After my mom remarried and we moved into the Crestwell residence, I suddenly found I could hear Wyatt Crestwell's thoughts.

"How can she be this cute? I like her so much!"

"Damn it, my old man had to go and marry Rory's mom. How am I supposed to go after Rory now?!"

Sitting on the sofa, the smile plastered on my face was painfully awkward.

Why is the school's famously aloof and ascetic Student Council President so secretly intense?!

1

I discovered that Wyatt Crestwell was not at all what he seemed.

I washed some grapes, put them on the coffee table, and called him over to eat. He deigned to lift his eyelids, giving me an aloof, "don't-even-think-about-getting-near-me" look.

But then his inner monologue went: "Ahhh, Rory asked me to eat grapes!"

"The grapes Rory washed must be especially sweet!"

"If Rory peeled a grape for me, I'd probably faint from happiness!"

Me: ???

Wyatt Crestwell, are you really the same cold, ascetic Student Council President who treats girls like they're poison?

To test him, I peeled a grape and tentatively held it out near his hand.

"Wyatt, want to try a grape?"

He didn't take it.

And his inner monologue was surprisingly petulant: "Why is she holding it out to my hand and not feeding it to me?"

"Is my hair not looking good today?"

"No, no, was my cool and handsome expression not convincing enough just now?"

"Ahhh, I want Rory to feed me!"

His mind was going into a full-blown melodrama, and the smile on my face was starting to feel strained. *Wyatt Crestwell, you sly fox. You hide it well, don't you?*

Actually lusting after your stepsister who you share no blood with whatsoever!

"Don't like them?"

I decided to tease him, pretending to be disappointed as I withdrew my hand.

I saw his expression shift, and just as he was about to reach out and snatch the grape, I quickly popped it into my own mouth. I let out a satisfied little sigh. "So sweet."

The handsome Mr. Crestwell looked instantly deflated.

He stared at me blankly, looking so wronged you could almost see the tears welling up.

I blinked innocently, then stood up with a smile. "Wyatt, the grapes are really sweet. You should peel some for yourself."

Hmph. First he just wanted me to peel it for him, then he wanted me to feed it to him.

He's so high-maintenance.

He can peel his own.

At dinnertime, my mom and Mr. Crestwell were both back.

Wyatt Crestwell sat across from me, his face a blank mask, looking completely unapproachable.

Mr. Crestwell frowned at him. "Why are you being so hostile to Rory?"

Huh?

I was completely bewildered. Had Wyatt been hostile to me?

But that guy just went along with it, sneering with a nasty arch of his eyebrow. "I'm not being hostile. But I have the right to dislike her."

Oh, playing tough, are we?

I like it.

I deliberately picked up a piece of pork ribs with my chopsticks and held it out timidly in front of him. "Wyatt, I got this for you. Please don't be mad, okay?"

Wyatt froze, and his thoughts came flooding in.

"Rory is so cute! I like her so much!"

"Crap, this stupid mouth of mine. I shouldn't have been so final with my words just now. I want the pork rib from Rory!"

"Come on, sweet Rory, just give the pork rib to Wyatt. I'll take you to school tomorrow!"

*Yikes.* What do you even call this kind of behavior from Wyatt Crestwell?

Secretly intense, I guess.

"If you don't say anything, Wyatt, I'll take it that you're not mad at me anymore."

Smiling, I placed the pork rib in Wyatt Crestwell's bowl. I saw him lower his head, his expression still stern, but the corners of his mouth were lifted high in a suppressed grin.

Inside, he was practically crying with emotion. "Rory is so kind! So cute!"

"Damn it, my old man had to go and marry Rory's mom. How am I supposed to go after Rory now?!"

*Heh, already thinking that far ahead?*

*Just you wait, you little punk. We'll see if you don't give me a ride on your bicycle to school tomorrow.*

2

Wyatt Crestwell was a man of his word.

The next morning, he really did take me to school on his bicycle.

A gentle breeze fluttered my skirt as I sat on the back of Wyatt Crestwell's bicycle, clutching my backpack.

A deliriously happy voice once again sounded in my ears.

'How is Rory so light? No, I have to make her eat more at night from now on. Wouldn't she be so cute if she were a little chubby?'

I...

I really had him to thank for that!

'I'm so young and beautiful, why would I want to get fat?'

I glared daggers at the back of his head, cursing him internally. 'Don't you dare jinx me into getting fat!'

The next second, Wyatt Crestwell slammed on the brakes, and my nose smashed right into his back.

What the—!

'Did he do that on purpose?'

'Ahhh, Rory actually reached out and hugged me! I'm so happy, so excited! If I'd known, I would've only worn one layer today.'

'This is ridiculous.'

I glanced down at my hands, still clutching the hem of his shirt. If he hadn't suddenly braked, would I have instinctively grabbed onto him?

'Can't this guy be a little more rational?'

"You're so heavy, I can barely keep the bike steady."

Me?

'How can he say one thing and think another?'

Fine, I can be proud too. With a huff, I hopped off the bicycle and started striding ahead.

'As if I'd let Wyatt Crestwell give me a ride now!'

'Why did Rory just walk off on her own? Oh no, were my words too harsh just now? Is Rory angry? How am I supposed to coax her?'

I heard the panic in Wyatt Crestwell's voice again.

'Hmph. Good, I want you to worry.'

'You big, proud idiot.'

'It serves you right!'

The next second, Wyatt Crestwell had already caught up to me on his bike, riding alongside me.

I glanced at Wyatt Crestwell out of the corner of my eye, waiting for him to apologize, but unexpectedly, he spoke with cold indifference.

"If you're not afraid of being late, then go ahead and walk."

After saying that, a certain proud boy rode off on his bike without a second glance.

Seriously??

'He really left?'

I threw a flurry of punches at Wyatt Crestwell's retreating back.

After calming down, I had no choice but to walk to school, all the while cursing Wyatt Crestwell in my head.

Despite all the elaborate thoughts running through his head, he could still be so heartless.

But, complaints aside.

Deep down, I still kind of liked Wyatt Crestwell.

I even felt a sense of relief; thank goodness Wyatt Crestwell couldn't hear my thoughts. Otherwise, wouldn't he find out about my feelings for him?

In a way, our feelings are mutual, but various real-world reasons are keeping us from being together.

And that's not even mentioning Wyatt Crestwell's damn cold and aloof personality.

And now that my mom is with his dad, it's even more impossible for us!

Otherwise, wouldn't it be straight-up incest?

Even though we're not actually related by blood.

But if word got out, people wouldn't care whether Wyatt Crestwell and I are actual siblings or not. And I don't want people to gossip about my mom and badmouth her because of this.

Besides, Wyatt Crestwell is genuinely cold and aloof.

He's considered a big shot at school, but that icy poker face of his has scared off plenty of junior girls.

If I couldn't hear his thoughts, I'd be a little intimidated by Wyatt Crestwell too.

: Lovesick Brain

3

Even though I'd figured out that Wyatt Crestwell and I were clearly in a case of mutual pining—and our feelings for each other were practically unstoppable—there was a problem.

The problem now was this!

There was absolutely no way for us to make a breakthrough!

Wyatt Crestwell was impossibly cold and aloof. Waiting for him to make the first move would be like waiting for the sky to fall and the universe to collapse.

I couldn't help but get a headache.

When I got to school, I saw a crowd gathered in front of the notice board, looking at something.

It had nothing to do with me, anyway.

If my name ever appeared on the notice board, I'd probably wake up from my sleep laughing.

Just then, my best friend, Tiana Shaw, waved me over. "Hurry, come look! The early admissions list is out."

The early admissions list?

That had even less to do with me.

I really didn't want to join the crowd. What was the point of getting all sweaty in a mob?

But right at that moment, I heard my best friend yell, "Oh my God, Wyatt Crestwell got early admission to Northwood Graduate School!"

Huh?

Wyatt Crestwell?

Northwood Graduate School?

As if I'd been shot with adrenaline, I plunged straight into the crowd.

When I saw with my own two eyes that the very first name on the honor roll was Wyatt Crestwell, my mind went blank.

I had to admit, Wyatt Crestwell was truly outstanding.

Whether it was his academics or his looks, he was simply exceptional.

Even now, living with him, I hadn't found a single flaw in him.

The guy would come out for breakfast in the morning already completely showered and dressed; I'd never even seen him look the least bit sloppy.

Except for—

his rich inner drama.

On the way to the classroom with my best friend, I remained silent.

My mind was racing. 'Now that Wyatt Crestwell is going to Northwood, what am I going to do?'

'If we can't see each other anymore, how the hell is our relationship supposed to go anywhere?'

'Is our mutual pining just going to die a quiet death like this?'

My best friend chattered on, still fawning over Wyatt Crestwell.

"I seriously wonder what kind of girl will end up with a cold, handsome god like him. I'm so excited to see!"

"Do you think maybe Wyatt Crestwell doesn't like girls at all? I mean, a guy that perfect seems more like the original template for humanity."

I snorted inwardly.

'Doesn't like girls, my foot. He's totally smitten, okay?'

It's just that our relationship was currently at a freezing point.

Now, he was off to Northwood for grad school, while I was here looking for a job.

This must be the gap between people they talk about, right?

It's true what they say: comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable!

My best friend didn't know that Wyatt Crestwell and I were family now, so she was still going on about how good the genes in his family must be.

All I could think was, 'Leave me out of it.'

Soon, the annual Spring Recruitment Fair began.

I'd been so focused on my senior thesis that I was completely clueless now that it was time to find a job. I even had to pull an all-nighter just to throw my resume together.

In the morning, I was frantically editing my resume, sporting two huge dark circles and chewing on a piece of toast.

No matter how I looked at it, something felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Just then, Wyatt Crestwell walked past behind me.

He sat down beside me, looking as calm as a summer breeze, but inwardly his mind was a raging tempest.

'Is Rory working on her resume? The Spring Recruitment Fair is about to start. Why is she pulling all-nighters to do it? It breaks my heart to see her like this!'

'This color scheme is way too gaudy. How should I tell her?'

Hmm?

Gaudy color scheme?

I held my laptop screen further away and realized he was right.

It was all pinks and yellows. A single glance was aesthetically exhausting.

This guy… he knew his stuff.

I cleared my throat and deliberately scooted closer to Wyatt with my laptop.

"Wyatt, could you help me take a look at my resume and see if there are any other problems?"

'Since we're family, why should I be polite?'

In contrast to my coy act on the surface, Wyatt's mind was now exploding with excitement.

'Rory actually came to me for help!'

'Maybe I should just rewrite her resume for her? It's not like it's hard.'

I immediately shoved the laptop into his arms. 'Yes, please!'

The next second, I met Wyatt Crestwell's confused gaze.

'Oops, can't let him find out.'

"Wyatt, you have more experience with this stuff, so please take a good look for me. If I get a job, I'll treat you to dinner!"

The allure of a free meal was unbelievably effective.

I could feel the little man inside Wyatt's head practically jumping for joy.

'Rory wants to treat me to dinner? Does that mean a world for just the two of us?'

'Rory is too good to me. Could it be… that Rory likes me?'

I found it hilarious and had to turn away to hide my smile.

After all, who would have thought that the normally cold and aloof guy was secretly so obsessed with romance?

But I had to hand it to him, Wyatt Crestwell was truly diligent. He went ahead and completely redesigned my resume for me.

The new resume had a simple, minimalist style in light blue, and it was a soothing sight to behold.

Anyone who didn't know better would think it was made by some industry tycoon.

"Thanks, Wyatt! You're the best!"

I gave him a sly grin and laid the flattery on thick.

Sure enough, I heard his inner voice again.

'Rory praised me! I'm so happy!'

Just then, Mom came out carrying two glasses of warm milk. Seeing Wyatt Crestwell and me getting along so well must have made her feel even more pleased.

"Rory, you should really learn from your brother. He just got early admission into Northwood Graduate School, you know."

I nodded perfunctorily. Growing up, Wyatt Crestwell had always been the model child every parent compared their own kid to.

I usually just let those kinds of comments go in one ear and out the other.