3

I didn't stay at the dorm long.

The commute between campus and Hart Group took two hours each way, so Julian and I rented a small apartment near the office. By the time I collected my files and got home, it was nine at night.

The smell of food met me at the door. A small cake sat on the table.

Julian came out of the kitchen carrying two dishes.

“Perfect timing. Dinner's ready.”

On the subway home, I'd imagined confronting him. I would demand the truth, scream, break up with him, and never look back.

But when I saw him moving between the kitchen and the table, acting like the attentive boyfriend I'd trusted for six months, all I felt was lost.

Why would the heir to a fortune squeeze into a rented apartment with me and pretend to be poor?

He lit the candles and put a paper birthday crown on my head. I closed my eyes and made a wish.

When I opened them, he was looking at his phone. The screen lit his face, and a faint smile touched his mouth as he typed.

Moments later, our dorm group chat chimed.

Vanessa had posted a screenshot of a transfer for 15,900 yuan.

My fiancé sent me more money, she wrote. This one is because he bought that girl a birthday cake. He remembers me even while celebrating someone else's birthday. Doesn't he worry she'll get jealous?

The others flooded the chat with jokes about how generous and secure the “real fiancée” was.

I stared at the profile picture attached to the transfer.

A man in a white shirt stood with his back to the camera, facing the sea. Wind ballooned the fabric between his shoulders.

I had taken that photograph of Julian.

“What's so interesting?”

He dabbed frosting on my forehead, then leaned close. “Lily, want to go to the bedroom?”

We had kissed and held each other, but we'd never slept together. I was afraid it would hurt, and he had never pressured me.

That night, I'd planned to take the next step. After leaving the florist, I'd even stopped at a convenience store for condoms. They were still in the bag by the door.

Now the thought of Vanessa's fiancé touching me made my stomach turn.

I pushed him away and went to the bedroom to pack.

“The rent is due tomorrow,” I said. “I'm moving back to the dorm. I won't renew the lease.”

He stared at me. “Why? Everything was fine this morning.”

I folded another shirt and put it in my suitcase.

“Lily, if you're upset, tell me why.”

He had been indulged his entire life. After being ignored twice, his patience cracked.

“You've been acting strange since you got home. I cooked all evening, and you haven't eaten a bite.”

His gaze sharpened.

“Is this because I wouldn't buy the 398-yuan bouquet? Since when did you get this materialistic?”

I looked up at him.

“Julian, are you hiding something from me?”

He went still for one second.

Then he shook his head.

“No.”