Chapter 3Not Just Friends

Adrian pretended to be drunk and leaned on my shoulder. His warm breath occasionally landed on the skin of my neck, making his presence very felt.

I looked out the window, remembering the night Julian announced his relationship on Instagram two years ago.

Saying I wasn't sad would be a lie.

Julian announced it less than a month after telling me he met a girl he liked.

I was still thinking about how our families' relationship should end.

What caught me even more off guard was that at the same time, he took his girlfriend to meet our mutual friends.

Maybe Julian just wanted to show how much he liked his girlfriend, but there were always people in the circle who didn't like me. During that time, some sarcastic remarks naturally followed.

Whether I cared or not, I couldn't avoid being mocked.

Adrian came back at that time.

He seemed to be following up on a project in New York that hadn't finished yet.

During those days, I didn't want to see anyone from the Sterling family, but Adrian just appeared directly in front of me.

It was winter break. Adrian asked me if I wanted to go to the US with him to relax.

I was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

For a long time, Julian and I were a bit afraid of this uncle of his.

Although only five years older, since I can remember, Adrian clearly didn't play with us childish kids. Genes favored him; Adrian was so outstanding it left people speechless.

As we grew older, he gradually became an existence to look up to. His courage and handsome appearance were clearly superior to his peers, and many girls liked him.

I didn't talk to him much. Many times, even if we had contact, it was because of Julian.

So I didn't understand why he invited me to New York.

Adrian asked me: "Do you still like Julian?"

I was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer his question.

"It doesn't matter if you still like him. He's just a man," Adrian said. "You'll meet more than one in your life."

I didn't know if he was comforting me.

"Julian likes someone else. Have you considered liking someone else?" Adrian looked at me and said in a very calm tone, "Considered me?"

Shock overwhelmed my sadness more directly. Tears that were welling up now fell, but my eyes were full of speechless shock.

Adrian gently wiped my cheek with a tissue, wiping away that tear.

"Don't cry for someone who isn't worth it," he paused, then added slowly, "Of course, you can treat it as a detox for your body."

"..." It was the first time I knew Adrian had such a sense of humor.

He said: "If your initial intention for choosing Julian was to consider the marriage alliance between the two families, then my conditions overall should be better than his."

More than just a bit better.

Adrian was almost certainly the next head of the Sterling family.

Julian didn't have this ambition, and his sophistication was far inferior to this uncle.

"If you just purely liked Julian as a person, then he has withdrawn from the journey to win your heart. I think I'm not being immoral."