One minute after my childhood sweetheart broke up with me, he publicly announced his relationship with a student from a low-income background on social media. He claimed that Eleanor suffered from depression, and once he helped her become as bright as I was, he would reconcile with me. Eleanor used his phone to assert her dominance: “Thanks for taking care of my boyfriend before. We need to keep our distance from now on.” I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping me. It took me only thirty seconds to get my mom to cut off her financial support. 1 My mom informed the school she would be discontinuing Eleanor’s scholarship. She immediately notified Adam’s father. The engagement between our families was off. At the same time, Eleanor’s best friend sent me a video of Adam and Eleanor getting intimate. In the video, Adam, visibly tipsy, was kissing a flushed Eleanor, his arm around her. Someone nearby, enjoying the spectacle, called out: “Adam, aren’t you worried about Alice getting upset?” Adam cupped Eleanor’s face, licking her lips with an undeniable desire. “Nah, she’s easy to appease.” “We grew up together; I know her inside and out.” “She’s also just… so inconsiderate, always coming first, costing Eleanor her scholarship. I’m just teaching her a lesson.” I let out a cold laugh. So that’s what he really thought of me. Adam continued: “Besides, I’m bored. Goody-two-shoes, so old-fashioned, wouldn’t even let me hold her hand. It’s honestly so dull.” “The thought of getting engaged to her after graduation, being tied down, makes me sick to my stomach.” Adam made a disgusted face. Eleanor quickly snuggled against his chest. “I’m not like her. You can touch me anywhere, but only you, darling.” Adam burst into laughter, tightening his arm around Eleanor’s waist. “I like a girl with some spice, like Eleanor.” “As for Alice, whoever wants her can have her. I certainly don’t!” I could barely suppress the nausea churning in my gut. Then, from the video, a lazy voice spoke up. “Well, in that case, I’m going to pursue her.” It was Jerry Voss. Our class president, who had always shared the top spot with me. 2 Adam’s face instantly darkened. Eleanor blinked her eyes, tugging his hand. Adam let out a strange, dismissive snort. “Go ahead, but she’s been in love with me for over ten years, been desperate for me countless times. I’m utterly sick of it.” “She’s a loyal woman, guarding her purity for me.” Jerry Voss chuckled noncommittally. He picked up his school jacket, revealing a clean, long hand with an expensive watch on his wrist. “I’m leaving.” His gaze swept over Adam and Eleanor, who were tightly embracing, with a hint of disdain. “Adam, remember what you just said. Don’t regret it later.” “I won’t back down.” Adam’s face was grim, the desire that Eleanor had stirred in his eyes now completely gone. “I’ve said it before, Alice loves me to death. I just have to snap my fingers, and she’ll come crawling back.” Eleanor’s eyes instantly welled up, and Adam quickly added, “But, I’m happy to let you have a go. She’s just a lapdog, and I have plenty of those.” At this, his friends roared with laughter. “Adam’s not wrong, Alice is totally a lapdog.” “Which game did she not excitedly bring a case of water to? Which party did she not rush to pay for?” “The more girls are like that, the cheaper they are.” The video ended there, showing only a faint shadow of Jerry Voss raising his foot towards Adam. 3 Lost in thought, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Eleanor’s best friend. [Feeling very sad and angry, aren’t you? I advise you to give up on Adam as soon as possible. For a lapdog like you, men will only find you cheap.] [Jerry Voss seems to like you quite a bit. You two are both bookworms, quite a good match.] I suspected Eleanor herself had sent this from her best friend’s phone. She often did things like that. She used to send me messages from Adam’s phone. Sometimes, she’d deliberately send ambiguous messages to make Adam and I argue, then feign illness so Adam would go comfort her. But now, none of that mattered to me. I’m very open to advice. A man who’s been soiled, might as well be thrown away. I also thought Jerry and I were a perfect match, both in intelligence and family background. [Why aren’t you replying, Alice? Are you mad to death? (Hand over mouth emoji)] Uh, not really. I was pretty angry at first. I mean, extremely angry. Because my family is old money, really old money. I don’t have autonomy in dating. I can only choose a future spouse from families of equal standing. But I’m not particularly stunning in appearance. Especially compared to other daughters from similar backgrounds. Honestly, the competition is brutal. Adam was one of the better-looking ones among my choices. But! Compared to Jerry Voss. There was absolutely no comparison. Jerry Voss was taller, handsomer, and smarter than him. He was a triple threat. With a better option now, what did I have to be sad about? Sadness only comes from not getting the best! 4 After showing my mom the video Eleanor’s best friend sent me, my mom was furious, wanting to confront Adam’s family, but I stopped her. I pointed at Jerry Voss in the video, my eyes sparkling. “I like him.” My mom was silent for a moment, looking at my unremarkable features behind my thick-rimmed glasses. “He’s too… captivating. While his family matches, you—” I raised my hands in surrender, asserting indignantly. “A toad that doesn’t want to eat swan is not a good toad!” “But on the other hand, he’s still young, hasn’t seen the world yet. This is your chance.” My mom patted my shoulder. “To improve the next generation’s genes, you have to work hard.” “All your mom can do is improve our family status.” I recalled my dad’s somewhat plain face. Silence… 5 I stayed up all night, memorizing everything I’d paid a high price to find out about Jerry Voss. For a straight-A student like me, being able to recite it backwards after two reads was basic. The next morning, for the first time, I didn’t wait for Adam to go to school together. Through the security camera, I saw Adam frowning, waiting outside my front door. Impatiently, he spoke into the video doorbell. “Alice, you have three minutes. If you’re not ready, don’t bother coming out.” Speechless. I ignored him. Now that the engagement between our families was off, my housekeeper and the maids didn’t have much patience for him either. “Alice has already left.” Adam’s face instantly darkened. He threw the breakfast he had brought for Eleanor onto the ground. The milk bottle smashed with a thunk, spilling milk everywhere. Why didn’t I think it was for me? Because he never brought me anything; I always brought things to him. Our maid was furious. “I just swept this floor, what’s wrong with you?!” “How dare you speak to me like that? Believe it or not, I’ll have Alice fire you!” The maid rolled her eyes. “Your engagement is off, and the collaboration between the Summer and Evans families has ended. You should leave.” “This is just Alice throwing a tantrum. I’ll smooth things over, and our engagement will never be called off.” Adam walked away with a dark expression. Adam and I were desk partners. When I arrived at school, Eleanor was sitting in my seat. My books were all placed on the teacher’s desk. She smiled at me. “Alice, I want to sit with Adam. We’re in the honeymoon phase right now.” “Didn’t godmother say to let me have my way a bit? Please, sister, grant Adam and me our private world.” “You don’t want people to call you a third wheel, do you?” It seemed she didn’t know yet that my mom had stopped funding her. I had originally intended to lose my temper and yell at her. But then I caught a glimpse of Jerry Voss behind me. The seat next to him had been empty for years. Instantly, I became a drama queen. Showtime! 6 My eyes were red-rimmed, and I stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do. Jerry Voss walked in, picked up my books from the teacher’s desk, and told me, “Alice, come here.” I followed behind him, watching as he placed my books next to him. My heart instantly fluttered. Manga plot come to life. So thrilling… I shouldn’t have watched so much anime. It’s making my brain a little scrambled… I suppressed my shyness and said, choked with emotion, “Class President, thank you.” “I didn’t eat breakfast. If you really want to thank me, bring me some breakfast when you go get yours.” “I stayed up all night doing practice tests, so I’m really sleepy now and want to catch some Z’s.” Huh??? So he’s not the shy type, but the jealous type. He must have seen that I used to go get breakfast every morning and bring some back for Adam, and now he wants that too. I nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay!” I’ll definitely spread my favors equally. No! Given that he’s more than a little better looking than Adam. I’ll definitely favor him more. It wasn’t until I got to the breakfast spot that I realized I hadn’t asked Jerry what he wanted. I found his contact information in the class group chat and added him. I wrote in the note: [Class President, what would you like to eat?] Then, while slurping my noodles, I waited for him to accept my request. I’m a genius. This was truly an excellent and not at all awkward reason to get his contact information. Jerry Voss quickly accepted my friend request and replied. I looked at his message, a little puzzled. Why were all his choices things Adam disliked? And each one was precisely a “landmine” for Adam. Things Adam had repeatedly warned me not to buy for him, and even forbade me from eating. Though I never listened to him, always indulging myself. On my way back after buying Jerry’s breakfast, I ran into Adam’s best friend, the one who had mocked me as a lapdog in the video. He was overly enthusiastic, greeting me with a big grin. “Hey, Alice, is that for Adam?” He pulled out his phone, quickly took a picture, and sent it to Adam’s group chat. I didn’t need to imagine how they would mock me. But I had no intention of stopping him. I desperately needed these cannon fodder to act as a catalyst, igniting Jerry Voss’s protective instincts and making him take the initiative with me. I gave the cannon fodder a smile in return and walked on. At the classroom door, Adam was already there, chatting and laughing with Eleanor in his seat. He seemed to be in a very good mood. A completely different person from when he walked out of my house, as seen on the security footage. He saw me, leaned back in his chair, and smirked at me idly. “You bought it back. I’m hungry too.” Jerry Voss, who had been napping at his desk, also sat up. His seat was diagonally behind Adam’s. I bit my lip, deliberately avoiding Adam’s gaze, and walked silently with my head down. As I passed Adam, he reached out to take the breakfast from my hand. I suddenly quickened my pace, went and sat down next to Jerry Voss. I placed the breakfast on his desk, and even pulled out a warm carton of milk from my pocket. “Eat it while it’s hot. I really like these too.” “Our tastes are surprisingly similar, Class President.” Jerry Voss smiled, while Adam froze, the smile on his lips stiffening. His fair-weather friends, who had been watching the show, also looked rigid. “Alice, that’s not for Adam, is it?” I said softly but firmly. “He has a girlfriend. Why would I bring him anything? And our engagement is off; we cut ties a long time ago.” This was an elite private school. Aside from those sent abroad by their families, all the heirs and heiresses from our social circles attended this school. Some were low-key about their status, others high-profile. But the impending marriage alliance between the Summer and Evans families was widely known. As my words fell, I noticed Jerry Voss’s lips curving into a pleased smile in my peripheral vision. Adam, however, looked terrifyingly pale. He glared at me coldly. “Alice, don’t you dare regret this.” “I, Adam Evans, don’t take back dogs who betray their masters. Even if you come begging, we’re over.” I snapped back. “You’re the dog, a dog in heat chasing after everyone.”
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