I'm Not Him

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The year his "parents" died, Yu Qiaochi was sixteen.

With an enormous family estate in his hands and wolves circling, he seemed utterly alone and helpless.

Bo Chenyuan appeared just then, like a ray of light.

At eighteen, he accepted Bo Chenyuan's confession of love.

Bo Chenyuan took attentive, thoughtful care of him, yet his love was always hot and cold.

When he was warm, he cupped Yu Qiaochi's face and kissed him, calling him "Qiqi" again and again. When he was cold, his face was like frost, and he allowed Yu Qiaochi to call him only Uncle Bo.

People outside said Bo Chenyuan was only using him to control the Yu family, and that he was a puppet Bo Chenyuan had carefully trained.

Yu Qiaochi didn't believe them.

Later, Yu Qiaochi stumbled upon Bo Chenyuan's secret.

A whole room full of photographs, all of one person.

A man who looked a lot like Yu Qiaochi.

*

In the past, Bo Chenyuan had been nothing but a little brother in the eyes of the person he loved.

He could only watch another man win his beloved's heart, then adopt a child who looked a lot like that person and start a family with him.

Later, Bo Chenyuan searched for the shadow of his beloved in that child.

It was raining the day they parted. Yu Qiaochi was soaked through and could only slap him hard across the face.

*

At some point, the photographs covering the room had all been replaced with pictures of Yu Qiaochi, and every piece of news about him made Bo Chenyuan's heart soar or sink.

Bo Chenyuan fell in love with this boy.

After losing him.

Later, in the restroom at a banquet, he heard his boy's intoxicating, drunken moans. But the person who came out with him was Bo Chenyuan's terminally ill nephew.

Ha. Him? What right did someone with no tomorrow have to steal his boy?

Bo Chenyuan finally waited for his dear nephew to die first, but Yu Qiaochi was buried in his arms, calling another man's name.

Pain spread like a needle piercing him, yet Bo Chenyuan gently lifted Yu Qiaochi's face and kissed him. "Don't cry, Qiao Qiao. I'm not dead."

[I can learn to be like him, to be his substitute. Please don't leave me.]

Extra scene:

About my terminally ill twin brother.

We are twins, alike in every way. Naturally, I love the person he loves.

How ridiculous that someone would try to imitate my brother and become his substitute to possess that person.

How absurd. Shouldn't I be the one who looks most like my brother?

All I have to do is stand there. This face of mine is already a perfect copy of his.

.Beauty, melodrama, everyone loves him

.Ten-year age gap

.The default is a dramatic breakup and reconciliation arc. Readers should be able to handle angst.

2023.04.05

Theme: Face life positively and get through the hard times with optimism