Chapter 1
The night before graduation, a confession post blew up the school forum:
“Daphne, I’m gonna rip up my Harvard offer onstage during commencement to confess to you—my whole college future as my love token.”
The OP bragged nonstop in the comments that he’d locked down the state’s only full-ride Harvard scholarship, his admission was a done deal, and graduation was nothing but a meaningless formality anyway.
The attached photo showed their interlaced hands. That old burn scar on his forearm—the one he’d claimed he got saving me—stared back like a chain that’s trapped me for ten years straight.
I poured every cent, every spare hour and all my academic talent into building up his profile just to get him into Harvard. I even voluntarily stepped down from the scholarship race and passed the spot to him, turning down my own dream school’s interview in the process.
This childhood sweetheart who’d sworn we’d go to Harvard together only hours ago threw every promise out the window for a rich transfer student, willing to gamble both our futures just for a cheap, dramatic grand gesture.
I shut the forum tab, pulled up my email to the scholarship committee.
I’m formally taking back the scholarship spot I gave up！
It was eleven at night, and the science wing of St. Paul’s High School was dead quiet.
I stood outside a classroom, holding a steaming bowl of seafood congee. This was his favorite late-night bite. I’d waited in line for a full hour just to get it.
Tomorrow was the final deadline to submit and verify all materials for the Harvard President's Leadership Full Scholarship.
Its value was staggering: covering four years of full tuition, room, board, and unlimited research funding, alongside a direct admission offer！
The winner's profile would be fast-tracked into the national top-tier university talent pool.
For a kid from an ordinary background, it was a golden ticket to completely rewrite their social class.
I had already secured my regular Early Action acceptance to Harvard last month. But Richard hadn't.
Three hours earlier, I’d finished drafting my official statement to drop out of the final round of the scholarship.
By withdrawing, I was stepping aside so he could take that sole state quota—and the guaranteed admission that came with it. I’d planned to send it to the admissions office first thing the next morning.
Three hours earlier, I’d finished drafting my official statement to drop out of the final round. I’d planned to send it to the admissions office first thing the next morning.
Richard came from a poor family. He told me without this full scholarship, he’d have to move back to his run-down hometown, and his future would be ruined.
“Bonnie, don’t you want us to go to college together?” he’d pleaded. “Give this opportunity to me, and we can stay side by side forever. Please?”
I’d said yes.
For ten years, I’d helped him keep up with his schoolwork. I worked three part-time jobs to buy him brand-new laptops, and even shared all my research data for the Intel Science Talent Search with him free of charge. I did all this to repay a life-changing favor he’d done for me long ago.
I took a deep breath and reached for the slightly ajar door, when a sweet, playful female voice drifted out from inside.
“Richard, are you really gonna rip up your Harvard acceptance letter in front of the whole school at graduation?”
It was Daphne.
Her father was a hugely successful real estate tycoon across the state. Arrogant and domineering, she loved watching students from modest backgrounds make fools of themselves.
Richard let out a soft laugh, his tone thick with flattery and contempt. “You bet I am. What’s a silly acceptance letter compared to making you happy? That spot was practically forced on me by that idiot Bonnie anyway. Does she honestly think a scholarship can keep me tied to her? Total delusion.”
“She’s stood by you and helped you for a whole decade. Won’t that absolutely crush her?” Daphne giggled, clearly relishing the thought.
“She brought all this on herself,” Richard replied coldly, his voice sounding utterly foreign to my ears. “I just happened to pull her out of a fire years ago, and she’s been indebted to me ever since. She’s nothing but a boring, rigid bookworm — she can’t hold a candle to you. Listen, if your dad lands me a key position at Hines Group, tearing up a letter is the least I can do. I’d even slap her in public without a second thought if that’s what you want.”
“You’re awful!” Daphne teased. “Alright, it’s a deal. On graduation day, I want you to tear up that letter and confess your feelings to me right there. Let’s turn that stuck-up overachiever Bonnie into the biggest joke in the whole state!”
Their shrill laughter echoed through the crack in the door.
The congee in my hands had long turned cold. The plastic bag cut into my fingers until they went pale, yet my heart was strangely calm.
Once, I would have burst inside, screaming accusations through tears, drowning in hurt and frustration.
Not anymore. All I felt was irritation. I finally saw what a complete fool I’d been all these years.
A decade of devotion, endless late nights revising his papers, and the internal agony of letting go of my own dreams — it all amounted to a ridiculous joke. He’d trampled all my hard work underfoot, and now he was using it to curry favor with another girl.
I didn’t open the door, nor did I make a single sound. I simply turned around, walked over to the trash can down the hallway, and tossed the congee inside without hesitation.
Trash belongs where it belongs.
Back in my dorm room, I fired up my computer. I hovered the cursor over the document titled Statement of Voluntary Withdrawal from Final Scholarship Review, right-clicked to delete it permanently, and emptied the recycle bin.
Next, I opened my email and pulled up the confirmation message from Harvard Admissions. I quickly typed out a reply:
Dear Admissions Team,
This is Bonnie. I hereby confirm my participation in the final round of the Harvard full scholarship competition. I will submit the final version of my project along with all supplementary application materials tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience.
I hit send.
A green pop-up appeared on screen saying the message had been sent successfully. I let out a long, weary breath.
Richard, if you think everything I’ve done means nothing to you? Fine. From this moment on, I’m done giving.
