I stumbled upon a Reddit post. The OP wrote: "My family arranged an engagement with her to repay a debt. Now the wedding is coming up, but I've always seen her as a little sister. What should I do?" At first, I thought it was just some fiction. But the more I read, the more the female lead sounded like me. The comments section exploded. Everyone told him not to waste the girl's time. Some even suggested that repaying a debt didn't require marriage and urged him to convince his parents to adopt her as a daughter instead. After hesitating for a long time, the OP replied: "Okay, I'll try." But later. He fell in love at first sight with me, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Me: ??? 1. Many details in the post matched my life perfectly. Initially, I wasn't sure if the post was written by my fiancé, Ethan Vance. Until the next day, Mrs. Vance called. "Sophie, I have something to discuss with you. Is now a good time?" I had a premonition. I put down my work and walked to the window. "I have time. What's up?" To avoid being too stiff, I added, "How have you been lately, Mrs. Vance? Is Mr. Vance's knee pain any better?" Mrs. Vance's tone was rarely hesitant. "We're all fine." "Here's the thing. You and Ethan haven't seen each other for a few years. I wanted to ask, how do you feel about the engagement?" How do I feel? I opened the window, playing with a branch, letting the cold air hit my face. "Mrs. Vance, I know Mr. Vance arranged the engagement because he wanted me to feel secure in your home. Back then, Ethan and I were young and didn't really understand what it meant." Giving up the engagement to become purely family with Mr. Vance? I had no objections. In fact, I looked forward to it. This way, Mrs. Vance would feel better and stop being prejudiced against me. My uncle was Mr. Vance's secretary. Years ago, he took a knife for Mr. Vance during a mugging. Later, my uncle died in an accident while on a business trip. I was the only relative left. Mr. Vance was loyal and took me in. Worried I wouldn't feel at home, he arranged a "childhood engagement" between me and Ethan. But things backfired. I was mocked as the "child bride" of the Vance family since I was little. Ethan always stood in front of me, arguing with others and shielding me from gossip. But as we grew up, teenage awkwardness turned his protection into annoyance. That summer, he had a huge fight with Mr. Vance: "If you want to repay the debt, marry her yourself! Why force me?" Living under someone else's roof made me sensitive. I changed my college application without a word. I left and didn't return to the Vance home for two whole years. At first, I couldn't face them. Later, I was too busy to return. Suddenly leaving the Vance family's influence and entering a new environment meant doing everything myself. For a long time, I was just adapting. But it was a good thing. It fostered my independence. True self-reinvention. 2. Coming back to the present. Those arguments felt like a lifetime ago. I had reconnected with Mr. Vance long ago. When Ethan wasn't home, I visited Mr. Vance many times. But every time I mentioned breaking the engagement, he said to wait and see. I was going back this time mainly to start a business. I wanted Mr. Vance's experienced advice on whether my idea was feasible. I didn't expect that telling them a month in advance would cause such a huge reaction from Ethan, making him think I was coming back to fulfill the engagement. Thinking of something, I walked to my desk, opened the drawer, and took out my old phone. I tried searching for the OP's account with my main account. Found out his account had blocked my main account. Everything was clear. I hadn't been in touch with Ethan for too many years. He didn't know I had changed all my accounts. The algorithm pushed his burner account's post to my new account. Thinking of this, I felt a bit melancholic. When we were young and naive, we didn't think being fiancés was bad. We even thought being together forever was wonderful. We didn't understand. The word "forever" can sometimes weigh as heavy as a curse. In high school, he gained a clear understanding of responsibility. I, the designated fiancée, was like a cage binding his freedom. After growing up, I had been trying to break the engagement. Facing Mrs. Vance, I couldn't be too obvious, or it would seem like I disliked her son. "Why ask this suddenly, Mrs. Vance? Is Ethan dating someone?" I knew. Mrs. Vance didn't want me as a daughter-in-law. But she also felt guilty towards me. If not for working for Mr. Vance, my only relative wouldn't have left me. Hearing this, she sighed in relief. "No, he's not dating." "I have an idea, I don't know if you agree. You're both grown up now, but haven't experienced much. You shouldn't be limited by a paper engagement. How about I adopt you as my daughter?" Hearing this, I smiled relaxedly. "That sounds great. I have no objections." She was probably still worried, emphasizing, "Okay, when you come back, your Uncle... your Dad and I will take you to change the household registration. If we do it, we do it as real family!" I agreed happily. "Great! Remember to prepare a gift for me, Mom!" 3. A month later, I returned to Seattle. The airport was quiet at night. Dragging my exhaustion, I walked out with the crowd. "Sophie, over here!" I looked up and saw Mr. Vance, looking as refined as ever. Mrs. Vance beside him waved at me. Time hadn't left many marks on their well-maintained faces; they looked as spirited as last year. I didn't expect them to come specifically to pick me up. The joy of seeing family made me drop my luggage and run over. "Why did you come so late?" Getting closer, I realized Mrs. Vance looked a bit awkward, and Mr. Vance's smile was forced. I understood immediately. They acted first and reported later regarding the adoption, hiding it from Mr. Vance. Thinking of this, I hugged them tightly without a word, excitedly saying, "Should I call you Mom and Dad now?" I called them Mom and Dad a few times, happily saying, "Finally, I can come home legitimately!" Mr. Vance kept a straight face. "Why couldn't you come home before?" I let Mrs. Vance put a scarf on me, grumbling dissatisfiedly: "Don't mention it. You and Ethan fought so fiercely back then! It was so awkward for me; I felt like a disaster. This is much better. I said there were better ways to repay kindness. Dad, you were too old-fashioned, insisting on some arranged marriage nonsense." Mr. Vance's furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, lost in thought. Clearly, he hadn't considered many things. Mrs. Vance's smile became much more sincere, urging: "It's too cold, let's get in the car and have some soup." In the car. Mr. Vance's face warmed up considerably. We tacitly didn't mention Ethan. It was past nine when we got home. After eating and drinking, I threw myself onto the bed in my room. I had to say, I still liked the Vance family. Mr. Vance was my most solid support. The elder who would accept me as soon as I turned back. The next day, Mrs. Vance knocked on my door at ten. "Do you have time now?" I knew immediately what she meant. "To change the registration?" "Yes, your Unc... your Dad is waiting downstairs." She smiled a bit unnaturally. Things went smoother than expected. After the paperwork was done and we returned to the car, Mr. Vance stuffed six property deeds into my hands. "I bought these for you years ago. Thought I'd give them to you when you got married." Mrs. Vance said cheerfully: "I prepared jewelry and clothes for you. Go back and try them on. If they don't fit, I'll have them send another batch. The custom ones will take a while." I hugged her arm, calling clingily: "Thanks, Mom~" This sentence made Mrs. Vance beam with joy. Some people, if they become daughters-in-law, don't look right no matter what. But if they become daughters, it seems different. I remember overhearing her on the phone with a friend when I was little. She said: "I told Old Vance, our family isn't short of money. I'd rather give her more compensation later than tie up my son's life. But Old Vance got angry with me..." 4. Later, Ethan and Mr. Vance started fighting. Mrs. Vance argued angrily with Mr. Vance. "What did I say? We shouldn't have set it up when they were young and ignorant. You said I was being snobbish. Now look, your son doesn't even recognize you as his father!" That summer, only Mr. Vance and I were left at home. Whenever there was movement outside. He would subconsciously adjust his sitting posture. But neither Mrs. Vance nor Ethan came back. His loneliness became the root of my sadness. I never wanted to be a burden to others. I worked towards this direction. Wanted to do everything perfectly. In the end, I did nothing well. Now, I suddenly felt a bit grateful to the netizen who came up with the idea. Wandering outside for so many years. I could finally return home with peace of mind. Ethan, having avoided me for so long, could probably come home safely today too. ... The conflict between me and the Vance family. Suddenly resolved! In a good mood, I wanted to find someone to talk to. I immediately asked my friend, Lana, to go to a place I didn't usually like. While biting my straw and complaining to Lana about how hard it was to start a business, her eye started twitching. Confused, I blinked back at her and turned my head. As I turned, a figure approached. My head bumped directly into the person's chest, my hair catching on his button. The person held my head, his cool tone carrying a soothing meaning: "Don't move." My heart trembled. After he untangled me, I was still a bit dazed, forgetting to thank him. Before I could react, a silver phone was handed to me. He said to me: "Can I get your contact info?" I froze, my gaze falling on his fair knuckles, wrapped in a band-aid. This inopportunely reminded me of Ethan. When he was in a bad mood, he liked to box or practice Jiu-Jitsu. The young master's hands were too precious, often injured from excessive force. So every time he came back from the gym, I would pull him over to treat his wounds. The moment I looked up and saw Ethan. I was stunned, my heart tingling faintly. Turns out, saying "it's fine" when not seeing him was easy. But upon sudden reunion, my heart's reaction couldn't lie to myself. The sentence "Can I get your contact info" belatedly rushed into my brain. I let out a short: "Huh?" Probably my confused expression was too exaggerated. It made him laugh. The fragmented light in his black eyes, almost gentle, made my heart skip a beat again. He pointed to the distance: "Truth or Dare. Can you help me out?" I followed his gaze. I just thought it was lively over there and hadn't looked, but now I realized that table was full of acquaintances. 5. Thinking he just wanted me to help him cheat, I took out my phone and let him scan my QR code. He returned to his seat, and the group booed unhappily. Someone hit the person who came up with the idea with an inflatable hammer: "Asking such a handsome guy to get a girl's WeChat, what were you thinking?" Because I started paying attention to them. Their words fell into my ears without omission. As Ethan sat down, his good buddy, Liam, pulled him and asked: "Sophie is coming back. It's not right for you to keep hiding from her! Are you going back today?" Ethan tutted: "My mom said I can go back." Liam grinned: "Told you posting online would find a good solution!" Lana, sitting opposite me, was stunned. I was also surprised. Are people so arrogant nowadays? We were only two tables away. Discussing me right in front of my face? Lana pulled my sleeve: "Wait, did he not recognize you???" I turned sideways, sipping my drink. Back then, Lana and I went to the same college. In the six years I avoided Ethan. Lana had no reason to meet Ethan either. This led to... The lighting was dim. He might... not have recognized me and Lana. For a moment, I almost didn't know what expression to make. But the topic over there wasn't over. Another friend, Kyle, pushed a drink to him. "So what if it's a good idea? If she still wants to marry you later, will she call you Brother or Husband?" "Hey, what are you talking about?" Liam smoothed things over dissatisfiedly. Kyle laughed cynically: "Who couldn't tell she liked Ethan back then?" "Someone with her registration in your book, if any scandal happens, it won't sound good." "I say just send her abroad. Save her from causing trouble and gossip!" Lana was furious hearing this, standing up abruptly.
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