I was the "It Girl"—the white moonlight—for the heirs of the city's top four dynasties before I went abroad. They were supposed to be waiting for my return, fighting over who got to put a ring on my finger. But the moment I stepped off the plane, rows of floating text—like a glitched Twitch chat—scrolled across my vision: 【LMAO. The side character actually thinks those trust fund babies are still gonna simp for her?】 【She has no idea. While she was gone, they found a dupe—a poor girl who looks just like her. But joke’s on them, they all caught feelings for the substitute!】 【Now the evil ex is gonna try to bully the heroine, the guys will see her true colors, bankrupted her family, and leave her in the gutter.】 【And then? It’s happily ever after for our女主 (Female Lead) and her harem! Spicy scenes incoming!】 I watched with my own eyes as they left my welcome-back party early, one by one, rushing off to comfort another girl. So, I decided to ghost them all. 1 I pieced together the current situation in Sea City from the floating comments. Six months ago, they met the heroine, Lily, working as a waitress at a high-end club. Poor, pure, tough but fragile, and bearing a striking resemblance to me. She caught their attention instantly. For the past six months, these guys had been circling Lily, fighting and scheming over her, just like they used to do with me. They even had a group chat. It used to be called [Waiting for Serena’s Return]. Now, the topic was exclusively the new girl. I came back without telling anyone. When they found out, they scrambled to throw a welcome dinner. I wore a custom emerald silk dress, watching them walk in with gifts. The four princes of Sea City. Different personalities, but all cut from the same cloth: young, handsome, polished, and expensive. Money really is the best skincare. "Serena..." "Sis..." Different greetings, but all of them were polite. Too polite. Well-behaved. The chat scrolled past my eyes: 【They used to stick to her like glue. Now they’re keeping their distance.】 【They literally said in the group chat they don't want Lily to get jealous, so they gotta stay away from the evil ex!】 【Yesss! I live for this double standard!】 I was skeptical at first, but seeing their distant attitudes, I realized the comments were telling the truth. 2 Not even halfway through the meal, Leo—usually the wild, impulsive one—kept checking his phone. The others followed suit, whispering among themselves. Leo’s anxiety was written all over his face. I excused myself to the restroom. As soon as I got there, the text floated by: 【OMG! The heroine is working the night shift and they’re worried she’s gonna get harassed by that creep from last time! They can’t sit still!】 【They’re planning their escape! Pure love wins!】 【Tsk tsk, the side character is pathetic. But hey, that’s what happens when you’re just a plot device.】 I returned to the private room. "Serena, my dad just texted. Family emergency. Gotta bounce," Leo said, standing up with zero hesitation. "I have something to take care of, too," Silas, the gloomy, isolated one, said coldly as he stood up. Ford, the CEO type, buttoned his jacket calmly. "You guys drank. I’ll drive you." Just like that, three of them left. Fast. Like they were escaping a fire. I looked at Felix, who was still sitting there, elegantly cutting his steak. "You're not going?" He smirked, looking up at me. "Someone has to stay and take you home." Felix. The fox. The hardest one to read. 【LOL. Does she think Felix stayed because he cares?】 【Too bad, sis. All four of them are obsessed with the new girl.】 【He’s just staying to do damage control. They don't want the evil ex to find out and target the heroine yet.】 【They literally drew straws in the group chat. Felix lost, so he had to stay. The other three owe him big time. Haha!】 【Kind Substitute defeats Evil White Moonlight. This plot slaps!】 3 Felix drove me back to my penthouse. At the door, I turned to him. "Thanks. You should head back." Felix smiled, leaning against the frame. "Not gonna invite me in for water, sister?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be in a rush to leave." His smile deepened, his eyes searching mine. "Why would you think that? Do you know something?" Tsk. Always the sharpest one. I poured him water. He sat down, his eyes scanning my figure. "You look good in that dress." "Thanks." I sat on the opposite sofa, leaning back lazily. Felix swirled the glass in his hand. "You don't believe Leo's excuse, do you? Aren't you curious where they really went?" I glanced at him. "Are you trying to tell me something?" He put down the glass and moved to sit next to me, leaning in close, his voice low. "Do you want to know?" 【AHHH! Why is Felix so close to her? Is he gonna cheat on the heroine mentally?!】 【Relax. This is a harem novel. The ex is just a stepping stone. They all have a transition period. They’ll struggle, but eventually, the heroine’s purity wins. Then they trample the ex. That’s the satisfaction!】 I scooted away. "Forget it. It's late. You should go." Felix looked at me, a bitter smile touching his lips. "You really don't care about us at all, do you?" I shrugged. "It's your business. I have no right to pry." His phone rang. He answered it on speaker, right in front of me. "Felix, did you drop Serena off yet?" Leo’s voice boomed from the phone. "Yeah," Felix replied casually. "Thank god we got here in time. Lily almost got harassed again. We took her out to get her mind off it. She asked if you were coming. Hmph, you’re always the quiet one, but she asks about you the most. Stop playing hard to get, it’s working too well." Leo sounded jealous. Felix looked up at me. Seeing my indifferent expression, his eyes darkened slightly. "Sure. I'm coming." Before he left, he turned at the door. "Three years abroad. Now that we aren't revolving around you anymore... do you feel a sense of loss?" I smiled. "Everyone is independent. You guys weren't with me for those three years anyway." 4 I met the legendary heroine, Lily, sooner than I expected. It was at a birthday party for the Chen family heiress. I had just returned, so the invites were piling up. We were in a VIP suite at a high-end club. Lily walked in wearing a server’s uniform, carrying a tray of drinks. "Hey, isn't that the girl the four princes are fighting over? Still working as a waitress?" "She said she wants to earn money with her own two hands. Refused to be a canary in a gilded cage." "Tsk, that attitude is exactly why the guys like her." "Look at her eyes. She really does look like Serena. But Serena is back now, and the guys seem... indifferent? Is the copy replacing the original?" "Serena is old news. Too high maintenance. This girl is true love." The whispers weren't quiet. In this circle, people love to watch a queen fall. I looked at Lily calmly. She stood out among the staff—fresh-faced, delicate. Then, the drama started. As Lily brought drinks to my table, she stumbled over nothing. The tray tipped, and champagne splashed toward me. I dodged quickly, but some of it still hit the hem of my dress. "Ah! Miss Su! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault..." She dropped to the floor in a panic, grabbing napkins, trying to wipe my skirt while practically bowing. I was about to step back and tell her it was fine, but a voice roared across the room. "Serena! Don't you dare bully Lily!" Leo stormed over, glaring at me. He pulled Lily up and shielded her behind his back. "Serena, just because you're a rich heiress doesn't mean you can humiliate a working girl! Is this what you learned abroad? Disrespect?" The room went silent. People looked at me with scorn—the abandoned ex being petty. 【OMG! Possessive protective boyfriend mode ACTIVATED!】 【The ex is starting her villain arc! The guys are gonna hate her now!】 "Leo, stop, don't be like that. It was my clumsiness. Miss Su has every right to be mad," Lily said, voice trembling, acting the saint. It only added fuel to the fire. "Serena, I didn't think you’d become this petty—" "Leo!" I cut him off, my voice cold. "I haven't said a single word from start to finish. Are you hallucinating, or are you just looking for a fight?" Leo froze, his mouth hanging open. The sudden shift in my demeanor stunned him. 5 "Miss Su, it's all my mistake. You can scold me all you want, but please don't be mad at Leo. He's just worried about me." Lily played the victim card again, looking ready to cry. My opinion of her shifted. I thought she was a naive white lotus, but this? This was low-tier manipulation. "Serena, Lily isn't like you. She wasn't born into money. She works hard for her life. Just because we treat her well doesn't mean you can target her and try to get her fired," Leo insisted stubbornly. I pressed my lips together. "I was born rich because I won the genetic lottery, just like you were born lucky enough to stand here and bark at me without consequences." "But I don't owe anyone anything. My morals don't allow for your blind accusations. From the moment she spilled the drink, I haven't uttered a syllable. You jumped to conclusions and pinned a crime on me. That is your mistake." "If I wanted to make a scene about the dress, that is my right as a customer. If I choose not to, that is my generosity. Neither has anything to do with who you like. Nobody gets to slander me. Do you understand?" He blinked, a flash of panic crossing his eyes as he looked at me. 【Wait... the evil ex is kinda making sense? She literally didn't say anything before Leo started yelling.】 【Who cares about logic? She wanted to bully her. Leo just stopped it preemptively. Just because the female lead has a strong backer doesn't make the ex innocent!】 【Exactly! Look how pitiful Lily looks. Serena is so hateful!】 I rolled my eyes at the broken moral compass of the chat. The birthday girl, Chloe, stepped in laughing. "Okay, okay, everyone cool off. It's my birthday, give me some face." Leo dragged Lily away. At the door, Ford and Silas were waiting. They swept their gaze over me, cold and distant, then left with Leo and Lily. Later that night, I had my driver drop me off by the lake near my complex. I needed to walk off the alcohol. That’s when I saw Silas sitting alone by the water, looking like a depressed statue. 【Poor Silas. Lily likes Leo the most right now. He can only sulk by the lake.】 【Silas has been paranoid and gloomy since childhood. He’s not gonna jump, is he?】 【If he hadn't met the ex back in the day, he would have offed himself already. Now he’s over her, but he fell for the heroine, and he has to share her.】 【Depression arc incoming...】
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387637", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel