1 My roommate, Bianca White, was the undisputed campus goddess. She had built a pristine, untouchable reputation as an ethereal angel who stood far above the petty temptations of the mortal world. Only I knew the truth: she was a consummate hypocrite who used a fake, lofty morality to protect her fragile ego. At the university’s anniversary gala, Sebastian Hayes—the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire—staged an extravagant confession of love that sent shockwaves across the entire student body. Bianca dramatically threw the custom Amex Black Card he handed her onto the ground, her voice ringing out with resolute disdain. “Thank you for your feelings, but I refuse to accept a love wrapped in a golden filter.” “The most precious thing about affection is its purity. A romance built on material wealth is cheap and vulgar.” The faculty and students erupted in applause, praising her unyielding moral compass and noble spirit. Overnight, her popularity surged to legendary status. Devastated and humiliated, Sebastian stood frozen. As I leaned down to pick up the discarded Black Card for him, a strange, distinct voice suddenly echoed directly inside my head. [This poor kid has been starved of affection his entire life. He’s so awkward he thinks money can solve everything, believing a girlfriend will stop him from being so lonely. Who would’ve thought she’d treat gold like dirt?] [His parents are desperate to connect with him. The second they heard he liked a girl, they drew up deeds for a waterfront estate, a yacht, and access to their top-tier elite network.] [He has a total imprinting complex right now. Whoever steps up to rescue him from this humiliation will have his undivided devotion forever!] I froze in absolute shock. The voice was coming directly from the Black Card… My mind instantly flashed to my grandmother lying in the ICU, crushed under mountains of unpaid medical bills. I looked up and met Sebastian’s desolate, wounded eyes. “Sebastian,” I said softly. “Can I be your girlfriend?” After making my sudden confession to Sebastian, I returned to my dorm room. My roommate, Kylie, was stepping directly on my study notes and my financial aid application form on the floor. “Well, well, look who’s back—our resident desperate scavenger,” Kylie sneered. “Bianca rejected him a second ago, and you couldn’t wait to jump in and confess? Are you that eager to show everyone how shameless you are, Avery?” Standing beside her, Lauren picked up a cup of water and splashed it straight across my desk. “Talk about an ugly duckling trying to mimic a swan. Do you honestly think you’re anywhere near as pretty as Bianca? She’s an untouched angel, and you’re just a greedy, money-grubbing toad.” “You broke loser. You rushed over to confess, and Sebastian only said he’d ‘think about it.’ That’s just a polite way of telling you to get lost.” I ignored their childish malice, kneeling down in silence to gather my wet papers. What they didn’t know was that when Sebastian hesitated and said he needed to think, I had heard the Black Card’s voice again: [Our young master—who has reached twenty without ever holding a girl’s hand—just got confessed to in public!] [His heart rate is spiking at 200 bpm! He’s completely panicking and has no idea how to play it cool!] Bianca, who had been sitting quietly at her desk, turned toward me with a heavy, pitying sigh. “Don’t be so harsh on Avery, guys. Her family is struggling, and her grandmother is critically ill. Those astronomical hospital bills must be suffocating her.” “It’s only natural she’d look for a shortcut when she sees a billionaire heir like Sebastian. We should try to be understanding.” Her words instantly ignited the room. “Bianca, you are way too kind! You treat her so well, and she stabs you in the back like this? It’s utterly disgusting.” Treat me well? I cast a cold glance at the two girls hovering around Bianca like loyal servants. Who could have guessed that the university’s pristine goddess was nothing more than a calculated fraud? She had intentionally fluttered around Sebastian for weeks, dropping subtle hints to lead him on. Taking advice from his friends, Sebastian had impulsively confessed. But the moment the fish took the bait, Bianca used him as a stepping stone to cement her “untouchable” persona. Bianca reached out, gently taking my hand. “How about this, Avery? I’ll organize a campus-wide charity drive to help raise money for your grandmother’s medical bills.” “As for Sebastian, I’ll go explain things to him for you.” “Playboys from wealthy families are all the same. His confession to me was probably just a game of Truth or Dare.” “You’re too naive, Avery. If you actually get involved with him, you’ll just end up getting played. Once he dumps you and your reputation is ruined, how will you even survive on this campus?” She looked at me with deep melancholy, as if she were genuinely worried for my future. Kylie and Lauren nodded in fervent agreement. I let out a faint, dry laugh. “You’re right. I need money. If you guys want him so badly, you’re free to confess to Sebastian yourselves.” They choked on their words, speechlessly stunned. “Avery… why can’t you see we’re just trying to help you?” Bianca stomped her foot in exaggerated frustration, running out of the dorm as if heartbroken by my stubbornness. The other two hurried after her. A second later, my phone chimed. It was a friend request from Sebastian. A knot of nervousness tightened in my chest. The moment I accepted, a bright orange notification banner popped up across my screen: [Sebastian Hayes has transferred you $50,000.00.] Below the transfer was the very first message he sent me: “Daily transfer limit reached. Send me your bank account number.” 2 Who transfers fifty grand the exact moment they add a girl? I recalled the Black Card’s inner voice. It had mentioned that Sebastian had a unique quirk—the more money a girl spent of his, the more attached he became. In his skewed worldview, needing his wealth meant needing him. This fifty thousand dollars would temporarily cover my grandmother’s ICU expenses. I tapped Accept. The moment the transaction went through, another distinct voice echoed in my mind: [Our master’s palms are drenched in sweat right now! He was terrified he’d run into another girl like Bianca who would play games with him. Seeing her accept the money so cleanly just made him breathe a massive sigh of relief!] [Hurry, send the account number! The more materialistic she acts, the safer he feels that she’ll actually stay by his side!] Wait… could I hear the sentient voice of the money transfer itself? Without hesitation, I typed out my bank routing and account numbers and sent them over. Ten minutes passed, but Sebastian didn’t reply. A quiet doubt crept into my mind. Maybe I was having auditory hallucinations. Maybe that fifty thousand was just severance pay to keep me from bothering him again. I closed the chat, contacted my academic advisor to request a fresh copy of the scholarship form, confirmed my weekend tutoring gigs, and spent the evening looking into medical loan options on government portals. No matter what happened, I had to secure the funds for my grandmother’s treatment on my own. In the wake of Sebastian’s failed confession, Bianca went viral on the university forums yet again. Beside the “Campus Goddess” tag, she was now crowned the “Untouchable Pure-Hearted Muse.” Meanwhile, a photo of me picking up the Black Card and confessing to Sebastian was posted online. I was instantly labeled a gold-digger, a shameless opportunist, and the most desperate girl on campus. “Sebastian hasn’t responded to her at all, has he? He probably got terrified by a boundaryless leech like her.” Bianca personally pinned a comment at the top of the thread: “Please be kind to Avery, everyone. She’s just facing immense financial pressure. I believe that given time, she will realize that material wealth can never buy true affection.” Hundreds of replies flooded under her post, claiming that a billionaire like Sebastian could never genuinely like someone like me, and that he was merely biding his time for another chance to win Bianca over. After class the next day, Kylie kicked the back of my chair. “Well, well. Someone tried to scavenge a billionaire and got destroyed by cyberbullying instead. What’s next, Avery? Going to throw a pity party and pretend to commit suicide?” “No,” I replied flatly. I ignored her toxic mocking. She let out a contemptuous scoff and walked away. All day, I received no messages from Sebastian. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t anxious, but I refused to stake my entire life on a man I barely knew. While standing in line at the campus dining hall’s discount counter, Bianca walked past me accompanied by a group of girls. “Avery, eating this has no nutritional value at all,” she said, pulling out her own meal card with an air of gracious charity. “If you don’t have money for food, just use my card. I might not be as rich as Sebastian’s family, but I want to do what little I can to help.” The surrounding students cast sneering, disdainful looks in my direction. I ignored her completely and tapped my student ID against the reader. Beep— The digital screen flared to life, displaying an absurdly long string of digits. [Current Balance: $1,000,300.00] “One, ten, hundred, thousand… A million dollars?!” a male student behind me shrieked in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?! Who loads a million bucks onto a campus meal card?!” I froze in place. At that exact second, a booming inner voice echoed in my head: [Pity our poor master! He’s been trapped in an emergency European business summit for ten straight hours. During an intense closed-door meeting, he couldn’t touch his phone, so he ordered his executive assistant to load some lunch money onto her student card first so she wouldn’t go hungry!] Lunch money? The tight knot in my chest suddenly dissolved, replaced by a strange sense of amusement at Sebastian’s absurdly intense personality. Bianca’s face paled in sheer disbelief. “Avery… I know it hurts to be mocked by the whole school, but you don’t need to forge a fake display just to act rich.” The crowd’s shock instantly turned into righteous contempt. “A fake balance? Unbelievable! How can an honors student be this fake and desperate for clout?” “How did she even get into this university? I seriously doubt her academic records are real.” Someone reached out and roughly knocked my food tray to the floor. The crowd pressed in, shoving and jostling me. “Don’t touch me!” I snapped, shoving a girl’s arm away. A triumphant smirk flickered across Bianca’s lips. “Everyone, please calm down! Avery has always been insecure. Her attempt to climb the social ladder failed, and she just took a wrong turn, that’s all.” Phones buzzed as more videos were recorded, framing Bianca once again as the forgiving, perfect angel. Suddenly, a massive commotion broke out near the dining hall entrance. Kylie craned her neck, her eyes widening as she grabbed Bianca’s arm in excitement. “Bianca! Isn’t that the luxury motorcade Sebastian usually drives?! Oh my god, he must be coming to confess to you again!” 3 Bianca claimed she didn’t care, but her hands immediately moved to adjust her hair and outfit. Holding my million-dollar meal card, I turned my gaze toward the doors as well. The man who stepped out of the lead vehicle was the Hayes family’s head butler. A flash of disappointment crossed Bianca’s face. “Miss White,” the butler said respectfully, stopping before her. “Mr. and Mrs. Hayes invite you to be a guest at our estate.” Envious gasps erupted from the surrounding students. Bianca knitted her brows, tilting her head with a firm, unyielding expression. “I refuse.” “If someone wants to be my friend, I expect genuine sincerity—not being dragged to a billionaire estate to have my morals contaminated by money.” The crowd marveled in awe. “As expected of our goddess! That’s the multi-billion-dollar Hayes family, and she didn’t even hesitate to say no!” “It’s just one rich family. With Bianca’s character, she’ll attract even more powerful suitors in the future.” I noticed Bianca subtly biting her lower lip. The butler’s face remained entirely unbothered. He turned his body slightly and looked directly at me. “Miss Lin, please come with me.” I nodded cleanly. “All right.” The crowd exploded in chaotic chatter as I stepped into the back of the limousine and was driven away. “Why did they suddenly take her instead? Don’t tell me Sebastian is actually with that charity-case Avery?!” “Please! It’s obvious what’s happening. The Hayes family found out a leech was trying to crawl onto their son, so they hired the butler to throw money in her face and tell her to get lost.” “Exactly. Look at all these tricks Avery pulls—the fake million-dollar meal card, the luxury car… She probably rented them just to save face!” Kylie shook Bianca’s arm. “Bianca, thank god you didn’t go. It really was a trap!” Bianca snapped out of her daze, forcing a faint, serene smile. Inside the limousine, the butler handed me a sleek, black supplementary card. “Inviting Miss White was the Master and Madam’s idea,” he explained smoothly. “But inviting you, Miss Lin, was the Young Master’s personal instruction.” As I held the cold, heavy Black Card in my palm, its sentient voice roared in my mind: [Our young master felt making individual bank transfers was too much of a hassle, so he figured giving you a card was easier! Spend whatever you want—the more you spend, the happier he gets!] [He has no idea how to interact with girls, so the moment his plane touched down, he drove straight to the hospital, cleared your grandmother’s entire medical bill, and flew in a team of top specialists to oversee her care! Little girl, you can finally breathe easy!] A surge of warmth flooded my chest. If this was true, I needed to have a real talk with Sebastian. When I stepped into the SVIP hospital suite, I saw my grandmother sitting up in bed, her color noticeably healthier. My eyes welled with tears instantly. The door pushed open, and Sebastian walked in, thrusting a heavy designer shopping bag straight into my arms. “Your grandmother’s condition is stable,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “The chief specialist is on a private flight and will arrive tonight to perform her surgery.” I had been stuck on a waiting list for three agonizing months, yet Sebastian had summoned the country’s top medical team in less than twenty-four hours. I lowered my head, squeezing the heavy handles of the bag. “What’s this?” “Souvenirs,” he muttered, looking away. “My friend told me that when you return from a trip, you’re supposed to bring a gift for your girlfriend.” I blinked in surprise. The Black Card in my pocket spoke up: [This poor boy had no idea what you’d like, so he bought one of everything! This bag is just the tip of the iceberg!] [The poor guy is terrified inside that you’ll call him vulgar for buying luxury brands!] I looked up at him immediately. “Thank you. I love it.” “Sebastian… does this mean you accept my confession?” He let out a faint, quiet “Yeah,” his cheeks flushing slightly. “We can try.” “The butler mentioned you haven’t eaten lunch yet. Come on, I booked a restaurant.” “Okay.” I followed him into the elevator. The moment the metal doors slid shut, a panicked voice echoed in my mind: [Oh no! The young master has suffered from severe claustrophobia since he was a kid! He can’t handle enclosed spaces like this!] Startled, I immediately reached out and took his hand. Sebastian’s ears turned bright red within seconds. His palm was trembling, and his body instinctively leaned closer to mine. “Sebastian… about my grandmother… thank you.” “N-No need to thank me.” [Mayday! Our master’s brain has completely short-circuited! All he can think about is how soft and warm her hand is—he forgot all about being scared!] [He wants to lean even closer! He absolutely adores the scent on her!] I bit my lip, suddenly feeling too shy to look at him directly. But I quietly shifted my steps, leaning a fraction closer to his side. I felt his fingers tighten gently around mine. He didn’t let go of my hand all the way out of the building—not until my phone chimed with a message from Bianca. The moment I withdrew my hand to check my screen, his face instantly fell into a sulky pout. Bianca: Avery, are you okay? Did the Hayes family humiliate you and demand that you stop clinging to Sebastian? I replied: I didn’t go to the Hayes estate. She texted back instantly: That’s a relief. I was so worried about you. I didn’t bother responding. After dinner, Sebastian took me to an high-end boutique, buying me clothes and jewelry. I didn’t refuse a single item, because the Black Card kept whispering that he thoroughly enjoyed the process of dressing me up. Late that evening, carrying armfuls of luxury shopping bags, I stepped back into my dorm room, feeling as though I had walked through a surreal dream. 4 “Well, look who’s back! Carrying a mountain of knockoffs just to get on our good side?” “Avery, can you stop pretending? Having a roommate like you is an absolute curse!” Kylie and Lauren sneered at me without holding back. Only Bianca’s eyes hovered intently over the brand logos on the bags. “They’re just cheap street-vendor fakes, guys. Don’t touch them,” Bianca said smoothly. My phone chimed with another notification. It was a money transfer from Sebastian. [Our young master is so high-maintenance! Ever since he started dating, he can’t bear to be apart for a single second! He’s too shy to ask if she made it back to the dorm safely, so he’s using transfers as an excuse to start a conversation!] I immediately took the initiative to send him an update. “I’m back in the dorm. Remember to text me when you get home.” He provided the finances, and I provided the emotional security. Once I realized how touch-starved and high-need Sebastian actually was, I made it a point to share my daily life with him. I sent him my class schedule, snapped photos of my meals and outfits, called him after lectures, and initiated video calls whenever I was alone. Having just begun taking over the family enterprise, he was drowned in work, yet he made time to reply to every single one of my messages. On the day academic scholarships were awarded, Kylie led a group of girls to surround my desk. “Avery, Sebastian hasn’t shown his face on campus for a whole month! Do you have any idea how hilarious you look, making fake calls every day pretending you’re dating a billionaire?” “She’s out of her mind trying to marry into wealth. Sebastian dumped her, so she created a fantasy billionaire boyfriend in her head!” I replied coldly, “Believe whatever you want.” Bianca stepped out of the advisor’s office, and the girls immediately quieted down. Since Sebastian hadn’t publicly confessed to Bianca again over the past month, many assumed the drama had fizzled out. “Avery,” Bianca said, her voice dripping with moral disapproval. “You spent money renting luxury cars and buying fake luxury goods. What would your critically ill grandmother think if she knew?” “This scholarship should go to students who actually need it.” She let out a dramatic sigh. “I really can’t stand watching you ruin yourself like this. The Hayes family sent me an official invitation to their private gala. Once everyone sees the truth there, how will you even face people? Wouldn’t it be better to just be honest and admit Sebastian never accepted you?” I frowned slightly. “A gala?” I remembered Sebastian mentioning a gala next week. He said he had mailed me an invitation, though I hadn’t received it yet. “That’s right,” Kylie chimed in proudly. “It’s the Hayes family’s private gala. No one enters without an invitation.” The girls swarmed around Bianca in awe. “Oh my god! I saw videos of that gala before—it’s ridiculously luxurious! Everyone attending is worth tens of millions! Bianca, could Sebastian be planning another grand confession for you?!” “I was wondering why he went silent for a month—he was preparing a massive surprise! I can’t even imagine how romantic it’s going to be!” “Bianca, you’re so perfect. I bet his parents will recognize you as their daughter-in-law on the spot!” Bianca maintained an expression of noble detachment. “I’m not going.” That afternoon, the campus forum exploded again with news that Bianca White had refused the Hayes family’s gala invitation. With three days left until the event, I walked past Bianca’s desk and heard a faint, sharp voice coming from inside her locked drawer, where a gold-embossed invitation was hidden: [Can a thief really be a campus goddess these days? What a complete joke!] [She claims she isn’t going, but she emptied her entire savings and maxed out her credit cards to rent a designer gown and jewelry! What a hypocrite!] On the night of the gala, Bianca was dressed in a sweeping gown, putting on a reluctant face. “It is a formal event after all. It would be impolite not to show up. I need to clear things up with Sebastian face-to-face.” Kylie and Lauren hovered around her in envy. “Can we come along to see the estate, Bianca? You’re the best!” “Bianca is the future daughter-in-law of the Hayes family anyway. Taking a few friends in is nothing for her!” Bianca hesitated for a moment before nodding graciously. She then turned her gaze toward me as I sat typing on my phone. “Avery, why don’t you come with us? It must be so lonely staying in the dorm all by yourself.” On my phone, Sebastian was frantically pleading with me to attend the gala tonight. I had wanted to stay back to study for finals, but Kylie’s sneering voice cut in: “Some people really need to look in the mirror and see what they actually are.” “You’re just terrified of seeing Sebastian in person, aren’t you, Avery?” I closed my textbook. “Fine. I’ll go.” At eight in the evening, the Hayes family’s western estate was illuminated by grand chandeliers. A stream of luxury vehicles lined the private driveway. Kylie and Lauren stared at the sprawling, castle-like architecture, rendered utterly speechless. Bianca stepped up to the main gates and presented the gold-embossed invitation. “Hello. I am Bianca White. I was invited by the Hayes family.” The head security guard glanced at the card, his expression stern. “I’m sorry, but this name is not on tonight’s master VIP list.” Bianca’s face flushed with irritation. “This invitation is genuine! What is the meaning of inviting me here only to disrespect me at the door?” Kylie and Lauren stepped forward to argue, but security firmly requested them to step aside. Suddenly, the grand wrought-iron gates swung open, and a authoritative voice rang out from within: “Show some respect to our guest!” Kylie let out a smug smirk. “See? The Hayes family is coming out to apologize to Bianca personally!” Bianca’s posture straightened instantly, a triumphant smile returning to her face. A distinguished, middle-aged couple dressed in exquisite formalwear walked quickly toward the gates. “Thank goodness! We’ve been eagerly waiting for you to arrive!”
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