I immediately clicked on the link.

As expected, someone had posted the incident that happened during the class earlier.

People were arguing in the comments.

[Isn’t Cindy the lead cheerleader? It’s obvious who he’s referring to.]

[I remember that Cindy has a boyfriend. Isn’t this basically asking her to cheat? Who cares if he studied overseas?]

[Wait a minute. Why do I recall someone else getting the exchange program slot instead of Jack? Let me look into it…]

I gripped my phone as I narrowed my eyes.

Something felt off in class earlier.

Since I was applying for the exchange program, I had been talking to many seniors who had participated in it before.

I had never heard of Jack.

So, was he lying?

While my thoughts wandered, the comment section exploded under the post.

Then, there was a new comment.

It was from Jack.

[I just returned to the country, and now, I’m on the campus forum. Looks like I’m just that attractive.

[But everyone, please don’t simply accuse me of things I’ve never done before. It’s not like they’re getting married anyway.]

After pausing for a while, he typed, [Besides, how could Ben compare to me? He’s poor and average, but I’m fit and rich. I’m a huge catch!

[Dating agencies have reached out to me. They’ve arranged ten blind dates for me this Saturday and begged for me to attend!

[So, I’m not competing with Ben. No one can snatch anything from you if you’re actually excellent!]

His ridiculous statements kept appearing in the comment section.

I was furious as I replied to his comments, [Are you crazy?]

[Hey, are you actually mad over this? Do you really think I’m eyeing your girlfriend?]

Jack was obviously taunting me.

[Too bad the person that you love the most is cutting my steak for me!]

Then, he uploaded a photo.

When I enlarged it, I saw Cindy’s face!

My mind immediately went blank.

Cold air seeped through the window cracks, and I felt goosebumps.

I enlarged the photo further with trembling fingers.

There was expensive food and wine on the table. In the middle, there was a ten-inch birthday cake.

[Welcome back, Professor Swift’s favorite student!]

My eyes turned cold as I gritted my teeth.

I was very familiar with that location.

It was Liam’s office desk, and he was even featured in the right corner. He was smiling ear-to-ear and holding a peace sign.

Previously, whenever I helped him to carry his documents to his office, he would always treat me coldly.

He would not offer me a drink or turn on the air-conditioning for me. He even pretended not to see me…

The stark comparison kept popping up in my mind.

After a long while, I smiled bitterly and put my phone away.

Then, I waved the waiter over.

“There’s no need to wait any longer. You can serve the meal now.”

The waiter then served a few bottles of alcohol.

My friends were wishing me a happy birthday over text.

My parents also transferred me some money for my birthday. They asked in concern, [Ben, are you still going abroad with Cindy?

[Before you go, could you pay us a visit? We miss you a lot…]

I paused in the middle of drinking.

Right then, I finally realized I had given up too much for this relationship.

Cindy was the one who wanted to experience a foreign country.

Yet, I had stayed up late to prepare for the submissions. But to Liam, I was the poor guy who pestered his daughter so that I could marry into their “prestigious” family.

I bore with it in the past, but I could no longer take it!

I tore that precious form into pieces.

As if it was fate, fireworks went off outside the window the next second. They seemed to be celebrating my new life.

Midnight rolled around, but Cindy never sent me a text message.

It was not until 3 a.m. that my phone buzzed.

It was a drunken voice message from Cindy.

“I’m sorry, Ben. My dad asked me to attend a dinner event tonight.

“Since we’re about to move overseas, I thought I wanted to spend some time with him…” she mumbled in the quiet night.

I kept replaying the voice messages.

After a long time, I coldly said, “Cindy, let’s break up.

“Since your dad likes Jack so much, you should go abroad with him instead!”

After that, I switched off my phone resolutely.

The next day, I switched my phone back on, and there were a dozen missed calls from Cindy.

It was obvious that she was anxious.

[Ben, hear me out. I really didn’t know Jack was fighting with you…

[I only cut that steak for him because my dad asked me to. Please don’t be angry with me over such trivial matters…]

Trivial?

I laughed angrily.

Throughout our entire relationship, Cindy had never done something like that for me.

During our three-year relationship, I had been the one who accommodated her.

I had been the only one putting in effort.

I did not want to do that anymore!

When I looked down, my phone started ringing again.

It was a video call from Cindy.

I answered it, and her nervous voice came through.

“Ben, didn’t we agree to travel abroad today?

“We’ve been together for so long. We’re used to each other’s presence. How can we…”

Then, I saw a figure running toward me—it was Cindy holding her phone.

I felt a force as she threw herself at me.

She hugged me tightly, and I could feel her breathing against my chest.

“Please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault, alright?”

I did not respond.

It would be a lie to say that I did not care about our three-year relationship.

However, I was really unhappy.

Why would I disrupt my life that I had planned out long ago over a third party?

Jack had been smugly taunting me and insulting me, as though I was nothing.

I should let him and Liam feel what I felt!

Taking a deep breath, I pushed Cindy away and pretended to coldly say, “Cindy, why don’t you move out? Let’s rent a place outside of campus.

“I need to see you live independently without your dad. If you can’t even move out of your dorm, how will I know if you’re able to live abroad?”

Cindy was dumbfounded, and she frowned.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.

“Ben, you know my dad’s staff quarters are very near my dorm. I want to spend some time with him before we leave.

“Besides, Dad has already agreed to go shopping with me this Saturday…”

The fake excuses kept pouring out of her mouth. I was disappointed.

“Forget it. Let’s just take a break.”

I did not want to deal with this any further, so I turned around in exhaustion and left Cindy behind.

She was upset and a little angry.

The few days that followed, we acted like a couple who had gotten into a fight.

She still waited for me at my dorm and passed me breakfast with a cold expression.

I felt exhausted from such a tense situation.

At the same time, I was secretly investigating Jack.

After I looked through every inch of his social media, I discovered that he was not sponsored to go on the exchange program. Instead, he had paid for a spot himself.

In his social media post a few years ago, I found a record of his previous marriage. His ex-wife looked like an older rich woman.

His latest status was clearly a complaint.

[My last marriage was absolutely horrible. I’m glad that it’s over.

[I’ll definitely find someone else when I return to the country!]

I frowned and laughed in anger.

No wonder Jack kept going to dating agencies after he returned to the country. He was trying to prove that he still had value after his rich ex-wife dumped him!

I was no longer upset. Instead, I felt a sense of glee.

If I was not mistaken, Jack’s blind date was on Saturday.

Saturday…

The deadline for the exchange program application was on the same day!

It seemed like everything had lined up perfectly for me.

I smirked.

I wanted to see if the Swift family could really handle someone like Jack.

On Saturday afternoon, I sat in the corner of the cafe.

Half an hour later, Jack walked in with his styled hair and strong cologne.

He was wearing a tailored suit and expensive shoes. Then, he sat down casually.

Just as I smelled his cologne, I also saw Liam sneaking in.

He was tidying Cindy’s dress for her.

“Cindy, let’s try to find out Jack’s financial situation. Let’s see how rich he is!

“Maybe after he meets a few more girls, he’ll still think that you’re the best!”

Cindy appeared torn when she heard her father’s ridiculous statements.

“Dad, could you stop meddling in my business…?”

Even though she was grumbling, she did not attempt to leave.

I observed the scene before me and no longer felt anything.

I wanted to end things for good.

Maybe I would even be their wedding officiant!

Suddenly, someone spilled hot coffee all over Jack.

He immediately took off his jacket.

A rich woman with delicate makeup and a strong aura grimaced and started to touch him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dirty your clothes. Let me help you wipe that off…”

“Get out!”

Jack flung her hands away with a darkened expression.

Then, he splashed hot tea on the woman.

“Old hag! How dare you dirty my expensive suit?! Get a taste of your own medicine!

“Take a good look at yourself. How dare you touch an impressive man like me?”

The tea trickled down the rich woman’s temples.

She slammed the table and stood up angrily.

“How dare you?! I didn’t do it on purpose, and you’re splashing tea on me?”

The next second, Liam nudged Cindy to go forward.

I could even hear him muttering from a distance, “Go. Help Jack with his situation. If you succeed, this rich man is yours!”

Cindy stumbled forward.

She had no choice but to shield Jack.

“What are you doing? Why are you touching him?”

“Just you wait… I’m going to get someone to teach you a lesson!”

The rich woman cursed and glared at them before leaving.

Things started to become romantic between Cindy and Jack.

Just as I was about to witness them getting lost in each other’s eyes, I gave Cindy a call.

“Cindy, didn’t you say you want to get back together?

“Meet me now. I’ll consider your request.”