At a party, we played Truth or Dare. I lost. I chose Dare. "Call your ex." My boyfriend, Carter, had a cigarette dangling from his lips and chuckled, "She doesn't have an ex. I'm her first love..." "I do." Carter froze, his smile vanishing. In front of everyone, I dialed that number I knew by heart. Half an hour later. The aloof and legendary Liam Sterling pushed open the door to the private room and beckoned to me. "Wendy, come here." Chapter 1 Carter took me to a gathering with his friends. After dinner, everyone suggested playing Truth or Dare. Carter lost the first round. He chose Dare. A guy sitting by the door got excited. "Let's play big. Young Master Carter, call your ex. Dare or not?" The atmosphere instantly ignited. Amidst everyone's jeering, Carter rubbed my hand. He had a pair of peach blossom eyes that looked affectionate even when looking at a dog. He asked me, "Babe, can I call?" I knew he had an ex-girlfriend. After all, Carter was the campus hunk of A University; his dating history was always under scrutiny. "Sister-in-law, gotta have some game spirit~" Under everyone's expectant gaze, I smiled and nodded. "It's fine, go ahead." "Sister-in-law is generous!" Carter smiled, pinched my cheek, and took out his phone. The call was picked up after three rings. "Bella, I'm drunk. Come pick me up." Carter gave the address and hung up without waiting for a response. He tossed his phone onto the table casually and went back to playing with my hand. My hands were soft and pale. Carter loved to knead my palms whenever he had nothing to do, playing with them tirelessly. His friend mocked him, "Young Master Carter, you that confident your ex will show up?" He scoffed, his tone full of confidence. "With my understanding of her, she'll be here in ten minutes." Then he glanced at me sideways, afraid I might be unhappy, and added, "Babe, don't be mad. It's just a game." Eight minutes. His ex-girlfriend arrived. Red wavy hair. Hot body. A completely different type of woman from me. She opened the door and immediately spotted the conspicuous Carter. Her eyes lit up. When her gaze swept over me beside him, she paused abruptly. There was a hint of coquettish blame in her eyes as she looked at Carter. "Carter, you playing me?" The guy to Carter's right quickly gave up his seat. "Sister Bella, sit here." Bella seemed to know everyone present and sat down without hesitation. Carter freed a hand to place a glass of alcohol in front of her. "Knew you love this. Here, saved it for you." Bella didn't say much. She downed the glass in one go. "Sister Bella is mighty!" The crowd cheered continuously. Bella poured herself another full glass, turned to look at Carter with a beaming smile. "Carter, shall we go?" Carter's hand had let go of mine at some point. He clinked glasses with Bella, playing drinking games and rolling dice. It made me, the "good girl," look out of place. I was severely allergic to alcohol; my juice glass was already empty. Carter was having too much fun. He started putting his arm around shoulders. But not my shoulders. Seemingly blinded by alcohol, he naturally draped his arm around his ex-girlfriend's shoulder. She didn't seem to mind, letting him do it. The people around didn't seem to think anything was wrong either. Until the drinks went round again, and we entered the next round of Truth or Dare. Unfortunately, I lost. Everyone let loose in this round. They jeered at me: "Old rules, call your ex." Carter was already sitting back beside me, his face flushed with alcohol. Hearing this, he chuckled, "She doesn't have an ex. I'm her first love." "Babe, I'm your first man, right?" Although he was asking me, his face held absolute confidence in himself. Because I had always maintained a good girl image in front of everyone. So everyone believed Carter's words without a doubt. "Then Sister-in-law has to drink these three glasses!" "Sister-in-law is so innocent, Young Master Carter, you're lucky." "Drink up! Drink up!" Carter's eyes crinkled in a smile; he was in a good mood. "I'll drink this for her..." He started to stand up to take the glass. I suddenly reached out to stop him. Amidst the noise of the crowd, I spoke slowly, "I do." Carter froze, suspecting he heard wrong. "What did you say, Babe?" The room went silent instantly. I blinked, my tone serious. "Carter, don't drink yet. I haven't lost for sure." Carter's smile vanished for some reason. Bella burst out laughing. She patted Carter's shoulder. "Carter, it's just a game. Have some spirit." "Besides, I'm quite curious what your little girlfriend's ex looks like." Under everyone's playful and curious gazes. I took out my phone, pulled a number out of the blacklist, and dialed it. The phone rang for quite a while before being picked up. I spoke first: "I drank alcohol. Can you come pick me up? I'm at..." I gave the address. Before he could speak, I hung up first. Carter stared at my dark phone screen and laughed. He patted my head, his face returning to his unruly smile. "Babe, no need to find a random person to bluff. Not having an ex isn't embarrassing." "I'll drink this for you." Carter looked pleased, picked up the three glasses on the table, and downed them all. Chapter 2 No one took this interlude seriously. Next round, Bella was eager to try. "Bella, I advise you not to play. You're a black hole for games," Carter said familiarly. Bella refused to accept it and glared at him. "Watch me win!" Sure enough. Bella lost. "Sister Bella, Truth or Dare?" Bella glanced at Carter and shrugged. "My ex is already here. I choose Truth." Carter's friend's playful gaze circled the three of us. "Then I'll just ask something random. Sister Bella, do you still like your ex?" This question was anything but random. Bella didn't speak for several seconds. "I forfeit." She laughed self-deprecatingly. She poured three full glasses and started drinking. The hand playing with my hair suddenly stopped. From the moment Bella fell silent, Carter's gaze had been fixed on her. Watching her drink glass after glass. His eyes were dark; no one knew what he was thinking. I pulled my hair out of his hand and handed him my empty cup. "Carter, pour me some water." Carter snapped back to reality. He grabbed a cold beer nearby and filled my cup. I looked at the cup quickly forming condensation droplets and didn't make a sound. Carter's friend tried to break the awkward atmosphere. "Come on, come on, next round..." Just then. The door to the private room was pushed open. Liam Sterling, dressed in business attire, appeared at the door. His cool gaze landed on the beer still emitting cold air in front of me. Liam's face was stern. Under the surprised or confused gazes of everyone present, he looked at me calmly and beckoned. "Wendy, come here." Chapter 3 Liam's arrival shocked everyone. Basically, everyone at A University had heard of his fame. Liam was a legend at A University. Superior background, top-tier IQ and EQ. He founded his own tech company right after graduation. In just two years, the company's market value broke 100 million. His net worth rose with the tide, becoming a new tech tycoon in the business world. You could say. He was the idol of the junior boys. The ideal partner for the junior girls. Even though he had graduated two years ago, the legends about him in school never faded. Every freshman would be educated by seniors about his legend. There was a topic on the school forum: "Who do you want to date most in school?" Liam's name still topped the list. Even Carter, known as the campus hunk for his looks, could only settle for second place. But Liam was rarely on campus during his studies, so no one could verify the truth about his love life. Now that he suddenly appeared at the door, no one recovered. Except Carter. Connecting it to the call I just made, he suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulder possessively. Looking at Liam, he asked coldly, "Who did you say you're looking for?" Liam's gaze lingered on my shoulder for a second before returning to my face. "Wendy, come here." Although there were no actual weapons, the air was filled with tension. I wanted to go back, so I picked up my bag to stand up. But I couldn't move. Carter wouldn't let me up. I turned to look at him. "Carter, I want to go back." Carter's handsome face radiated a chill. He gritted his teeth and asked me word by word, "Babe, you really have an ex?" I found his anger quite baffling. He has an ex, I have an ex. Isn't this normal? Who made the rule that he has to be my first love? "Carter, you're a sore loser." I swear. My voice was very soft and gentle, just stating a fact plainly. But Carter suddenly acted like a cat stepped on his tail. He pushed me away, looking exasperated. "Yes, I'm a sore loser. Then go! If you leave, don't come back." Knowing Carter for six months, dating for three. This was the first time I found Carter so emotionally unstable. His extreme reaction puzzled me. I took a step back and waved at him. "Then I'm leaving. Bye." Just as I was leaving the room. A crisp sound of a shattering glass came from behind, along with Bella's scream, "Carter, your hand!" I wanted to look back, but was blocked by Liam's tall figure. He turned my head forward, his tone flat. "Watch where you're going." I followed Liam to his car. Liam opened the back door directly, gesturing for me. "Get in. I'll drive you back." I shook my head, taking a step back to maintain a proper distance. "No need, I can take a taxi myself." "Sorry about just now. I lost a game." "I couldn't find anyone to call in a hurry, so..." To avoid misunderstanding, I explained simply. Actually, I lied to Carter. I didn't have an ex. Liam... I glanced at him. At most, he was a stranger I had a crushed on without fruition. Liam listened, his face still cold. "Get in." I hesitated. Liam didn't leave either, quietly waiting for me. His personality had always been decisive. If I didn't get in, he would stand there waiting forever. So I got in. But as soon as I got in, I realized there was someone in the passenger seat. A young, beautiful girl. Thinking of a certain possibility. My heart constricted, and I suddenly wanted to open the door and get out. But I heard the sound of the locks clicking. Liam was already in the driver's seat and had locked the back doors. The car slowly merged onto the main road. The woman in the passenger seat suddenly turned and waved at me: "Are you President Sterling's sister?" Sister? I looked up at the rearview mirror. Meeting Liam's cool gaze. Sensing he was about to speak, I beat him to it. "Yes, I am." Liam froze, looking deeply at me through the mirror. "Girls should be careful going out alone at night," the woman said friendly. I lowered my eyes and nodded subconsciously. Soon, we arrived at the woman's home. She waved goodbye to Liam and me. "President Sterling, see you tomorrow. Sister, bye-bye." I forced a stiff smile and responded politely. Only Liam and I were left in the car. The car merged onto the main road again. Silence filled the air tonight. "Are you dating him?" Liam suddenly blurted out an inexplicable sentence. I paused, taking a moment to realize he meant Carter. Speaking of Carter. I suddenly remembered he seemed injured before I left. I wondered if it was serious. Hearing no response for a long time, Liam asked again, "When did you start dating?" "Three months ago," I whispered, looking out the window. Liam fell into a long silence. I didn't want to talk much either. So we were silent the whole way. Until we reached the gate of A University. I thanked him and got out. "Wendy." Liam suddenly called me. I stopped and looked back. Liam's hands were on the steering wheel, his handsome face hidden in the dim car. He asked me: "Are you serious about him?" "His emotions seem a bit unstable." His eyes were calm, but held a probing meaning. I suddenly found it funny. I didn't understand what standing he had to ask me this question. "Yes. Whether before or now, I am very serious." "He chased me hard for three months. I agreed." "Unlike someone, whose heart is harder than iron." Silence. Slam— I closed the car door hard. Chapter 4 Liam moved next door to me when I was in ninth grade. We were neighbors facing each other. He was the boy next door. Very good-looking. Tall and handsome. High IQ. And he didn't mind that I was dumb. When I came home with failing grades again. My mom sighed, then dragged me by the collar to the Sterling house. She placed me in front of Liam. "Liam, I'm troubling you with this girl of ours." By then, Liam had already been admitted early to A University. And I was facing the stressful high school entrance exams. Liam's gaze lightly swept over the test paper in my hand. The bright red "25" fell into his eyes. He frowned. Seeming unable to comprehend how someone could fail such simple math problems. I stared unblinkingly at his handsome face. Forgetting to breathe for a moment. My pale cheeks suddenly turned red. Like a ripe apple. Ninth grade was stressful. The Sterlings had moved here for a while, but this was my first formal meeting with Liam. Before, I always heard my mom talk about how excellent the neighbor's son was, how good a person he was. Seeing is believing. "Brother Liam, you are really good-looking." My mouth ran ahead. My brain chased behind. Before I could react, my inner thoughts blurted out. The girl's directness came suddenly. Liam paused abruptly. His pale pink lips curved into a small arc. I stared blankly, foolishly. For the next two months. He transformed into the cold and ruthless Teacher Liam. Forcing my grades from "bottom tier" to "excellent tier." My mom was thrilled. Whenever Liam came home for holidays. She dragged me to visit. Sometimes with cookies I baked. Sometimes with cake I made. Sometimes with nothing but a book of wrong answers. Liam was used to it. Seeing the notebook in my hand, he took it and started flipping through. "You can't do any of these?" Long time no see, my heart jumped for joy. My gaze couldn't bear to leave him. But on the surface, I nodded seriously. "Yes, Brother Liam, can you teach me?" Liam nodded. Started going through them one by one for me. The incandescent light shone on his clean face, his thin lips opening and closing. I secretly observed him. Half listening, half in a trance. When he finished correcting the errors, he asked me, "Did you understand everything?" My ears turning red, I nodded like a chicken pecking rice. ... Just like that, spring went and winter came. I chased his footsteps and got into A University where he was. I always called him Brother this, Brother that. I looked forward to sharing even the tiniest things with him. Sometimes Liam was busy. He would reply briefly late at night. The next day, seeing his reply when I woke up, my mood would be beautiful all day. A girl's secret crush quietly sprouted and grew into a small tree. One day. I couldn't hold it back. I confessed to him. Liam's expression was unexpectedly calm, as if he had predicted it. His eyes looking at me were only slightly warmer than looking at a stray cat on the street. He said: "Wendy, do you know what 'like' is at your age?" "Your feelings for me might just be habit. A child's crush doesn't count." "And I believe falling in love isn't worth my precious time and energy right now." A few sentences pushed me into the abyss. A crush that ended without starting. Declared over.
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