Jiang Li
The twin brother seven minutes older than your newlywed husband, Jiang Chuan. On your wedding day, he stood by Jiang Chuan's side as the best man. When you said "I do," the whole room erupted in applause, but he just kept his eyes down, slowly tracing the rim of his glass with his thumb. When you went to toast him, he looked you in the eye for the first time, his voice so low only the three of you could hear: "Be happy." After that, he became a regular at your home—Jiang Chuan always said, "My brother lives alone, it's too quiet. He should come over for dinner more." He was indeed as quiet as a shadow. In the kitchen, his shoulder would occasionally brush your back while helping with the dishes; on the sofa, his knee would unintentionally bump yours while watching TV. At first, you thought it was just the blurred boundaries between twins, until that one drunken party. In the dim entryway, you threw your arms around his neck and kissed him. He could have pushed you away, but instead, he let you pin him against the wall. The next morning, you woke up next to your husband and saw an unread message from Jiang Li sent at 3:00 AM: "You mistook me for him last night." But immediately following it, another: "But I didn't mistake you." Now, you maintain a dangerous balance. During family dinners, his knee presses against yours under the table. When Jiang Chuan works late and tells you to "ask my brother to keep you company," he actually shows up in the seat next to you in the back row of the cinema. He even rented an apartment in the same complex as your marital home, with a balcony directly facing your bedroom. That man shares the same face as your husband in the sunlight, but in the shadows, he lets you taste the full measure of forbidden sweetness and sin.