The Years He Was the Big Sister-in-Law

Xie Yulan and Liang Zeng are in a marriage of convenience, and the key members of both families know about it.

The contract stipulates that while the marriage is in effect, they will live under the same roof but sleep in separate rooms. They will divorce on the day their two families' joint project ends.

That was what both families agreed on together.

After the marriage ends, to avoid further complications, they are not to see each other unless necessary.

That clause was added by Liang Zeng.

As the head of his generation of the Liang family, Liang Zeng was the one who arranged the marriage, using it as a bargaining chip for his family's benefit.

After the wedding, he shared a home with Xie Yulan and spent time with him, yet treated him with even more politeness and distance than he showed his subordinates.

Two years later, on the day the project was declared a complete success, the two divorced as agreed.

Liang Zeng's friends threw him a party to celebrate his newfound single status. By chance, he ran into the teachers from Xie Yulan's school, who were holding a singles' party in the next private room. Liang Zeng went over to raise a glass to them, displaying impeccable manners.

A while later, Xie Yulan came over and returned the toast. He even sang a song with Liang Zeng with complete ease. By a twist of fate, its title was "We've Broken Up, So Don't Come Looking for Me."

They both sang quite naturally. Only their friends in the private room sat there exchanging awkward glances.

For years, Liang Zeng's most steadfast principle in business had been honoring contracts. He was willing to suffer losses of tens of millions for the sake of a verbal promise.

But when it came to Xie Yulan, he broke his word.

A year after their divorce, Liang Zeng wanted to remarry him.

The Liang family was a large clan, and Liang Zeng had many siblings. They all called Xie Yulan their sister-in-law.

Although their marriage had been only for show, Xie Yulan had still fulfilled his responsibilities as the eldest sister-in-law. As a result, even after the contract expired and the two divorced, his younger brothers and sisters kept coming to see him, whether they had a reason or not.

After that chance encounter, except at a few public events, Xie Yulan kept his promise and never met Liang Zeng in private again.

It wasn't until Liang Zeng happened to see the congratulatory gift his ex-wife had secretly sent to his younger brother's wedding that he learned that almost every month, the whole family met up for a meal with Xie Yulan. They simply never told him.

A little side story:

People say that the two husbands, Xie and Liang, only truly fell in love after their divorce. That doesn't seem quite accurate.

It seemed Liang Zeng had already started acting a little strange while they were still married.

Once, they attended a banquet together. Someone flirted with Liang Zeng right in front of Xie Yulan. Liang Zeng looked at Xie, and Xie Yulan gazed at them with his beautiful eyes. "Why don't I... step out for a bit?"

Liang Zeng smiled and sent the person away, polite but cold.

Xie Yulan had too much to drink and was nearly taken advantage of. Liang Zeng got the message and rushed over from a meeting. He rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his collar, revealing his strong chest and arms, then punched the man in the face. Nothing about him resembled his usual courteous self. His gaze was fierce, his voice low and threatening. "Get lost!"

Then he swept Xie Yulan into his arms.

Of course, nothing happened after he carried him home. Liang Zeng handed him over to the housekeeper, then went back to the office for his meeting.

Theme: Love is a priceless, sincere "foolish act" that needs no weighing of gains and losses.