“Since you’re my fiancée, I’ll spend every day with you from now on. Okay?”

Maddie’s body suddenly stiffened. She stared at me with her dark eyes, then smiled.

“Okay.”

From the comments scrolling across my vision, I learned that I was living inside a novel and was the “cannon-fodder supporting male”.

Maddie was the “female lead”, and the Zimmermans’ real heir, Blaine, was the “male lead”.

The corner of my mouth twitched. Then I spoke, testing the waters.

“Since I’ve returned, shouldn’t the fake one, Blaine, return to his original family?

“He must miss his biological parents, too, right?”

The moment I said that, Mr. Zimmerman’s expression stiffened, and Maddie’s face changed as well.

The comments exploded instantly.

[If the male lead goes back to that devil’s house, he’ll definitely be tortured! Just thinking about it makes my heart ache!]

[The supporting guy really thinks he’s somebody now. He was just recognized by the family! Even if he’s the biological son, how could he be closer than the male lead they raised themselves? Besides, they’re only teasing you!]

[He must hate the male lead. He’s always been jealous of the male lead’s life. That’s why he asked something like that.]

I saw every word of those comments clearly. However, their mockery didn’t bother me one bit.

This time, they were wrong.

I didn’t hate Blaine. In fact, I was grateful to him.

After all, someone like me, born into a hellhole who had never received love in his life, got a good learning environment, regular meals, and a carefree life without being beaten or doing chores, all because of his jealousy.

I even got the chance to win the affection of a beauty like Maddie.

All of it was given to me by Blaine himself.

Before Mr. Zimmerman could speak, Maddie cut in and refused first.

“There’s no rush about that. Blaine is about to take the SATs. Changing his environment now wouldn’t be good for him…”

I smiled innocently.

“How come Blaine needs to take the SATs, but I don’t?”

Maddie paused for a moment, then smiled and took my hand. “You’re different.”

“Yes, you’re different,” Mr. Zimmerman chimed in from the side. “You’re my heir. Even if you don’t take the SATs, you’ll be wealthy and comfortable for the rest of your life.”

I nodded with a smile. “I’m really lucky.”

That evening, they brought me back to the Zimmerman residence.

I had a brand-new bedroom, one that belonged to me.

I had never had a room of my own before. Growing up, I lived in a tiny storage closet. It was windowless, dark, and damp, with mold spreading across the ceiling.

Whenever my mother got drunk and beat me while my father watched as if nothing was happening, I understood that studying was my only way out.

I worked hard, and I was talented.

Passages that other students had to memorize for hours, I could recite them perfectly after reading them just a few times.

I could infer the patterns and solve complicated math problems that confused others easily.

However, I also knew that in my family, being too good at studying was not a good thing.

When I ranked first in the entire state on the high school entrance exam and proudly showed my parents the results, I was met with a ruthless slap from my mother.

Holding a liquor bottle, she slurred drunkenly, “What are you so happy about? What’s the point of studying so much? Don’t expect me to pay for your high school!”

In the end, it was my middle school teacher who brought my high school acceptance letter and my scholarship papers to my house.

After repeatedly guaranteeing that I wouldn’t have to spend a single dollar in high school, my mother finally agreed to let me continue studying.

Even then, she still said coldly, “The moment you stop getting scholarships, you’re dropping out and going to work to make money!”

So I never dared to relax.

To keep my scholarship, I had to be first every year.

That was how Blaine ended up stuck in eternal second place.

It was also because of the heir’s intense pride that I was given this chance to step into a wealthy family by mistake.

I’m not like them.

A gutter rat like me would never let any opportunity slip away.

Dragging my suitcase behind me as I walked into the room, I closed the door and lay down on the bed, enjoying the rare moment of quiet.

The comments popped up again, wildly mocking my relaxed expression.

[What an idiot! No wonder he’s just cannon-fodder. He actually believed their nonsense so easily!]

[Do you think he really believes he’s become an heir now? Maybe he’ll just turn in a blank SAT paper.]

[That would be perfect. Then the male lead can show up with acceptance letters from Harvard and Yale and throw him out of the house. Just imagining that scene is hilarious. It’s like beating a drowned dog!]

I stared at the floating comments without expression.

They all thought I was stupid.

However, I was sincerely grateful to Blaine’s family for the “rich man’s dream” they had carefully prepared for me.

I opened the suitcase I had brought with me.

On top were just a few simple changes of clothes. Underneath them were stacks of wrinkled exercise books, stuffed tightly together.

[Wait, what? Why is this cannon-fodder guy’s suitcase full of worksheets and problem books?]

[Pretending not to study? This supporting character’s acting is insane!]

I opened my mistake notebook and began reviewing each problem one by one, carefully studying the places where I had gone wrong before.

I kept going until two in the morning.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside the door.

I quickly turned off the light and lay down.

Blaine pushed open my door and casually glanced around the room.

“Levi, are you asleep?”

I didn’t answer.

Seeing that I seemed to be sleeping soundly, he let out a cold laugh and turned to leave.

He was really afraid that I might study seriously. It was already so late, yet he still came personally to check on me.

There were one hundred days left before the SATs.

Every day, I rode to and from school in Maddie’s driver’s car.

However, whenever I tried to study seriously in class, whether reading or working on problems, Maddie would walk over and irritably pull the pen out of my hand.

I looked at her blankly. “What’s wrong?”

She stared at me for a long moment before lowering her gaze.

“Levi, you don’t need to study to live a good life. If you’re still studying and reading now, does that mean you don’t trust me?

“I don’t like you being like this. I want you to depend on me completely. That’s what a good fiancé should do.”

Facing the girl I had liked for so many years, I naturally couldn’t refuse.

“If you don’t like me studying, then I won’t study.”

She suddenly leaned closer to me.

It was the first time she had ever done something so intimate. I could even smell her faint scent.

“Then don’t study anymore, okay?

“That way… you can depend on me completely.”

My heartbeat suddenly sped up. Even so, my sharp senses still caught the disgust hidden in her eyes.

Not that I cared, though.

The only thing I was interested in was my own happiness.

I hooked my arm around the back of her neck and made my first request.

“You said I’m your fiancé, and that I should depend on you.

“Then I want a grand confession.

“Maddie, let me see your sincerity.”

In the past, when I liked a girl, I wouldn’t even dare to make the slightest move.

Now, if she wanted something from me, she had to offer something in return.

That was a fair trade.

So, that very afternoon, on the school field, she arranged nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine roses and made a grand confession to me.

When those soft, slightly cool lips hesitantly pressed against mine, I finally understood.

In order to turn me into a complete failure, they were willing to put in any amount of effort.

It wasn’t just Maddie. Even the high and mighty Mr. Zimmerman was the same.

Whenever I picked up a book at home, Mr. Zimmerman would immediately look anxious.

That was when I would make my requests.

“Dad, can you take father-and-son pictures with me?”

“Dad, can you play chess with me tonight?”

“Dad, can you celebrate my eighteenth birthday with me? Can you wish me a happy birthday?”

Everything I had been missing was gradually made up for during that time.

I began to play the role of an unmotivated heir.

I stopped reading and studying.

I dated recklessly and shamelessly enjoyed the affection of my “family”.

With that came the obvious result.

Every exam I took, my ranking dropped lower and lower.

The comments burst into ridicule.

[Ridiculous. So what if he’s smart? He’s just a lovesick idiot. Totally hopeless!]

[A few sweet words, and the supporting character just throws his life away. No wonder later he gets sick and is thrown out of the house, abandoned on the street by his own biological parents…]

But I didn’t care at all.

Looking at Blaine, who had finally taken first place in the grade for the first time, I smiled.

He looked ecstatic; his eyes red as if he had finally proven himself.

Of course, I didn’t miss the smug, mocking expression he gave me when he glanced at my report card.

He was happy, and so was I.

Because that meant I could claim an even better reward.

Sure enough, that day, both Maddie and Mr. Zimmerman were in exceptionally good moods.

Mr. Zimmerman bought me a limited-edition watch, while Maddie rushed into my room, hugging me excitedly and saying she would grant me one wish.

I quietly closed the door and pushed her onto the bed with a smile.

“My wish is… I want you.”

The moment I said that, the comments exploded completely.

[What’s going on? According to the plot, shouldn’t the supporting character get drugged and then sleep with a woman the female lead arranged, catch a disease, and ruin his life? Why is he making the first move now?]

[What the hell? The female lead isn’t going to agree, right? She’d no longer be a virgin!]

[I just want to ask, is this still the kindergarten bus? Why is it getting so wild?]

The commotion in the room was impossible for Blaine not to hear.

After Maddie left, he stormed straight to my room.

His eyes locked onto the faint kiss marks on my shoulder, his anger almost tangible.

In the end, he only gritted his teeth and spoke with thinly veiled sarcasm.

“You’re really shameless. You just turned eighteen, and you’re already this impatient?”

I didn’t care at all.

Smiling brightly, I looked at him.

“Maddie is my fiancée. Something like this is pretty normal, right?

“Besides, I’m full of energy these days.

“I can’t exactly spend all that energy… studying, can I?”

Blaine froze slightly when he heard that.

He understood very clearly. Between the girl and first place in the grade, he could only choose one.

Blaine glared at me fiercely.

“Then I wish you plenty of ‘blessings’ every day before the SATs!”

The next day, I followed the suspicious-looking Maddie and Blaine to an abandoned gym.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Blaine pull Maddie into his arms somewhat urgently.

“Maddie, once that jerk’s SAT results come out, dump him and come back to me, okay?

“I’ll give myself to you too…”

As he spoke, he lowered his head to kiss her, only for Maddie to turn away, though she didn’t understand why.

Blaine had endured it the entire night in front of me yesterday.

Now, seeing Maddie’s reaction today, he could no longer hold it back.

“Maddie, what do you mean by that? You’re not actually falling for that poor jerk, are you?”