Chapter 3

"The two of you should stop chatting with each other. This guy looks so awkward here," the driver said.

I was grateful that the driver had made a fair point.

Rosalie and the man, who were chatting away just now, fell silent.

The smile on Rosalie's face vanished. It seemed like she wasn't going to say anything.

But the man beside her chuckled. "I'm sorry for neglecting you. I'm Rosalie's senior, Ethan Grant, and I'm one year ahead of her.

"We're in the same thesis group. If things go well, we'll pursue a PhD together."

After saying that, he patted my shoulder. "Are you Rosalie's older or younger brother? Why haven't I heard about you from her?"

His tone was calm, but his words were laced with mockery.

So he was Ethan Grant, another prodigy from Baston College.

This might sound absurd, but I knew this college better than the students here did, all because I wanted something in common to talk about with Rosalie.

Ethan's name always appeared on their college forum. He was really popular among the students.

The other students called Rosalie and Ethan the campus' perfect duo.

I clicked into the forum, and the latest post was a photo of Rosalie and Ethan.

They stood on the stage, and Ethan wrapped his arm around Rosalie's waist. They were smiling brightly as if nothing in the world mattered to them.

The audience was shipping the two as a couple. I had to admit that I was jealous.

Rosalie remained silent all the time. I figured she could sense the sarcasm in Ethan's words, but she didn't speak up for me.

"I'm her boyfriend." I grinned. I didn't plan to keep our relationship a secret.

Ethan's smile froze, and he quietly withdrew his hand.

…

When I arrived at the cinema, I realized it was a high-end, private cinema.

The price of the alcohol listed on the menu was enough to make me wince.

Ethan seemed very familiar with everything here. After placing his order, he handed me the menu. "I've ordered Rosalie's favorite dishes. Have a look at the menu and order something for yourself."

This place served Welean cuisine. Even the cheapest steak cost 300 dollars per serving.

Rosalie actually enjoyed eating all this?

Before she became known as a prodigy, she came from an ordinary family, just like me.

When we went on dates, we usually ordered set meals from a roadside stall.

Sometimes, we would also splurge on barbecues. We would go for a cheap buffet even if we wanted to have Welean cuisine.

Seeing I was in a difficult situation, Rosalie finally said, "One serving of pork chop, please."

Ethan took a sip of the coffee and flashed a sarcastic grin. "Pork chop stinks."

Rosalie shook her head. "He doesn't like to eat beef."

It wasn't that I didn't like beef, but that I thought it was expensive.

A surge of bitterness rose within me when Rosalie suddenly acted so caring toward me.

She knew how to have me wrapped around her finger. She would do something to hurt me, then comfort me the very next instant.

Whenever I felt like giving up, she would give me hope to keep going.