Liam Sterling was famous for his bitter tongue. Because I was prone to gaining weight, when he saw the white lace dress sample sent by a merchant, he mockingly said: "Do you have to wear that and humiliate yourself? It looks like a sow playing bondage." I don't know how many times I broke down because of his harsh words, but every time, forced by his handsome face and generosity, I made myself not care. Until the eve of a debate competition, when a junior girl in our club leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team. Normally, Liam would have sneered and mocked this girl for having an underdeveloped brain. But this time, Liam just threw a pack of tissues at her, turned his face away, and said: "What are you crying for? You look so ugly." 1. Daisy Miller was sobbing: "I'm sorry, it's all because I was careless that everyone can't participate in the competition!" Just five minutes ago, the organizers had disqualified us due to the leaked debate manuscript. We had worked hard for months, only to be disqualified before even taking the stage. The club members were furious. "Careless? I think you did it on purpose, didn't you? Who accidentally prints out our manuscripts copy by copy and puts them directly at the door of the opposing team's room?" Daisy choked out, "I'm sorry... I got your room numbers wrong, that's why it happened..." The members were even more furious upon hearing this: "Aren't our rooms right next to each other? You don't remember where we live, did you even forget where you live?" "Enough, stop crying in front of me. Even if you cry yourself to death here today, you won't drain all the water in your brain!" Liam originally had no intention of speaking, but hearing the guy say this, he clicked his tongue: "Go wash your mouth if it stinks so much. Bullying a little girl like that, aren't you ashamed?" Liam's words stunned everyone. After all, not only was Liam the first debater in this competition, but his toxic tongue was also famous. If it were before. If such a low-level, almost intentional mistake occurred around him, Liam would probably have asked about her entire family with a cold face. And casually asked if she was the product of inbreeding. But this time, Liam just took a pack of tissues from his pocket, tossed it in front of Daisy, and turned his head: "Alright, what's done is done. What's the use of crying?" Watching Liam's actions, my heart felt like it was pricked by a very fine needle. It was extremely uncomfortable. Liam had a toxic mouth and didn't know how to comfort people. Several times I was angered to tears by Liam, and even though he was right beside me, he wouldn't say a single nice word to me. He would just keep his hands in his pockets, impatiently tapping his foot: "Are you done yet? How long are you going to cry over such a trivial matter?" Everyone was waiting for my reaction as the club president. I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart and said to Daisy: "Whether you did it on purpose or not, you did affect our competition. You don't need to come to future club activities." Hearing this, Daisy cried even more pitifully: "Chloe, I know you've never liked me, but nobody is perfect. Are you going to strip me of my right to pursue my hobbies just because of this little thing?" The members ground their teeth in anger: "What hobbies do you have? You can't even write a debate script. Even if the president gives you a chance to show your face and lets you use the script she wrote, you stumble on stage and drag everyone down!" "Not to mention, you know perfectly well how important this competition is to our club. This is the championship match! In your eyes, is this just a little thing?" Before Daisy could speak, Liam shouted in a low voice: "Enough!" Then, he turned to look at me: "Chloe Vance, you call yourself the president, yet you just watch a group of people bully a little girl like this?" Finally, Liam looked me up and down and softly spat out a few words: "Right, I forgot. You're an accomplice too." My throat suddenly felt like it was blocked by a wet wad of cotton. The sudden suffocation made me unable to say a word. Fortunately, other members spoke up: "Make yourself clear, how did we bully her?" "The president just told her not to come make a mess next time, and didn't even plan to hold her accountable. How is she an accomplice?" Daisy sniffled and grabbed Liam's cuff: "Liam, I know you're just standing up for me because you care about me, but..." Daisy glanced at me, as if I were some terrible monster, lowered her head, and her voice was full of disappointment: "Maybe it's really because Chloe doesn't like me that it turned out this way." 2. That day ended in a bitter argument. Before Liam left holding Daisy's hand, he glanced at me and finally said coldly: "Chloe Vance, you are too petty. I hope you carefully reflect on your mistakes." Watching the backs of the two of them walking away hand in hand, my heart fell into a state of blankness. Where did I go wrong? I still hadn't figured this question out even when I dazedly returned to the apartment Liam and I shared. Looking at the floor the cleaning lady had wiped spotless, I belatedly remembered that Liam was a severe germaphobe. He practically had "keep away" written on his face. But Liam wasn't just unapproachable; even I, his girlfriend, couldn't get close to him on regular days. Unless he was willing, let alone holding his hand—he would dodge with a cold face. Even if I wanted to pull his cuff, like Daisy did today. Liam would put on a cold face and, right in front of me, throw the clothes I touched into the trash as if throwing away something dirty. I remember once, when I was working part-time at a food truck, I was bullied by some punks. Crying at the police station, I called Liam to come pick me up. When I saw Liam appear at the station with a cold face, the grievances in my heart could no longer be suppressed. I threw my arms around Liam's waist and wailed. "You... you're finally here, Liam. You don't know, I was scared to death just now." But Liam first let me hug him for a long time. Only when I had cried enough did he look down at my red and swollen eyes. I thought that even if Liam spoke harshly, he would always comfort me with a few words when something like this happened. But unexpectedly, his thin lips gently spat out a few words: "Chloe Vance, hugging me like this, aren't you dirty?" Thinking of that incident, tears unknowingly streamed down my face. Coincidentally, Liam came home at this moment. When our eyes met, I didn't even have time to wipe away the teardrops from the corners of my eyes. Liam impatiently kicked his shoes aside and sneered, turning his head away: "Daisy was bullied by you guys like that and didn't say anything. You, the instigator, are crying instead. Impressive." My voice was still choked with sobs: "She ruined everyone's competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?" "Besides..." The displeasure I had suppressed all afternoon blurted out at this moment: "Don't you usually hate stupidity more than anything? Why were you so biased towards Daisy Miller today?" Liam froze for a moment, then spoke impatiently: "Hate stupidity? Chloe Vance, can't you speak nicer? I couldn't stand watching you guys bully a little girl to tears, what's wrong with that?" I wanted to raise my hand to wipe away my tears, but they flowed even more fiercely. "Daisy Miller is an outsider, yet you can't bear to see her tears." "What about me? As your girlfriend, do I just have to watch you take the side of an outsider?" Liam sneered: "Here we go again. Chloe Vance, I really admire you, always getting insanely jealous over such trivial things." Insanely jealous? I laughed and laughed until tears fell again: "You think we bullied Daisy Miller, so you kept defending her?" "But don't you know, I was counting on the prize money from the debate competition to pay my tuition for next semester. She ruined everyone's competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?" Liam showed no emotion at all, merely saying disdainfully: "Playing the victim again?" It's not like Liam hadn't seen my desperation when I couldn't pay my tuition, nor my exhausted appearance when working part-time. I put my heart and soul into winning the debate competition just to use the prize money to cover next semester's expenses. But all of this, in Liam's eyes, was just playing the victim. I spent the whole afternoon in a daze, wondering what I did wrong. My only mistake was dating a guy like Liam for three years. Crying for too long made me dizzy for a moment when I stood up abruptly. Liam subconsciously tried to grab my arm, but remembering something, he pursed his lips and withdrew his hand. I smiled bitterly, my voice carrying the numbness that comes after crying too much. "Think whatever you want." "Liam Sterling, let's break up." A trace of disbelief flashed in Liam's eyes. He asked: "Just because of this little thing, you want to break up with me?" Then, he sneered: "Fine, Chloe Vance. Since you brought up the breakup, don't regret it." I said numbly, "I won't regret it." I didn't want to waste any more time on Liam, a cold-hearted man who never treated me as an equal. "I'll move out of your place as soon as possible. You..." Before I could finish, Liam's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Liam twitched the corner of his mouth, answered the phone, and even put it on speaker. Daisy Miller's weak voice came through: "Liam, I hurt my leg while running just now. Can you come see me?" Liam's gaze fell on me, then he smiled and said: "Sure, send me your location. I'll be right there." Hanging up the phone, Liam looked down at me and said: "Let me reiterate, I don't go back to my exes. If you apologize to Daisy Miller, I'll pretend nothing happened today. Otherwise..." I interrupted Liam, looking him straight in the eyes, and said word by word: "I didn't do anything wrong to Daisy Miller, why should I apologize?" "Daisy Miller is still waiting for you. Go find her." Liam looked me up and down, gritted his teeth, and threw down a sentence: "Fine, you're doing great!" He then slammed the door and left without looking back. 3. After Liam left, I packed my bags overnight. He was very generous to me. After we got together, designer skincare products I had never even seen filled the vanity, and there were quite a few designer bags too. But I was always terrified to accept them. Let alone carrying them, I was careful even when brushing past them while cleaning. I didn't plan on taking any of these things. I still had a supplementary credit card from Liam in my hand. He had impatiently thrown it at me when he saw me on the sofa, fighting through the pain to disinfect a wound I got from a fall while delivering takeout. "Take this card. My girlfriend, Liam Sterling's girlfriend, doesn't need to suffer like this." I cherished Liam's sentiment, but I never carelessly spent a single cent on the card. A few times when my grandma's condition worsened and she was rushed to the ICU, even if I touched this card, I would pay the money back penny by penny afterward. Now, this card lay quietly on the coffee table in the living room. It was already late at night when I returned to the college dorm. Because the debate team had been disqualified, before I even woke up the next day, I was called into the academic advisor's office. "How are you being the president? You prepared for this competition for so long, why were you disqualified?" Seeing me being scolded, other members of the club righteously spoke up: "This has nothing to do with Chloe. It's all because Daisy Miller leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team that this happened!" The advisor frowned and called Daisy Miller over. When they saw Liam coming with Daisy Miller, the members of the debate club all coincidentally looked at me. Daisy Miller looked at the advisor pitifully and said: "Professor, you were looking for me?" Seeing Daisy Miller like this made the advisor furious. Before the professor could speak, Liam said sarcastically: "Wow, Chloe Vance. Was it not enough for your gang to gang up on a little girl yesterday, that today you had to run to the professor to complain?" The advisor frowned and scolded Liam: "Watch your tone. What do you mean Chloe came to complain to me? My students were inexplicably forced to withdraw from the competition. Can't I even ask a question?" Liam said nonchalantly: "Sure, why not?" Then, he added: "It's true that Daisy was careless about this, but even if you want to punish someone, you can't just put all the blame on one person, right?" "Chloe Vance is the president. Even if someone has to take responsibility, her responsibility is the greatest, don't you think?" I was shaking with anger, but Liam was completely oblivious. He looked at me mockingly and said: "Aren't some people always pursuing fairness and justice? You're the president, you have to take the primary responsibility. You admit to this, right?" My fingertips dug deeply into my flesh. Actually, what Liam said was right. No matter what happened, as the president, I did have to take the primary responsibility. But these words shouldn't have come from Liam. They shouldn't have come from the person who had dated me for three years. I stopped the members who wanted to speak for me, and word by word, I said to the advisor: "It was my oversight. I failed to stop Daisy Miller from handing the victory to the opposing debaters." "However you decide to handle this, you have the final say." The advisor moved his lips, finally sighed, and said: "Since that's the case, Daisy Miller is expelled from the debate club. As for you... you should vacate the position of president for someone else." Liam was pleased to see this result. He crossed his arms, chuckled a few times, and said: "Now that you've been stripped of your position, let's see how you can still use your status to stand on the moral high ground and judge others." I closed my eyes and said to Liam: "Now that official business is over, let's talk about personal matters." Liam acted as if he heard some funny joke: "What personal matters do we have between us..." Before Liam could finish, I gathered all the strength in my body and slapped him across the face. The force was so great that it directly snapped Liam's head to the side! In the past, let alone a slap, I hadn't even said a harsh word to Liam. In front of him, I had always been gentle and obedient. This slap stunned Liam. After a long while, a bit of hostility gradually gathered in his eyes: "Chloe Vance, slapping me out of nowhere. Explain yourself." My palm was red and numb, but looking at the handprint on Liam's face, I felt an unspeakable sense of relief in my heart. "Yesterday, it was clearly your girlfriend who lost her qualification for the competition because of Daisy Miller. You didn't speak up for me, but instead ran off holding Daisy Miller's hand." "I hit you for not understanding boundaries, for bullying your girlfriend for the sake of an outsider." "With this slap, we're even!" 4. The news of me slapping Liam spread like wildfire across campus. After all, before this, my reputation at school wasn't very good. Labels like "simp," "gold digger," and "pathetic" followed me like a shadow. Simply because no matter how poorly Liam treated me, I never broke up with him. Hearing that I actually slapped Liam this time, certain bored circles on campus completely exploded. They were all betting. After this incident, how would I clean up the mess to win back Liam's heart? But I paid no attention to those meaningless rumors. Without the debate competition, the prize money naturally vanished. Lately, I had been busy with part-time jobs to earn tuition and living expenses for the next semester. Until late one night, after I finished my last delivery run, my back aching and legs weak, I received a call from Liam. Liam rarely contacted me proactively unless there was something important. As soon as the call connected, Liam's lazy voice came through: "You left your stuff at my place. Hurry up and get it, don't pollute the air in my house." I was already used to Liam's cold words. My voice carried a hint of exhaustion: "What stuff?" Liam on the other end of the phone said: "That trashy ring of yours. I'll give you half an hour to come get it, otherwise I'll just throw it away." Thinking of that ring, my mind went into a trance. Custom-made silver rings suddenly became popular during our sophomore year. I didn't have much money back then, but I wanted to give Liam a gift. So, on a Wednesday afternoon when we had no classes, I dragged Liam along with me to make a pair of rings that belonged only to us. Liam expressed God knows how much disgust while we were there, but after the ring was made, he still put it on his hand, just like I did. My heart was sweeter than honey back then. After making sure I wasn't dirty, I smilingly threw my arms around Liam's neck from the side: "How is it, do you like it?" Liam pursed his lips in disgust and said: "No, it's so ugly." But that ring, since Liam put it on, he never took it off. Last night, when I took off that silver ring and saw the mark it left on my finger, I was also stunned for a long time, but eventually, I gently slipped it off. Seeing that I hadn't spoken for a while, Liam's voice impatiently rang out: "Are you deaf?" My consciousness returned, and I said to Liam: "I don't want that ring anymore. Throw it away." Liam seemed to freeze for a few seconds before saying: "Chloe Vance, are you treating my house like a recycling center? You're just leaving whatever junk you don't want here?" My lips moved. I wanted to say something, but felt it was unnecessary. "Whatever you say." 5. I thought I could make a clean break from Liam. I didn't expect to run into them again when I was working part-time at a karaoke bar. Through the unclosed door of a private room, several familiar and unfamiliar classmates were sitting around Liam. Liam had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. As the flame flickered and the cigarette was lit, someone saw and asked: "Liam is smoking again?" Then, realizing they misspoke, they shut their mouth. Before we got together, Liam was quite a heavy smoker, but I had sinus issues and couldn't stand the smell of smoke. Liam would call me "squeamish and high-maintenance," but he still cut down on smoking. The few times he occasionally smoked, he would wait downstairs to let the smell air out before coming home. Hearing the guy say that, Liam paused his motion of putting away the lighter, glaring at the guy: "Got nothing better to say?" The other classmates in the room quickly tried to smooth things over. Someone said: "Recently, that simp Chloe Vance hasn't been bothering Liam. Liam is enjoying the freedom, what's wrong with smoking a few cigarettes?" Liam lowered his eyes, his voice carrying a bit of coldness: "Don't mention her to me." Everyone looked at each other. They had all heard rumors about Liam's growing temper lately. Today someone organized a gathering and called Liam over to hang out. Only upon seeing him did they realize the rumors were true. Liam's good buddy smilingly poured him some alcohol and said: "Who doesn't know Chloe Vance loves Liam to death, you can't drive her away no matter how hard you try. I'm guessing, Chloe Vance can only keep this up for two or three days. Once she can't bear the pain of missing you anymore, she'll come running back with her tail between her legs." Liam exhaled a puff of thin smoke: "You talk too much." But anyone with eyes could see that the subtle irritability between Liam's brows had dissipated significantly. I don't know who had sharp eyes and spotted me, but they yelled in surprise: "Chloe Vance, why are you here?" Liam's buddy immediately said: "What did I say? In less than half a month, Chloe Vance would definitely look for you to get back together." Liam also looked up at me and asked: "What are you doing here?" As soon as he finished speaking, other classmates started jeering: "What else could she be here for? Of course, she's here to make up with you, Liam!" "Chloe Vance, how are you planning to coax him this time?" Under everyone's mocking gazes, I slightly raised my lips and said: "Sorry, you misunderstood. I have no intention of getting back together with Liam Sterling." Liam's face instantly dropped. Liam's buddy pulled me towards Liam, using a peacemaker's tone on me: "Alright, Chloe, it's no fun to keep making a scene." "We all see your feelings for Liam. This time, as long as you apologize to Liam, we'll let this go." Liam flicked his cigarette ash and sneered: "Chloe Vance, your intelligence network is pretty good. I just got here, and you tracked me down right after?" I sighed, not understanding why they were so obsessed with this. I showed them my employee badge and said: "I'm just working a part-time job here. I didn't expect to run into you guys here either." Everyone looked at the badge on me in silence. I said: "I still have to work. Have fun." After saying that, I bypassed them and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, someone forcefully grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Liam pinned me against the wall behind him, making me unable to move. His voice was very low: "You've already chased me all the way here, why still play these hard-to-get games?" "Seeing how much you like me, I won't hold it against you. As long as you apologize to Daisy Miller, we'll turn the page on this matter." I was so angry I laughed, and I shoved him away: "Liam Sterling, don't flatter yourself. It's really just a coincidence that I'm working here. If I had known I'd run into you here tonight, I definitely wouldn't have come!" As soon as I said this, the room went quiet for a few seconds. Liam's tone instantly turned cold: "Chloe Vance, know when to stop. Don't play yourself." I said indifferently: "I hope you get this clear: the breakup that night really wasn't a joke." After saying that, I turned around and left. From the private room behind me, there suddenly came a huge crash of a bottle hitting the floor. Liam's buddy asked tremblingly: "Liam, are you okay?" Liam's voice was full of hostility: "Get the fuck out, all of you!" 6. I don't know who spread the word about what happened that night. Those classmates at school who were waiting for me to go back crying, begging Liam for forgiveness so they could continue watching the show, only belatedly realized at this point. So the breakup I spoke of was not a joke. But I had no time to worry about the gossip of other classmates. In the academic advisor's office, I was dizzy with the sudden good news: "The school wants to recommend me as an exchange student to the UK?" The advisor nodded, looking at me with some approval: "Yes." But I hadn't been happy for a few minutes before reality pulled me back. I squeezed the hem of my shirt, my tone showing some helplessness: "But my family's situation, professor, you know it. The cost of studying abroad is too high. I probably can't afford it." The advisor smiled kindly at me, then said: "The application for you this time is a full scholarship. Tuition is already included. The school there has also specially arranged a dorm room for you. As long as you work part-time in your spare time, your living expenses will be covered." Going abroad for further studies had always been my dream. Hearing that the advisor had actually arranged everything for me, my eyes unconsciously welled up with tears. I bowed to the advisor: "Professor, thank you." Leaving the office, I rushed to start preparing my documents, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find my ID. It took me a long time to recall that when I went on a trip with Liam last month, I left my ID with him. Actually, I didn't want to contact Liam, but this wasn't the time to act out of spite. It took a long time for the call to connect. When I heard Daisy Miller's sweet "Hello" from the other end of the line... My hand subconsciously gripped the phone tighter, and I said: "Let Liam answer the phone." Daisy Miller let out a sweet laugh over there, then said: "Chloe, if you need anything just tell me. I reckon Liam probably doesn't really want to talk to you." Before I could speak, Liam lazily asked: "Who is it?" A chorus of jeers immediately erupted over there: "Who else could it be? Chloe Vance finally couldn't hold back and wants to make up with you, Liam!" "Awesome, Liam! You subdued that simp Chloe Vance once again!" Liam finally took the phone and asked me: "Chloe Vance, have I ever told you that I, Liam Sterling, don't go back to my exes? We've already broken up, what are you coming to look for me for?" I suppressed the anger in my heart and told Liam: "My ID is still with you. Where are you? I'll come get it." On the other end of the screen, my sentence made the careless smile on Liam's face freeze instantly. He gripped his phone tighter, and his tone suddenly worsened: "You're looking for me just for this?" I said: "Yes, exactly for this. Where are you? I'll go find you." Liam wanted to swear, but seeing his buddies winking frantically, he took a breath and finally said: "Wanhai Road, Jinyue Karaoke." Hearing the busy signal of me hanging up without hesitation, Liam's face didn't look too good. Liam's good friend secretly wiped away a drop of sweat. Others couldn't tell, but he, the good buddy who hung out with Liam every day, saw it clearly. Ever since Chloe and Liam broke up, Liam's mood had been getting worse day by day. Often, while hanging out, he would suddenly pick up his phone to check his unread messages. When he didn't see the message he wanted, he would darken his face and place the phone face down on the sofa. And... Liam's good buddy actually wished his eyes weren't so sharp. That plain ring the two of us made together, Chloe had already taken it off when she moved out of Liam's place. But Liam always wore that ring on his hand. Whenever he felt frustrated, he would unconsciously twist the band. Seeing Liam looking very pissed off, he hurried over to Liam's side and said: "Liam, don't listen to Chloe's nonsense. An ID card, not looking for it early, not looking for it late, why did she have to come looking for you exactly when you took Daisy out to play?" "She must be jealous, so she came up with such a clumsy little trick to attract your attention!" Liam's hand reaching for his wine glass paused: "Really?" His buddy, seeing he had hit the nail on the head, punched his own palm: "Can't be more real!" Saying that, he peeked at Liam's expression and cautiously said: "But Liam, I advise you not to push it too far. No matter how much Chloe loves you, she's a girl and needs to save face. Today, as long as she behaves well enough, just give her a way out." Liam's furrowed brows had completely relaxed. He said, "We'll see." Actually, Liam was quite annoyed, not understanding why I was always so petty. That night when he went home and saw the empty living room and the lonely ring rolling on the coffee table, for some inexplicable reason, he felt like a piece of his heart was missing. Everyone said I had no temper. But Liam angrily smashed several vases, thinking to himself. What do you mean no temper? Isn't her temper huge right now? Running away from home over such a trivial matter? When I arrived, the private room was very lively. Liam wasn't singing; he was sitting in the very middle seat without saying a word, while Daisy Miller leaned intimately against his shoulder. Before I could speak, Liam's friend greeted me: "Chloe, why are you so late?" Daisy Miller, as if just noticing me, quickly got off Liam, giving a dry, guilty explanation: "Chloe, don't misunderstand my relationship with Liam, I..." I couldn't be bothered to listen to Daisy's nonsense, and just said to Liam: "Where's my ID?" Liam looked me up and down and asked: "What do you need your ID for?" I took a deep breath and said: "It has nothing to do with you. We've already broken up. Give me back my ID." Liam's buddy hurried to smooth things over in the middle: "Chloe, don't be so absolute. Look, you two finally got together, why keep talking in anger?" Liam's eyes grew cold. He took out his cardholder, casually tossed my ID onto the floor like trash, and it landed right under the sofa. He looked down at me from above and said indifferently: "Sorry, threw it too far. Pick it up yourself." I resisted the urge to argue with Liam again, just twitched my mouth and said: "Liam Sterling, your aim is as bad as ever." I crouched down to grope for my ID, but Daisy Miller suddenly moved. Her foot in a high heel stepped precisely on the back of my hand. Then she let out an "Ouch" and said: "Sorry Chloe, I didn't see your hand. Did I hurt you?" The back of my hand was stepped on so hard it turned red and swollen, but I still blew the dust off my ID first before standing up. "That day I was only focused on slapping Liam, I forgot about you, you bitch." Daisy Miller hid behind Liam: "Chloe, you..." I delivered a slap right to Daisy Miller's face: "Stop intentionally doing these blind, dirty things one after another. You disgust me." Liam grabbed my wrist tightly. When he clearly saw the red and swollen back of my hand, he first frowned imperceptibly, then asked in a deep voice: "Why are you hitting people? Are you here to pick a fight?" I smirked, forcefully broke free from Liam's grip, and said: "I'm not that free. If possible, I really don't want to have any more ties with you cheating pair ever again." After saying that, I turned around to leave. Liam's voice echoed in the room: "Chloe Vance, apologize." "If you don't apologize to Daisy, never come looking for me again from now on." I turned my head and gave Liam a half-smile: "Who cares."
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