Bad Boy Engineer Madly in Love

Chapter 3: I Want You as My Sister-in-Law

"Win, I saw that smile! You've fallen for that gorgeous girl, haven't you?"

Din Dan teased after the petite girl dashed out of the elevator, noticing his friend grinning in a way he'd never seen before.

"S**t, I'm getting goosebumps seeing you smile, Win. Who are you, and what have you done to my friend? Get out of his body right now! Shoo!" Rachen joked, pretending to exorcise a ghost, which only annoyed Mavin enough to lift his foot as if to kick him.

"You're being ridiculous."

Mavin rolled his eyes, brushing off his friends' antics as he barely resisted the urge to actually kick Rachen.

"Just answer me—do you like her?" Din Dan pressed, eager for confirmation.

"Yeah," Mavin replied bluntly, keeping it short and honest.

"What? Seriously? You really like her?" Rachen was floored. "Win, you’ve shocked me. I’ve known you forever, and I’ve never seen you like this, not even with Paypai, the girl you were actually dating. You barely cared about her, but now, you're acting completely different. Be honest—are you planning to go after this one?"

Rachen’s astonished expression only deepened as he awaited an answer, knowing his friend's curt "yeah" was already a huge admission.

"If I’m interested, I won’t let her slip away. Looks like I'll have to visit the Education Building more often," Mavin declared before hopping into his favorite sports car and driving off to his condo.

"I think this one's the real deal for him, don't you, Dan? But what if she already has a boyfriend?" Rachen asked, watching Mavin's car disappear.

"Good point," Din Dan admitted, his worry surfacing. "If she’s taken, do you think he’ll try to steal her? He seems really into her."

"We’ll just have to wait and see. For now, let’s go home and get some rest before tonight’s party. Oh, and don’t forget to invite some pretty girls for me, birthday boy! Later!" Rachen said, heading to his car and leaving Din Dan behind, who could only roll his eyes at his flirtatious friend.

On the other side of the campus, Plengkwan stopped in front of a building after sprinting out of the elevator.

"Why did I run like that? Ugh, Pleng, you’re so clumsy! Why am I losing my composure over that deep-voiced guy?"

She muttered to herself, frustrated. Normally, she prided herself on being tough, unmoved by the many men who pursued her. Yet, the handsome but stern-looking man had left her heart racing and cheeks burning, even though he hadn’t even tried to flirt with her.

"Snap out of it, Pleng! Geez!" She lightly slapped her own cheeks, attempting to regain focus. But then, she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone spoke behind her.

"What’s wrong?"

May, her friend, had been standing behind her for a while without her noticing.

"May! You scared me! Why didn’t you say anything?" Plengkwan snapped, placing a hand over her chest to calm her pounding heart.

"Hey, I’ve been standing here for ages. You were so caught up muttering to yourself. And wait a second… your face is red. What happened?" May teased, leaning closer.

Plengkwan instinctively touched her cheeks, realizing they were hot. Am I really blushing? she thought, mortified.

"N-nothing. It’s probably just the heat. Let’s grab something to cool down—how about milkshakes at our usual café?" she stammered, trying to change the subject.

May, however, wasn’t buying it and fixed Plengkwan with an amused, knowing look.

"You’re totally blushing. Did you fall for some engineering guy or something? Was he cute? As handsome as my brother and his friends? But then again, I doubt anyone can top Win, Dan, and Rachen—the top three heartthrobs of our university!" May rambled, not giving Plengkwan a chance to respond.

Plengkwan couldn’t help but smile at her friend's enthusiastic praise for her brother and his friends.

"Your brother’s group is really that handsome, huh? Well, it makes sense since you're gorgeous yourself," Plengkwan replied, genuinely complimenting May.

"Of course! My brother Win is number one—super hot but also super cold, which is why he’s still single. Then there’s Rachen, the charming flirt. If he hits on you, don’t take him seriously, or you’ll regret it! But I’m not worried—you’re immune to guys since you’ve rejected so many already."

May continued gushing, even mentioning the university’s rankings, where her brother and his friends were voted the top heartthrobs. Plengkwan already knew about the polls but appreciated her friend’s lively storytelling.

"So, is your boyfriend number three on that list, May?" Plengkwan asked, watching her friend glance at her phone and smile.

"Yep, Dan’s third! I used to worry so much before I started university, thinking he’d find someone else. With his looks and status, girls are all over him! But luckily, he’s never strayed, not once."

May’s pride was evident as she talked about her long-term relationship with Din Dan, which began in middle school. Their families were close, and Din Dan had confessed his feelings for May when she was in high school.

"Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about anymore," Plengkwan replied. "You’ve told me he’s completely loyal, no matter how many girls try to flirt with him."

"True, but hey, would you ever consider dating? I mean, my brother’s single, and he’s perfect! If you became my sister-in-law, I’d be thrilled! You’re such a good person—I’d love to see you with him," May said, her tone playful but sincere.

"Didn’t you just say he’s cold? If he were easy to win over, he wouldn’t still be single. Besides, I doubt he’d even notice someone like me. I’m not that pretty," Plengkwan replied, brushing off the idea with a shy laugh.

Phlengkwan casually replied to May, not taking her friend's suggestion seriously since she had no intention of pursuing her friend's older brother. Still, she was surprised that May would suggest her brother in the first place.

"If you're not considered beautiful, then no one in this university is! I even heard rumors that the seniors want both you and me to be shortlisted for the faculty's star selection. By the way, if my brother meets you today and ends up liking you, you have to promise me you'll let him court you first—no rejecting him, okay?"

May laid down her demand, crossing her arms, her serious demeanor amusing Phlengkwan enough to elicit a smile.

"Not agreeing isn’t an option, huh? Seeing as you're so serious about this. But I have one condition for you: don’t push me onto your brother. No promoting me, no listing my qualities, and no going into details about me unless he asks. If you stay quiet and he likes me on his own, only then will I consider letting him pursue me. Deal?"

Phlengkwan made her terms clear, not wanting her friend to pressure her brother into liking her. If someone wanted to court her, it should be out of genuine interest, not coercion.

"Deal! I bet my brother, Win, will absolutely be smitten with you! My intuition tells me I'll get you as a sister-in-law for sure," May said, grinning with satisfaction at the agreement while Phlengkwan shook her head with a smile, amused by her friend's enthusiasm.

"Come on, let's go grab some milkshakes at the café. Oh, wait! Hold on, my boyfriend's calling," May said, just as she was about to drag Phlengkwan to the café.

"Hello, sweetheart! Are you done with class?"

"I'm done. Are you finished too? Want to head home together?" her boyfriend, Din, replied.

"No need, sweetie. I brought my car today because I planned to shop for your gift."

"Who are you going with? Or are you going alone?"

"I’m going with Phlengkwan, my friend from the orientation I told you about. You haven’t met her yet, but you will today! She’s such a great friend. I want my brother, Win, to meet her soon. Who knows, he might just fall for her, haha!"

May smiled at Phlengkwan, who was now looking at her curiously, having heard her name pop up in the conversation.

"Oh really? Well, I think you might be disappointed because Win has already fallen for a beautiful girl today. He’s determined to court her," Din said.

"What? Who managed to catch the ice prince's eye? There goes my hope of having my friend as my sister-in-law!" May exclaimed dramatically.

"Don't be sad. How about I pick you up later, and we can all head to the club together?"

"Not tonight. I’ll stick with Phlengkwan for now. You and the guys can go ahead. I’ll have someone drive me to the club later, and we can head back together after. I’m planning to get ready at her place."

"Alright, I understand. See you later, my love."

After May ended the call with her boyfriend, she immediately looked sad at Plengkwan. She was disappointed about her plan to have her brother date her friend. If her brother had confessed his feelings for someone, it would surely mean he was serious because she had never seen him like anyone before.

"Hey, Dan said my brother has already fallen for another girl. Does that mean I won’t ever get to be your sister-in-law? Oh, no!"

May spoke, her face full of sadness, and Plengkwan couldn’t help but feel sorry for her friend.

"Isn’t it a good thing that your brother found someone he likes? Why are you so upset about not being my sister-in-law? I’ll always be your friend, right? Haha. Stop making that sad face. Come on, let’s go have some sweet milkshake and pick out a gift for your boyfriend, okay?"

Plengkwan tried to comfort May because she probably thought she would be sad too, but that wasn’t the case. Plengkwan didn’t feel anything at all. In fact, it was a relief that May’s brother had someone he liked. This way, Plengkwan wouldn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable being around her friend, especially not worrying that May would try to set her up with her brother.

As they continued talking, Plengkwan suddenly remembered the time she was close to that stern-faced, intimidating guy.

"Hey, what’s with the spaced-out look? Let’s go, I’m starving!" May asked Plengkwan, who had a distant expression, as though she was deep in thought. After paying attention, May noticed that Plengkwan’s face had turned red, just like it did when May had first commented on it. May smiled to herself, thinking that her friend must have met someone she liked. She couldn’t help but wonder who was the lucky person who made Plengkwan react this way.

Although she regretted that her brother and her friend could never be a couple, if Plengkwan found someone who treated her well, May would be happy and supportive.

"It’s nothing. Let’s go. We’ll be late for your boyfriend’s birthday."

After their conversation, Plengkwan and May went to a café and then to the mall to buy a gift for May’s boyfriend. Afterward, they went back to Plengkwan’s dorm because May wanted to get ready with her friend. She had already prepared her outfit and makeup, fearing that her friend might back out, so she decided to wait and watch over her. Then they would have someone from her family drive them to the club together.