Chapter 1

Every night, Ryan Johnson brought home a different girl, and I was his substitute lover.I made dinner for three, left the light on for him to come back, and even wiped away the scent of other girls' perfume for him.His friends all said he found the perfect substitute who could tolerate everything.But I had my reasons.

Three years ago, the man I deeply loved, Nathan Miller, died in a car accident.

Since then, I felt like everything in my life had lost its meaning, except for the role of a substitute, which gave me a reason to live.

Ryan was a financial tycoon, and he deeply loved his ex-girlfriend.

I once peeked at the photo of his ex. She looked like an angel, with an unparalleled charm. Ryan started to chase me when he first saw me. Because I bore sixty percent resemblance to his ex.I was not the first or the last person to be Ryan's substitute lover. But I was the one who had been around him the longest. Because I was thoughtfull and could tolerate him well.My temper was also good enough. I could answer his friend's call at four in the morning and went to the nightclub to pick him up. Even if he was holding another girl whose hands were around his neck, I could still squat down to carefully wipe his face, little by little, with a wet tissue.I took his hand from the waist of the other girl and gently wiped his fingers, palms and backs of his hands with the wet tissue.Ryan's fingers moved a little and pinched my chin immediately. I didn't know when he had opened his eyes. His dark eyes, with a hint of drunkenness at the corners, made his gaze even more alluring."When did you arrive?" asked Ryan.

"Just now," I smiled and replied.Ryan remained motionless, towering over me and looking down at me.

He gazed at me with a questioning expression.

"Charlotte Green, why don't you ever get angry?" asked Ryan.

I took the other hand and continued to wipe it carefully and slowly.

"Is being angry useful?" I questioned, "then if I get angry, will you stop dating other girls?"

Ryan laughed, with a slightly intoxicated look in his eyes and a slight curve of his lips.

"I'm sorry, but that's really impossible," he replied, Ryan laughed in a dissolute and mischievous manner, with a complete lack of inhibition.

After laughing for a while, he suddenly reached out and undid the hair bun I had tied up. I had rushed out without putting on makeup or wearing contact lenses, so I grabbed a pair of black-framed glasses as a quick fix.

After messing up my hair, he also took off my glasses.

He leaned back on the sofa and looked me up and down.

"Yeah, that's more like it," he said, nodding in satisfaction.Ryan didn't like it when I tied my hair up or dyed it, and he disliked it even more when I wore glasses.

Once, I asked him if he should go see a doctor. He hugged me from behind and tickled my earlobe, making it itch.

"I already saw a doctor. I'm just sick," he replied and laughed like a lunatic. "I don't want to be cured either."

"Charlotte, what kind of man do you like?" then he asked me while kissing me.

I extended my finger and let it glide along his eyebrows and eyes. I closed my eyes and kissed his Adam's apple.

"I like you just the way you are," I replied gently.

His Adam's apple bobbed gently, and his eyes dimmed.

"I can't believe you're so good at lying," he said.

However, all these behaviors didn't stop Ryan from finding someone new.

The first time he brought a girl home while I was cooking, the girl was visibly startled by me when they entered. Despite my expression, he remained calm. "If you can't stand it," he sneered and said, "you can just leave." I was watching their intimacy.

Looking at Ryan's hand on the girl's waist, the gap in my heart seemed to be suddenly sprinkled with a handful of salt.

I lowered my eyes and slowly opened the dining chair, pretending to be relaxed.

"Auntie bought a lot of fresh flying crabs today. Let's eat first," I suggested, softly.

The girl was obviously in an embarrassment.

"It's okay, let's eat together." I said to the girl, smiling.

But the girl was clearly taken aback by the odd situation in the room. After taking two bites, she made an excuse to leave.

"Tsk, spoil the fun," complained Ryan, also pushing his bowl away and stopping eating.

I knew I was the one he spoken to.

I refilled a bowl of soup for him.

"Sorry, next time you want to bring someone back, I will empty the room for you," I said.Ryan crouched in his chair, staring at me with his chin resting on his hand, as if he could see right through me.

He laughed and taunted me with crude remarks, trying to provoke a reaction.

I avoided his gaze, playing with my rice, which had grown cold from staying in the bowl for too long. As I tried to swallow a bite, I choked and my eyes watered.

"I don't mind how many girlfriends you have or if you bring them home," I said, looking up at him. "I just don't want you to push me away. I want to be here with you."

Ryan fell silent and his laughter faded away. He stood up and towered over me.

"Alright, if you can handle it," he said.One after another, girls around Ryan were changing, but it didn't affect his popularity in the social circle.

Ryan came from a wealthy family and was a rich second-generation. After breaking up with a girl, he presented her a large sum of money, a house or a car.

Therefore, even if he was unfaithful, no girl would cling to him after a breakup. But I was an exception. I seemed to be a real pain in the neck for him.

After dating me for two months, he got bored and wanted to break up.

"Choose between the car and the house," said Ryan, throwing the Lamborghini car key on the table. "If you don't like either, I'll transfer 2 million dollars to your account."

I shook my head and handed the car key back to him. Then I returned the bag he gave me and walked away.

After I turned around, I cried bitterly, not because of him.

Three days later, Ryan came knocking on my door, drunk and disheveled.