The Fifth Year Since I Married in My Brother's Place

Xie Weilan and Fu Yan have been married for five years.

Five years ago, Xie Weilan's twin brother died in an accident.

With a face identical to his brother's, Xie Weilan married his brother's former lover, Fu Yan, the young master of the Fu Group.

On the day they registered their marriage, Fu Yan wore a black shirt, his gaze cold as a blade.

He gripped Xie Weilan's chin and sneered down at him. "If you didn't have that face, what makes you think you belong here?"

Xie Weilan said nothing. He simply lowered his eyes and signed.

For all five years of their marriage, rumors flew around them like knives.

"His brother's body isn't even cold, and the younger brother is already taking his place." "He'll throw away any shred of dignity for money"...

Xie Weilan never explained himself.

Only Fu Yan knew Xie Weilan hadn't married him for money. He had been secretly in love with Fu Yan throughout college.

But in Fu Yan's eyes, that was nothing more than a clumsy scheme by Xie Weilan, wearing that face and trying to claim a share for himself.

After they married, Fu Yan hardly ever came home. On the rare nights he came through the door, it was late, and all he wanted was an outlet for his desires.

He never kissed Xie Weilan. At the height of his passion, he only rasped the name of someone who was long gone.

Afterward, he'd lean against the headboard with a cigarette between his fingers, watching through the haze as Xie Weilan patiently cleaned him up. His voice was as cold as frost:

"Xie Weilan, that body of yours is the only thing that can keep me here."

Xie Weilan still said nothing.

On their fifth wedding anniversary, he made a table full of Fu Yan's favorite dishes as usual, then called a number he hadn't dialed in a long time.

When Fu Yan pushed the door open, reeking of cold liquor and impatience, the dishes on the table had long since gone cold.

Without looking up, Xie Weilan gently pushed the papers beside him across the table. "They were right. I married you for your money."

Fu Yan froze in the middle of loosening his tie.

Xie Weilan lifted his eyes to meet the face of a man whose drunkenness had suddenly vanished.

"Before my brother died, he was afraid you'd fall apart, so he begged me to stay with you for five years. At the time, I'd gone into debt trying to pay for his treatment."

He spoke calmly. "I know it was wrong to deceive you, but fortunately, Young Master Fu never liked me. Besides, you seemed quite satisfied every night."

"And the person I liked in college wasn't you, either."

He picked up a pen and wrote his name neatly on the divorce agreement, just as he had signed their marriage application five years ago.

Then he looked up and calmly met those clear eyes, already slightly red.

"The five years are up, Fu Yan. Let's get divorced."

Xie Weilan had finally decided to get divorced.

He had paid off his debts and repaid the favor he owed his brother. The senior he had once liked in college had also flown back from overseas.

He was ready to start a new life.

On the day his new home was finished and he was about to move in with his partner, the ex-husband he had forgotten suddenly showed up.

Fu Yan stood in the rain, his expensive, immaculate suit clinging to him in a miserable, drenched mess.

His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on the hands clasped together inside the house.

"Xie Weilan."

His voice was hoarse, as though he were grinding shattered bones into the wind.

"Come home with me."

Core message: Be self-reliant and never give up.