120 The Joke Has Gone Too Far (Part 2)

Sister Li said, “I lied to Mother and told her I was pregnant, and that the child was...” Hearing this, I exclaimed in horror, “Sis, that joke has gone way too far!”

I felt a little angry. Sister Li had asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend. Although that was somewhat outrageous, I could still accept it. But now she had actually lied and said she was pregnant—and that the child was mine. How could I possibly accept that?

Seeing the anger on my face, Sister Li looked apologetic. Her sorrowful eyes fixed on me as she said, “A-Feng, I had no choice. If I didn’t lie like this, Mother would never believe me.”

With doubt and displeasure, I asked, “Sis, even if you lie like this, do you really think your adoptive mother will believe you?”

Sister Li said, “A-Feng, from now on, could you call me Feng’er?”

I froze for a moment, then immediately understood what she meant and nodded.

“A-Feng, I know it was wrong of me to lie, but all these years I’ve never brought a man home. If I suddenly brought a young man back, Mother would never believe he was my boyfriend. The only way she might believe it is if I told her we already had this...”

I asked in confusion, “I don’t understand.”

She explained, “I told my adoptive mother that I had encountered some bad people and that you rescued me. Then we went to a hotel, where we slept together. Later, I discovered that I was pregnant, so I demanded that you take responsibility and brought you home.”

I was speechless. “You’re setting me up... I...”

Sister Li said sadly, “Ah, A-Feng, if you’re unwilling, then forget it. I’ll confess everything to Mother and let her abandon me to my fate.”

Looking at her devastated expression, I couldn’t bear it. “All right, then. How do you want me to take responsibility?”

“If you’re willing to take responsibility, of course we’ll have to get married!”

I stared at her in astonishment. “What? Sis... Feng’er, you want us to get married?”

Sister Li nodded. “Yes. Given the circumstances, Mother will only be reassured if we get married. Otherwise, she’ll be even more troubled.”

Seeing the dismay on my face, Sister Li gently added, “Of course, it would only be a fake marriage. If you don’t want to, then forget it. I’m the one who’s in the wrong, and I won’t blame you.”

I felt as though I had fallen into Sister Li’s trap, being led by the nose step by step.

I said irritably, “Do you really think we can keep this secret just by pretending to be married?”

“That will depend on how well you perform—and on my luck. If we can turn a false act into a real one, perhaps we’ll get away with it.”

At that moment, I finally understood what Sister Li was trying to do. I couldn’t help asking, “Feng’er, what do you see in me? Why put yourself through all this?”

“I had no other choice,” she replied gloomily.

I gave a bitter smile. “All right. I agree to a fake marriage. But if we can’t keep it hidden in the future, don’t blame me.”

Sister Li nodded bitterly. “Of course. From here on, we can only leave everything to fate.”

“All right, Feng’er. Stop beating around the bush and tell me your entire plan.”

“I don’t really have a plan. You know how it is: once you tell one lie, you need ten more to cover it up. So we can only keep lying.”

Though Sister Li put it that way, I already understood that she wanted to marry me for real. That was why she was using this method to force me to yield, one step at a time.

Of course, I also knew that she truly cared for me. Otherwise, why would she go to such lengths? It was simply that she was unwilling to tell me what she really felt.

“Feng’er, you don’t need to explain anything. Just tell me directly—how am I supposed to cooperate with you next?”

“In a few days, it will be my adoptive mother’s eightieth birthday. Her former students will come to wish her well. We can choose that day to announce the date of our wedding.”

“We’re only pretending to get married. Is there really any need to make such a grand occasion of it?”

“I can’t help it. When Mother is happy, she’ll certainly tell them about my good news.”

I frowned worriedly. “Does your adoptive mother have many students? How many people will come?”

“Don’t worry. Mother doesn’t like noisy gatherings, so she won’t invite them herself. She once had students all over the country, but she has been retired for many years now. The people who still remember her birthday and are willing to come won’t be many—perhaps only a handful.”

I felt somewhat relieved, but I still asked curiously, “What about President Du, Ayun’s father? Will he come?”

“Of course he will. In the past, he visited Mother every New Year.”

“If President Du finds out, Ayun will surely find out too. What are we going to do then?”

“A-Feng, if you think you still have a chance of marrying Ayun, then refuse me and let me fend for myself. But if you believe you can never have Ayun, then this will allow both of you to give up completely. Afterward, you won’t feel embarrassed about bothering her, and she won’t come looking for you again.”

What she said made sense. Besides, Sister Li was Granny Li’s biological daughter. To repay Granny Li for raising me, I ought to take good care of Sister Li no matter what.

“Yes, you’re right. This way, we can both finally let go.”

“A-Feng, are you reluctant to give up on Ayun?”

I smiled bitterly. “What good would reluctance do? She never belonged to me in the first place. Foolish fantasies would only bring me trouble.”

Sister Li sat beside my bed, resting her shoulder against my head. “A-Feng, do you hate me for deceiving you step by step like this?”

Looking into her sorrowfully beautiful eyes, I felt a faint ache in my heart. I sighed. “Feng’er, why would I hate you? I once said I was willing to stay with you until we grew old together. This is simply me keeping my promise.”

“Then why are you sighing?”

“I’m sighing because I’m not worthy of you, and I’m afraid that, in the end, I’ll only hurt your feelings.”

Li Feng’er gave a bitter sigh. “This is my own choice. I have no regrets.”

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120. The Joke Went Too Far

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