Married to My Bro 1

Chapter 1

Liang Xusheng received a call from his mother, Fu Shu, while he was hanging out with his friend at a shopping mall’s “ita-building”—a themed exhibition decorated with merchandise related to a popular anime character celebrating its birthday. “Ita” comes from the word “itai,” meaning painful, referring to the often-excessive spending on such merchandise.

Liang Xusheng, a dedicated otaku, wasn’t a hardcore player of the game, but he knew enough about it. Since his friend was a big fan and the event was in their city, they decided to check it out.

He was taking pictures of his friend Lulu with a life-size standee of the character when Fu Shu’s call came in. He saw the notification, ignored it without hanging up, and continued taking photos. The call persisted, the icon flashing in the corner, a second call following the first.

After finishing with the photos, Liang Xusheng signaled to Lulu and stepped aside to answer. “Hey, Mom.”

“Son, where are you now?” Fu Shu asked, skipping any reprimand for the delayed answer. However, her next sentence was, “I’m sending you a location. Can you come over? Your aunt’s friend introduced a girl, and she’s at the Golden Eagle mall right now. You’re free anyway, go meet her, okay?”

Liang Xusheng was taken aback. “Mom, you can’t set up blind dates like this! It’s so last minute!”

“There’s no time like the present,” Fu Shu retorted, her tone reasonable. “You’re free, she’s free, just meet. If it works, it works. If not, then it’s not meant to be.”

“Don’t you young people like ‘fast food culture’ anyway?”

Liang Xusheng was speechless. “Mom, that’s not what ‘fast food culture’ means. I…”

Knowing he was about to refuse, Fu Shu quickly switched to a choked voice. “You’re doing this again, aren’t you? Why am I so unlucky…”

Liang Xusheng, fearing nothing more than his mother’s waterworks, sighed and gave in. “Fine, fine, I’ll go, I’ll go, okay?”

He hung up, returned to Lulu, who was busy taking pictures, and apologized. “Sorry, Lulu, something came up. I have to go.”

Lulu, dressed in Lolita fashion with a wig, blinked. “What’s wrong?” Knowing Liang Xusheng’s situation, she guessed, “Is it your mom again?”

Liang Xusheng shrugged with a resigned nod.

“Making you go on another blind date?” Lulu asked.

Liang Xusheng grimaced.

“Oh, man, your life is so hard,” Lulu sympathized. “The cosplayers are about to start their walk around the mall. You’ll miss it.”

“You go ahead. I’ll watch your videos later,” Liang Xusheng said, checking his phone for the location and his mother’s increasingly frantic messages. He said another quick goodbye to Lulu and left.

As soon as he was out of the atrium, Liang Xusheng held his phone to his mouth and sent a voice message. “Damn it, I give up. My mom found someone else for me to go on a blind date with. This time she didn’t even give me a chance to talk to the girl beforehand, just called and told me to go.” He quickened his pace as he spoke. He wasn’t eager to meet the girl; he was simply being polite and didn’t want her to wait.

Twenty minutes later, Liang Xusheng arrived at the mall. He pushed open the Starbucks door, scanned the seating area, and spotted a long-haired girl in a white dress sitting alone by the window, matching the picture Fu Shu had sent. He walked over quickly. “Hi, I’m Liang Xusheng. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The girl, lost in thought while sipping her coffee, turned and her eyes lit up. Handsome, she thought. Really handsome. Using current internet slang, he was hunk-handsome.

Five minutes later, the light in her eyes dimmed considerably. Liang Xusheng had explained that he didn’t have a regular job; he was a small-time anime blogger with an unstable income. This was a major drawback in the girl’s eyes. She was a university lecturer, and everyone she interacted with, both socially and professionally, had stable, respectable careers.

Small-time? Anime? She didn’t understand the specifics, but she knew it meant no stable job or income.

Her demeanor changed instantly. She was a bit older, 29, turning 30 soon, but surely she didn’t deserve this? Forget the income; he didn’t even have a real job. The matchmaker had said his family was well-off. If that were true, wouldn’t they have gotten him a decent job instead of letting him mess around with social media? She was a university lecturer! How could they introduce her to someone like this?

Now, not only was his handsomeness irrelevant, but she also felt a sense of disappointment and embarrassment.

Liang Xusheng, noticing the shift, quickly said, “I know we’re not a match. If you don’t want to continue chatting, you can leave. It’s okay. I’ll tell my mom and the matchmaker that we’re not suitable, that I’m not good enough for you.” He added, “Let me pay for the coffee. It’s not right to make a girl pay on a first meeting.”

His good attitude and handsome face softened her expression. “I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly. “I’m looking for someone with a stable job.”

“I understand,” Liang Xusheng replied. He had always gotten along well with girls and understood them relatively well. He also agreed that a woman with a respectable career wouldn’t be suited to an otaku like him. Since she’d been so direct, he said cheerfully, “It’s no problem, I get it. You have a great job, you’re beautiful, you’re definitely not going to choose someone like me.” He offered her a graceful exit. “So, shall we call it a day? We can both leave.”

The girl took the offered escape route and nodded.

Liang Xusheng pulled out his phone and stood up. “Let me get the coffee.”

The girl also stood, waving her hands. “No, no, it’s just two coffees. I’ll treat you.”

They left Starbucks together, Liang Xusheng holding the door for her. “Are you leaving now? How did you get here? Do you need me to call a cab?”

She shook her head politely. “No trouble, thank you. I came with my friend. She’s still waiting for me. I’ll go find her now.”

Liang Xusheng smiled, gesturing in the other direction. “Then I’ll be going. Bye.”

His handsome smile made her pause. “Bye.” As she watched him walk away, she sighed inwardly. He really is handsome. What a shame.

Meanwhile, Liang Xusheng, out of the mall, raised his phone to his mouth again. “Bingo! Another successful failure! I’m so good at this.” His tone was light and cheerful, as if he’d just aced a job interview. He sent another message. “Dude, remember to come over tonight. You gotta save me from my mom’s nagging.”

He called Lulu while hailing a cab. “Hey, Lulu, I’m done.”

Huh? So fast? Lulu asked, surprised.

“I’ll be right back,” Liang Xusheng said, opening the taxi door.

That day, Liang Xusheng took tons of pictures and videos at the birthday event, posed with many cosplayers, ate the birthday cake, and had a blast. Fu Shu called numerous times, likely already aware of the failed date. Liang Xusheng ignored the calls, not wanting to be scolded.

Only when he was leaving did he call his father back. Liang Jing answered with a sigh. “Come home quickly. Your mom says she has a heart ache from anger.”

Liang Xusheng sighed too. “My life is truly so hard.”

“What’s so hard about your life?” Liang Jing retorted. “Mine is the hard one. Your mom couldn’t reach you, so she yelled at me, all the way back to when I didn’t buy her a gold bracelet for our wedding, which is why she gave birth to a son who refuses to get married.”

“…”

Liang Xusheng replied flatly, “The sins of the father are visited upon the son.”

“Get lost!” Liang Jing scolded. “Get back here quickly! Your mom’s waiting!”

After saying goodbye to Lulu at the bus stop, Liang Xusheng got into another taxi and sent a voice message to Lu Xun, his tone a mix of exasperation and mischief. “It’s over~ My mom isn’t even answering my calls anymore~ I’m so screwed today~”

Arriving home, he’d barely closed the door when a plush toy came flying at him. With quick reflexes, he caught it, then looked up to meet his mother’s furious face. “I told you to meet that girl! Instead of talking about your good family or your money, you had to talk about your stupid anime, didn’t you?!”

Fu Shu grabbed a feather duster from the coffee table and charged towards him. Liang Xusheng’s eyes widened, he kicked off his shoes, and sprinted barefoot into the living room, dodging and explaining frantically. “Mom, Mom, I’m really not compatible with that university lecturer!”

Fu Shu swung the duster, actually trying to hit him. “What’s wrong with a university lecturer?!” she yelled. “Is the job not good? Is she not pretty? What’s your excuse this time?!”

Liang Xusheng dodged around the sofa. “She’s older than me. I don’t like older women.”

“Older woman my ass!!!” Fu Shu swore, chasing him around the sofa. Unable to catch him, she stretched her arm over the back of the sofa and finally landed a hit. Whack! Liang Xusheng yelped, jumping like a startled monkey.

Seizing the opportunity, Liang Jing emerged from the bedroom. “Alright, alright, stop chasing him. He’s your son, not a stray cat.”

Rubbing his sore back, Liang Xusheng complained, “You fair-weather friend! Could you have come out any later?”

Fu Shu threw the feather duster onto the sofa, sat down, and covered her face, wailing dramatically. “Why is my life so hard? I married an ugly husband and gave birth to a stupid son.”

Liang Jing: “…”

Liang Xusheng: “…”