Uncle Neighbor Is My Husband!

"Let's break up, I'm tired of you!"

"Vaughn Obrien, you... what did you just say?"

"I said let's break up! Are you deaf?"

Jasmine Evans looked at the man standing before her, unable to believe what she had just heard. He came to tell her they were breaking up? Seriously! They had only known each other for a month?

Jasmine Evans and Vaughn Obrien attended the same university. She studied Economics, and he was in the Information Technology department. He was a senior, one year ahead of her. They met at an arts and culture exchange between departments at the university.

It was like love at first sight, immediately liking each other. Standing next to each other for a while, they talked a few words and then exchanged phone numbers. Once home, they texted, video called, and spent the entire evening chatting, leading to a romantic relationship.

But as fast as they fell in love, they broke up even faster!

"Why are we breaking up?" Jasmine asked Vaughn, tilting her head up.

Just three days ago, they had gone to a movie and had a great time eating out. But today, just after school, he had run to her to break up.

Isn't that frustrating? Jasmine needed to know the reason!

"I have a new girlfriend now. Please stop following me around!"

Vaughn said this as he took out his phone and showed her a picture he took with another girl. Jasmine immediately recognized her. It was none other than Lizbeth Owens - the hot girl who had just transferred to the Economics department at their school, recently famous all over social media. Jasmine sneered at the photo on Vaughn's phone. They looked too close! Arms around each other, faces close together. Oh my, she wondered how long Vaughn had been secretly cheating on her?

Her friends had warned her about Vaughn being a playboy, but Jasmine didn't listen. Sure, he was handsome and funny. And she fell hard for him!

Love is blind, but when someone wants to "kick" you to the curb, Jasmine didn't care. Breaking up wasn't the end of the world. If not him, then someone else.

Thinking this, she shouted:

"Fine, get lost and out of my sight. Don't come back crying and begging to get back together."

"Dream on." Vaughn scoffed, then turned on his heel and left.

Jasmine didn't bother looking back at him. She shrugged her shoulders as if shedding a burden, then walked off in the opposite direction.

She pretended it was nothing, but Jasmine still felt annoyed. What did she lack compared to that hot girl? Yet Vaughn left her for her.

"Hey, Jasmine..."

Suddenly, someone called her name from behind. Jasmine wasn't in a good mood and couldn't distinguish who it was. She thought it was that damned guy coming back to tease her, so she quickly turned around and flung her thick notebook at the person in front...

Thwack! It hit right on target!

"Damn it, what crazy thing are you doing now?"

The man gently touched his nose, his handsome face contorted in pain. He stared at Jasmine with eyes wide as if he wanted to devour her.

Jasmine swallowed, her eyes wide as she saw Richard Thompson walking towards her. She instinctively stepped back, yet her tone remained strong:

"Eh, old man... what are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you home. Oh... Jasmine! How many times have I told you not to call me Uncle anymore, do you hear?" He suddenly raised his voice, quickening his pace toward her. Before Jasmine could react further, he lifted her and hurried toward the white Audi parked nearby.

"Let go, you old man, let me go..." She punched his shoulder hard, but it made no difference. Jasmine helplessly watched as the man stuffed her into the car, carefully buckled her seatbelt, and then sped away.

What kind of cursed day is this? It's truly like hitting a watermelon and stepping on a coconut shell!

"The Evans family has a private chauffeur, who needs you to take me home?"

Jasmine crossed her arms in front of her chest, pursing her lips to show her displeasure. Where does he get the audacity to be so domineering?

Richard Thompson, this thirty-four-year-old man, is Jasmine's next-door neighbor. She is fifteen years younger than him, yet Grandfather Evans still feels they are a perfect match, constantly trying to arrange their marriage, even promising her to him. Jasmine knew Grandfather did this because of a promise made to Richard's father decades ago.

The year Richard was born, Grandfather Jasmine had firmly promised Randall Thompson that he would marry his daughter to his son. Unfortunately, Grandfather Evans had four sons but no daughters. Thus, the promise made years ago to the Thompson family remained unfulfilled!

Jasmine's father is the third son, with two more uncles below him. Her three eldest uncle got married and had children, but all had sons. Jasmine is the only granddaughter, and Grandfather loves her dearly. Apart from teasing her with Richard, he dotes on her in everything else.

Richard was focusing on driving when he glanced at Jasmine. Seeing her glare at him, he hurriedly explained everything.

Jasmine's parents are very busy. Her father works in the foreign service, often traveling abroad. Her mother is an emergency room doctor, frequently on night shifts at the hospital. This afternoon, Grandfather Evans went to the senior club, where some old friends invited him to dinner at a restaurant. Fearing Jasmine would be lonely, he entrusted her to Richard, asking him to pick her up from school and take her out somewhere for dinner before going home.

Grandfather Evans did this, hoping Jasmine would grow closer to Richard. He well knew how much Richard liked her and cared for her. Yet his granddaughter remained indifferent to him, sometimes driving the old man to the brink of madness.

This wasn't the first time Grandfather had entrusted Jasmine to Richard. But with Grandfather's arrangements, she dared not object. Grandfather Evans was getting on in years, and she feared upsetting him would affect his health.

"So, where would you like to go before dinner?" he asked.

After thinking for a moment, Jasmine asked him to take her for ice cream. Simply because she loved ice cream, especially strawberry flavor! When happy, she'd eat it; when sad, she'd still indulge. And when just dumped, she definitely needed to eat a lot, just to spite!

They both entered the café and chose a quiet, airy corner at the back to sit down. After Jasmine ordered a large strawberry ice cream, it slightly soothed the sting from Vaughn's recent breakup with her. Unexpectedly, the man sitting opposite her, oblivious to the nuances of the situation, innocently stirred things up:

"What got into you earlier? Surely Vaughn didn't dump you, did he?"

"Damn it, Richard! How dare you bring that up again, I'll knock your teeth out!"

Jasmine clenched her fist, threatening the handsome face before her. Richard burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming with amusement:

"Really? How many times have I told you? You can tell at a glance that guy's no good. Wouldn't you be better off listening to me and dumping him sooner?"

He smirked arrogantly, his judgment of people never having been wrong.

"Cheerful about my breakup, are you? Heartless old man!" Jasmine pouted, visibly upset.

The server brought their ice cream. She bowed her head and took several spoonfuls in quick succession. Thinking about Vaughn cheating on her added fuel to her anger. Despite many pursuing her previously, Jasmine hadn't been easy to win over. This time, she had inadvertently fallen for a philanderer.

Fortunately, Jasmine hadn't lost much. Having dated only a month and barely beyond holding hands, Vaughn had no chance for more as Jasmine would shy away at critical moments.

"That jerk just dumped me and is already seeing someone else. Isn't that infuriating? And that girl isn't even better than me!"

After venting, Jasmine tried to show Lizbeth's photo on her phone, but it phone was out of battery. Understanding, he lent her his.

"What's your phone's password?" she asked while eating her ice cream.

Halfway through her large bowl, Richard's remained untouched. He smiled and replied succinctly:

"Your birthday."

"You idiot! Why would you use my birthday as your password?" She scolded him, yet her fingers entered her birthday into his phone.

Logging into Richard's account, it was predictably bland. He didn't even bother to set a profile picture and only followed Jasmine on social media.

She soon found Lizbeth's account, who had just posted a photo with Vaughn at the movies, clearly to provoke Jasmine.

Lizbeth was in the same class as Jasmine. Just two days earlier, she had casually passed by Jasmine and Vaughn, falsely complimenting how cute they looked together. Such a pretender!

"Look at this, does she have anything on me? All that flashy makeup and she's not even prettier than me."

Richard stared at the phone screen intently, then nodded slowly:

"She's got you beat. This girl has bigger breasts, a curvier behind, just look at her, not like you... flat as a wall!" He glanced down at her chest critically.

Jasmine fumed at his crude comment, promptly stuffing the ice cream spoon into Richard's mouth to shut him up. The nerve of him to insult her figure like that!

Indeed, she might be small, but surely not to the extent he described! Perhaps Jasmine's body was just a late bloomer? Just wait a few more years, her chest would definitely grow larger.

But no matter what, who gave him the right to criticize her? Jasmine bit her lip, fuming:

"No matter how flat it might be, it's none of your business to comment. Hmph, such a tactless and rude old man!"

Richard smirked and scoffed, glaring at Jasmine. Suddenly, she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, his teeth and brain freezing instantly.

Seeing Jasmine's anger, he softened his tone:

"I was just joking earlier, your chest isn't flat like a wall at all! Besides, I never said I liked them big. Small and cute, fitting right in my hand is just fine."

Jasmine's face heated up with embarrassment, glaring at Richard. Damn it! This uncle becomes more perverse the more he talks.

"Who said you could touch? You better focus on your ice cream, it's melting. Or don't you want it? If so, I can eat it for you." She licked her lips, looking at her empty ice cream bowl then at Richard's.

He scooped a spoonful of ice cream from his bowl, bringing it close to Jasmine along with the only fresh strawberry. She leaned forward, opening her mouth wide to take the spoonful from him. Her greedy look made Richard laugh out loud.

Thinking of Jasmine's bizarre way of addressing him, which he had tried and failed to correct many times, Richard nagged:

"Who else calls someone uncle while referring to themselves in such a manner? Change the way you address people! Wouldn't it sound better to call me Richard once?"

Jasmine puffed her cheeks, shaking her head in refusal. As if! Richard was fifteen years older than her.

"Not going to happen. You're fifteen years older, 'uncle' is appropriate."

Richard clasped his forehead in exasperation. Damn it! Does age really matter that much? They didn't look that mismatched when walking together. If he didn't say it, who would guess he was fifteen years older than her? Richard was still incredibly handsome, after all!

"Stubborn thing. One day when I marry you, I'll find a way to deal with you."

"Ha, as if I'd marry you? You're not only silly but delusional!"

"You're the silly one. Always uncle this, uncle that... I want to be your husband, not your uncle!" Richard suddenly leaned in and tapped Jasmine on the head. The girl was good at mouthing off at him.

He tapped lightly, but Jasmine clutched her forehead as if in great pain, turning away in a sulk.

Richard frowned, Jasmine was nineteen already but acted like a three-year-old. But what could he do? He really liked this childish side of hers.

"There, there... Naughty hand for tapping your forehead. Let me discipline it. Don't be mad anymore, cute Jasmine, how about I take you out for some delicious food now?" He spoke while playfully smacking his right hand with his left. Seeing this, she couldn't help but laugh, calling him silly was not wrong at all!

In front of others, Richard was extremely serious, even somewhat unapproachable and intimidating, making people uneasy. But when he was with Jasmine, he became such a chatty uncle.

After paying, Richard took her to a renowned restaurant in the city. Jasmine looked at the thick menu and happily ordered several of her favorite dishes.

"What will you have, uncle?"

"Whatever you order, I'll have."

"Oh... Then let me order some more for you. I only ordered for myself just now."

Richard's lips twitched, thinking he must have misheard. How could she eat all those dishes by herself? Unbelievable!

Seeing his baffled look, Jasmine gave him a sidelong glance. She pouted and said:

"Are you criticizing me for eating a lot?"

"No, no... I'm not criticizing. You can eat more, I actually like you plump."

While the server was still standing there, Richard once again showed his rascally side. Jasmine had no choice but to pretend she didn't hear those comments. She turned to the server with a smile and ordered more food for him.

After finishing dinner past seven o'clock, Richard took Jasmine to a nearby park for a walk to cool down before driving her back to the Evans' house.

Jasmine waved goodbye to him before entering the house. Grandfather Evans was sitting in the living room and quickly called her over to talk.

"Back from hanging out with Richard? Did you have fun?"

"It was great. How about you, Grandpa? Did you have fun leaving your granddaughter for someone else?" She playfully retorted.

"You only get smart when you're teasing me." Grandpa pointed at Jasmine and laughed heartily.

She poured a cup of lotus tea and respectfully offered it to Grandfather Evans. The two sat down and chatted for a while, with him telling Jasmine about the activities at the senior citizens' club, then the conversation turned to her and Richard.

"What's wrong with Thompson's boy? From his personality to his career, I like everything about him. Such a capable and virtuous man, what are you hesitating for?"

Jasmine didn't know what to say; she just felt that the age difference between them was too great for a romantic relationship or marriage. Richard was fifteen years older than her! It seemed fine now, but in ten or twenty years, she wasn't sure.

Jasmine wasn't too concerned about appearances, but it was his temperament she was worried about. People say the older you get, the more irritable you become, and that scared her.

Richard would age before her, and obviously, his temper would worsen before hers. Jasmine wasn't foolish enough to endure that!

She shared her thoughts with Grandfather Evans, who flicked her arm in response. He said:

"You silly girl, thinking such absurd things. Look at this old man, nearly seventy this year, do you see me being difficult?"

Jasmine shrugged lightly and quickly made an excuse:

"Who knows. What if my grandpa is different from others? Anyway, I don't like marrying someone much older! It will be hard to please them as they get older."

This morning Jasmine had two Foreign Language classes in the lecture hall. She hurriedly had breakfast with her mother and Grandfather Evans, then got ready to go to school.

Richard, unbeknownst to her, was already waiting at the Evans' gate, offering to drive her to school. Jasmine declined, but her grandfather and mother did not!

They even enthusiastically supported the idea. She didn't know how Richard had managed to make her whole family so fond of him.

"Come on, hurry up, don't make Richard wait!" Her mother urged her. After speaking, she also went to her room to get her coat, preparing to go to the hospital.

Jasmine quickly grabbed three strawberry milk cartons and put them in her backpack before running out to Richard. He thoughtfully helped her buckle up before turning the key to start the car.

Richard was still dressed in his usual familiar black suit. Jasmine watched his focused manner of driving, so intently that she didn't blink.

Richard looked like he was carved from stone! Whether it was the features on his face or his physique, he was mesmerizing to behold.

His deep black eyes and thick, alluring eyebrows. Coupled with a straight nose and thin, pale pink lips, Jasmine found herself unable to look away.

"Better wipe that drool off. It's about to drip down your chin."

She was startled by his comment, instinctively wiping her mouth, though there was no drool. Richard had tricked her, and he was clearly enjoying the moment. She huffed and turned her face away, no longer paying him any attention.

"Why stop looking? Go on, I won't charge you!"

"Enough, I'm bored of it. You should focus on driving." Jasmine fiddled with her fingers, too embarrassed to look directly at Richard while speaking.

He stopped teasing Jasmine. He might act tough, but he knew she was easily embarrassed. Just a little teasing would turn her face bright red.

The car stopped in front of Willowcrest University's gate, but Jasmine didn't hurry out. She took a strawberry milk box from her backpack and handed it to Richard.

"Have this when you're tired at work. Thanks for the ride, old man."

Richard laughed, touched by her sudden care. He half-expected a storm to brew later given the unusual nicety! He wanted to jump for joy, but kept his composure.

"No thanks needed. I was on the way to the Thompson Corporation anyway, so I gave you a ride."

Jasmine wasn't fooled by Richard's lie. To get to the Thompson Corporation, one had to take a different road, yet he claimed it was on the way.

Truth was lie!

Jasmine rearranged the items in her backpack, accidentally letting Richard see the two remaining boxes of strawberry milk. He raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"Are you going to drink both boxes yourself? Or... are you bringing them for someone else?"

"What does it have to do with you?" she retorted.

Richard nodded subconsciously, a trace of sadness crossing his face. At this moment, they were just neighbors. He had no right to pry.

Jasmine blinked, puzzled by Richard's sudden silence. Had her earlier words hurt him? Damn it! To think such a strong man could be so fragile!