Before I Die, I'll Win Back My Brother's Ex

Maximum melodrama | 1V2 | Fakes her death | Pseudo-incest | Contract lover | Lovesick woman X men-loving man

Content warning: The heroine will try to set the two male leads up with each other.

◇ Blurb:

Tan Yifang used to be the kindest, gentlest big brother in the world.

If I hadn't lost my mind back then, he wouldn't have lost his bright future or been separated from Huo Ningzheng.

So it's only natural that he hates me.

Huo Ningzheng has returned to the country.

After eight years apart, he's now the sole heir to the Huo conglomerate.

I stare at the man on TV, impeccably dressed in a suit and brimming with confidence. I think of Tan Yifang, curled up in a cramped, gloomy rental, whose legs always hurt on rainy days, and struggle to hold back the urge to cry.

Maybe I'm getting what I deserve. The doctor says I won't live to see next winter.

"I understand."

Blood runs from my nose. I nod and wipe it away with a smile.

I don't want to live anymore. I just want to repay my debt of sin before I die.

I go to see Huo Ningzheng.

The man sits behind a long desk in the CEO's office on the top floor of the company headquarters, arrogant and mean. He's no longer the awkward boy who always followed my brother around and came over to our house.

"I'm sorry. It was all my fault back then."

I don't dare look at him and keep my head bowed.

"As long as you and my brother get back together, I'll do anything."

"Really?"

A hand lifts my chin. Cold fingers slowly trace the side of my neck.

I look up and meet Huo Ningzheng's amused gaze.

Afraid he'll strangle me, I nod frantically. "Y-yes, it's true. I'll... do anything."

His icy laugh pierces my ears.

"If you'll do anything, then before you ask me for a favor..."

Huo Ningzheng presses down hard with his thumb, as if he wants to crush my throat.

"Shouldn't you cover up those messy hickeys first?"

To help them get back together, I prepare two notebooks.

One for Tan Yifang and one for Huo Ningzheng.

The one for Tan Yifang says: He likes rock music; he hopes someone will watch him play ball; he always goes to the haunted house at the amusement park; don't let him go all night, since he has to do it again in the morning and it'll hurt.

The one for Huo Ningzheng says: His left leg can't get cold, so use a hot compress on rainy days; he loves the cream cakes from the bakery on Huishan Road; when he's happy, give him one; when he's angry, give him three; if he's really angry... make sure you comfort him.

But it seems I've mixed up the notebooks.

By the time they find me, I don't remember any of this.

They flip through the pages, both insisting that they're the one I love most.

They fight with red eyes while I huddle in the blankets, bewildered.

Reader's guide:

1. The setting is a fictional sci-fi future with supernatural elements.

2. All male characters are virgins and have never dated men; they're completely straight. The ending is 1V2.

3. The big brother really is impotent and relies on medication to have sex. He and the heroine aren't blood-related and don't share a household registration.

4. The heroine is a pretty, silly, lovesick woman. She makes mistakes and may be punished on the spot. The second male lead has a crush on her, and there is a contract-lover storyline.

5. The medical details are all made up. If anything bothers you, read at your own risk. Paragraph comments are open.

Theme: Don't do bad things.