Chapter 3

That was already the best result Marigold could have achieved.

But she wasn't satisfied and still applied to become the student speaker.

As expected, she was rejected.

Before I went onstage, she even congratulated me.

After the ceremony, someone took a photo of me and posted it on the campus confession page, sparking a small discussion.

I had only done it to improve my chances of winning a scholarship later. I never expected anything else to come of it.

I didn't pay much attention and assumed the incident would blow over soon.

That was until Marigold posted my personal information in the comments.

From then on, Julian began pursuing me relentlessly.

In hindsight, Marigold always seemed to appear whenever Julian and I went on dates.

I looked at her calmly.

"Weren't you the one who posted my information yourself?"

Marigold bit her lower lip.

[Our darling girl only posted it so the female antagonist would be distracted by all the people pursuing her. That way, she wouldn't have time to focus on studying. Praise her! She's such a clever and calculating female lead.]

[It's all this ridiculous plot's fault. The male lead had to get entangled with the female antagonist first. Otherwise, our darling girl definitely could have won the scholarship and met the male lead at the awards ceremony.]

[The female antagonist is so ungrateful. She got an advantage and still acts like she's the victim!]

Julian called me.

"Are you still angry, baby? If I don't see you within five minutes, I'm coming up there and carrying you downstairs myself."

His tone was careless and teasing.

I glanced at Marigold, whose eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Fine."

I went downstairs.

Julian had tossed the flowers onto the hood of his car.

He was smoking.

To be fair, he had an exceptionally handsome face. Unfortunately, his morals were just as terrible.

I grew up in poverty and depended on my mother, but I had never been desperate enough to sell myself.

When Julian pursued me, he showered me with jewelry and designer clothes.

"Stay with me, and you can have anything you want."

He didn't mean becoming his girlfriend. He only wanted me to be his.

I would have had no title or status—just a plaything he could discard whenever he pleased.

I refused, and I even began to despise him.

Julian grew more determined and began using every possible means to pursue me.

I did everything I could to avoid him.

But fate seemed determined to tie us together.

It happened on the night I was singing at a bar.

A drunken customer pulled out some cash and tried to stuff it down my blouse. At one point, he even tried to drag me off the stage.

I was completely flustered, while the shift manager looked on without concern.

Julian was the one who came to my rescue.

He grabbed a beer bottle and struck the drunk man hard.

The man had brought several friends with him, and they quickly surrounded us.

I grabbed Julian's hand and pulled him out through the back door.

We ran through the deserted streets late at night until neither of us could catch our breath.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He was breathing even harder and couldn't answer.

The shop windows along the street reflected our disheveled figures.

I burst out laughing.

"I always thought you had a 'stay away from me' expression."

I spread my hands.

"That expression helps me avoid a lot of trouble."

He looked at me quietly. "Am I trouble to you too?"

My smile faded, and I let go of his hand.

"For someone from my background, staying alive is already difficult enough.

"Love is a luxury I can't afford. Besides, you're only treating me as entertainment."

"I'm not."

Julian pressed his lips together.

"Maybe I didn't seem serious at first and gave you the wrong impression, but I never treated you as entertainment. I want to be your boyfriend."