Chapter 1

For our 100th-day anniversary, I rented out Skyway Garden and decorated it for the occasion. But then I saw Linda and Joshua standing by the garden and taking pictures right in front of my eyes. "Who's the rich man behind this? Renting out the whole garden, it is ridiculous how extravagant this is!" Lina said to Joshua. When I heard Lina say that, I could only give a bitter smile. Not wanting to give up the last bit of hope, I called her. Lina looked at her phone and immediately hung it up. Then, she turned to Joshua with a playful grin and said, "It's William." Joshua smirked. "Aren't you afraid that William will get suspicious if you keep ignoring his calls?" "He's a fool," Lina replied confidently. She added, "Last time, I ditched William halfway through our date to meet up with you. I told him some excuse about suddenly getting my period, and he believed it. He even went and bought me some warm milk." Joshua looked pleased. "So, does that mean I'm more important than William in your eyes?" Lina looked shy after he said that. "Of course. I'm so over William. He's just the son of a fruit vendor, but he always tries to act like some rich kid around me. Not like you. You're rich and humble." I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. So, that was it. Lina despised me for my background! What Lina didn't realize was that it was all a misunderstanding from Joshua. During one of my phone calls with my dad, Joshua had overheard him saying,"The fruit stand seems to be doing well lately. I've transferred you five hundred dollars for pocket money." From that, Joshua jumped to conclusions, thinking I was the son of a fruit vendor. He then spread the rumor around. In truth, my dad was one of the top fruit tycoons in the country. He owns 18 domestic bases, and the business stretches around the world. … I stumbled back to the dorm and felt utterly lost. On the day of our 100th-day anniversary, I witnessed Lina's betrayal in my own eyes. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that something this ridiculous could ever happen to me. Lina had been my first love. She was my perfect white rose. I once believed she was the kindest, most innocent girl in the world. Now, whether she was kind or not didn't even matter anymore. What was clear was that I was the biggest fool in the world. "Well, Mr. White has come back!" "What are you standing around for? Come down here and greet Mr. White. Mr White, here's some expired milk I didn't finish last night. Enjoy!" As soon as I entered the room, my roommates, Zack and Louis, started to mock me. They called me "Mr. White", but they didn't actually think I was the scion of the White family. They were merely mocking me. When I'd once tried to explain my dad's true background, they had laughed it off, thinking I was bragging. Since then, they had mockingly called me "Mr. White" whenever they saw me. I couldn't be bothered to explain back then, and today, I had even less patience for it. Ignoring their taunts, I sat at my desk and put on my noise-canceling headphones. "Don't expose him like that. Look at how committed he is to this act. It's a skill, you have to know that not everyone can keep up a lie that big with a straight face." Blocking out their voices, all I could think about was Lina. The sweet words that used to warm my heart were now like knives, cutting through my pride and dignity. I couldn't believe she had played me for a fool. And then there was Joshua. He not only spread rumors about me, ruining my reputation at school and making me out to be some vain, broken loser, but he had also made a move on Lina. My fists were clenched tight. I was furious! The urge to get revenge, to make them pay for everything they'd done, burned inside me. I wanted to hurt them just as much as they had hurt me. But then I slowly loosened my grip. It was not necessary for me to do such a thing. One was a clown who had misunderstood my life, and the other was a gold-digger who only cared about money. Why should I stoop to their level? Just then, a notification popped up from our alumni group chat. It was a message from Joshua. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened it. A sharp pain stabbed at my chest. "Everyone, take a look and tell me what you think of my girlfriend's legs." Joshua had posted this caption, along with a picture of Lina's legs. In the photo, Lina's leg was slim, long, and in a white skirt, while Joshua's hand rested on her knee. I let out a cold laugh. That white skirt that Lina wore? It was the one I bought her just last week for her birthday. She had been so overjoyed at that time, hugging and kissing me, telling me I was the love of her life. Who would've thought the first time she'd wear it would be during a date with Joshua? "Wow, she's so fair-skinned and her legs are slender. They are amazing!" "Joshua, your taste must be off. My legs are way prettier. I just took a selfie, I'll send it to you now." "Hey, can the beauty above send me a picture too?" "Fuck, I was wondering why you didn't go drinking with us tonight. It turns out you went to pick up girls. How rude of you to forget your friends for the sake of a girl!" As the messages flooded the group chat, Joshua casually sent two hundred-dollar-vouchers in the group chat, sparking a frenzy as everyone scrambled to claim it. "Thanks, Joshua!" "You're the best, Joshua!" Joshua replied, "Now that you've all grabbed the vouchers, please stop complaining. I'm not the type to ditch my boys for a girl. Today just happens to be our one-month anniversary, so cut me some slack. I'm off to enjoy some leg time, goodbye." "Joshua, you're legendary! No wonder you're a rich kid. You're always so generous. Wishing you and Lina a lifetime of happiness!" "Come on, now. Joshua's not the kind of guy to settle for just one girl for life. If you're gonna wish him anything, wish him a massive harem with kids all over the country!" … I took a deep breath and decided to turn off my phone and go to bed early. One more glance at the screen, and I might've smashed it into pieces. The next morning, a flood of messages appeared as soon as I turned my phone back on. The sender's name was saved as "Cute Wifey". "Sorry, William, I was in a student council meeting when you called and couldn't pick up." She continued, "Why aren't you replying?" "You're so annoying! I've told you a million times how much I hate it when people don't respond immediately, and you're still doing it. I don't care. You have to transfer me five hundred dollars to make it up to me," she added. "William? Please say something! If you don't, I'll really get mad, and five hundred and twenty dollars won't be enough. It'll have to be one thousand one hundred and fourteen dollars that signifies 'forever'!" "You are ignoring me? Fine. It's always the same with you, saying one thing and doing another. You don't care about me at all." The old me would've been terrified by these unreasonable messages and sent her multiple thousand dollar transfers without a second thought. Now, though, all I could do was just laugh. How could she go on a date with Joshua and then immediately come to me asking for money? Without hesitation, I replied, "I'm just the son of a fruit vendor. Don't you remember? You've been tired of me for ages, haven't you? Why do you care whether I responded to you? Lina didn't reply for a long time until I suddenly heard her voice shouting from downstairs. "William! Come down here! What do you mean by that?" Lina actually came over and started making a scene in public. I frowned, my first instinct being to ignore her. But she kept yelling my name, loud enough that even Zack and Louis could hear her. It was strange—instead of using this to mock me, they both looked over at Joshua, who was still snoring away. Suddenly, it hit me that they knew about Joshua and Lina's affair all along.