My Clingy Fiancée Is Forcing Me to Marry Her Again - Chapter 3

“Sister Li!”

The woman was wearing a white T-shirt with a sleeveless jersey over it—

She had come uninvited again, and her opening line was still “Sister Li,” the familiar greeting from their first meeting in Hong Kong!

What about the fortune teller they talked about? When and how did this delicate flower turn into his fiancée?

Seeing her approach without preamble, Li Fangge quickly stepped aside to the left, and the woman lunged into empty air.

She probably hadn’t expected Li Fangge to dodge. The woman stopped, and a suspicious blush immediately rose on her cheeks.

Li Fangge stared intently at the woman in front of her. Her hair was tied up in a bun, making her look both sweet and adorable.

She had big, bright eyes, a tear-drop nose, and lips that seemed ready to drip color. Her face was as soft and delicate as could be, and her appearance was as lively as fresh spring water.

Half a year later, she had gained a little weight, and her eyes no longer held the vague, heartbreaking quality they had before. Instead, her smiling eyes were crescent-shaped, beautiful, and captivating.

Feeling utterly uncertain about the woman and this place, Li Fangge hugged her stomach and looked coldly at the other person, using her gaze to stop her from trying to get closer again.

The woman was very sensible; upon being rejected, she did not press the issue. She tilted her head slightly to the left, “Isn’t Sister Li going to bring me inside?”

After asking, she gracefully bent down, peered into the courtyard through the small door that was only ajar, and then stood up straight to face Li Fangge again, radiating warmth.

Li Fangge’s gaze fell on the woman’s long legs, which were so white they seemed to reflect the light. With the sun so strong, wasn’t she afraid of getting a tan?

“No.” Adhering to the principle of speaking less to make fewer mistakes when clueless, Li Fangge was concise with her words.

In the blink of an eye, the warmth faded from the woman’s face, and her smiling eyes instantly dimmed. “So, are the things they said true?”

She finished speaking while looking into Li Fangge’s eyes, and a thin layer of clear tears immediately welled up in her bright eyes.

After waiting but receiving no answer, the woman lowered her head to look at her own toes.

She was wearing a pair of pink and white sneakers. Li Fangge estimated that the woman was about ten centimeters shorter than her. Now, her hair bun was directly level with Li Fangge’s eyes. After more than half a year apart, the former sense of fragility in the woman had vanished. She was still as fair, and illuminated by the approaching midday sun, her entire face was flushed and rosy, looking like a freshly bloomed flower. She was still as delicate as ever—

“What did they say?” Li Fangge’s voice was cool, but her tone was, as always, clear and pleasant. Even if her attitude wasn’t exactly friendly, it wasn’t annoying either.

“Sister Li, are you really going to break off the engagement with me?”

The woman raised her head and looked directly into Li Fangge’s eyes.

Her voice was soft, but the accusatory tone was unmistakable.

Li Fangge immediately felt her anger and dissatisfaction. In this confusing situation, she couldn’t say yes, nor could she say no.

She looked back at the woman directly.

Her dark, bright eyes and the woman’s charming eyes met, and two invisible forces clashed.

The moisture in the woman’s eyes grew heavier—

Damn it, being unable to stand a woman’s tears is practically a sickness!

Li Fangge cursed herself internally. That inexplicable sense of pity from their first meeting was back. Why was she feeling this reluctance toward a woman she barely knew?

Therefore, she, who rarely lost a staring contest, chose to back down.

Although she didn’t speak again, Li Fangge knew the woman’s eyes were still asking, “Sister Li, are you really going to break off the engagement with me?”

“I never said that.”

Uttering this vague answer, Li Fangge despised herself.

She disliked ambiguity, but right now, she could only give the other person a noncommittal response.

“Why haven’t you replied to my messages for the past few years, Sister?”

It was as if “I never said that” had instantly soothed her anger and dissatisfaction. Only hurt remained in the woman’s tone.

Although Li Fangge didn’t know what she was talking about,

But to not reply for several years, yet still come looking for her, and more than once—setting aside whether it was worth it, she really was quite devoted.

“The few times before, Sister Li was clearly home. Why did you always avoid me?”

It was clear that the woman was struggling to hold back her tears. Her hands were clenched into fists again, just like the first time they met. Her hands were small, but they looked quite strong.

Li Fangge didn’t cruelly tell her, “Isn’t the answer obvious?” and instead chose silence.

Amidst her silence, the woman continued to ask, “Why can’t Sister Li bring me into your house?”

Remembering Chen Qiaoyi saying, “If Miss Hegou doesn’t come out to greet her personally, she prefers to meet you outside the gate,” Li Fangge turned the tables, “You were the one who said you’d rather meet outside the gate.”

She unconsciously squeezed the sunglasses in her hand out of embarrassment.

The woman seemed to understand something. She bit her flower-petal-like lower lip, “Sister Li, I came to see you because I wanted to tell you in person that I’ve been waiting for you to fulfill your promise, waiting for you to come and marry me.”

“Oh.” The moment this word left her mouth, Li Fangge’s embarrassment level instantly skyrocketed.

She didn’t know what promise she had made to her, and she dared not ask when she had said she would marry her.

Even less did she dare to rashly confirm whether she still remembered the fortune she had told her.

Li Fangge felt incredibly ashamed for weakly choosing ambiguity and evasion because she was clueless about the situation.

“It’s okay if Sister Li isn’t ready. I’ll wait for you.”

The woman’s tone carried a kind of naive devotion, as if she truly couldn’t see what years of unreturned messages and being avoided when she showed up meant.

If someone else had said this, Li Fangge would definitely think they were being manipulative.

Hearing it from this woman, she felt that she was genuinely understanding.

The woman’s simple devotion made Li Fangge feel an inexplicable pang of heartache, just like the feeling she had when she first saw her trembling and worried.

She had no relation to her whatsoever, but she was inexplicably moved by her.

“If you want to wait, then wait.” Despite the heartache, Li Fangge ultimately chose to remain aloof to the end.

She had no intention of making any clear statement before figuring out the situation.

“Sister Li, I’m relieved to see that you’re alright.”

The woman sniffed her moist nose, and quickly reached out to wipe away the tears that had suddenly begun to stream down.

At this moment, a slightly bitter, fresh scent suddenly wafted over, mingled with the oppressive greenery characteristic of summer. Although the fragrance was very faint, it made Li Fangge, whose spirits were a bit low, suddenly feel much more awake.

Because the scent was so pleasant, she couldn’t help but lightly inhale.

Just then, the woman took two steps back.

Li Fangge didn’t know why the woman was crying, but she could be certain that her tears were a mix of joy and sorrow.

From her words, she could easily sense that seeing her unharmed was a happy-enough-to-cry event for her.

Was she truly her fiancée—the kind of fiancée with whom hearts had already been exchanged?

Li Fangge felt a little guilty.

“Thank you,” she said.

She knew that the woman was not referring to the incident they had discussed during their meeting in Hong Kong.

Her intuition told her that even though they looked exactly the same, it was also obvious that they were not the same person.

Just like this body of hers, although it was identical to her body when she was twenty-two or twenty-three, she could almost certainly say it wasn’t her body, because a mole couldn’t simply grow on her palm overnight.

“Since Sister Li won’t take me inside, I’ll go home.”

The woman was using retreat as a means of advancement.

In the end, Li Fangge still chose to be firm, “I won’t see you off.”

She stood motionless, her dark, bright eyes looking toward the car parked not far away.

When Li Fangge had first stepped out of the gate, she had seen the woman leaning against that black car under the shade of a tree. If she hadn’t guessed wrong, her driver should be waiting for her in the car.

As expected, the woman pouted slightly, and the disappointment in her eyes was obvious.

“Sister Li is so mean!”

“Really?” Li Fangge smiled to tease her, “Is your sister truly that mean?”

She didn’t want to see her leave with red eyes.

The pervasive scent of orange blossom suddenly intensified, becoming so heavy it felt almost visible.

Li Fangge wasn’t sure where this fresh scent was coming from. If it was from the woman, why hadn’t she smelled it when she got close earlier? She couldn’t help but take another sniff.

Seeing her lightly sniffing the air, the woman moved further back.

“Hmph!” She turned her face away to look at the bright, empty street, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore, Sister.”

Her pouting manner tickled Li Fangge’s heart, making her forget about her headache.

She simply had no resistance to the sweet and adorable type.

Even though she knew she was someone else’s fiancée, the appreciation for beauty is like a sneeze—you can’t hold it back.

And that delicate little face, as soft as egg white—Li Fangge suddenly felt an urge to pinch it.

She had never had such a frivolous thought about any other woman—

“Alright, you should go back.” A hint of warmth entered Li Fangge’s voice.

Her words left a lingering sense of “see you again.”

The woman clearly understood her meaning and immediately responded, “Yes, I should go back now. But I will come back to find you, Sister Li, if you still don’t reply to my messages or come to find me—”

She was pouting and complaining again, full of grievance. This woman really was so soft and cute.

Seeing her look over again, Li Fangge reached into her pants pocket to get a tissue for her, but found it empty.

She simply left her hand in her pocket, looked up at the camphor tree, and said carelessly, “Wipe your eyes again.”

The woman’s long, curling lashes were still beaded with residual tears.

Li Fangge didn’t want anyone to think that she was the one who had made her cry.

“Hmph, meanie!”

Li Fangge withdrew her gaze and mimicked her, “Hmph! How is your sister mean?”

“You don’t come to find me, that’s very mean.”

This woman seemed to really love “her.”

Li Fangge shrugged helplessly and pulled her hand out of her pocket.

If the woman continued to act spoiled, she felt she might not be able to hold out and would surrender.

It was as if she had been charmed by something; she genuinely wanted the delicate, soft woman in front of her to be happy.

But she knew she couldn’t, so she said, “Then you should come and find your sister.”

The woman seemed to understand something and replied, “Will you bring me inside next time, Sister Li?”

She wiped her tears while looking toward the small, open door again.

“Isn’t it alright for Sister Yi to bring you in?”

“No, it’s not!”

“…Go on home quickly.”

“Sister Li, answer me.”

“Okay.”

The woman finally calmed down, and the smile returned to her eyes and the corners of her mouth.

Li Fangge felt that when she smiled, she resembled the moon.

The woman waved and turned to walk toward her car.

Only after watching the woman get into the car did Li Fangge turn and enter the courtyard.

The person who had been observing them from the upstairs window in the building to the front-left of the gate also lowered the curtain in their hand.

Now, Li Fangge needed Chen Qiaoyi to immediately bring her fiancée’s detailed information.

Just as she entered the house, Chen Qiaoyi appeared.

“Miss Heguo, you shouldn’t expose yourself so casually.” The impeccably dressed woman’s voice was still dry and devoid of emotion.

“What do you mean?”

“You couldn’t possibly not smell your own pheromones!”

Pheromones! What the hell?!

Li Fangge cursed internally, but her expression remained calm, “I’m used to it. I didn’t smell anything.”

On the contrary, she did smell something. Right now, a very faint bamboo leaf scent permeated their surroundings. Although faint, its presence was very strong, as if she were standing in a summer bamboo forest.

“It must be the result of getting too close to Miss Guan and being influenced by her.”

“???”

Was that delicate flower capable of that much?

Li Fangge remembered that they had maintained a distance of over one meter, and later she had even stepped back, increasing the distance—

Li Fangge was too lazy to explain. Since she was clueless, she simply acquiesced.

“I want her detailed information. Get it to me before lunch.”

“Miss Guan’s?”

“Yes.” After saying that, Li Fangge walked toward the stairs.

Now, she needed to take a shower to clear her head. It would be even better if the shower could wash her awake from this terrifyingly vivid and specific dream.

In the bathroom, tossing off her loose white shirt, Li Fangge realized that the fresh bamboo scent was truly emanating from her body.

The bathroom wasn’t small, but it was instantly filled with the clear fragrance of bamboo.

She wondered: Could this be my pheromone?

The bathroom gradually became like a bamboo forest just after a rain shower, the air heavy with a moist scent, carrying the unique freshness of the post-rain atmosphere—

She shook her head, walked over, and stood beneath the showerhead.

Adjusting the water temperature, she turned her back. The shower was facing a wall mirror. Hot water flowed down her slender shoulders and back. Li Fangge looked up at the mirror. Before the steam could fog it up, her young, spring-like body was fully visible: an elegant neck, long arms, a perfect bust, a fluid waistline, straight long legs, and slender bare feet…

Her eyes saw her own body,

But in her mind, she couldn’t suppress the image of that delicate flower’s face.

Her smiling eyes and her tone of feigned anger became incredibly clear.

And that unforgettable scent, infinitely close to orange blossom—was it truly emanating from that delicate flower?

Recalling that fragrance, something seemed to burst open inside Li Fangge’s body again.

A wave of heat immediately rose through her, and her blood vessels unknowingly turned into rushing streams.

She, who hadn’t felt worldly desire for a long time, erupted with fanciful thoughts. Her hands lost control and skillfully moved toward sensitive areas. She completely forgot that the water was still continuously flowing onto her snow-white skin. The bamboo fragrance in the bathroom gradually overpowered the scent of the bath products…

A call came from the center of her back neck.

Her right hand slid past her ear, through her loose strands of hair, and when it reached the back of her neck, her slender fingers touched an unusually soft spot.

The moment it was lightly touched by her fingertip, the soft spot on the back of her neck erupted outward in bursts of gorgeous music—

What is this thing?!

Startled, all of Li Fangge’s fanciful thoughts instantly retreated, and her dissipating consciousness immediately gathered itself.

She rushed to the mirror, turned her back to the glass, twisted her head, and couldn’t see it. She then hurried to the dressing table, picked up the handheld mirror, faced the main mirror, and angled the hand mirror behind her. Finally, she saw a flower, vividly colored like red lips, blooming at the center of the back of her neck. It looked unrealistically beautiful.

Her left finger unconsciously reached out and touched it again. The fanciful thoughts that had just receded surged back like a tide.

The shock of discovering the abnormality in her body was instantly and completely devoured. She let go of the mirror in a daze. The clear sound of it shattering on the floor failed to rescue her from the tide of desire—