Chapter 2

After saying that, I turned on my heel and left Colin's embrace, waving at him, and said, "See you later, I'm just going next door," and before leaving, I threw him a flirtatious wink.

Colin was momentarily stunned, clearly bewildered by my actions.

I couldn't help but feel smug inside.

That was what you got for ignoring me!

But unexpectedly, he quickly said, "Oh, I think I'm not feeling great, so I can't soak in the hot springs. How about we go grab a coffee?"

What?! He had totally broken my script, how infuriating! Just wait for it!

We went to the resting area. I sat on the tatami mat, leaning back on my hands, and naturally stretched my feet towards Colin's legs.

Colin paused while pouring coffee, then continued to sip his drink, though his eyes stayed fixed on me.

I nudged his foot with my toes, but Colin kept staring at me.

No refusal meant acceptance, so my toes grew bolder, tracing up his calf.

"Ahem!" Colin grabbed my ankle, his eyes dangerously locked on mine, saying, "Don't mess around."

His breathing had grown heavier, and it seemed my plan was working.

I stifled a laugh, blinking innocently as if I didn't understand, and said, "Did I touch you somewhere?"

Colin could see that I was pretending, but since we were in a public space, he couldn't do much.

He tightened his grip on my ankle, his thumb brushing against my skin, sending a shiver through me.

As Colin's gaze grew more intense, I sensed trouble and pouted, saying, "You're hurting me."

Colin snapped back to reality and released my foot. I quickly pulled it back, glancing at my silent phone and giving him an apologetic smile, and said, "Sorry, my friend's dog is in the hospital. I need to go check on it. Let's reschedule."

With such a flimsy excuse, Colin's face darkened.

That was exactly the effect I wanted! as the saying goes, the grass was always greener on the other side, and someone only appreciated what couldn't have, so by keeping Colin's interest in me, I could maintain the upper hand in this game.

From that day on, I stopped initiating contact with Colin, but Colin seemed to grow impatient, occasionally posting enticing photos on social media such as gym shots, and post-shower selfies, without any likes or comments from others.

I had a reasonable suspicion that these photos were visible only to me, because he was trying to lure me in.

But no matter how much I tried to arrange a date, Colin wouldn't agree to come out, for his sense of revenge was quite strong.

Ha, man! Colin had successfully caught my attention, and I started posting too.

Like bathtub leg shots, fitting room selfies, all with captions hinting at wanting a relationship, and they weren't just visible to Colin.

Although Colin never commented, I could sense a hint of jealousy in his tone from our daily chats.

For instance, when I shared a post about having afternoon tea, with a photo of little cakes, Colin messaged me asking to exchange birthdays and what gifts I liked.

I told him I liked LEGO.

"Lego sounds great, especially the limited editions with collectible value. But only someone like me could afford them. If you beg me, and I'll gift you one." Colin replied.

Begging was out of the question, but his tactic of boasting about his wealth and generosity while eliminating potential threats was clear, and that was classic male courtship behavior.

I planned to continue this way until he asked me out first, but unexpectedly, I was the first to crack.

The reason for all this was that Jarrod's birthday was coming up, and he invited the whole classmates to a birthday party, including me.

Given my previous attempts to win over Jarrod, everyone was eager to see the drama between Jarrod and me.

The love for a spectacle seemed to be the nature of everyone, of course, some were hoping to see me embarrassed.

But since I was now pursuing Colin, it was best to erase the embarrassing history of being his brother's sucker.

The best solution was to bring Colin along and claim he was my boyfriend, although it might be a cliché, if it worked, it worked.

I messaged Colin, asking him to accompany me to a party, and such a hint of wanting to introduce him to my friends, I couldn't believe he wouldn't accept.

Colin replied, "Sorry, I have an event to attend that day."

He actually refused!

Wait a minute! Could it be that Colin was also going to Jarrod's birthday party? but since they were brothers, attending would be normal.

I asked him directly.

Colin replied, "No way, I have a work event. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't go."

Their relationship was as strained as the rumors suggested, but this meant I would be the laughingstock at the party!

I gritted my teeth and typed, "What time does your event end? I want you to come with me," and then I sent a pleading emoji.

Colin's chat bubble showed "typing..." for a long time, but there was no reply.

Fine! If you were heartless, didn't blame me for being ruthless!

I quickly typed out a message and sent it to him, "Colin, you wouldn't want people to know about your old pervy habits, would you?"