1 At the university's centennial gala, I ran into my first love, Seraphina Gilbert. After giving her speech as the alumni representative, she turned to me in front of everyone and held up a diamond ring. "You once said you would make me a wedding ring from a thorned rose. Now, it's my turn to propose. "Evan, will you marry me?" The auditorium erupted. Everyone was waiting for me to nod tearfully, to say yes. After all, my pursuit of her back in the day had been the stuff of campus legend. But they seemed to have forgotten. They forgot that my senior thesis project had been exposed for plagiarizing Julian Croft. They forgot that Seraphina, who knew the truth, had publicly accused me of being the plagiarist. At the press conference, as the representative for the brand that was sponsoring my project, she had announced the termination of our contract and called for me to be blacklisted by the entire industry. The day my name was dragged through the mud, I fled the country. Now that I was back, her friends were all trying to persuade me. "Sera has been waiting for you all these years. Even after you humiliated her, you were still the only one in her heart. She even stormed the dean's office, fighting to get you your diploma. Evan, she truly loves you." "Can you put your phone down and give me an answer?" Seeing that I was completely unfazed by her words, Seraphina's friend, Summer, was getting annoyed. I calmly set my phone down and met her gaze. "Sera may come from a wealthy family, but she hates it when people treat her differently because of it. Even though her father is on the Board of Trustees, she never used his position for her own gain. But for your diploma, she raised hell in the dean's office! She almost got a formal demerit on her record! "Evan, do you even have a heart? Do you feel nothing at all?" Summer spoke with a righteous indignation, as if my lack of emotion was a cardinal sin. I frowned slightly, glancing around. The other alumni who had been watching the spectacle quickly looked away, pretending to be busy, but their ears were clearly still tuned in. The plagiarism scandal had been huge. So huge that even seven years later, I could still see the disdain and mockery on the faces of these onlookers. Today was no different. I had just been heading backstage to prepare for the gala when Summer intercepted me with this barrage of nonsense. I didn't know if she was doing this out of loyalty to her friend, angry that I had disappeared without a word seven years ago, or if she had been sent on a mission. But to me, none of it mattered anymore. I sighed softly. "What am I supposed to feel? It's all in the past." My answer clearly wasn't the one Summer was expecting. Her brow furrowed as she stared at me, completely baffled. I understood her confusion. During our freshman year, my three-month, all-out pursuit of Seraphina had been the talk of the entire university. When I found out she loved watching the stars from the observatory, I went to incredible lengths to find a meteorite fragment and personally craft it into a star-shaped necklace for her. To spend more time with her, I risked disciplinary action for breaking curfew, camping out at the law library for three straight months, just so I could "coincidentally" run into her and walk her home after her late-night study sessions. One stormy night, I heard she had a fever. I scaled the campus wall to buy her medicine and ended up fracturing my right hand. When she asked about it, I just laughed and said I was testing the limits of human endurance. Seraphina knew exactly why my hand was in a cast, but she quietly listened to my ridiculous lies. That was the day she agreed to be my girlfriend. After we got together, she gave me a matching moon bracelet, saying we were a perfect pair, destined for each other. To stop my "coincidental" late-night encounters, she gave up her habit of studying at the library after dark. And to make sure I, with my broken hand, could still eat my favorite sweet and sour ribs, this heiress who never set foot in the cafeteria, braved the greasy, crowded hall to wait in line for me. Each of these small gestures took root in my heart, growing into a towering tree. I thought this tree of love would blossom and bear fruit. But the appearance of Julian Croft caused it to wither and die. At first, Seraphina was clear: Julian was just a business arrangement, an arranged marriage prospect forced on her by her father. She told me I was the only one in her heart. As the sole heiress to her family's fortune, she had the power to refuse anything she didn't want, and she told me not to worry. I believed her. I never saw Julian as a threat. But then, she started being late for our dates. She started forgetting our anniversaries. After she began to take over her family's business, she was frequently seen with Julian at high-profile events, completely unconcerned by the suggestive headlines in the news. After I protested, she pulled back a little. But then I saw a new report: a photo of her adjusting Julian's shirt backstage at a jewelry exhibition. On Valentine's Day, she promised to make it up to me, but then she stood me up for an "emergency meeting." I waited at the revolving restaurant until closing time, only to see Julian post a photo on his Instagram story. It was a selfie of him and Seraphina, sitting side-by-side in business class, smiling for the camera. Looking at the flood of congratulatory comments beneath the picture, I lost all courage to even confront her. The next day, Seraphina came to the design department with my favorite mint milk. Seeing my red, swollen eyes, she showed no concern. Instead, she slammed the bottle down on the table, her patience gone. "Evan, I have promised you so many times that you're the one in my heart. Julian and I are just compatible business partners. Is it really necessary for you to cry over this endlessly? Don't you understand? When you're like this, I can't breathe!" Tears welled in my eyes. I looked down and asked, "I never even said why I was crying. Are you admitting you've been getting close to Julian?" Seraphina froze, her brow tightening. "You're being impossible!" 2 That fight was ugly. All the students who had never supported us took the opportunity to kick me while I was down. Gold digger, social climber, manipulator—every nasty label they could think of was thrown at me. I was worthless. For the next week, I didn't contact Seraphina. In the end, it was Summer who played peacemaker, telling each of us a different story to get us in the same room. The moment I saw Seraphina, my first instinct was to leave. But it seemed she had composed herself over the past week. She blocked my path with a wide smile, and before I could protest, she pulled me into a hug in front of all her friends. "Don't be angry anymore. I know I was wrong." I tried to pull away, but a cold chain settled around my neck. "A belated Valentine's gift," she whispered. "I made it myself. It's a set with the star necklace you gave me." Her gentle voice, the exquisite gift—it soothed my wounded heart. As my anger subsided, I was willing to talk. I pulled out my phone, showing her the news articles, Julian's Instagram story. "You said you were just business partners. Do business partners need to be so physically intimate?" With one arm still around my waist, she took my phone. "Oh, that was a huge misunderstanding! He said he thought there was a stain on his shirt and asked me to check so he wouldn't be embarrassed in front of the reporters. I didn't even touch him! You know I have bad eyesight, honey. I just leaned in a little to see." A smile was already forming on my face, but I pressed on. "And the Instagram post? You lied about a meeting and went to dinner with him. How do you explain that?" Seraphina turned me to face her, cupping my face in her hands and placing a soft, reverent kiss on my lips. "Honey, I swear, the client changed the meeting time at the last minute. It was Julian who insisted we go to dinner. He said his stomach hurt because he hadn't eaten all day." I playfully slapped her hands away, but I couldn't hold back my smile any longer. I was about to let it go with a light warning when the door opened and Julian walked in. He came straight towards me, his eyes already red. "Summer told me you two were fighting because of me, so I rushed right over. Evan, I know Sera and I have a marriage arrangement, but we're just friends. If it really bothers you that much, I can ask my father to speak with Mr. Gilbert. We can call off the engagement. I'll even leave the country so I'm not in your way." It must have been raining hard outside, because he was soaked. After his dramatic speech, he shed a few tears and turned to leave. I clearly saw a flash of pity in Seraphina's eyes. She let go of me and hurried after him. Right there, in front of me, she used her bare hands to wipe the water from his face. Her friends, seeing me standing there with a dark expression, started whispering among themselves, their words dripping with criticism for me, accusing me of being a bully. Julian shot a timid glance in my direction. In that moment, I felt like I was the one who should be leaving. That night, I barely ate two bites before saying I felt unwell and leaving. I thought Seraphina would stay to comfort Julian, but she ran out into the rain after me, grabbing my arm. She pulled me into the nearest coffee shop, placed a hot drink in my hands, then ran back out into the storm to buy a towel to wrap around me. "Evan, don't be mad at me. Julian's family is extremely strict. If I really let him go home and ask his father to break off the engagement, he would face severe punishment. I only see him as a friend, that's why I'm a little more protective of him. Don't overthink it. My heart and my eyes are only for you." Seeing me shiver, she sat closer, hugging me tightly and rubbing my hands to warm them. Even as my heart wrestled with doubt, her meticulous care convinced me to quell my fears and trust her again. But in the end, she betrayed that trust. After that day, Julian became a constant, blatant presence by her side. They discussed business strategies, jewelry exhibitions—they were so in sync they looked like a perfect couple. It wasn't just the other students; even I started to believe they were dating. Julian certainly acted the part. He came to me with the swagger of a victor. "Evan, Sera sees me as a friend now. Soon, she'll see me as a lover. Just you wait." I couldn't find the words to argue back. I just watched him walk away, a triumphant smirk on his face. 3 It was a weekend. Seraphina had told me she was going to play badminton with her friends to relax. I called her last minute and asked her to come see me. She was furious. "Didn't I tell you I was playing badminton? Now I have to flake on my friends. It makes me look so bad!" I was full of anger myself. My voice was sharp as I told her everything Julian had said. Hearing this only made her attitude worse. "You dragged me all the way over here for this? How many times do I have to promise you that Julian and I are just friends? Evan, do you have any idea how exhausting it is to be in a relationship with you? At this point, should I just get your permission before I even breathe? Would that make you happy?" "You don't believe me?" Her words cut deep. I bit my lip, my eyes filling with tears. Seraphina met my gaze, and after a long moment, she sighed. "Okay, look. I get it. Insecurity is a common problem for guys. If you don't like Julian, I'll find a chance to make things clear with him. But Evan, I'm begging you, can you please stop tormenting me over this? The pressure from my dad is already immense. I finally get a little time to relax. Can you please just give me a break?" It was almost graduation. Her father was forcing her to give up her passion for law and take over the family's jewelry business. The two of them were in a cold war over it. Her father already disliked me, so I couldn't offer much advice. All I could do was give her space. "I'm going to be very busy with graduation coming up," she said. "Let's not talk for a while." Then, she turned and walked away. Watching her back retreat, a chill spread through me. For the first time, I had the thought: she wasn't worth it. For a long time after that, she didn't contact me. But I would often see her and Julian studying together late at night in the library. I even found out from Summer that she had decided to give up law and go abroad to study jewelry design. The next time I saw her was when my senior thesis project was selected by Elysian Jewels. They wanted to sign a contract with me for mass production. But as we were about to sign, a mob of reporters suddenly surrounded me, cameras shoved in my face. "Mr. Fang, we've received a tip that your graduation project is a plagiarism of Julian Croft's work. Is this true?" I was stunned. I backed away, trying to explain. "No, I didn't! You're slandering me!" Just then, Julian appeared, his eyes red-rimmed as he accused me. "Evan, you've copied my designs for your homework before, and I let it slide. But this project... the 'Thorned Rose' collection... I designed it specifically for Sera's birthday. She even helped me revise it. How can you still lie and say you didn't copy it?" Instantly, all the cameras turned to Seraphina, waiting for her answer. I looked at her too. Seraphina avoided my gaze. She spoke to the cameras, her voice clear. "The 'Thorned Rose' was indeed Julian's idea. I saw him drawing the designs with my own eyes when we were studying together at night." I was frozen solid. I walked toward her through the blinding flashes, stared into her eyes, and asked, "Are you sure I'm the one who plagiarized?"
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