I Married My Love Rival (GL) - Chapter 1

It wasn’t until Ji Ran stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, leaving the comfortable air-conditioning and being hit by a wave of hot air, that she suddenly snapped back to reality. She looked down at the small red booklet in her hand.

What was this?

Oh, this was her marriage certificate.

A marriage certificate?!

Before she could think further, someone suddenly started coming out of the door behind her. Accompanied by a loud, “Excuse me, coming through!” Ji Ran was pulled aside by a hand that still carried a slight chill from the air-conditioning.

Still in a daze, Ji Ran was yanked, staggering as she made way. Her shoulder bumped into the arm of the person next to her.

Hmm, that was a well-toned biceps.

“Stand steady.”

Holding Ji Ran’s shoulder, the owner of the biceps spoke. Her voice was slightly low, with the allure of a mature woman, but unfortunately, there was little emotion in it, as if she were talking to a stranger.

“What? Regretting it?”

The emotionless voice suddenly took on a hint of coldness. Whether it was the sudden change in temperature or being startled by the person in front of her, Ji Ran shivered and slowly looked up.

Standing before her was a cold and aloof beauty. She had profound and exquisite features and was more than a head taller than Ji Ran. At first glance, she looked like a model from a fashion week runway, surrounded by an untouchable aura that declared “keep out.”

How audacious was she last night to dare flirt with this person?

Recalling the absurdity of the previous day, Ji Ran shrank her neck, looking like a little quail next to the tall Luo Simo.

She could only lament, hard liquor is truly detrimental!

Yesterday, after finishing a day as a corporate drone, Ji Ran received a message from her childhood friend, Liang Yingzhi: her white moonlight, the little sister she had adored since childhood, was engaged!

What was it like to receive news like this five hours before her birthday?

She was heartbroken, indignant, and helpless. She ran to a nightclub, drank herself into a stupor, barely able to stand. Just as she was about to bump into someone, she was, just like today, supported by Luo Simo.

The nightclub music was loud, the atmosphere ambiguous, and the alcohol had gone to her head, leaving her completely intoxicated. After being supported, Ji Ran slumped into the person’s arms as if she had no bones.

Perhaps finding the person beautiful, she shamelessly rubbed herself against the person’s embrace and even reached out to wrap her arms around the person’s waist—it was quite slender, she recalled now.

However, Luo Simo quickly grabbed both of her hands while managing to hold her shoulder with the other. She didn’t get angry or speak, only lowered her eyes to look at her.

Maybe she found her somewhat pleasing to the eye, not some strange creature, so she didn’t throw her out. Instead, she gentlemanly helped her sit down at the bar.

Luo Simo’s demeanor was completely incongruous with the noisy, dizzying atmosphere of the bar. She didn’t look like someone out for fun, nor like Ji Ran, out to drown her sorrows. She was dressed impeccably, as if going to a formal event like a press conference. Her white shirt was meticulously buttoned up to her neck, and despite the hot summer, she still wore a black suit jacket.

However, her lower half consisted of ultra-short shorts, creating a “no-pants” look. Her long legs and leather boots were particularly eye-catching. Sitting on a high stool, she had one leg bent and the other straight, bracing on the floor.

This overall appearance instantly pulled the perception of her from a press conference to a fashion show.

Frankly, Ji Ran had never seen many beauties like this in real life. Normally, she wouldn’t dare to stare, but after a few drinks, her courage soared.

Seeing that Luo Simo was alone and didn’t show any signs of disgust towards her, but instead sat silently next to her, seemingly guarding her drunken state—it wasn’t narcissism, but Luo Simo genuinely gave her that feeling at the time, which is why she used the word “guarding” in her recollection.

So, Ji Ran made the first adult-style proposition of her life.

The invitation was unmistakably clear.

Luo Simo was slightly surprised. The index finger that was unconsciously tracing the rim of her glass momentarily went off track, accidentally dipping into the cold liquid. She quickly pulled it out, held the glass with her other fingers, leaving only her index finger slightly suspended over the rim.

At the same time, she narrowed her amber eyes and looked at Ji Ran for a long time, her expression unreadable. However, she never showed any signs of being unpleasantly surprised by the abruptness. Vaguely, it seemed as if something was churning within the two pools of calm amber.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

“Will you regret it?”

“No regrets.”

As Ji Ran agreed, Luo Simo extended her long leg, immediately stood up, and pulled Ji Ran into her arms.

“You said it. From now on, there’s no room for regret.”

At that time, Ji Ran didn’t understand what Luo Simo meant by “regret.” She simply saw it as a one-time indulgence, a fleeting romance with this beautiful stranger whom she would never see again. Naturally, she was reckless and felt she had nothing to regret, so she promised wholeheartedly.

But the next morning, after the deed was done.

Ji Ran woke up naturally. The first thing she did, as a habit, was pick up her phone from beside the pillow, while her mind recalled the absurd events of the night before.

The fatigue in her body wasn’t compensated for even after sleeping for over ten hours. Lazily opening her phone, she first checked her messages. Last night, Liang Yingzhi had sent her follow-up intel on the engagement, but she was already drunk then and hadn’t seen the content.

Liang Yingzhi had managed to find out information about the sudden fiancé: it was the eldest daughter of the Luo family in their compound. She heard that she had been raised abroad and had only returned in the last two years.

There were many more descriptions of Luo Simo, but Ji Ran didn’t get a chance to read them.

Because Liang Yingzhi had sent her a photo, a zoomed-in, clear photo taken by someone else.

[This was taken by my gossip-loving mother. Gotta say, she’s really pretty.]

And the person in the photo was so familiar that Ji Ran’s sleepiness and grogginess instantly flew away. She snapped wide awake, then slowly turned to look at the other half of the bed beside her.

Had she left?

Or was she still sleeping?

She hadn’t felt any movement beside her since she opened her eyes.

Turning sideways, she saw the beauty leaning against the bed, wearing a delicate, thin-framed pair of glasses and reading a book. Her shirt was unbuttoned, casually spread open, revealing the white underwear beneath—lazy and alluring.

But Ji Ran didn’t pay much attention to any of that, nor did she have the mind to. Her eyes were fixed on Luo Simo’s face, then she compared it to the photo on her phone, going back and forth.

Slowly, the tumultuous storm in her heart escalated.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably.

“W-What’s your name?”

Ji Ran heard a tremor in her own voice, her mind filled with utter disbelief.

“Only now thinking to ask my name?” Luo Simo had long since been prompted by Ji Ran’s strange behavior to look up. She put down the book, feeling a bit awkward, and loosely closed her unbuttoned shirt.

“My name is Luo Simo. Luo from Luo River, Si from thought, Mo from silence. What, do you know who I am?”

With the rising intonation of the question, Luo Simo curved her lips, seemingly anticipating something in her eyes.

Ji Ran swallowed hard, not daring to speak, only shaking her head. Then, with very light movements, she lifted her small section of the blanket, glanced at her bare legs, and then quickly yet unobtrusively grabbed the clothes nearby.

Her actions were light and slow the entire time, as if afraid of disturbing Luo Simo. Luo Simo watched her cautiously get out of bed and silently put on her clothes, her expression darkening.

“Trying to run away?”

Ji Ran paused the motion of putting on her pants, but still kept her head down, continuing to button up. Although her movements were already a bit unsteady, she absolutely did not dare to face Luo Simo, her mind a blank.

What had she done?

Shouldn’t Luo Simo have been at the engagement party yesterday?

She had summoned the courage for a one-time fling, and how could it be such a coincidence that she slept with her white moonlight’s fiancé—her love rival?

And in the entanglement last night, how was she the one who ended up submissive?!

Waking up, everything was wrong; the world had gone topsy-turvy!

Having received no reply and being ignored, Luo Simo’s face grew darker and darker, with anger visible on her features. Due to her profound features, her anger looked particularly fierce.

But only Luo Simo herself knew that Ji Ran’s lack of response felt more like shame and disappointment to her.

“Regretting it?”

Luo Simo pressed again. Ji Ran dared even less to lift her head, silently pulling on her T-shirt.

“Don’t want to take responsibility?”

At this moment, the fatal question rang out above Ji Ran’s head. Her hands, raised as she put on the T-shirt, were suddenly grabbed. Startled, Ji Ran struggled a few times but couldn’t break free.

“Let go of me!”

Following Ji Ran’s forced shout of toughness, the T-shirt covering her head was ripped off by Luo Simo. Then, she met a pair of angry amber eyes.

Her forced strength immediately dissipated.

Ji Ran timidly shrank her neck and backed against the wall.

Freeing one hand, Luo Simo considerately helped Ji Ran smooth out her T-shirt. Her movements were gentle, but her beautiful face still held anger. Once the T-shirt was smoothed, she looked up, the anger on her face having noticeably subsided. She said with a serious expression:

“I told you yesterday that I’m a traditional and conservative person. Since we had a relationship, I must take responsibility for you.”

Ji Ran: ?

You only mentioned being conservative yesterday, and I happily told you I was too, that it was both our first time, but I didn’t hear you mention taking responsibility!

“Um, I think that’s not necessary, ha. We’re both adults, you know. I don’t need you to be responsible. As soon as we leave this room, we’ll be strangers.”

“Also, could you please let go of my hand first?”

Luo Simo frowned but forcibly suppressed her displeasure, and she didn’t let go of Ji Ran. Instead, she leaned closer to her, lowering her head and stating word for word:

“You may not need to take responsibility, but I do.”

“Huh?”

Ji Ran suspected she hadn’t heard correctly or hadn’t understood the meaning of the sentence.

“I said, you slept with me, so you have to take responsibility for me.”

After saying this, Luo Simo finally released Ji Ran’s hand, and her frown eased. She slowly began to meticulously button up her own shirt.

Ji Ran blinked with a confused look, slowly lowered her hands, and then tried to dart away to escape first. But she didn’t expect Luo Simo to react even faster, blocking her path. She then placed her left foot on the bedside cabinet, bending her long leg.

Trapped in the corner, Ji Ran silently retreated further into the corner, looking around. The only way for her to escape was to swiftly vault over the bed.

But, with this person’s skill, she was afraid she’d be pinned to the bed.

And being pinned to the bed?

Ji Ran recalled the events on the bed yesterday…

Her thoughts ran wild, her face flushed slightly. Ji Ran quickly averted her gaze from the bed.

Luo Simo finally finished buttoning all the shirt buttons slowly. She gave Ji Ran a light glance, seemingly a warning: Little thing, you can’t escape my grasp.

“Then how do you want me to take responsibility?”

The future heir of the distinguished Luo family surely wouldn’t try to extort money from her, right?