My eccentric cousin, Janet Gabriel, had an admirer, who was a super-rich young man.

But Janet didn't want to let the man get her so easily, so she pretended to introduce him to me.

She wanted to test that man's feelings for her.

However, things didn't go as Janet had planned.

I got along well with that man, but Janet kept interfering. In the end, she found that the man actually had feelings for me.

Then, she spread rumors among relatives, saying that I stole her boyfriend.

She even held a family meeting to criticize me.

I thought, All right. Since that's the case, then I'll fight for him.

——

Through the restaurant window, I saw Janet and a young man already sitting inside, so I quickly pushed the door and walked in.

When Janet saw me enter, she waved enthusiastically at me, and the man next to her also looked at me.

That man sat next to Janet, and there seemed to be a special intimacy between them.

Janet was as beautiful as ever.

She had an oval face, delicate features, and long wavy hair. Her princess dress with ruffled edges didn't make her look childish at all. Instead, it set off her fair skin and cute appearance, making her look like a beautiful princess.

She was my aunt's only daughter and had grown up in the pampering of the family. Janet's parents ran a hotel, so she had a good family background and could get almost everything she wanted since she was a child.

Janet had always had many admirers, many of whom were rich and noble, but she had always been like a proud princess, not saying yes to anyone.

When I stood next to Janet, it was probably like Cinderella standing next to a real princess. But I was open-minded and didn't intend to pursue that kind of glory at all.

The day before yesterday, when I was busy with my work, I received a call from Janet. She said that she wanted to introduce an excellent young man to me. I initially wanted to refuse, but she kept persuading me, so I reluctantly agreed in the end.

Like the other members of my big family, I always unconsciously said yes to Janet. After all, people could rarely refuse a beauty.

Actually, it wasn't that I was uninterested in men, but I really didn't believe blind dates.

I was 26 years old this year. After I graduated from university, people around me were like matchmakers and were enthusiastic about introducing good men to me. Every time they introduced a man, they said it was a perfect man. But when I actually met the other party of the blind date, I was always disappointed because those "matchmakers" weren't telling the truth at all.

Through those blind dates, I met some weird people, such as a stingy man, a pretentious man, a bragger, a selfish man, a timid and silent man, and so on.

Therefore, after having a few blind dates, I became a little reluctant to it.

When I just sat down, Janet started introducing us to each other.

"Lydia, this is my good friend, Cecil Bainbridge. I told you about him before. He is now working at his family's company and is two years older than you. He's young, promising, and very outstanding."

I looked at the man next to Janet. Cecil had a good appearance and was well-dressed. What was a little surprising to me was that he looked like he had a good temper.

I thought incredulously, Such a good man is still single? Does he have no admirers at all? How's that possible? Is he really my blind date? Me?

But I kept the doubts in my heart and didn't say anything. I just smiled and nodded at Cecil.

Janet turned to introduce me to Cecil enthusiastically.

"Cecil, my cousin, Lydia Flint, is also very capable. She has been a good student since she was a child. She's very cute, and her parents love her very much."

Hearing this, Cecil looked at me seriously and politely nodded at me.

Honestly, I had a good first impression of Cecil.

Janet said that she had known Cecil for a long time, and they had a good relationship. They often hang out together.

I didn't often see Janet, but I knew that she liked showing off. However, I had never heard of Cecil from her before.

Throughout the dinner, Janet was constantly speaking. She was used to being the center of attention wherever she went. After all, almost everyone liked to listen to her.

Every smile and gesture of a beauty was charming, especially when the beauty knew how to speak beautifully. Janet tried her best to match me with Cecil at the dinner, sometimes saying that we were a perfect match, and sometimes saying that we were her closest friends and family. It looked like she really hoped that Cecil and I could be together.

I smiled as I listened to Janet speak, not saying much. Cecil was also very quiet. His gaze was gentle. It was a kind of gentleness that I couldn't describe.

When ordering dishes, Cecil carefully asked if I had any dietary restrictions. But before I could say anything, Janet answered Cecil's question for me.

Actually, what Janet said was not what I liked. It was just that every time I ate with her, she would order whatever she liked to eat, and I would accommodate her. That was why Janet thought that she knew my food preferences.

I liked spicy food, but Janet didn't like them at all. I liked to eat meat, but Janet only ate chicken and fish. I liked food with a stronger flavor, but Janet only ate vegetables and lightly cooked food.

I didn't want to cause any trouble in front of others, so I didn't say anything and just went along with it.

We finished a meal in a harmonious atmosphere. I didn't eat much, but Janet was very satisfied with this meal.

Just as we walked out of the restaurant, Janet gave Cecil a signal with her eyes.

Then, she said to us, "I have something else to do. You two can have a walk together or do something else."

Looking at Janet's receding figure, I felt a bit anxious. I subconsciously looked at Cecil, who smiled at me kindly. He suggested watching a movie.

When I looked at Cecil's handsome face and warm smile, my heart suddenly skipped a beat. I said to myself in my heart, Maybe he'll be a good choice.

There was a small episode when Cecil and I were choosing a movie. He asked me what type of movie I wanted to watch, and I said I didn't mind. I let him decide.

It was a normal conversation, but Cecil was surprised. I saw him smile lightly and say, "You and Janet are quite different."

I thought to myself, Is he implying that I'm not an independent girl? But he doesn't seem like he means it.

In the end, we chose an action movie that Cecil liked. I didn't usually come to the cinema to watch movies, and I didn't have any particular preferences, so it was fine for me.

At least, one of us could watch what he liked, and that was good enough.

The movie started. It was a big Hollywood production with impressive scenes. But to be honest, I usually watched this kind of movie just for fun and didn't have much of a feeling about it.

But Cecil was very focused. When he saw exciting scenes, he would be very excited. I noticed a few times that he wanted to turn his head and share something with me, but he held back.

I thought he didn't want to disturb me while I was watching this movie.

I could see that he really wanted to share something with me, so I took the initiative to say that the movie was quite good.

Cecil immediately became very happy, and a childlike joy instantly appeared in his eyes. He gave me a big smile.

He said, "Right? You also think this is impressive, right?"

I replied, "Yeah. It's indeed very impressive. It's also quite interesting."

I looked at Cecil's innocent smile and felt a bit envious.

At his age, he still had such a childish side. I thought he must have been well protected by the people around him.

This was also a kind of happiness.

Somehow, I suddenly recalled my childhood.

Actually, Janet was quite special in my heart.

I knew we should be close, but I just couldn't feel that way.

Janet and I were the only two girls in our generation of the family.

We should be very close to each other, but somehow, she always liked to show that she was superior to me in front of others since childhood.

My father, Ronald Flint, had four siblings. Only my aunt, Marlene Flint, was the female among them, so she had been spoiled since childhood. As Marlene's only daughter, Janet was the most precious grandchild of our grandma, Georgina Flint.

But Georgina had a very bad attitude towards my mom, Patricia Flint. She used to complain that my mom couldn't get pregnant with a boy, and she even thought that the girl my mom gave birth to didn't look good.

Ronald was an honest and kind man. But he was too obedient to her mom, Georgina. He had always told me to be considerate of Janet and not to make Georgina unhappy.

But I was the younger one. As the elder one, shouldn't Janet take care of her younger sister, which was me?

Janet was indeed likable. She had been beautiful since she was young.

When Janet and I went back to the village together for the summer vacation, the neighbors only played with Janet. Whenever they got something delicious, they would give it to Janet first, and I could only stand awkwardly on the side, swallowing my saliva.

Georgina once said I was a boring girl who was not well-liked.

But I was just afraid of being looked down upon by others.

Compared to me, Janet excelled in everything. In order not to let my grandma say any bad words to my mom because of me, I had to study hard.

Because studying was the only thing I was good at. I went from a key middle school to a key university through hard work, finally gaining recognition through my own efforts.

Under Patricia's repeated warnings, Ronald no longer blindly catered to Georgina and tried his best to meet all my needs.

I knew that I looked ordinary, but my appearance was given by my parents. I never complained or felt sorry for myself. I believed that a person's character and thoughts mattered more than their appearance.

Beautiful people like Janet deserved favor because the Creator had put too much effort into creating her.

In the second half of the movie, Cecil became much more relaxed. He was no longer as restrained and shy as before. Instead, he began to happily discuss the plot with me.

I patiently listened to him and smiled at him from time to time. He became more relaxed, and the smile on his face hadn't faded for a long time.

Looking at Cecil's side face, I suddenly felt that he was quite cute.

When I got home at night, Janet asked me on WhatsApp how the things between me and Cecil went. I replied, [Not bad.] After a long time, I finally got a reply from Janet.

[Oh, that's good.]

I didn't think much about it. After putting down my phone, I went to bed.

The next day, I thought that since Cecil had invited me to watch a movie, I should also invite him to something else in return.

So, I asked if Cecil could have dinner with me tonight, and he readily agreed.

Cecil said he could come to pick me up at the company, and I didn't refuse. Since I planned to get to know him, it was always good to spend more time with him.

To know someone's character, one needed to observe their words and actions from multiple perspectives.

However, when Cecil arrived, there was actually another person sitting in the passenger seat. It was Janet.

I was a little confused at the time and didn't understand what was going on.

But Janet said to me with a perfect smile, "Lydia, I'm so bored. Can I join you for dinner?"

Cecil glanced at me and was somewhat embarrassed, but he didn't say anything in opposition.

Before long, Cecil and Janet began to chat happily.

I sat in the back seat silently, looking at the scenery outside the window. Just like that day in the restaurant, the space was filled with Janet's laughter.

Whenever Janet was around, there would be no room for me to speak.

Cecil seemed a little apologetic. He turned his head slightly a few times and wanted to speak to me. But every time he finished speaking, Janet would interrupt.

Seeing this, I didn't say anything.

At that time, I just thought that Janet liked to be the center of attention as usual, and I didn't think much about it.