My ex-boyfriend is rooming with my brother. My brother cursed while Venmo-ing me living expenses. "Happy now? You're only with me for my money!" Sebastian Sterling saw this and added two zeros to the amount. "Mine is longer than his. I can make you happier." Sebastian thought my brother was my current boyfriend. He bet with others that a gold digger like me would come crawling back with just a wave of his hand. I knew he was up to no good. Sebastian gave me his Black Card. I rejected it. My brother gave me a "Buy 10 Get 5 Off" coupon. I took it. Sebastian gave me a carefully selected gift. I rejected it. My brother gave me a half-used pack of tissues. I took it. Sebastian panicked completely. "Is my money Monopoly money? Would it kill you to spend it?!" Chapter 1 My brother cursed as he transferred my living expenses. "Happy now? You're only with me for my money!" I didn't dare breathe, grinning like a sly fox on the other end of the phone, full of flattery. As soon as I received the money, I loaded it all onto my campus meal plan. I've been a big eater since I was little. The all-you-can-eat buffet downstairs from my apartment closed within a month; the owner ran away overnight without telling me. When stocking up for holidays, my parents took turns guarding my door. Bought snacks you don't like? No problem, I'll handle it. Leftovers? Put them down, I'm here. The greatest charm of a mature woman is solving problems. Mom says since I was born, the family has never had leftovers. When I graduated high school, Dad asked where I wanted to go. I immediately said I wanted to go to my brother's university. My brother froze, then clutched his meal card like he was facing a formidable enemy. Bad news! Disaster approaching! I scrimped and saved every month just to treat my mouth well. But by the end of the month, I'd still be out of money for food. At times like this, I'd do some gig work that provided meals. My brother, worried about me running around day and night, gritted his teeth and transferred me $500 from his own allowance. As soon as the disaster relief funds arrived, I turned into his simp. Before I could flatter him more, two messages popped up on my phone. Another transfer notification appeared, adding two zeros after the five hundred. My ex-boyfriend's message followed closely. [Mine is longer than his. I can make you happier.] Chapter 2 It was noisy on my brother's end. Someone seemed to be calling his name outside the dorm. He threw his phone on the desk and went out. He forgot to hang up. On the other end, Sebastian's voice rang out. Someone was jeering beside him. "She just broke up with you, Sebastian, and turned around to hook up with someone else. Heh." "Sebastian drops $50k just like that. Too cheap for that fickle woman." Sebastian laughed carelessly, eyes narrowing slightly, long fingers playing with his phone. "A woman like Holly... I just need to hook my finger, and I can pry her back." I stared at the $50,000 that just hit my account, lost in thought. When I first came to college, I ate and ate, advertising various restaurants on my social media. Whether it was "Collect likes for discounts" or "Repost for free drinks." Give me a benefit, and I'd bite the hook. Some said I looked like a "dining shill." Rumors got wilder, saying I tricked men into taking me to specific restaurants to get kickbacks. I don't know where Sebastian heard this. With a halo over his head, he descended from the sky to punish me, the villain. "Date me. I'll treat you to dinner. How about it?" Heaven-sent relief food? That's very kind. I nodded like a pounding garlic pestle and agreed immediately. Sebastian set various traps, planning to expose my true colors in public. He asked me to take him to dinner. That day, he dressed formally. Suit ironed flat, shoes polished bright. An outfit fit for any high-end occasion, yet I dragged him to the street food night market. Explosively spicy snail noodles. Super spicy duck necks. Fiery skewers. I ate until my face was red, turning to ask him: "Feels good, right?" Sebastian looked at me with his ass on fire. He tested me as long as I dragged him through the night market. In the end, between enforcing justice and saving his butt, Sebastian chose the latter. He broke up with me. My eating buddy was gone. I was sad for a long time. Later, one of his bros let it slip, and I found out the truth. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Son of a bitch. There's always someone trying to bully honest, good women like us. I looked at the $50,000 with resentment. Is this some new humiliation play? Afraid of a trap, I cautiously returned the money to Sebastian. On the other end of the phone, the notification for the returned $50k rang. The messy dorm instantly fell into a deathly silence. My brother came back. He picked up his phone and said: "Holly, someone just gave me two 'Spend $10 Get $5 Off' coupons. Want them?" I take advantage when I see it. "Yes!" Sebastian silently picked up his phone and typed a message to me. [Want my Black Card?] Just as he hit send, a red exclamation mark popped up. [Message blocked.] My brother chatted with me while cleaning up trash. "I have half a pack of tissues left here." "Want!" "Won a dollar off coupon from a soda cap." "Hand it over." "The cookies I bought went a bit stale." "It's fine, I don't mind." "Sebastian, no swinging from the ceiling fan!" "Oka... wait, what?" My brother gathered a box of junk for me. When I went to pick it up, I heard someone in the boys' dorm had a hearty tug-of-war between his neck and the ceiling beam. I couldn't help sighing. Youth is wild. The RA and school doctor surrounded Sebastian, asking about his health. Sebastian remained silent, head lowered. When he passed my brother, Gavin was still buried in conversation with me. "Don't blab in front of my girlfriend. I don't want her to know about our relationship." I received the benefits and grinned greedily. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone know about us." My brother was pursuing a senior who lived opposite my dorm. Knowing this, I chanted his praises in her ear daily like a monk reciting scriptures, boosting his presence. If the senior knew we were siblings, my praises would sound like self-promotion, zero credibility. Hearing this, Sebastian's face changed colors. He looked at us with extremely complex eyes. "Gavin, you two... what is your relationship?" My brother answered honestly: "She's my sister." My brother took my dad's last name; I took my mom's. He didn't know I knew Sebastian, so he didn't explain further. Sebastian looked at me, then at my brother. He sneered, his tone turning sarcastic. "So, a 'sister'." He pulled a utility knife from his pocket, aiming at his wrist. "There seems to be a bug in my wrist, jumping around. I'll pick it out." The RA turned pale and roared: "That's a fucking artery!" Chapter 3 My brother now had extra expenses for dating, on top of his own living costs. And because of me, he had to save some disaster relief funds every month. I felt a bit guilty. Just then, I saw an ad for day-labor housekeeping at a hotel. I signed up immediately. I wanted to scrape together some money to buy my brother the shoes he'd wanted for a long time. Knowing this, my brother was moved to tears, saying his little sister had grown up. I worked all day. When I clocked out, it was dark. Standing on the roadside, I called my brother: "It's a bit remote here. Drive over and pick me up." My brother said: "Find a place to wait a bit. I'm dropping off your sister-in-law first. I'll get you in ten, fifteen minutes." I said okay and waited by the road. A few minutes later, a black Porsche stopped in front of me. Window rolled down. I saw Sebastian's face. He looked me up and down, then glanced at the hotel behind me. His brows furrowed slightly, the usual lazy smile fading. "Why are you here alone? Where's Gavin?" Seeing Sebastian's face, a nameless fire rose in my heart. Blame myself for being blinded by hunger back then, getting tricked by this venomous fox. My tone naturally carried resentment. "He went to see his girlfriend." Sebastian seemed to laugh in anger. "So he just abandoned you?" I scratched my head. Felt weird, but not entirely wrong. I didn't know how to answer, so I stood there like a log. "Get in. I'll drive you back to school." Sebastian opened the door. After getting in, I told my brother not to come; someone gave me a ride. Sitting in the passenger seat, I turned to look at Sebastian. Two buttons of his collar were undone, revealing a silver chain. The pendant glinted cold light, swaying with his movements. My eyes followed it down, stuck on his collarbone. "Why do this kind of thing?" Sebastian's voice was cold. Listening closely, there was anger. I thought he meant my housekeeping job, despising my work again. "What do you rich people know? Who wants to do this if not for money?" Sebastian's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He gritted his teeth: "Just for five hundred dollars?" "Yes! Just for five hundred dollars!" I answered righteously. Dirty and tiring, meeting all kinds of weirdos, but it pays well! And provides meals! Sebastian asked: "Then why didn't you take what I gave you?" "Is my money Monopoly money? Would it kill you to spend it?!" I wanted it too! But my IQ took the high ground then. By the time I snapped out of it, the money was returned. Can't say such spineless words now. I smiled breezily like a saint. "Because it's inappropriate." Sebastian closed his eyes in despair, voice light as a whisper. "Then is he appropriate?" My phone rang in my pocket. The ringtone drowned out his sentence. I answered. My brother's voice came through. "Holly, are you at school? Who drove you?" I looked at Sebastian. He shook his head, signaling me not to say it was him. So I lied: "A colleague drove me. We were going the same way." My brother asked me to text him when I got to the dorm. I agreed. Sebastian's car stopped at the school gate. I thanked him and got out. Just as I was closing the door, I heard Sebastian ask hoarsely: "Holly, must you go down this path? What he can give you, I can give you too." Give me what? Daily wages? Damn fox, always hitting my weak spot. Thinking of him badmouthing me in the dorm today, I got angry. I dropped a decisive sentence: "No need!" Back in the dorm, I checked my phone and saw Sebastian's new post. [My life is ruined by a scumbag.] Me: "?" What now? Chapter 4 I pulled Sebastian off the blocklist, debating all night how to advise him to see a neurologist. He was acting weird tonight. I suspected hanging himself damaged his brain. Holding my phone, I dozed off. When I opened my eyes the next day, my screen was full of my brother's SOS messages. [Sis, my roommate Sebastian is acting weird. I'm scared.] [Woke up today and saw him sitting by my bed, staring at me like a resentful widow. Scared me to death.] [Not only that. His eyes are weird, tone is weird, questions are weird.] [He asked what brand of body lotion and shampoo I use, and what clothes I like.] [I answered, and he got a bunch of matching items, wandering in front of me like a clone.] [So scary, Sis! What is he doing?!] I could feel his breakdown through the screen. Recalling Sebastian's post last night, a bold guess formed. [Bro, are you close with Sebastian usually?] My brother paused, then listed things. [He rarely stayed in the dorm before. Just started recently.] [Oh, I brought him lunch once. His eyes got weird then, and he moved back the next day.] [I think I said 'Good morning' to him.] [I helped him bring in laundry.] [He saw my broad shoulders, narrow waist, and sexy body.] My brother listed items, getting more desperate. [Is that kid coveting my ass?] My mood became heavy and complex. Ex-boyfriend fell in love with my brother. God, is this a plot that should appear in a romance novel? Nothing more to say. I sighed. [Bro, go weld some iron underpants.] My brother didn't dare stay in the dorm for a second. Grabbed his coat to run. Just one step out, Sebastian's chilly voice sounded. "Gavin, where are you going?" That day, I saw my six-foot brother forced into a corner. Hiding in the bathroom, calling me, voice desperate and helpless. "These rich people don't treat honest folks like humans! I have a girlfriend, yet he won't let me go, asking where I'm going, with whom, doing what." "I know I'm beautiful, but a gentleman pursues properly! Forcing a good man into prostitution is villainous! My heart only holds your sister-in-law. A married man can be killed but not insulted! I won't yield to evil forces!" I made up my mind, slamming the table. "Bro! I will protect your happiness and your ass!"
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