I was a scholarship student, while my roommate was a wealthy heiress. As soon as we started college, she insisted on being friends with me. She took me out to fancy restaurants and parties, and even introduced me to her childhood friend, William Carter. But when William and I actually got together, the heiress wasn’t happy anymore. She deliberately spilled my ramen noodles, claiming she burned herself and demanded I pay for it. After I gave her all my money, she spread rumors that I had sticky fingers and stole her Louis Vuitton wallet. The school disciplined me, my classmates avoided me, and even William wanted to break up with me. He said I was just an ugly duckling who had a taste of the good life and delusionally thought I could become a swan. I couldn’t defend myself, was ostracized and cyberbullied until I dropped out. In my mental breakdown, I fell into a river and drowned. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment she introduced me to William Carter. “William, this is Wren, my best friend at college. Isn’t she pretty?” Jessica’s teasing voice and the deafening music around us brought me back to reality. This was when I first met William Carter. He didn’t think much of me then, and it was the same now. He didn’t even glance at me, just kept drinking his whiskey. Jessica had one arm around my shoulders, grinning as she asked, “Wren, what do you think of our William?” “William’s family is in real estate. They’re the richest in the city.” I lowered my head and smiled shyly, pretending to be embarrassed. “He seems nice. I need to use the restroom real quick.” Jessica clearly liked William, yet she kept trying to push him towards me. William was a jerk too, getting together with me even though he didn’t like me. I was just a pawn in their little game. I raised my head from the cold water, taking off my thick black-framed glasses. This time, I refuse to be their plaything. Who says an ugly duckling can’t become a swan? I left without saying goodbye, and sure enough, I ran into William at the entrance. He was sitting alone on a hidden bench near the door, head down as if looking at something. In my previous life, I learned a lot about his past from Jessica. Today was his birthday, but also the anniversary of his mother’s death. In my past life, everyone urged me to toast William, but he mocked me for not knowing the difference between brandy and whiskey, then left me standing there. I kept my head down and took out a box of strawberry milk from my bag. It was supposed to be my breakfast, but now it would have to serve as a prop. “Here, drinking alcohol all night isn’t good for your stomach.” William gave me a cold look. “I don’t need your pity.” I didn’t get angry, I just set it down and said, “If you hurt your stomach, your mom would be sad.” With that, I turned and left, ignoring the curious gaze behind me. Rich kids like him and Jessica would never take someone like me seriously. But this time, I’m not just going to make him take me seriously, I’m going to make him and Jessica turn against each other. When Jessica came back, she complained about me leaving without a word. I sweet-talked her as usual, fawning over her. If she skipped class, I’d mark her present. If she was too lazy to get food, I’d bring it to her. If she thought the dorm washing machines were dirty, I’d hand-wash her clothes one by one. The other roommates called me a bootlicker behind my back, saying no matter how much I sucked up, she’d never give me a penny. I pretended not to hear, playing the role of Jessica’s little follower. Every day, besides doing chores for her, I had to listen to her bragging. She’d say the cafeteria food was barely fit for pigs, and that her dad should just open a food processing plant right here on campus. Sometimes William would come visit her, bringing flowers, gifts, food, and all sorts of little trinkets – there’d even be something for me. I’d suck up to him too, bringing him food when I brought Jessica’s.
Jessica boasted proudly, “William’s great, isn’t he? So many girls like him. Do you like him?” I quickly shook my head, saying shyly, “How could I be worthy of him? I think William only has eyes for you.” I’d hit Jessica’s sweet spot, and she smiled with satisfaction. Jessica knew William liked her, but she didn’t want to be tied down so quickly. Soon after, at the college sports day, she was supposed to be a flag bearer, but accidentally tripped on her dress and sprained her ankle. An athlete from the sports team carried her to the infirmary. That day, William would end up confessing to me out of jealousy. But on the day of the sports meet, I managed to sprain my ankle first. Fighting through the pain, I limped over to bring Jessica her makeup bag. Jessica showed no concern for me at all, instead complaining that I was late. “You’re so slow just bringing something over. If your foot hurts, just deal with it. What if you made us late for the parade?” I lowered my head and apologized, acting like a total pushover. It was that muscular athlete again: “Hey, are you okay? Let me take you to the infirmary.” I blushed and waved my hands, saying it wasn’t necessary, but nearly fell over. He still picked me up bridal style, insisting on taking me. Suddenly, a cold gaze fell on us. I looked up to see William. Jessica called out excitedly, “William, don’t I look pretty today?” But William didn’t answer, he just looked at me. “Get down, I’ll take you.” Jessica’s face immediately fell. “William, I’m supposed to be in the parade soon. What are you doing?” I quickly tried to smooth things over. “You don’t need to take me, this guy can do it. Don’t mess up Jessica’s plans.” At the infirmary, the nurse said the injury was a bit serious and told me to avoid walking for a while. I thanked the athlete, and learned his name was Rowan. Rowan was about to leave, but turned back at the door. “Um, can I get your number? In case you need help with anything later.” I looked at his red-tipped ears, not quite understanding. Not long after I arrived at the infirmary, news came that Jessica had fallen. William personally brought her over. She was wearing a long tulle dress, like a princess, with William as her handsome knight. Rowan came back with an ice pack, looking confused when he saw the two of them. Jessica was screaming in pain, and the nurse said she needed to ice it first. She rudely pointed at Rowan, telling him to give her the ice pack. I meekly said as usual, “Give it to Jessica first, I can get another one later.” Rowan looked annoyed, but still gave it to her. “Then I’ll take you back to the dorm first, and I’ll buy you one later.” “Wren, can’t you do anything yourself? Do you need others to run around for you?” William’s face was cold, his words unkind. But he actually took the ice pack and personally put it on my swollen ankle. Jessica stared in disbelief: “William! I haven’t even used it yet! How could you give it to her?” William ignored her, instead looking up at me: “Wren, don’t you like me? Let’s be together.” I used surprise to cover the coldness in my eyes. William wouldn’t fall for me so easily. He was mostly trying to make Jessica jealous. I didn’t agree right away, stammering nervously: “I- I never said I liked you.” I fled back to the dorm, where Jessica’s attitude towards me did a complete 180. She spoke with biting sarcasm: “Well, well, I didn’t know you actually hooked up with William. You’ve really got skills, getting together with him. I guess you’ve made it big now.” I kept my head down, saying it wasn’t true. But Jessica escalated: “Stop pretending! You must like William, right? I’ve seen plenty of girls like you.” “Always trying to climb the social ladder, not knowing your place. Even if William likes you, his family would never approve!” This was far from enough. What I wanted was much more than just his affection.
William actually started pursuing me in earnest. He’d pick me up for class in the morning, eat lunch with me, and invite me for walks in the evening. Because of my injured foot, I stopped running errands for Jessica. No one in the dorm talked to either of us, so she simply moved out to live off-campus. Gradually, in others’ eyes, it seemed I had truly fallen for William. I’d blush when I saw him, give him little handmade gifts, and even share food from my part-time job with him. I’d send him good morning and goodnight messages, share my daily life with him, whether he replied or not. I got rid of my clunky glasses, grew out my hair, and while my clothes were still simple, I could pass for a pretty girl when I looked in the mirror. Slowly, I could feel William’s gaze on me changing. He’d deliberately get close to make me blush, kiss me under an umbrella on rainy days. We seemed like a real couple. Until the day Jessica got drunk and burst into the dorm, knocking over the ramen I was eating. I dodged quickly, but she burned her own wrist. Even though she immediately shook it off, it left a red mark. She glared at me through gritted teeth: “Wren Fisher, I treated you like a friend, but you seduced William. Aren’t you ashamed?” I kept up my innocent act: “What do you mean seduced? Were you two together before?” Jessica suddenly went quiet, then pointed at me threateningly: “Just you wait. You really think William would fall for you? He’s just playing with you.” I was just playing with him too, and I’d already gotten what I wanted. Breaking up wasn’t a big deal. Sure enough, William came to lecture me for her sake. Just like in my past life, he dragged me into a private room, filled with his rich friends. William told me to apologize: “Be sensible. Jessica’s never been hurt before, and she got burned because of you.” Jessica smugly folded her arms and snorted: “Have her apologize? I wouldn’t dare. She’s William Carter’s girlfriend after all.” William looked a bit exasperated, teasing her: “You’re still jealous about that? Weren’t you the one who introduced her to me?” Jessica pointed at a row of liquor bottles: “Fine, if you sincerely want to apologize, drink all of these and I’ll forgive you.” William didn’t object, personally handing me a glass. “A whole row is too much. Just one glass.” I took the glass, but with a flick of my wrist, poured the liquid on the floor. “I won’t drink a single drop.” In my past life, no matter how I tried to explain, all I got was mockery. They didn’t care about the truth, they just wanted to laugh at me. I was the ugly duckling, the loser, someone not in their social class. I was forced to drink a whole row of shots, ending up vomiting on the spot. Jessica covered her nose, while William disgustedly had someone throw me out. This time, after pouring out the drink, I threw the glass on the table. With a loud clatter, I only explained once: “You got burned because you deliberately spilled my ramen. You deserved it.” Jessica jumped up furiously, pointing and screaming: “How dare you say I deserved it! Weren’t you always so timid? Finally showing your true colors, huh? I knew you were a green tea bitch all along!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t drink this whole row of shots and apologize today, I’ll have you kicked out of school tomorrow!” William frowned, looking at me disapprovingly. “Wren, did you forget what I said? It’s just an apology, why make it so difficult?” I gave a slightly mocking smile: “I did nothing wrong, so I won’t apologize.” William didn’t expect me to be so stubborn today. He grabbed my wrist, staring at me. “What if I insist you apologize to her?” I gritted my teeth and shook off his hand: “Then let’s break up.”
William’s face immediately darkened. Jessica quickly said: “Wren Fisher, you really think you’re that pretty? William was just playing with you. If anyone’s dumping anyone, it’s him dumping you!” But William stepped towards me menacingly: “You want to break up with me? You don’t have that right.” “Whether I have the right or not isn’t for you to decide.” I turned to leave without a backward glance. The people in the room tried to lighten the mood: “Come on, she’s just a country bumpkin. It was just a fling, William, don’t take it to heart.” “She’s just got an attitude. Don’t worry, in three days tops, she’ll come crawling back to you.” Jessica’s mood improved quite a bit. She offered William a drink. “You’re not really angry, are you? Wren Fisher just doesn’t know her place.” But William smashed the glass, the loud noise instantly silencing the room. After a moment, he spoke slowly: “It’s fine. Keep drinking.” But that night, he checked his phone many times, never receiving my usual goodnight message. Jessica wasn’t just talking. She really intended to get me expelled. The inevitable finally came. I took a day off, hiding behind the bed curtain, watching Jessica who should have been in class sneaking into the dorm. She was holding a brand new Louis Vuitton wallet. I quickly took out my phone, recording a video of her putting the wallet in my locker. At noon, Jessica cornered me in the classroom with a group of people. She stared at me confidently, asking: “Wren Fisher, my wallet’s gone missing. You’re always closest to me, did you take it?” The classroom was packed, even the doorway was crowded with people. I calmly explained: “Do you have any proof?” Jessica sneered: “Proof? Of course I do. Your family’s the poorest, of course you couldn’t resist when you saw something nice.” “If you’d asked nicely I would have given it to you. But you had to steal. If that’s not having sticky fingers, what is it?” People around us whispered, many students taking out their phones to record. Theft was a scandal anywhere, especially in college! “Fine, it’s just a wallet. I’ll pay you for it.” William’s voice came from outside, the crowd parting to let him through. He seemed to be coming to my defense. But I hadn’t done anything wrong, why should I be falsely accused? I insisted: “Jessica, do you have any proof?” William frowned at me: “Wren, don’t make a big deal out of this. I can’t help you if you do.” Jessica exploded: “William Carter, are you really going to take her side? What’s so great about this poor scholarship student that you like? Without me, she’d never even have met you in this lifetime!” He wasn’t really on my side. He clearly didn’t believe me either, just wanted to save face by stepping in. But Jessica recklessly pressed on: “I’ll tell you what, I’ve already found the wallet in her locker.” Her friends also testified: “We really saw the wallet in her locker with our own eyes.” “Wren Fisher, what else do you have to say for yourself!” “Someone with sticky fingers like you doesn’t deserve to be at our school! You should be expelled!” The accusatory gazes around me felt like nails being driven in. Jessica walked up to me haughtily, whispering: “You’re not worthy of competing with me!” But I just smiled, directly connecting my phone to the classroom’s big screen. “Then let everyone see how the wallet ended up in my locker.”
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