My childhood friend's girlfriend is a chronic doomscroller, obsessed with the latest TikTok trend. She pestered him to play along: "Julian, you're a year older than me. Why didn't you come see me when I was born? Do you not love me?" Julian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He casually played along, then turned to his serious, old-fashioned uncle who happened to be there: "Uncle Adrian, how would you answer that?" Adrian, usually a man of few words, said: "I did go see her." "Not only did I see her, I even held her when she was a baby." As he spoke, his gaze slowly landed on me. 1. Julian and I were childhood sweethearts. For the first twenty years of our lives, we were inseparable. Not just me, but our parents and all our friends thought we were a match made in heaven. When I was 18, my parents brought up the idea of a marriage alliance with the Sterling family and asked for my opinion. I actually had feelings for Julian. If our families could unite, it would be a beautiful story. We were too young then, so the engagement was put on hold, but we went to the same Ivy League university. During those two years, our friendship was solid, but romance hadn't quite blossomed. Everyone around us thought it was just a matter of time, and I allowed my feelings for Julian to deepen bit by bit. Until the winter of our sophomore year, Julian excitedly told me: "Elara, I met a girl I like!" It wasn't me. He was so happy. Turns out, in the past twenty years, he never developed romantic feelings for me. Those hand-holdings and hugs were just what best friends do in Julian's eyes. Feelings can't be forced, and I wouldn't debase myself. I took back my heart. So, under the surprised gazes of everyone around us, Julian started dating a girl from an ordinary middle-class family. The girl was pretty, a bit spoiled, clearly cherished by her parents. He introduced his girlfriend to everyone in our circle. My existence seemed a bit awkward. But our mutual friends weren't optimistic about them. They always believed that once Julian's novelty wore off, he would realize that he and I were the true match. Someone comforted me: "Elara, Julian is just looking for something fresh. He's never seen such a naive and innocent girl. He'll get tired of it after a while." That didn't happen. Julian dated her for two years. For two years, he paraded his girlfriend around town. Not only me, but my parents and his parents heard about it. My dad was so angry he wanted to go over and curse them out. My mom stopped him: "If we don't become in-laws, we don't. Why make it ugly? Is our daughter worried about finding someone?" "Is this about not becoming in-laws?" My dad was still angry. When the two families discussed the engagement back then, Julian couldn't possibly have been unaware. He was an adult. At the very least, his attitude was tacit consent. Even though he and I were never officially together, we almost got engaged. It was my mom who said we were too young and should spend more time together. In terms of social etiquette, he embarrassed me and my family. But he and I were still friends. Our families had business dealings, and we had to maintain appearances. But we could only be friends. Tonight was Julian's birthday. He booked a huge private room at a high-end club and invited quite a few people. I was among them. Of course, his girlfriend, Bella, was there too. 2. After Julian started dating, my contact with him decreased. But there were some historical issues. Before Julian met Bella, our chat history and interactions on social media weren't exactly platonic. After he started dating, his girlfriend naturally had the right to check his phone. They fought about this a few times. Once, when Julian apologized to me, I learned that Bella had taken his phone and deleted my contact info. At that time, I hadn't contacted him for a while, so I didn't even notice. Bella wanted to enter Julian's circle, so she inevitably heard about me. These rich kids who grew up together were somewhat exclusive, and someone must have told her something. I understood the situation and stayed away from Julian. For his birthday, I originally planned to drop off the gift and leave. But as soon as I entered, my gaze swept over a figure in the corner. I froze for a second, then my phone lit up. After reading the message, I silently found a seat and sat down. "Elara, you came?" Julian looked a bit surprised. "I heard you've been interning with your dad recently. I thought you wouldn't have time." I smiled and handed him the birthday gift: "Happy birthday." "Elara," Bella's voice rang out, "Long time no see. Why the mature style recently? You look like you're pushing thirty." Bella was wearing a custom pink evening gown worth tens of thousands, her hair curled, looking exceptionally playful. She certainly didn't lack emotional intelligence; she was doing this on purpose. I looked down at the women's suit I was wearing and chuckled lightly: "Right? That means I look like a female entrepreneur." Julian smoothed things over: "Elara, Bella is just joking. Don't take it to heart." Of course I didn't take it to heart. Not everyone deserves a place in my heart. I sat a bit far from them, but my vision and hearing were good enough. Bella probably saw a new trend on TikTok and suddenly asked Julian: "Julian, you're a year older than me. Why didn't you come see me when I was born? Do you not love me?" After this sentence, not only Julian laughed, but the people next to him also laughed and teased: "Yeah, Julian, why didn't you bring baby formula to see your future wife back then?" This teasing was well-intentioned. Bella was pretty, the innocent kind of pretty. Her personality wasn't bad either. Having dated Julian for two years, she had some friendship with some of the people here. So her emotional intelligence wasn't low. Julian replied casually: "I was busy getting spanked by my mom for not drinking my milk properly back then." Laughter erupted again. Julian turned around and saw his uncle, who had unexpectedly said he would come to celebrate, was still there. He asked playfully: "Uncle Adrian, if it were you, how would you answer?" Julian's uncle, Adrian Sterling. Five years older than us. A late child of the Sterling grandparents. He was the "other people's child" since he was little. Although only a few years older, his seniority was there. Plus, Adrian's resume was simply too outstanding. The rich second generation in the circle were quite afraid of him. I used to call him Uncle Adrian too. Julian probably just wanted to see what kind of brain circuit his steady and slightly old-fashioned uncle would have. Someone laughed: "Julian, don't make it hard for Uncle Adrian. He's busy with a myriad of affairs every day, where would he find time to date?" The next second, Adrian spoke: "I did go see her." "Huh?" The man who usually didn't smile much added softly: "Not only did I see her, I even held her when she was a baby." Unnoticed by others, his gaze landed straight on me. "..." The others thought he was joking: "Hahahaha Uncle Adrian, didn't expect you to be so good at playing along." No one took it seriously. Except me. Adrian's gaze didn't move away. Even though I didn't meet his eyes, I felt it was a bit blatant. After the party, I found my car in the parking lot. Only after getting in did I realize someone was already there. The driver hesitated to speak. Adrian's light laughter came: "Mind giving me a ride? I didn't drive tonight." The car door closed, and I heard the person beside me say: "I can't remember the way home. Miss Li, is it convenient to let me stay for a night?" 3. Adrian pretended to be drunk and leaned on my shoulder. His warm breath occasionally landed on the skin of my neck, making his presence very felt. I looked out the window, remembering the night Julian announced his relationship on Instagram two years ago. Saying I wasn't sad would be a lie. Julian announced it less than a month after telling me he met a girl he liked. I was still thinking about how our families' relationship should end. What caught me even more off guard was that at the same time, he took his girlfriend to meet our mutual friends. Maybe Julian just wanted to show how much he liked his girlfriend, but there were always people in the circle who didn't like me. During that time, some sarcastic remarks naturally followed. Whether I cared or not, I couldn't avoid being mocked. Adrian came back at that time. He seemed to be following up on a project in New York that hadn't finished yet. During those days, I didn't want to see anyone from the Sterling family, but Adrian just appeared directly in front of me. It was winter break. Adrian asked me if I wanted to go to the US with him to relax. I was stunned, not understanding what he meant. For a long time, Julian and I were a bit afraid of this uncle of his. Although only five years older, since I can remember, Adrian clearly didn't play with us childish kids. Genes favored him; Adrian was so outstanding it left people speechless. As we grew older, he gradually became an existence to look up to. His courage and handsome appearance were clearly superior to his peers, and many girls liked him. I didn't talk to him much. Many times, even if we had contact, it was because of Julian. So I didn't understand why he invited me to New York. Adrian asked me: "Do you still like Julian?" I was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer his question. "It doesn't matter if you still like him. He's just a man," Adrian said. "You'll meet more than one in your life." I didn't know if he was comforting me. "Julian likes someone else. Have you considered liking someone else?" Adrian looked at me and said in a very calm tone, "Considered me?" Shock overwhelmed my sadness more directly. Tears that were welling up now fell, but my eyes were full of speechless shock. Adrian gently wiped my cheek with a tissue, wiping away that tear. "Don't cry for someone who isn't worth it," he paused, then added slowly, "Of course, you can treat it as a detox for your body." "..." It was the first time I knew Adrian had such a sense of humor. He said: "If your initial intention for choosing Julian was to consider the marriage alliance between the two families, then my conditions overall should be better than his." More than just a bit better. Adrian was almost certainly the next head of the Sterling family. Julian didn't have this ambition, and his sophistication was far inferior to this uncle. "If you just purely liked Julian as a person, then he has withdrawn from the journey to win your heart. I think I'm not being immoral." 4. Going to New York with Adrian to relax wasn't because I was moved by his words, but because he asked: "Do you plan to enter the family company after graduation?" "I'm discussing a project in New York. Want to come and see?" Adrian's ability was obvious to all. At that time, many people, including me, admired him. Admiration for the strong is a very normal mindset. I really wanted to see Adrian's work. So even when he volunteered to be my marriage partner, I still went to New York with him. Adrian took me with him for two weeks. There was no adult romance. He taught me a lot like a senior taking care of a junior. I saw his strategizing and calmness in business. Without any personal feelings, choosing Adrian was far better than Julian. The benefits were more direct. "But, Uncle Adrian, Julian is your nephew." The night before leaving New York, in the hotel's lounge bar, I sat opposite Adrian, soothing jazz music playing in my ears. The bar's lighting was dim, tinged with a hint of ambiguity. Adrian's expression didn't change. Those calm eyes landed on my face, meeting my gaze: "Yes, what he did wasn't kind. You can consider becoming his aunt. In the future, you'll be his elder." "..." Be Julian's aunt? I admit Adrian's words were tempting, but I had other considerations for my life. Julian hurt me, but he couldn't affect my next step in life. "Uncle Adrian, I have another question." Adrian: "You can ask many questions. Also, you can call me by my name directly." Call him by his name. I've called him Uncle since I was a kid, following Julian. Naturally, I treated him as an elder. But now, our relationship was heading in another direction, adding a sense of immorality. "What is your view... on me?" I paused. "Do you want to ask if I'm pursuing you for profit or something else?" Adrian asked back. Before I could answer, he said: "Elara, a five-year age gap shouldn't be too big. Besides Julian, I can also be considered your childhood friend, right?" I was stunned. "I'm a few years older than you. Before you went to kindergarten, you often ran over to play with Julian. At that time, the adults at home were busy, and you and Julian both stuck to me quite a bit, remember?" Adrian said softly. His words triggered my memories. It seems kids always like to play with older kids. Julian and I pestered Adrian when we were little. But as we grew older, Adrian was busy with school, then with business. He became the best among his peers, and our relationship naturally changed. "When you graduated from high school, my brother and sister-in-law hoped you would be their daughter-in-law and discussed the engagement with your parents. At that time, you and Julian were close," Adrian changed the subject, "But Elara, now he withdrew first. Even if I'm his elder, it's not immoral for me to pursue a single girl, right?" Adrian took me home. During the half month in New York, he didn't cross the line at all. That Chinese New Year, Julian and his parents probably were too embarrassed to come to my house for New Year greetings because of his relationship. The Sterling family sent Adrian over. That day, there were many people. No one knew that Adrian asked me in my bedroom: "Elara, have you thought about it?"
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