Chapter 1

Everyone at Crestling High had noticed that Harvey Nord, the hopeless romantic, had been acting strangely lately. He used to be all brawn and no brains, spending every day chasing after Taylor Burke.

While the other students attended morning study sessions, Harvey would be busy waiting in line to buy breakfast for her. During class, he'd get into fights with other guys over her, and while everyone else worked through practice problems, he'd spend his time writing love songs for her.

But lately, he hadn't been seen anywhere near the honors classroom where Taylor studied. Instead, he'd been spending all his time in the library, arriving first thing in the morning and staying until everyone else had left.

On the day the college entrance exam finally came to an end, Harvey happened to run into Taylor. He froze for a moment before turning to leave, but she stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Harvey." The setting sun bathed her delicate features in a warm glow, but her expression remained cold. "Are you avoiding me?"

Harvey clenched his fists.

He had first met Taylor during the fall semester of his sophomore year.

He'd heard rumors that a stunningly beautiful top student had transferred to their school. Apparently, she'd been known as an untouchable beauty at her previous school, where more than half the boys had tried and failed to win her over.

Excited by the news, Harvey had dragged his buddy to the honors classroom. That was when he first saw her sitting in the front row.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a soft glow over her. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, revealing her long, graceful neck, and her profile was so beautiful that she looked like she'd stepped straight out of a painting. Though she sat quietly, there was an unmistakable air of distance about her.

Harvey couldn't take his eyes off her. He was completely mesmerized.

From that day on, Harvey began pursuing Taylor.

Every morning, he'd ride his bike behind the bus she took to school. Whenever he won first place at a sports meet, he'd shout her name for everyone to hear. He even took his guitar to the girls' dorm and serenaded her with love songs.

He made no effort to hide his pursuit, and soon, everyone knew about it. But like all his previous pursuits, it had initially been more about the thrill of the chase than any genuine affection. He simply wanted the satisfaction of winning her over.

That changed one winter day.

After getting into a fight with students from a neighboring school, Harvey headed straight to buy Taylor a cup of coffee without even bothering to tend to his injuries. He then carried it all the way to her dorm.

As luck would have it, Taylor was returning with a few classmates when he spotted her. With a cocky grin, he held up the cup.

"Taylor! Didn't you post on social media yesterday that you wanted to try this new flavor? I stood in line for a whole hour to get it!"

Harvey grinned triumphantly, but Taylor's gaze fell on the bleeding cut near his eye.

A moment later, she sighed softly, pulled a bandage from her pocket, and rose onto her tiptoes to place it over his wound.

"Next time you get hurt, make sure you clean the wound and cover it right away," she said calmly. "Otherwise, it could get infected."

The cool touch of her fingertips against his skin sent a faint tingling sensation through him.

Harvey froze. As snowflakes settled on Taylor's long, delicate eyelashes, a realization suddenly struck him. He might have actually fallen for her.

From that moment on, he made up his mind to attend the same university as Taylor.

But shortly before the college entrance exam, Harvey accidentally witnessed representatives from Briarford University's admissions office visiting Taylor. They told her that, given her outstanding performance in the mathematics competition, she was eligible for an early admission offer.

Taylor, however, had one condition.

"I'll accept the offer, but only if you admit my classmate, Jacob Nord, too."

Harvey went rigid.

He could only stand there and watch as the Briarford University representatives left. Moments later, several of Taylor's close friends gathered around her.

"Wow, I never saw that coming! So, Jacob is the one you like, Taylor! We honestly thought you had feelings for Harvey. After all, he's been chasing you for so long, and you've never outright rejected him."

"But if Jacob is the one you're interested in, why don't you just get together with him? Why keep stringing Harvey along?" another friend asked.

Despite their teasing, Taylor's expression remained unchanged.

"I don't want to distract Jacob before the college entrance exam," she replied coolly. "As for Harvey, he's just a cover to keep the teachers from suspecting there's something going on between Jacob and me."

Standing outside the classroom, Harvey felt every last bit of color drain from his face.

Everyone said Taylor was an untouchable beauty, but he'd always believed she treated him differently.

She would coldly warn him to stop bothering her, yet whenever he got hurt, she'd personally put a bandage on his wound. She turned down the roses other guys gave her on Valentine's Day, yet she'd accepted the Valentine's Day card he'd given her.

Those little gestures had given him just enough hope to fall deeper and deeper for her.

But all along, he'd been nothing more than a convenient cover she used to keep people from discovering the ambiguous relationship between her and Jacob.

That night, Harvey never returned to his dorm. Instead, he sat alone on the school's track field until dawn.

As the first rays of sunlight appeared, he made a promise to himself. He was done falling for Taylor. From that day forward, he would never chase after her again.

He never expected that the girl who had once coldly warned him to stay away would now be the one standing in his way.

His fingers curled unconsciously into his palms. Lowering his head, he replied calmly, "I'm not. I've just been busy preparing for the college entrance exam."

Taylor studied his lowered gaze, suddenly remembering how he used to look at her whenever they crossed paths. Back then, his eyes had always been fixed on her, as though he couldn't bear to look away.

But now, the young man who once couldn't take his eyes off her was staring at the ground, making no effort to meet her gaze.

For some inexplicable reason, a flicker of irritation stirred inside her.

"Preparing for the college entrance exam?" she scoffed. "With grades like yours, what kind of college do you think would even accept you?"

Harvey froze.

By the time he looked up, Taylor had already walked away.

Everyone at Crestling High thought Harvey was an idiot, all brawn and no brains. What nobody knew was that he'd been pretending to be one all along.

Throughout all these years of high school, he'd deliberately manipulated his exam scores, keeping them just above the passing mark. But now, with the most important college entrance exam finally arrived, he'd stopped holding back and shown everyone what he was truly capable of.

And just as he'd expected, a month later, when the results were released, Harvey received a call from Briarford University's admissions office first thing in the morning. They wanted him to enroll at their university.

"I'm sorry," he replied politely. "I've already applied to Harcox University in Matosia. They've promised me a full scholarship as long as I rank among the top ten students in the state on the college entrance exam."

Harcox University was one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Although the admissions officer was disappointed, she congratulated him and wished him all the best.

Around the same time, Harvey also received an email from Harcox University confirming that his exam results had been verified. As promised, the university had booked his flight for three days later so he could arrive early and get settled into his new surroundings.

Harvey had just replied to confirm the arrangements when a teacher called him to the academic affairs office.

Apparently, the school had also heard about his extraordinary exam results. Every teacher was stunned, and some even suspected he'd cheated.

To put their doubts to rest, Harvey agreed to take an even more difficult exam right in front of them. Only after finishing the last question did he finally speak.

"Teachers, do you know what a rusty needle tastes like? I do."

He paused before continuing, his voice steady as he recalled the past.

"When I was in eighth grade, my mother died. My father brought Jacob home, and that's when I found out I had a half-brother who was the same age as me. Later, Jacob's mother moved in with us, too. The following month, after I scored one grade higher than Jacob on the final exam, he put 50 needles in my food."

Harvey lifted his head, his voice completely devoid of emotion,

"The needles pierced my esophagus. I needed surgery that lasted all night to get every single one of them out. From that day on, I promised myself that I would only allow myself to excel academically one more time. That would be on the college entrance exam."

After that incident, he began deliberately manipulating his scores. He learned how to fight and deliberately cultivated the image of an irresponsible troublemaker who cared about nothing but chasing girls.

It was the only way to ensure there was always a hot meal waiting for him. It was also the only way to endure his father's furious tirades while listening to his stepmother put on a show of defending him.

"He's just a child. He didn't mean to do anything wrong."

The teachers couldn't help but feel moved by his story. His homeroom teacher, Jennifer Williams, patted him gently on the shoulder.

"You're a good kid. Once you get to college, you'll finally be free."

Harvey gave a bitter smile.

She was right. He'd get to college, and soon he'd be leaving the country.

It was all finally coming to an end.

When Harvey returned to the classroom, he hadn't expected everyone to turn and look at him with such strange expressions the moment he walked through the door.

What surprised him even more was seeing Taylor there.

She strode straight up to him, her expression cold.

"Harvey, did you get a call from the admissions office at Briarford University?"