My childhood best friend, Aria, suffers from a condition called "skin hunger." She needs to hold me every day to soothe her anxiety. But ever since the so-called "fated male lead," Ethan, appeared, she stopped touching me. Instead, she openly hugged him right in front of me. Desperate to win her back, I rejected an arranged marriage with the daughter of the city's wealthiest family and even threatened to cut ties with my own parents. To my shock, Aria just sneered at me: "Wow, you actually threatened to cut ties with your family? I almost respect you for having the guts. "Too bad you're just a giant man-child who hasn't been weaned yet. You aren't worth a single fraction of Ethan." Then, a barrage of floating text—a bullet screen—appeared in my vision: [The second male lead is an absolute idiot. Your arranged fiancée is literally the most beautiful woman in the business world.] [With her help, building your own business empire is basically a guaranteed success.] Hearing that, I instantly changed my mind and bowed my head to my parents. "Mom, Dad, I agree to the marriage." 1. I was standing in my father's study. I had just declared that I was severing all ties with the family. The glowing text of the bullet screen rolled frantically across my vision, desperately trying to persuade me. [Don't do anything stupid! You gain absolutely nothing from this!] [The second you leave your family, the male lead is going to completely destroy your future.] Ethan gripped Aria's hand tightly. His brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with apparent concern. "Liam, don't do this. How about I just back off? I'll give Aria back to you. "You're the heir to the Sterling Group. You're the only one truly suited for her. A normal guy like me shouldn't get between you two." Aria glared at me coldly, instinctively pulling Ethan behind her to protect him. "You don't need to beg him. Let him do whatever he wants. "Can't you see? He's just putting on an act. He's a spoiled rich kid who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Do you really think he'd give all this up? "You're just too naive, Ethan. That's why he thinks he can manipulate you." Her tone was dripping with disgust. "Liam Sterling, drop the act. Looking at you makes me sick." This was the same childhood friend who used to agree with everything I said. Now, she was acting as a human shield for another man. She seemed to have completely forgotten that she used to grip the hem of my shirt, begging me not to leave her side. Aria suffered from skin hunger. She needed daily physical contact to calm her anxiety. She was my playmate; we grew up together. I guarded her like her own shadow, never leaving her side. Our houses were just a street apart. She used to climb over my balcony, sneak into my room, and we would hold each other until dawn. In class and between classes, she followed me everywhere like a little shadow. Whenever she got stuck on a homework problem, she would act cute and whine until I explained it to her. Even when we occasionally argued, the second I stopped talking to her, she would immediately drop her pride and coax me into forgiving her. Every New Year's Eve, we stayed up together to ring in the new year. Her wish every single year was to marry me. She made that wish for ten years straight. Everything changed in high school. It happened that summer. She went to an outdoor movie with some friends. On her way home, a massive thunderstorm broke out. She hadn't seen me all day, her skin hunger flared up, and she was too weak to walk. When I found out, I rushed to get her. She was completely soaked, burning with a high fever, lying helplessly in my arms. She gripped my shirt tightly, whispering weakly, "Liam, don't leave me alone." My heart ached as I kissed her forehead. "Never." Suddenly, a new line of text popped up in my vision. [If the current Aria could see the future—if she could see herself forcing Liam to cut ties with his family, and watching him get bullied without caring at all—she would absolutely despise her past self.] The text vanished quickly. 2. At first, I didn't notice anything wrong. I thought I was just overthinking things. Until the new transfer student walked into our classroom. His name was Ethan. He came from a poor family and only managed to attend our elite school on a scholarship. As he walked past Aria with his long legs, I noticed a flash of stunning realization in her eyes. Ethan looked exactly like the male lead in a romance novel. Aria was captivated at first sight. He chose a seat in the back row by the window. He was a loner, yet somehow drew people in. From that day on, the number of times Aria initiated contact with me decreased drastically. And that's when the bizarre bullet screen appeared again. [The male lead is here! His vibe is absolutely incredible.] [Look at how obsessed the female lead is. I am absolutely shipping them.] [Honestly, it kind of hurts to see the childhood best friend looking so sad. He's really handsome too, you know.] [That's just reality. The childhood best friend never stands a chance against the fated 'new guy'.] Those few comments of sympathy were quickly buried under a mountain of text praising Ethan. Gradually, Ethan began to occupy every corner of Aria's life. On the first day of the new semester, I tried to stop them from interacting. I grabbed Aria's arm and insisted, "We're walking home together after school." It was the first time Aria ever agreed to me so reluctantly. Right at that moment, a group of girls surrounded Ethan, chattering excitedly, asking for his number and offering him gifts. Without a second thought, Aria sprinted over and grabbed Ethan's arm. "Sorry, he's already taken." From then on, Aria walked home with Ethan every single day. On the second day, Aria gave the lunchbox she had made for me to Ethan. On the third day, Aria's skin hunger flared up, and Ethan held her tightly. In the days that followed... I could only watch helplessly as they grew closer and closer. One day, I finally couldn't take it anymore. I stopped Aria and told her I needed a hug too. She looked at me with pure disdain. "Liam, look at yourself. You're covered in sweat and you stink. Ethan smells so good. I'd much rather hug him." 3. Later, some local thugs started harassing Ethan. Aria, completely ignoring her own safety, rushed in to defend him. Watching those thugs vulgarly harass Aria drove me completely insane. I charged in and started fighting them. I thought my true feelings would finally be seen by Aria. But it was as if I didn't even exist. She only cared about checking if Ethan was hurt. I had been knocked down. My expensive watch was shattered, and my wrist was scraped and bleeding, but I didn't feel the physical pain. Watching Aria hold Ethan so tightly, my heart suddenly spasmed, feeling like it was being sliced open. Right then, I had a premonition. I was going to lose her. In college, they tested into the same university. After graduation, Ethan joined Aria's parents' company and became their youngest director. At business galas, Aria and Ethan always appeared as a couple. When her skin hunger flared up, I wanted to go comfort her, but I just watched as she hid herself in Ethan's embrace. That spot used to belong exclusively to me. What chilled me even more was that even my parents started favoring Ethan. When my father's company faced a crisis, it was Ethan who spotted the vulnerability in the contracts and helped us navigate the disaster. My parents started frequently inviting Ethan over for dinner. My mother personally cooked for him, even giving him the braised pork belly that was my absolute favorite dish. Everything I had was slowly being taken away by Ethan. All the love and privileges that originally belonged to me became his. Then, my parents arranged a marriage for me. The prospective bride was the daughter of the city's wealthiest family, a woman of unparalleled beauty. I went to Aria, telling her I was going to reject the arranged marriage because she was the only one in my heart. But she looked at me with contempt. "Why don't you just cut ties with your family then? That's the only way to prove how much you actually love me." In a fit of rage, I decided to sever all ties with my family. Even when I said I was giving up my entire inheritance, Aria's eyes didn't show a ripple of emotion. I remembered how it used to be. If I spoke even a single harsh word, she would endlessly try to coax and comfort me. I felt my heart slowly freezing over. The bullet screen warned me: [Liam Sterling actually cuts ties with his family over this, and ends up completely broke.] [He thinks doing this will make Aria feel bad for him. But she only feels guilty for a few days before the male lead completely 'heals' her.] [This actually ends up being a blessing in disguise for the main couple's relationship. Their affection for each other skyrockets.] [Ethan stays by Liam's parents' side, supporting them. They're so moved they want to adopt him as their godson.] [And Ethan happily agrees.] [In the end, Liam ends up living on the streets, while his parents and his childhood friend help Ethan build his business empire. They all say how incredibly lucky they are to have Ethan in their lives.] 4. Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. Did no one in this world truly care about me? Just because I wasn't the 'male lead'? Suddenly, a string of text caught my eye, completely riveting my attention. [The second male lead is an absolute idiot. Your arranged fiancée is literally the most beautiful woman in the business world.] [With her help, building your own business empire is basically a guaranteed success.] I rubbed my eyes in shock, thinking I was hallucinating. More comments flooded the screen like falling snow. [Exactly! She's had a secret crush on the second male lead for years. When his career hits rock bottom, she silently supports him from behind the scenes, never showing her face.] [When the second male lead's startup fails and he's drowning in debt, she pays it all off for him instantly. When he tries to push her away, she uses gentle methods to make him stay. Every time he wants to leave, she quietly provides him with the absolute best resources, until he willingly chooses to stand by her side.] [Yeah, yeah! The author even wrote a bonus chapter for them. It's basically a 'Dominant CEO falls for me' story, but she is so incredibly gentle with him.] These comments made my blood boil with excitement. To be honest, my lifelong dream had always been to build my own business empire. Standing in the study, looking at the crushing disappointment in my parents' eyes, I suddenly realized how incredibly irrational cutting ties with my family was. Out in the living room, people were trying to persuade Aria. "Why don't you try talking to him? If you say something, he'll definitely listen." "Yeah, he cares about you so much. He'll consider whatever you tell him." Aria stood there, her expression blank. She knew Liam too well. This was just a momentary impulse; there was no way he would actually cut ties with his family. If he really didn't want the marriage, they just needed to communicate properly. She would figure out a way to solve it. But she couldn't keep indulging him like this. It wasn't fair to Ethan, and it would only make Liam more and more dependent on her. She needed to make him understand that life isn't a game. She said softly, "Stop this. You're making your parents very worried. "You need to have a proper talk with your parents about the marriage. But you need to be clear about one thing: even without this arranged marriage, we are just friends. "There will never be anything else between us." Right at that moment, I turned around and took long strides toward my parents. Standing in front of them, I stated solemnly, "I've thought it through. I agree to this marriage. When can I meet the lady?" Aria's expression instantly froze. "Liam Sterling, what kind of game are you playing now?" I completely ignored her. After careful consideration, throwing away my future for a woman who constantly sided with an outsider was absolutely not worth it. I emphasized again: "I have made my decision. I accept this marriage." 5. I took my mother's hand and said softly, "Mom, I'm serious. Please set up a meeting with her as soon as possible." My mom froze for a moment, then burst into tears, hugging me tightly. "You terrified me just now." Ethan's face instantly darkened. I turned to look at him. "Ethan, what's with that look? Are you disappointed that I changed my mind?" Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Ethan. Ethan's expression stiffened for a second before he calmly replied, "You're misunderstanding. I'm just worried you're making this decision too hastily." His expression was composed, his tone firm. "Liam, I know you have misunderstandings about Aria and me. But I believe time will prove everything. I will use my own abilities to prove that I am worthy of her." Aria looked at Ethan with eyes full of love, gripping his hand tightly. "Ethan, you're the only one in my heart." If it were before, seeing her confess her love to another man like this would have ripped my heart to shreds. But now, I just looked at Ethan and said, "Don't misunderstand. I'm getting married soon. I haven't had any feelings for her for a long time. "I've moved on." I looked directly into Aria's eyes and enunciated every word: "Aria, from this moment on, I will never interfere with your life again." Aria was stunned. Then, a mocking smirk curled the corner of her lips. "Hah. Liam Sterling, you finally learned how to play hard to get? "I hope you can keep this backbone of yours." Ethan looked serious. "Aria, there's an important meeting at the company. We should head back." Ethan always prioritized his career, and Aria greatly admired that about him. But this time, she was clearly distracted. It took her a long moment to snap back to reality. "Right. Let's go." She was absolutely certain that it wouldn't be long before Liam came crawling back, clinging to her just like he always did. It was always the same routine. He was like a shadow she couldn't shake off. No matter how hard she tried to push him away, he would never leave. There was no way he could just let go like this. He was probably just copying some trope from a TV drama, trying to play hard to get. Victoria Vance had returned from abroad. She was the most dazzling queen of the business world in the book. Every movement she made was elegant and composed, yet she carried an undeniable, overwhelming aura of authority. Let alone the declining Sterling family, even the currently prominent families in Shanghai couldn't compare to her. She was likely here to discuss the details of the arranged marriage. For this meeting, I specifically changed into my most formal suit. When I pushed open the door to the reception room, she was already waiting. She was a woman of extraordinary presence. Her features were exquisite, her figure tall and elegant.
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