Fake dating my enemy, The playboy billionaire

My body’s sore, my head’s spinning, and my lip’s already split from a punch earlier. Jianyu’s been having the upper hand since the bell rang, which is fine by me—I need the distraction.

I wipe the blood from my lip, spitting to the side. "Still your brother, remember?" I remind him, half-smirking through the sting of the hit. "You don’t need to take this as a real match."

Jianyu just grins, stepping back briefly, then charges again, this time with twice the strength. I brace myself, feeling the heavy thud of his fists connect with my gloves.

Zian watches from the sidelines, his face pinched every time Jianyu lands a punch. Every hit sends my mind whirling, but there’s something off about the way Jianyu’s attacking today. It’s... personal.

I tighten the strap of my gloves, focusing on my breathing. I can feel it—he’s not just sparring. He wants something. The next time he swings, I duck, pivot, and land a clean shot to his jaw. It’s enough to make him stagger back, breathless, but grinning.

"Alright, spill it," I huff, stepping back and shaking the tension from my shoulders. "What’s on your mind?"

Jianyu wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his glove, still smirking. "Why are you avoiding me?"

I blink, not expecting that. "Avoiding you? I’m not—"

"Yes, you are," Jianyu interrupts, rolling his shoulders. "We’re in New York now, Jun. Shouldn’t we be spending more time together? Every time me and Shi try to meet up, you dodge."

I block his next punch but don’t anticipate his follow-up. His non-dominant hand lands a sharp jab to my ribs, knocking the wind out of me. I grunt and step back, holding up my gloves for a time-out.

I grab a bottle of water, gulping it down before answering. "It’s not like that. I’ve just been busy with a project."

"What project?" Jianyu presses. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"You’ll know when it’s done."

Jianyu raises an eyebrow but lets it drop. He steps back into position. "Alright, fair enough. Suyin and Meimei have been singing Yiren’s praises all week, by the way. Even the kids love her."

I pause, halfway through re-strapping my gloves. I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. "Yeah, Yiren has that... effect. She’s easygoing, friendly with people. Just... don’t poke the bear, and she won’t bite."

From the corner of my eye, I catch Zian narrowing his eyes at me knowingly. I glare back, but before I can say anything, Jianyu beckons him over. "Hey, join us!"

"Not today. I’m smart enough to know when to back off."

I chuckle, "Scaredy cat."

Zian shrugs. "Self-preservation."

Jianyu and I start sparring again, but I can feel his probing isn’t over. He circles me, landing a few light punches, his expression thoughtful. "You know... it’s funny. You and Yiren used to hate each other. Couldn’t even stand being in the same room without going for each other’s throats. Now, here you are, deeply in love out of the blue. Sounds like something out of a romance novel. You know, fake dating—

"Or enemies-to-lovers?" Zian adds.

Jianyu throws a sly glance at Zian, who suddenly finds the ceiling very interesting.

I throw a punch, laughing. "Sounds like a bestseller. Maybe we should call it The Love Hate Equation?"

Pleased with myself, I wiggle my brows at Jianyu. But he just hums, stepping forward to land a not-so-light punch on my shoulder that makes me wince.

Jianyu tilts his head, "So, which one is it? Fake dating or enemies-to-lovers?"

I rub my sore shoulder, "Obviously enemies-to-lovers."

Jianyu’s grin widens, and I feel a creeping sense of dread. There’s something behind his smile, something dangerous. "So... this is serious then? Like me and Shishi. You’d do anything for her, go to any lengths for her happiness?"

I freeze, unable to answer right away. The ring falls silent except for the heavy breathing between us. Jianyu’s gaze bores into mine, waiting. Why does it feel like there’s a hidden trap in that question?

We spar for a few more seconds, but my mind’s too occupied to focus. Jianyu lands a heavy blow to the side of my head—a not-so-gentle reminder that he’s waiting for an answer. I gulp, the weight of his question pressing down on me.

"Yeah," I finally say, voice rough. "I would."

His punch pauses mid-air, a grin spreading across his face. I watch him warily, my breaths coming heavy as I try to figure out what he’s playing at.

He retreats, grabbing a towel to wipe his face. I keep my eyes on him, trying to gauge where this is going.

Then he turns, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "So, if it’s that serious... why did Yiren refuse to design Shishi and Suyin’s lake house?"

I blink, caught off guard. "What?"

Jianyu pats my cheek, watching my reaction carefully. "You heard it, baby bro. I don’t repeat myself."

My frown deepens. I didn’t know anything about this. Why would she refuse such a offer? Is she doing this because of me? Her moving to Imperial city will nullify my fake reason for staying here—to avoid long distance with my girlfriend. What’s going on?

Jianyu chuckles darkly. "Guess you two still have some communication issues, huh?"

I stand there, the weight of the revelation pressing down on me, unsure of what to say or think.

*****

I drop my keys and wallet in the drawer by the door, expecting Bear to run at me like a missile, tail wagging and all. But... nothing.

That’s weird.

"Yiren! Bear! I’m home!" I call out, waiting for Yiren’s usual cheeky response or Bear’s happy barks. But it’s... quiet. Too quiet.

Something smells good—food on the table, untouched—but the quiet stillness tells me Yiren hasn’t been anywhere near it. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about her, it’s that silence is definitely not her thing. Not when she has something snarky to say every five minutes.

I pause, frowning. Then I hear it. Laughter. Voices. Faint but unmistakable. I follow the sound, curiosity pulling me down the hallway until it leads me to...

My Lego room?

Seriously?

I freeze at the door. There, in the middle of a sea of colorful Lego pieces, is Yiren. Cross-legged, totally immersed, she’s laughing and chatting away with the most notorious trio on the planet—Yuyu, Lan, and Honey. And to top it off, Bear, my ever-faithful partner-in-crime, is nestled comfortably on Yiren’s lap, pretending to be the mastermind of whatever disaster they’re creating.

And... is that my 11,000-piece Hogwarts Castle set they’re working on?

I stare at the scene before me. I’ve been saving this set for a special occasion with the kids, carefully planning it for months... and here she is, a step ahead of me, completely taking over my plan.

"What you guys doing?" I ask, leaning against the doorframe. Seems like they were mid-conversation.

Honey looks up at me with that mischievous grin. "Oh, Uncle Jun, you’re back!" He doesn’t even pause before going back to his conversation to Yiren. "And Uncle Jun will definitely kiss you after you build the best castle ever."

I almost choke on my own breath. What?

Yiren’s eyes widen, choking back a laugh. "Excuse me, what?"

"You heard me," Honey repeats, unfazed like this is a normal thing to say to a fully grown adult. "When people do cool stuff, they get kissed. Dad does it all the time to Mom. It’s like... a reward."

"Yea, because your dad is hor—" I swallow the word horny, "—horribly crazy."

Lan nods excitedly, not missing a beat. "Yeah! It’s like in that one movie—remember? The guy builds a boat, and then—BOOM—kisses the girl."

Yiren is fighting a losing battle against the laughter she’s trying to cover. "I don’t think it works that way, guys."

Yuyu, the tiniest yet boldest, shakes her head. "Nah, Auntie Yiren, it totally does. Build a house, get kissed. Simple math."

They all turn to me at once, like a jury awaiting my verdict. "Right, Uncle Juju?"

I blink. What in the world did I just walk into?

Kill me.

****