of jade hidden in a rough stone. No one could see his brilliance.

Fortunately, he did not lose his wits for too long. He remembered that he rubbed her hair and teased her in an adult-like tone. “You are too young to fall in love. You should be bashful!”

Xia Xiaowan glared at him with a pout, and said, “Brother Bin, you are such a bad guy. You’re the first one to know my secret!”

He was always the first one to be informed of everything about her. She liked to share all her secrets with him, because he had been pampering her since childhood—he always gave her whatever she wanted. So she felt closer to him than to Xia Nanze. And she even let him know when she first had a crush on a man. At that time, he realized that Xia Xiaowan had always treated him as her brother. Although he had pampered her for so many years, he was just a brother in her eyes….