In high school, someone offered me three million dollars to knock the top student off his pedestal. I took the job. Asher fell madly in love with me, even repeating a year of school just to be with me. His childhood friend, Luna, found me at my nail salon. Holding her Ragdoll cat, she smiled sweetly: "I came to see just how beautiful the woman is who made Asher throw away his future." She scanned my pink hair, tattoos, and three-inch heels. "Didn't expect a ghetto girl. Asher must have been blinded by lard to repeat a year for you." Before she left, I clearly heard the Ragdoll cat laugh. [Don't worry, Master. The scumbag looks down on you now, but later you'll be out of his league.] [In the future, the scumbag will work in a factory, the trashy girl will serve bubble tea, and Master will drive luxury cars and live in a villa. He'll regret everything.] [Wait until he begs for forgiveness. Master, you must trample on his face and show him what he missed.] Later, I was sitting on the back of Asher's tricycle eating an old-fashioned popsicle when we bumped into his childhood friend stepping out of a BMW. She looked at Asher in his flip-flops and undershirt and sighed softly. "Do you regret it now?" 1 "Who's that?" Asher nudged my elbow, popsicle still in his mouth. "Did we go to high school with her?" "Luna. Lived across from you. The one who brings her cat to every reunion." I pouted, signaling Asher to look at Luna's waist. She was carrying a Louis Vuitton pet carrier. The pretty Ragdoll cat inside, wearing a floral dress, meowed smugly. [Damn scumbag. Thought love was supreme, gave up Ivy Leagues for a ghetto girl.] [Now look at him. Wearing a $2 shirt from Temu, riding a broken tricycle to the reunion, too poor to afford ice cream. Compare that to Master's glamour—he must be green with regret.] [I bet at the dinner table, we'll see him groveling at Master's feet. Can't wait.] [Catwoman—uh, I mean Luna—really had a glow-up. Eyes and nose look totally different. Almost didn't recognize her.] Hearing it was Luna, Asher bristled like a cat seeing a cucumber. Under his fake smile, every spine was erect, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Of course I regret seeing you. I regret it to death." "If you had gone to the same school as me back then, you wouldn't have ended up like this." Luna's lips curled up slightly, but Asher's face darkened instantly. "I regret breaking up with you so late. Only now am I living the good life with Yan." Luna's smile froze. [Even in front of the mistress, the scumbag's mouth is tough.] [His whole outfit costs less than the tax on Master's bag. He was staring at Master just now, now he's pretending.] The Ragdoll cat narrowed its eyes. I could hear its disdain. I said calmly: "Let's go upstairs. Luna organized this, be polite." Asher huffed. Luna forced a smile, leading us upstairs like a gracious host. [Master, don't be discouraged. He's playing hard to get. Wait for the drinking games, he'll definitely take shots for you.] [You're an heiress with an Hermès bag, leagues above a ghetto girl carrying a bubble tea bag. Just hold your ground, he won't be able to resist.] The cat chattered on. Luna opened the door. The private room was thick with smoke. Gazes swarmed us like annoying mosquitoes. "Oh, the main course is here." "Yan was stacked back in high school. Couldn't take my eyes off her during PE." "Little white rabbit turned into a big white rabbit. Even more flavor now." It was hot, so I wore a black slip dress. Jason, sitting by the door, yanked my strap and whistled. "Should've worn more fabric. Spilling out everywhere. Nothing left to the imagination." "Yan is pretty, but fragrant flowers always attract bugs." Amidst their laughter, Asher folded his parasol and jabbed it hard between Jason's legs. "Smells strong. I'm losing my appetite just smelling it. The downside of summer is mosquitoes in the room. Not just thin, but buzzing endlessly in your ear." He pressed down on Jason's shoulder, smiling without humor. "You gotta slap them twice to make them remember. Stop staring at women you can't afford." "Right, old classmate?" Jason hunched over, bug-eyed, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Seeing Jason humiliated, some faces changed. The atmosphere grew tense until a waiter entered with a tray, opening a bottle of wine. "It's hot out, everyone cool down. I bought this wine from a foreign estate especially for you. Taste some real wine." Luna smoothed things over, pouring wine for Jason and Asher, signaling a truce. 2 For Luna's sake, Jason swallowed his anger and reluctantly clinked glasses with Asher. Asher raised his glass, deliberately clinking the bottom against Jason's rim, then downed the wine without looking at him. "This son of a..." Jason gritted his teeth. After everyone was seated, the class monitor suggested a drinking game. Losers drink and do Truth or Dare. [Here comes the iconic scene. Scumbag pretends not to care, but his heart is all Master's. He'll block drinks and give Master his coat.] [When he found out the ghetto girl seduced him for $50k to ruin him, he even hit her. He thinks she ruined his life, while he still loves Master deep down.] [Can't wait to see his face when he learns the truth. The red rose rotted in the mud. He gave up Harvard for a worn-out shoe.] [Hehe, his tear-streaked face will be hilarious. Cat is so excited.] The Ragdoll cat swished its tail. Luna stroked its fur, unable to hide the smile in her eyes. Three rounds in, Asher lost a lot. After three or five drinks, his face was flushed. This round, Luna lost. She glanced at Asher frequently, holding her glass with a troubled look. "I'm not good at drinking." "Any handsome guy want to take this for me? I'll give you a Truth." She was practically winking at Asher. But Asher was focused on peeling shrimp. A bowl full of shrimp meat, drizzled with sauce, placed in front of me. "Wife, eat shrimp." He looked up proudly, meeting Luna's gaze, and blurted out: "Is your eyelid twitching?" Luna's face turned red. The monitor next to her took the glass perceptively. "I'll take this for Luna. Come on, let's keep playing." [Master, don't be mad. He's doing it on purpose. Peeling shrimp for her when you're being punished, just to make you jealous.] [When you first met, he peeled shrimp for you to get your WeChat. Same trick, definitely for your benefit.] The cat placed a paw on Luna's clenched fist. Luna watched the monitor empty the glass and kissed the rim where he drank, right in front of Asher. "Thanks, Monitor." Asher rubbed my arm, solicitously draping his jacket over me, muttering: "Wife, we can't lose the PDA battle." He was competing, completely unaware Luna was trying to provoke him. [Monitor just drank for you, he immediately gave the girl his jacket. Master, he wants you jealous to seize the initiative. Don't fall for it.] The cat meowed. Luna chose Dare and played a piano piece for everyone. She played poorly, missed notes, but led by the monitor's applause, it was praised to the heavens. "Young Mr. Qin is arriving." Asher showed me the message. "Let's go after this round. I can't stand it anymore." We hoped to network, but everyone here was doing worse than the next. Asher was bored. Luna glared at him, texting secretly. [Scumbag is gonna lose. He's had seven or eight drinks. Truth serum time.] [Master, wait for the dogfight between the scumbag and the ghetto girl.] I raised an eyebrow. The monitor checked his screen and signaled Jason. They were setting a trap for Asher. I started recording and placed my phone face down on the table. 3 Asher lost, as expected. He finished his drink calmly. Just as he was about to leave, the monitor hooked an arm around his shoulder. "Don't rush, Ash. Truth for this round." "If you had to choose between Luna and Yan right now, would you still pick Yan?" "Obviously Luna." Jason picked his teeth, grinning. "Who would pass up a millionaire heiress for a bubble tea girl?" "Big boobs can feed babies, but they can't put rice on the table." He gestured lewdly at his chest. I held down Asher's hand, veins popping. He gritted his teeth. "I choose Yan." "For real? Yan really is your Delilah." Asher shook off the monitor's arm coldly. The monitor laughed. "Bro, heart to heart. It's been four years, I'll level with you." "Yan chased you because I paid her $50k to knock you off your pedestal so you wouldn't steal my first place." "And you actually fell for it. Gave up Harvard and Yale just to play house with her." "Too bad. With a face fit for a top club, the most money she's ever seen is probably the $50k I tossed her." [Here it comes! The trainwreck! Scumbag's heart fed to dogs, face slapped swollen.] The cat jumped on the table excitedly, eager to see Asher's face. But Asher was expressionless. Instead, I stood up elegantly and slapped the monitor so hard he and his glasses went flying. "Four years. I'll level with you too." "The day I chased Asher, I split the $50k with him. After that, he tanked his scores on purpose just to keep you in the dark, you sucker." "By the way, you guys spread a lot of nasty rumors about me in high school. Prostitute, bus for old men. The most widespread and ridiculous one was that Asher repeated a year for me." I sipped the wine. Cheap taste filled my mouth. Asher obviously bought the bargain bin online. "A student capable of Ivy Leagues repeating a year for a ghetto girl? Is his brain broken, or are you snobs just brainless?" "If you had brains, you'd know our school produced the provincial top scholar two years ago." Asher wiped my hands with a wet wipe, especially the fingers that touched the monitor's face, disgust evident. Jason was the first to check his phone in disbelief. Then he knocked over his tea, shouting: "You're the provincial top scholar?!" "Look! Asher's condition for accepting Tsinghua University's offer was... admitting his girlfriend too." The monitor had lost half a lens but still squinted at the screen. Under everyone's stunned gaze, I smiled brightly. "That's right. It's me." "Bullshit! A wild chicken like you at Tsinghua?" Amidst the monitor's hysterical cursing, I shoved my phone in his face. Wallpaper: Asher and I holding up our Tsinghua acceptance letters, beaming. "Yes, a wild chicken like me got into Tsinghua, thanks to you, Monitor." "If you hadn't paid that $50k, I never would have crossed paths with Asher, let alone had a provincial scholar boyfriend who got me special admission." "Monitor, you're my benefactor." I patted his shoulder, watching sweat bead on his nose, his face draining of color. He was eerily silent, grinding his molars. "Too bad. Also missed by two points, but I went to Tsinghua. Your three top choices rejected you, and you slid to a second-tier college." "The day rankings came out, your face was twisted just like now." I enjoyed watching his face turn from white to red to dripping black. A Sichuan opera face-changing performance. "I even advised you back then. Your family has money. Repeat a year, you'll get into a better school." Asher looked down at the monitor, mockery in his eyes. "Monitor, remember what you said?" I mimicked his shrill voice and disdainful tone. "Only a simp repeats a year for a woman. Want to drag me down? Dream on." "Now we're at Tsinghua. Monitor, don't regret it." "After all, Asher is the simp who gave up Harvard, and I'm the Delilah who ruined his life." 4 "Isn't that true? If not for you, Asher could have gone to Harvard last year." Luna stood up abruptly, slamming her fist on the table, indignant for Asher. [Master is speaking up for you! Scumbag should be moved. Acting lovey-dovey with the ghetto girl now is just embarrassing.] The cat on her shoulder bristled. Asher looked at Luna, his last shred of fake politeness gone. He snapped: "Thanks to you. If I wasn't in the same exam room as you, would I have scored fifty points lower than my mocks?" "It was 100 degrees out. The sun was melting me. But you sat under the AC vent and complained about the cold." "The room was a sauna. I was about to get heatstroke, and you, sweating buckets, whined 'Teacher, I have a cold constitution.' If you're that delicate, get a private room!" By the end of the first subject, Asher was seeing double, soaked in sweat like a drowned ghost, chugging ice water the moment he got out. Severe underperformance cost him Harvard. He repeated for his future, but they called him a simp. "Just because we lived close, your mom made me take care of you. Bringing food, running errands. You came to me for every problem you couldn't solve, and you were annoyingly stupid." "The whole class thought we were a thing. They heckled us when we did problems on the board. Once locked us in a classroom for three hours. Yan had to open the door." "I clarified a million times. We're neighbors. Not childhood sweethearts." Finally, Asher sneered: "Yan and I are getting married. And some blind idiot still asks me to choose between my wife and Luna." "Think about it. Is there any comparison?" His blatant humiliation made Luna bite her lip until it almost bled. Tears filled her eyes. Jason rushed to comfort her. "Luna, poor people have short sight. He goes to Tsinghua but still rides a tricycle. You have villas and mansions. Compared to you, he's a beggar." [Master, don't worry. Scumbag is humiliating you publicly because he still has feelings.] [When he finds out you're getting married, he'll buy a diamond ring and propose at your villa. Then you can pay back the humiliation a thousand times over.] "I ride a tricycle because I hate the smell of taxis." I wanted to explain, but Asher's phone rang. He stood up. "Car's fixed. Having someone bring it over." Meeting Young Mr. Qin this afternoon. We ordered a new suit. I wanted to pick some accessories. Also, the perfume I gave Mrs. Qin was running low. I custom-blended a refill based on her feedback. Perfect time to deliver it. Planning done, I grabbed the bubble tea bag to leave, but bumped into the monitor leading a waiter in. Meeting at the door, he grabbed my wrist abruptly. "Don't go yet. Wait for the bill. Luna treating is for old times' sake, not for mooches to take advantage." Confused, I sat back down. The waiter read the bill, ending with: "Someone in your room took a carton of cigarettes worth $5,000. Total is $12,000." "Must be a mistake. We can't afford $5,000 cigarettes." The monitor waved his hands, glancing at me. He smiled slyly. "Yan, where's Asher? Bathroom?" "Getting the car." I looked him in the eye, clarifying. "Asher doesn't smoke. He didn't take them. Don't throw dirty water." "Who else but him? He leaves, and suddenly Luna's bill has an extra $5,000." "I know you're poor, barely scraping by, trying to leech off Luna. But stealing $5,000 cigarettes and running? That's low." He sent the waiter away and locked the door. Not letting me leave without the cigarettes. 5 "Yan, I wanted to tell you earlier. Diplomas are crap. Only cold hard cash counts." "Asher can't feed you, and he's wasting your pretty face." "If you want, I can give you another $50k. Be my woman this time. Serve me well, and I promise you won't worry about food or clothes. Better than riding a tricycle with Asher." He rubbed his hands, pretending to be suave, but his crotch betrayed his lust. I shifted away calmly. "I recall you're married." "Yeah, just got pregnant. I want her to have a safe delivery. Need somewhere to kill the loneliness for ten months, right?" Voice lowering, his greasy fingers crept toward my hip. "Qin Shusheng! Hands off!" I held up my phone. On screen was Qin Shusheng's wife. "You scumbag animal! Thinking with your dick! Cheating while I'm pregnant? Did a dog eat your conscience?!" "Wife? No, honey, listen, I'm drunk, just a brain fart..." Qin Shusheng sobered up instantly, slapping himself, apologizing profusely. I shook the phone with interest, laughing. "Your husband just said I'm prettier than a club hostess. Seems he cheats often." "Don't listen to her, honey, she's trying to divide us." "Sent you the recording, sis. Dump the trash before it rots." I shook the phone and yanked open Jason's jacket. The carton of cigarettes fell out, label still on. "Found your cigarettes. I don't owe you for this meal. I transferred my share. Don't assume poor people are thieves." I took the elevator straight to the garage. Asher was waiting in the Maybach. Getting in, I saw a text from Luna. "You can have his body, but not his heart if he doesn't belong to you." Attached was a screenshot of Asher's friend request. "Here." Asher handed me a mint. "Bluetooth connected to your playlist. Sprayed your perfume. Guaranteed fresh air all the way home." "So attentive? Reward for you." I leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth. Asher blushed instantly. I teased him. "Calling me 'wife' in front of everyone without shame, now blushing over a kiss?" Since we started dating, Asher called me "wife" daily. Every time I corrected him, he'd say seriously: "A wedding is for others. In my heart, you are my wife. I'll only ever have Yan as my wife." His love gave me security. Luna's provocations couldn't shake us. I trusted Asher. He'd explain eventually. So I wasn't in a rush. I screen-recorded Luna's message and started preparing the gift for Mrs. Qin. Later, relying on me not blocking her, Luna sent taunts occasionally. "Asher went to the auction alone and bought a blue crystal necklace. Like the 'Heart of the Ocean' from Titanic, my favorite movie." "He hired a specialist for a custom proposal. Huge field of roses. Even hired my favorite pianist." "He contacted me. Coming to my villa this weekend." I scrolled through the photos. The day Asher went to the auction, he hugged me and said: "Wife, working late. Don't wait up for dinner." In my drowsiness, I knew he kissed my hair before sleeping. The custom bouquet was blue roses, my favorite. The necklace was transparent blue, like the sea we visited after graduation. Finally, Asher's message: "Heading over this weekend." Concise. Very him. I looked up, remembering the day scores came out. He called me calmly. "Choked. Didn't get into Tsinghua." I cooked wontons in the dark, knocked on his door, watched his tears fall into the soup, and said gently: "It's okay. We'll try again next year." That year his parents divorced. Asher hid in my rental. We ate wontons and studied until the lights went out. He for his future. Me to stand beside him. I was the simp. I always believed he was a genius destined for greatness. My judgment is always right. I believe I didn't misjudge Asher.
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