On my birthday. A guy claiming to be from ten years in the future showed up and publicly cancelled the engagement between me and his 18-year-old self. Then, he pointed at the low-income student my family was sponsoring and said, "The person you truly love is her." "Ten years from now, you will divorce Nora for her. Rather than tearing each other apart then, it's better to cut it off at the source now." "Chloe is aloof and proud, beautiful and independent. Nora could never compare to her. The future you will be completely captivated by her." The 18-year-old him grabbed the older man by the collar and yelled, "You're psycho." But when we were planning to apply for colleges abroad, he hesitated. He "lost" his application form nine times. The tenth time, I didn't call him out on it. Instead, I called his older brother: "The alliance between our two families needs to continue." "Are you up for it?" 01 Right before the college application deadline. Liam came looking for me again. At the gate of my house, he looked at me guiltily: "Nora, I lost my application form again." The tenth time. No surprise there. I looked quietly at the boy in front of me. This time, I didn't ask him to go to the counselor for another form. Instead, I waited for him to make his own decision. Seeing my silence, Liam thought I was angry. He sat down on the ground, looking incredibly defeated: "There's always an accident. I don't want this either. God must be playing a joke on me, showing me I'm not meant to study abroad." "Nora, why don't we just stay in Boston? Let's not go abroad." After saying that, he looked up at me. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was clearly nervous. I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The reason Liam didn't want to go abroad was simple: Chloe couldn't go. She was the underprivileged student my family sponsored. But ever since she started her senior year, she proactively asked my parents to stop the financial aid. I still vividly remember what she said that day. "Mr. and Mrs. Vance, I will never forget your kindness. I will work hard to make money and repay everything I owe your family." So, she just wanted to get her degree locally and enter the workforce. When Liam found out about this, he secretly met with her behind my back. He gave her a debit card and asked her to go abroad with us, saying he would repay the debt she owed my family. Chloe, true to her proud nature, flat-out rejected him. She said, "I may be poor, but I don't accept just anyone's money." "If I took your money today, what would that make me? Your kept little pet?" Then, she walked away without looking back. Liam originally just wanted to prove to his 28-year-old self that in the face of money, everyone is a servant. But Chloe's two sentences completely reset his perception of her. He began to agree with everything his future self had said. So that night, I received the first lie Liam told me in ten years: [Baby, I lost my application form.] [The deadline is still a ways off, I'll turn it in later.] I didn't reply. The 28-year-old him had found me. He detailed every single thing about Liam and Chloe's meeting. He stared at the message Liam sent me and smirked smugly: "So you see, whether it's the future me or the current me, as long as we come into contact with Chloe, we will be drawn to her." "She's exceptional, unlike you." "You are a spoiled heiress who just waits to inherit her wealth. But someone like Chloe is destined to contribute to society, destined to claw her way to the top of the pyramid through her own efforts." His tone was full of pride, as if Chloe was the only treasure he had encountered in his entire life. But he seemed to have forgotten. If my dad hadn't gone on a project inspection in Appalachia and run into Chloe being forced into a child marriage... If he hadn't called the cops, brought Chloe back to Boston, and sponsored her... Then what the hell would Chloe be? Forget college, she probably wouldn't have even finished high school. She might even be a mother by now. So what right did Liam have to compare me to Chloe? That day, the 28-year-old him asked me, "Nora, care to make a bet? Liam won't go abroad with you." I agreed: "Ten chances." I don't remember my reasoning. Maybe it was resentment, or maybe I still held onto a sliver of hope. Ten years of history together, ten chances. It was enough. But I never expected it. Liam burned through those ten chances so fast. It only took a month. 02 The day he told me his application form was lost for the second time. My best friend was dragging me to the pool. Liam was sitting by the edge, staring blankly at a thin application form in his hand. My bestie was about to go say hi, but I stopped her. The next second, we saw the 28-year-old Liam snatch the paper from his hand. Crumple it up, and toss it into the pool. He said with righteous indignation: "Liam, when you start hesitating, you've actually already chosen Chloe, haven't you?" Liam frowned deeply, didn't say a word, and dove straight into the pool with a splash. To retrieve the ruined application form. "No, I haven't chosen Chloe." "The person I love is Nora. I've loved her since we were kids." Hearing this, my bestie nudged me with her elbow and teased in a whisper, "Your boy Liam truly loves you." I smiled but said nothing. This time, I agreed with what the 28-year-old Liam said. When Liam hesitated, the answer was actually already very clear. The third time. It was in the cafeteria. While I was eating, Liam took out his application form, seemingly taking it very seriously, but his eyes kept drifting to Chloe at the next table. When Chloe finished eating and stood up, she suddenly let out a gasp. Liam shot up from his seat in a flash. He reached out and caught Chloe by the waist. Knocking over the soup that was on his table. Chloe blushed and thanked him. Liam grumbled that his application form was ruined again, but he wasn't truly angry. The fourth time. Liam and I ran into Chloe on the way home. Before I could stop him, he had already rushed forward to chase away some punks harassing Chloe. He casually threw the book in his hand at them. When the application form fluttered out, he stepped on it without mercy, grinding it into the wet dirt, tearing it. Just like our relationship. ... The tenth time. Today. Liam and I were at the movies. Halfway through, he got a text from Chloe. Then he turned to me and said: "Gotta hit the restroom." And he never came back. A two-hour movie. I finished it by myself. And I finally made my decision. Love that isn't steadfast, I don't want it. Sure enough, when Liam came looking for me again, the form was lost once more. "Nora, please don't be mad at me." Liam's voice pulled me back from my thoughts. I paused for a moment, then nodded calmly: "Whatever you want." Liam visibly exhaled in relief. He flashed a smile and pointed playfully at a faint bruise on the corner of his mouth. "Baby, it hurts. Put some medicine on it for me." I frowned slightly. Just as I was about to say something, his phone rang. The ringtone was so familiar. It sounded like Chloe's... My heart skipped a beat. "Baby, don't you think this song is pretty good? Chloe recorded it just for me." "She said it's a thank you for saving her the other day." A private, personally recorded ringtone. For a moment, I couldn't process it. Was Chloe really as innocent as she appeared? Liam swiped to answer, and a cold, aloof voice came through: "Liam, I keep feeling like someone is following me on my way home. I don't know if it's those punks from before." "I've already called the police. Can you come with me to the station?" Liam instinctively glanced at me, his eyes shifting. He hesitated for two seconds before saying: "Okay, I'll come get you. Wait for me." He hung up. He stammered, trying to explain to me. I smiled and spoke first: "Aren't you going to go?" "Then, baby, I'll come pick you up for school tomorrow?" "Mhm." Getting my answer, Liam relaxed, grabbed his phone, and hurried off. I stared at his retreating back, smiling silently. Then I pulled out my own phone. I called Liam's older brother. The person on the other end was clearly a bit surprised. It wasn't until three minutes had passed that I heard Julian ask in a slightly hoarse voice, "Don't you love Liam?" I smiled, my voice very soft: "I do, but I can't let myself be wronged." "Julian, the alliance between our two families needs to continue. Are you up for it?" The other end went quiet again. I frowned slightly. When another three minutes had passed, Julian, seemingly suppressing his voice, asked back: "If you choose me, you can't run away. Are you sure?" 03 My application to study abroad had been submitted. Julian set the date for our engagement party for half a month later. Coincidentally, Julian also needed to go to New York to expand his market in half a month. Expected duration: three years. This perfectly overlapped with my schedule. After hanging up the phone. The 28-year-old Liam inexplicably appeared in front of me again. "Who were you calling?" I ignored him and turned to go inside the house. He persistently followed me, blocking the door: "Nora—" I interrupted him impatiently: "Don't worry, it wasn't Liam. He should be with Chloe right now." He seemed a bit surprised, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Didn't expect the 18-year-old you to be so sensible." The 28-year-old Liam didn't look much different from the 18-year-old Liam. Their features were still just as handsome, but the man in front of me had a colder, more aristocratic aura, and a bit more maturity. Suddenly, I couldn't help but ask: "Then what about the 28-year-old me?" He unconsciously frowned, resting his hand on his chin. After pondering for a moment, he finally delivered his conclusion: "No different from a shrew." "If it weren't for the ties between our families and our years of history, it's just a divorce. I have plenty of ways to handle it." "There are plenty of CEOs in our circle who keep mistresses. Why does Nora have to make it so difficult for me? If she were willing to turn a blind eye, I wouldn't have—" Saying that, he patted his pockets. I had seen this gesture many times. My dad did it too. Whenever he was annoyed, he wanted a smoke. Not finding any, he gave up and sighed: "I deeply regret choosing marriage at an age when I didn't understand love. And when I finally understood love, I met someone I couldn't be with." "Nora, we are childhood sweethearts, that's true. But we don't have to get married, do we?" "Driving yourself crazy, is it worth it?" Crazy. Suddenly, my heart spasmed. I didn't know if I felt it wasn't worth it for my future self, or my current self. The old Liam would explode and start a fight if someone unintentionally said a single bad word about me. But his future self actually used the word "crazy" to describe me. Ten years of childhood romance. Time really can show you a person's true colors. After a long time, I took a deep breath. "Don't worry. This time, I'm letting you and Chloe be together." He frowned slightly, but then grunted: "You better not be lying to me." For the next three days, the 28-year-old Liam didn't appear. And the 18-year-old Liam practically revolved around Chloe. Maybe it was the novelty, or maybe he truly agreed with his future self's words. Until my best friend, Mia's birthday. She organized a dinner and invited a few close friends. But when we got out of the car. I was slightly surprised to see Chloe. She was wearing a simple white dress, carrying a backpack, and holding an economics textbook that looked completely out of place. It seemed like every time I saw her, she had that book in her hand. When Mia noticed my gaze, she immediately called people over and asked: "Holy shit, who invited her?!" "I..." A girl silently raised her hand, then curled her finger and scratched her temple: "I ran into her on the street, so I just exchanged pleasantries. I didn't expect her to actually come... my bad." Mia looked at me. The fact that Liam and Chloe were getting close recently was already an open secret. "Nora, what do you think?" I smiled helplessly, patted her shoulder, and said: "Today, you're the birthday girl. Your happiness is the most important thing, understand?" "Worthy of being my queen. Classy." I smiled again. But what we didn't expect was how clueless Chloe would be. During the picnic, four or five friends gathered around to play games and eat. Chloe alone took a folding stool and sat twenty feet away from us. Mia kindly brought her some food and invited her over to play. Chloe immediately said self-righteously: "I didn't buy you a gift, and I didn't chip in for snacks, so I can't take advantage of you." 04 The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Mia was my best friend, and her family was incredibly wealthy. All the expenses for today's dinner were covered by Mia herself. This made the few people who were eating snacks silently put them down. Mia took a deep breath and forced a smile: "You don't need to pay." "How could I do that?" "Then what are you here for?" Chloe frowned, as if puzzled: "Didn't I come to celebrate your birthday?" Mia was completely exasperated. She put her hands on her hips, just about to unleash a tirade. Liam suddenly appeared. He placed himself directly between her and Chloe, creating distance between the two. His face was dark. When he caught sight of me in his peripheral vision, his accusatory gaze immediately locked onto me. He walked past Mia and stopped in front of me: "Nora, aren't you going a bit too far?" "I used to think you were kind and innocent, but I truly never imagined you would lead a group to isolate Chloe." "That guy was right. Whenever you encounter Chloe, you turn into a psycho!" His tone was filled with anger. My chest swelled with a slight ache. I was a bit slow to react, then pointed at myself: "You're saying I'm isolating her?" "Isn't that true? You guys are over here eating, drinking, and having fun, leaving her all alone over there. If you never intended to include her in your circle, why did you invite her over?!" Liam's words sounded incredibly self-righteous. I just found it mocking. Ten years of childhood friendship, and it meant absolutely nothing. A friend spoke up for me: "No, Liam, is there something wrong with you?" "Chloe is the one who didn't want to come over. She said she felt bad eating without paying. Is it a bit much for you to blame this on Nora?" "Yeah, what kind of person is Nora? Don't you know?" Liam scanned the group, sneering: "You're all Nora's friends. Of course you'd take her side." "Even if she killed Chloe right here today, I bet you'd all rush to cover up for her—" "Are you done?" I raised my eyes to look at him. Liam was silenced for a moment, but his face was still full of indignation, his brow furrowed. "Liam, if you want to stand up for Chloe, fine. But please get your facts straight." I tilted my chin up, pointing directly at the car Mia drove today: "The dashcam. You can go review the footage yourself." "Whether we were bullying her, or she was putting on an act to make herself look like a victim, it's crystal clear!" Mia immediately caught my drift. She turned and started running toward the car. At that moment, Chloe, who hadn't said a word, finally spoke up. She took a deep breath and tugged on Liam's arm. "It's just a small misunderstanding. No need to blow it out of proportion." "Since Ms. Vance doesn't welcome me, I'll just leave." After saying that, she flashed a gentle smile at me. Poised, bright, and kind. Mia wanted to rip Chloe's mask off right then and there, but I stopped her. In the end, Liam threw one last line at me: "Nora, if your dad finds out you're throwing your weight around bullying people outside, just wait until you get grounded." "I'll tell him everything." Leaving those words behind, he turned and immediately chased after Chloe. Without looking back. Once their figures completely disappeared from my sight, Mia said indignantly: "No way. Chloe is that fake, and you can tolerate it? Are you a Ninja Turtle?" "Liam is acting like he's under a spell. Right now, he's definitely thinking about how to tattle to your dad and call off the engagement." I gripped the boba tea in my hand tightly, a chill spreading from my palm to my heart. "It doesn't matter." "If he doesn't want to be my husband, then I'll be his sister-in-law." "I'll make him kneel and offer me tea every holiday."

Grandpa Vance had said before, whoever I chose would be the heir to the Vance family. Liam wasn't willing, but someone else was. 05 Getting grounded was, of course, out of the question. But Liam did tattle, heavily implying that I was abusing my power to bully others. But my dad, having secured a strong foothold in Boston's elite circles, definitely had a working brain. He immediately asked Liam, "At Nora's birthday, you said you wanted to call off the engagement. Was that true?" Liam froze. He neither confirmed nor denied it, and was promptly kicked out of our yard by my dad. I knew Liam was still weighing his options. On one hand, he couldn't let go of our ten-year history; on the other, he couldn't forget the warnings from his 28-year-old self. He was swaying back and forth, indecisive. It was almost a week before the engagement dinner between Julian and me. At Nightfall Bar. I was discussing the arrangements for the engagement dinner with Julian while reaching for a drink on the table. Suddenly, a gasp. Mia snatched the glass from my hand. "Holy shit. Holy shit." "Who the fuck ordered orange juice?!" I froze for a moment. Then reality hit me, and I felt a wave of delayed fear. I still remembered the last time I accidentally ate a cake with orange filling. I immediately broke out in hives, couldn't breathe, and almost went into anaphylactic shock. If Liam hadn't carried allergy meds on him at all times, I might not have even waited long enough for the ambulance. Mia knew how serious it was and immediately called the manager over. Demanding he fire the employee who brought the wrong drink. Otherwise, she'd sue them for attempted murder. The manager didn't dare offend Mia. Hearing that the person who almost drank it was me, he acted swiftly and fired the person over the phone. Barely two minutes later, the door to the private room was violently pushed open. "Manager, I don't know what I did wrong! You can't fire me!" When the voice came through, I paused slightly. It was Chloe. She was wearing a black uniform, her hair tied up in a bun, her face full of indignation. When her peripheral vision caught me sitting on the sofa... She suddenly sneered: "I was wondering who had it out for me. Turns out it's Ms. Vance." "Ms. Vance, I just don't get it. Does my existence bother you that much?" Faced with Chloe's ridiculous accusation, I couldn't help but laugh: "Ms. Chloe, those are two separate things." "You brought the wrong order. I asked the manager to fire you. Is there a problem?" Chloe remained defiant: "People make mistakes at work. Is it really possible to be completely flawless? It was just a mixed-up drink. Why do you have to be so petty about it?" "I may not have money, but I won't just let you bully me." "Fine, then let's call the police," I said expressionlessly. Mia immediately pulled out her phone, ready to dial 911. Chloe, who had been acting so self-righteous, suddenly showed a flash of panic in her eyes. She swallowed hard. Her grip on her phone tightened a fraction, as if she were praying for something. I frowned and glanced at her. Sure enough, the next second, the door to the private room was pushed open again. Liam rushed in, looking travel-worn. If my guess was right, he had probably just come from the family dinner. Julian had returned. "What happened?" Liam asked with a frown. Chloe bit her lower lip, holding back silently, tears welling in her eyes. Right as the tears were about to fall. She immediately looked away, deliberately avoiding Liam's gaze. Liam's expression darkened even more. He questioned the manager. The manager, wiping cold sweat, explained the entire cause and effect clearly. Instantly, Liam walked over to me: "Nora, it's just a drink. Is it really necessary to be so petty with Chloe over it?" "She relies entirely on this job for her living expenses now. Without this job, how is she supposed to survive?" He asked with displeasure. I laughed out of sheer annoyance. In the past, forget orange juice, Liam wouldn't even let me touch orange-flavored candy. Now, it's "just a drink." Mia immediately retorted: "Liam, are you sick in the head?" "If I hadn't noticed in time, Nora would be lying in the hospital right now!" Liam's brow furrowed tightly. Probably recalling the time I almost went into shock, his face looked slightly unnatural. But when he saw Chloe's feigned strong appearance... He still said in a low voice: "Doesn't Nora carry allergy meds with her?" "Even if she drank it, it wouldn't be a big deal, right?" "Is it really necessary for you all to make things so difficult for one girl?" Chloe sneered mockingly: "So Ms. Vance was just intentionally looking for trouble to make me disappear from your sight!" Hearing this, Mia's anger flared up instantly. She grabbed the orange juice from the coffee table and threw it right at her. Chloe shrieked: "Ah!!" "Who the fuck do you think you are?!" She was drenched in orange juice, looking completely pathetic. Seeing this, Liam's expression darkened immediately. He grabbed another water glass and threw the contents at me. Taking his anger out on me. I didn't react in time and was also drenched, but thankfully it was just plain water. "Liam, are you a fucking psycho?! I threw it at Chloe, why are you throwing it at Nora?!" After screaming at him, Mia frantically grabbed tissues to wipe away the dripping water from me. Liam gripped the glass tightly, gritting his teeth: "If it weren't for her instigating it, would you have dared to do that?" After saying that, he awkwardly looked away, not looking at me. But I kept looking at him. Having a crush on Liam was something I felt smug about for years. But in the end, that boy who had carried me out of the snowy mountains had rotted from the inside out. "Liam, get lost." 06 Julian only entered the private room after Liam left. The friends in the room all ran in the same circles. Even though Julian wasn't often in Boston, anyone could recognize him at a glance. He was seven years older than us. When we were still playing in the mud, he was already competing in Math Olympiads. "Julian." Julian signaled for them to leave first. Soon, it was just Julian and me in the room. I didn't look at him, but reached for my phone that had fallen into the crevice of the sofa. The screen was still on. The call hadn't ended. I looked at Julian in surprise: "So you heard everything?" "Mhm, heard it all." I nodded calmly. As for Julian, I didn't have much deep feeling for him. Being engaged to him was only because our two families' businesses were intricately entwined, and an arranged marriage was the best choice. Initially, when my dad mentioned an arranged marriage, I complacently thought I was much luckier with Liam than most people. Childhood sweethearts, mutual feelings. Once we reached the right age, we would naturally get engaged, get married, and spend our lives together. Back then, I thought being able to marry the person I liked was a gift from heaven. But now, I finally understood that no matter how much you like someone, no matter how deep the love is. The result might not always go your way. So, whether you like them or not, it doesn't matter anymore. Being a fool once is enough. Suddenly— Julian raised his hand, his movements incredibly gentle as he wiped the water marks from my face. I instinctively dodged backward, but a broad, warm hand grasped my arm. His voice was deep as he asked me: "Will you blame me for coming too late?" I didn't answer, frowning slightly. Julian... I couldn't quite read him. He was gentle to everyone, navigated the social scene flawlessly, and it seemed like from childhood to adulthood, I had never heard a negative comment about him. But right now, I felt like the Julian in front of me was a bit different from the Julian in my memory. Seeing my silence, Julian smiled. Even though he was smiling, there was no warmth in his eyes. "I will make Liam pay for what happened today." "I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again." I nodded again. That night, after Julian took me home, he personally apologized to my parents, saying he let me suffer grievances today, and offered a project he just acquired, valued at over a hundred million, as an apology gift. I was a bit speechless. He wasn't the one who did wrong. He didn't have to take the blame for everything. But Liam was his younger brother; cleaning up his brother's mess didn't seem entirely out of line. After returning to my room. I received a text from Julian. "Go to sleep early. I'll pick you up tomorrow to see Grandpa." After replying with an "OK". Suddenly, an unknown number sent me a message. This number had tried to add me on WeChat before, but I didn't accept. I originally planned to just delete it. But ultimately, driven by some impulse, I clicked it open. "Ms. Vance, your fiancé is at the hotel next to Nightfall Bar, Room 302. Please come take him home." A photo was attached. It was a photo of Liam half-undressed, and half of Chloe's shoulder, with a faint red mark visible. The angle was clearly a sneak shot. I curled my lips into a mocking smile. Then, I casually forwarded the screenshot of Chloe's message to our social circle group chat. "If any of you guys or girls are free, please go pick up the young Mr. Vance." The group exploded instantly.

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