CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 126: THE REAL FOOL WAS ME ALL ALONG

Tap tap tap.

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs reached the ears of Elliana Lyle, who was lounging on the sofa, munching on chips and watching TV.

That flash of pink caught her eye—a loose pink sweater over black cargo pants, stylishly cute, and her high ponytail swaying with each step.

Why does this face look so familiar?

"Summer!"

"...Hmm?" Summer Hue, still a bit groggy, looked towards the source of the voice, and saw the person in a beige knit sweater holding a bag of chips—who else but Elliana Lyle?

"Elliana? What are you doing here?" she said as she walked over to the sofa.

Without much thought, Elliana guessed that Summer must be Zane Bennett’s girlfriend! At this thought, she got a bit angry, thinking that little rascal Zane actually managed to woo her little cousin!...

After Elliana explained, Summer realized that her cousin was in a relationship with her boyfriend’s brother! She had been abroad and didn’t know this.

"Summer, how do you know Zane Bennett?" Elliana couldn’t help but voice her question.

Summer had been overseas, and Zane had never left the country. How did they meet?

"We met playing games."

Elliana: "..."

So hasty...

"Sis, let me tell you, we worked with someone to create a game that’s about to succeed. Once it’s released, I’ll no longer need to rely on family money, and no one can force me into marriage."

So the woman who made Zane Bennett successful was her cousin!

Fine, accept it, she thought, and said, "Since you have a boyfriend, Auntie won’t nag you, and your aunt won’t bother you either."

"Hah! That’s not the reason at all."

Summer said indignantly, "My mom wants me to marry Howard James, and Daisy Hue wants to hitch me to her husband’s lousy relative. I’m so annoyed. It’s the modern age, why is marriage still not free?"

"So what are you going to do? Hide it?"

"It’s still early, I plan to date for seven or eight years first. Today is the first time I’m officially meeting him; previously we only video called."

Elliana: "(●—●)"

She suddenly felt her little cousin was easily tricked.

"Sis, did you know Zane Bennett before? What’s your impression of him?"

"He’s okay, overall quite nice." She couldn’t badmouth Norman Bennett—after all, in her past life, it was when she died that those two were about to get married, and never made it to the altar.

"Then that’s good. Sis, when do you and bro-in-law plan to get married?"

"We’ve already registered. I plan to have a ceremony after things settle down."

"Wow, secret marriage?" Summer naturally swiped the chips from her hand, stuffing a handful in her mouth, mumbling, "Sis, marriage is a big deal; you should be cautious. But I admire your courage."

"There’s more in the cupboard, get it yourself!" Elliana snatched back the bag of chips!

She’s allowed only one bag of chips a day; eating more would upset Norman Bennett, so she had been eating this bag slowly for an hour.

"Hmph, I’m done." Summer looked at Elliana’s face and suddenly thought of a great idea, changing her attitude instantly.

"Sis, I heard you became a big star. My boyfriend and I made a game, and there’s a character that matches you perfectly. Could you endorse it for free?"

Elliana pulled her bandaged foot from under the blanket, "Here."

Seeing the bandaged foot, Summer’s expression changed, concern reflecting on her face: "What happened to you?"

"It’s a story best left forgotten." Elliana didn’t want to bring up the incident with Wyen, regretting it more the more she thought about it. If she had driven herself, none of those things would have happened.

After this incident, she learned not everyone could be easily understood.

Hearing Elliana’s words and seeing her expression, Summer was shocked: "Sis, you weren’t domestically abused, were you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, no way. I... I stepped on a nail, and it went straight through from the sole to the top."

Summer shivered involuntarily and said quickly, "Stop, even thinking about it hurts."

"Even if you can’t move, it’s fine. Once you wear the costume, I’ll bring people over to shoot the ad at home." She’s currently broke and embarrassed to ask her family for money. Fortunately, her cousin is a celebrity, and she plans to pay the endorsement fee once she earns money.

"Well... okay, but once your game is out, give me an insider account, would you?"

"Sure, I’ll gift you the skins for free, but for the fairness of the game ecosystem, you’ll still have to earn equipment yourself. We’re releasing a game with a point card system, with only items, copper coins, and in-game currency for sale, no direct sale of gear."

"As soon as you do the endorsement, we can launch the game next month." Realizing she hadn’t seen Zane Bennett, she wondered where he had gone and prepared to text him.

"Where has Zane gone?" she asked, readying her phone.

"He’s upstairs, secretly dragging his brother with him, probably in the study."

Just then, speaking of the devil, two figures appeared on the stairs, Zane discreetly signaling an "OK" to Summer.

Seeing Zane, Elliana couldn’t stay calm, "Zane Bennett! My cousin can stay here, you, get out, and find somewhere else to live!"

"Your cousin? Which cousin?"

...

――― 6 PM.

Norman Bennett had started preparing dinner, and to Elliana’s surprise, Zane Bennett could cook too!

"Bro, you need to stir-fry the shrimp to get the flavor."

"Get out!"

At the dinner table.

"Sis, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Huh?" Elliana suddenly thought of something he bought, quickly agreeing, "Sure."

Hearing this, a particular man at the table interjected: "You have a foot injury, so maybe you should..."

"Don’t worry, bro-in-law, I’ll take care of my sis," Summer replied cheerfully, studying the man’s expression. Though his face revealed nothing, she knew Norman Bennett was out of action!

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Zane Bennett laughed dryly and quickly said, "Summer, you slept so much today, how about I take you shopping tonight? The country has changed a lot over the years you were abroad."

"Really?" The idea of going shopping with her boyfriend suddenly outshone spending time with her sister for Summer.

...

―――

As night fell, Elliana lay somewhat anxiously in bed, her mind teeming with thoughts.

She moved her foot slightly, thinking... Hopefully, it won’t be touched later!

Seizing the moment while the man was outside on a call, she cautiously got up and opened a nearby drawer, where two boxes lay quietly.

Then, suddenly hearing footsteps, she hurriedly closed the drawer and lay back down properly.

However...

Seeing the man lay beside her in the dark, doing nothing but hugging her, she asked, "Norman Bennett... are you going to sleep?"

"Yeah, why? Can’t sleep?"

"Then... isn’t there something you haven’t done yet?"

"Like what?"

Elliana: "(●—●)"