The year of my purest crush, I deliberately manipulated my test scores to ensure the guy I loved stayed second in our grade for three whole years so he would remember me. He finally snapped, asked me out to distract me, and ruin my focus. I smiled and said yes, then broke up with him first. Good news: He never forgot me. Bad news: Years later, he was my interviewer for a job. He immediately threw my résumé aside. "Absolutely not. Next candidate." 1 Liam was still holding a grudge. I smiled, giving a polite little bow. Seeing him here was a surprise. Since he rejected me, I wasn't discouraged; I simply turned to leave. "Wait." His voice, laced with suppressed fury, came from behind me. "Is that all the determination you have to join our company, Ms. Song?" The cold severity on Liam's face was tinged with anger, which immediately chipped away at his mature, CEO aura. He was still the hothead he was in high school. "Of course not. I'm extremely determined to join your company. This is a dream opportunity for me." My gaze was earnest. Liam scoffed, saying nothing more. The rest of the interview was conducted by the other interviewer. I was well-prepared and answered every question perfectly. Just as my acceptance seemed certain, Liam jumped back in. "Ms. Song, do you know the position you're interviewing for?" I nodded. "Yes, Executive Assistant to the CEO." Liam's sneer deepened. "Did you bother to check who the CEO was before coming?" Seeing how much it bothered him, I couldn't resist teasing him. "I did check. I thought it was just a namesake, but it really is my ex—" I watched his lips tighten, the vein on his arm bulge, and then I slowly finished my sentence. "—desk partner." Liam's eyes were practically shooting fire. The other interviewer noticed the tension and dabbed his forehead. "Ms. Song, your résumé is excellent. We'll be in touch." "She's hired," Liam interjected, deciding immediately. He said slowly, emphasizing each word: "We must give my former desk partner some special treatment." I wasn't flustered. I winked. "Thank you." The moment I left the office and turned the corner, Liam was right behind me. "Aren't you curious why I hired you?" I didn't blush. "Because I'm exceptionally talented, of course." Liam was furious. "Jane Song, you're still as arrogant as ever." I stopped, giving him a meaningful look. "What else? I can't imagine someone would want to rekindle things, ex-boyfriend." Liam instantly darkened. "You think too much of yourself." "I hired you to get revenge. To torment you." "Jane Song, I'm giving you one last chance. You can choose not to accept the offer." He raised his chin, his pride as prominent as ever. But my mind flashed back to him begging me to stay. Even the proud Liam had once pleaded: "Please don't break up with me." Liam mistook my hesitation for fear. His fingers curled subtly, but he couldn't let go of his pride. "If you're scared, don't mess with me again." I sighed, smiling. "Liam, you're still the same." I didn't elaborate until I reached the company entrance. Liam looked annoyed. "The same as what?" I waved goodbye, giving him a mysterious smile. "Unblock me on everything, and I'll tell you." 2 Liam had blocked me everywhere. He even blocked me on Spotify. The day we broke up, he even attacked the digital chicken in my Farmville game. Before that, he called the chicken "Son." He'd sneak his phone into school to feed and clean its digital coop when I was too busy. The straight-A, second-in-class student never broke the rules. The only time he ever used his family's influence was to arrange for me to be his desk partner. In our advanced class, where co-ed seating wasn't the norm, we were noticeably conspicuous. But no one objected because I was the top-ranked student. No one suspected a romance, including myself. I knew Liam was trying to steal my secrets. He was determined to find out how a girl from a small town had snatched his precious rank, and he planned to reclaim it. I couldn't stand him for two reasons: One: He was rich. I had an anti-rich bias. Two: He looked down his nose at everyone. He was arrogant and showed off too much. The first impression was so bad that my attitude toward him was cold. Liam, being proud, wouldn't tolerate that. The only conversations we had were about test scores, and Liam was always the one to break the silence. "What did you get?" I'd give him my score, short and sweet, not expecting his reply. If his score was higher, he'd proudly hum. If it was the same, he'd give a cold chuckle. If it was lower, he'd tighten his lips, his usually bright eyes dimming, his flying eyebrows furrowed. Wait, why am I staring at him again? I subtly looked away, gripping my pen tightly. The sneaky second-ranked student was trying to use his good looks to ruin my focus, but I wouldn't fall for it. 3 Our frosty desk partnership continued until the competition season. Walking back from handing in our registration forms, Liam said smugly, "Jane Song, you're smart. But in competitions, talent isn't enough. Experience is key." "I'm definitely going to beat you this time!" The resources in my small hometown weren't extensive, and I hadn't had much competition experience. Liam was arrogant but not blind; he had a point. But I was just as proud about my grades and wouldn't concede easily. I smiled calmly. "Since you're so confident, how about a bet? The loser has to fulfill one request from the winner—nothing too outrageous, of course." Liam's proud face showed doubt. He sensed a trap. I slowly drew out my words. "I didn't think Liam Chen was scared... to lose..." If a weaker student had challenged him, Liam would have dismissed it as a cheap trick. But coming from me, Liam exploded. "You're on!" he bit out. "Jane Song, you're finished." Perfect. He didn't like me either. The competition results came out. Both Liam and I won gold. As expected, we compared our answers. Mine was slightly higher. He was right, experience mattered. If I had his resources, I would have scored even higher. Liam's face was dark despite the gold medal. He couldn't stand the shame for another day. "Tell me what you want me to do. Hurry up." I pretended I didn't remember. "What request?" "Oh, right, the bet." "So, why are you the one fulfilling my request?" We were alone under the trees during lunch break. Liam suddenly gave up, shouting, "Because I lost! I lost! Are you happy now?" I almost burst out laughing. Seeing his misery, I held it in. "Easy there, little man," I said softly. "Who are you calling 'little man'? I'm three months older than you!" Liam was absolutely enraged. "Okay, okay. Then I'll call you 'Big Man'?" Oops, too far. Liam's face was flushed crimson. I quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it..." I made it worse. Liam lowered his proud head. "What do you want?" The whole situation made me feel less like mocking him. "It's nothing. Just show me an air throw." Some of the boys in class did that motion. Liam always looked at them like they were idiots. I agreed with him. I only asked for that to humiliate him. Predictably, Liam turned bright red. Afraid I'd push him too far, I let him off. "If you really don't want to, you don't have to." He glared at me. "I keep my promises." Liam stretched, jumped, and performed a perfect throw. It was smooth and athletic. He fixed his collar, pretending it never happened. Then he said fiercely, "Don't tell anyone." What a little peacock. The seed of my crush silently took root right there. 4 On my first day of work, I walked into the office with my left foot first. A cold sneer met me. That night, after I left the office, my vengeful ex finally unblocked me and sent a single period mark. I immediately opened the chat, screenshotted his entire profile, and scoured it for information. Then, I unblocked him and replied to his single period. "Childish." I knew I was being childish, but I couldn't stop provoking him. Unsurprisingly, he blocked me again. Big temper. To appease my ex-boyfriend-turned-boss, I brought him a warm cup of sweet milk. He took one sip and frowned. "You can't even make coffee?" I smiled sweetly. "Shall I dump it and make you a new cup?" He took another huge gulp. "Don't let it happen again." Then Liam immersed himself in work. I was disappointed. He said he'd torment me. Is this it? After working for hours, I went to the break room. My work friend came in. "Jane, did the CEO yell at you?" Everyone was secretly watching the boss. They all saw his dark face. My friend looked guilty. "It's my fault. I shared his photo with you because he's so hot. I didn't expect you to quit your job and jump ship so fast! Even someone as dedicated as you is obsessed with him, huh?" I caught the keyword: "obsessed." Liam was rich and handsome. Of course, he had admirers, but "obsessed" sounded serious. My friend, who always had the best gossip, continued. "The day after the CEO started, a Ms. Lin showed up. I hear she was his longtime companion when he studied overseas." "She picked a few good-looking employees and launched into stories about her and the CEO abroad." "No one asked her! She was marking her territory like a dog." My hand clenched. When I saw Liam's photo, I felt like fate was giving me a second chance. I didn't want to regret it this time, so I came back. I foresaw many outcomes, but not one where Liam was involved with someone else. My heart sank. I felt a crushing disappointment.
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