I played the plot in my mind as I responded to Tiffany, "I'm fine, and I'll get better in a few days."

Tiffany pulled a chair and sat beside me with a fake smile. "I heard you got hurt because of Ian."

Before I could say something, she pouted slightly, as if she was defending me, "Ellie, look at you. It had nothing to do with you since Ian got hurt, but why didn't you take care of your body? It's not worth it for you to do that for him."

Even though I didn't like Tiffany, I did agree with the last thing she had said at this moment. It was true that I was a secret admirer, but I wasn't a fool.

Now that Ian was obviously playing a trick on me, I couldn't let go of my anger.

Ian immediately defended me and retorted, "Do you think everyone is as vicious as you? Is Ellie's kindness something you can compare to?"

I sneered inside. If I didn't already know the truth, I might actually be fooled by Ian's words.

Tiffany replied, "You're right. I'm vicious, and I shouldn't have come over!"

Ian taunted, "Aren't you going to someone's party? Why are you available to come over?"

Tiffany said, "I'm not here to see you, so is it any of your business?"

Saying that, Tiffany held my hand. "Ellie, why is Ian speaking so obnoxiously? He can't tell good from bad."

Having said that, there was still an intimacy within Tiffany's tone that no one else could figure out.

"By the way, I just saw Ian's Instagram post. You guys aren't really dating, are you?"

Tiffany asked, pretending not to notice.

Ian looked a bit smug. "Can this even be fake?"

Tiffany was stunned for a moment and looked on the verge of tears. "Oh, yeah? You weren't touched by Ellie's heroic rescue, were you?"

Ian emphasized deliberately, "Of course it's because my girlfriend and I truly love each other."

I felt ridiculous hearing what Ian said.

Did we truly love each other?

If I didn't already know the truth, I could have been fooled by Ian.

After all, I genuinely adored Ian for three years.

But that was true. If Ian truly loved me, would he let me pursue him for three years?

Tiffany couldn't keep the smile on her face any longer as she turned and stood up. "I've thought about it, and I should go to James' birthday party. I'll leave now and see you next time."

Just less than three minutes after Tiffany left, Ian finally couldn't help himself. "I'll go out and take a walk."

I said considerately, "Okay, Tiffany didn't look well, so why don't you go talk to her and make sure nothing happens to her?"

Ian said, "What could have happened to her? Besides, it will have nothing to do with her if I go out. I'm just a little bored in the room, so I want to go out and get some air. Well, don't think too much about it, and I'll be right here later."

Of course I wouldn't believe Ian's lies, and I actually had my own thoughts in mind.

Had I been too weak these past few years before Ian dared to obviously take advantage of me?

After being discharged from the hospital, Ian held a party for me, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and announced, "From now on, Ellie will be my girlfriend."

For the past three years, everyone knew I had a crush on Ian, and his close friends were certainly no exception.

"Really? Ian, what's wrong with you? Don't you want Tiffany anymore?"

"Yeah, we always thought you two were a couple."

"Did I hear you right? You're not kidding, are you?"

Everyone around us was teasing, as if none of them took Ian's words to heart. I used to tolerate this for Ian's sake because I felt that they were all Ian's friends from childhood, and it was better not to cause conflicts.

However, I forgot one thing. They were not only Ian's friends, but also Tiffany's. In their opinion, Ian and Tiffany were a perfect match, and I was just meddling in their relationship. No wonder they never treated me well.

In order to pursue Ian earlier, I specifically invited Ian's friends for dinner, gave them birthday gifts, and did them favors, but they never treated me nicely. Now it seemed that I was just a clown in their eyes, and they enjoyed the favors I gave them, but I got nothing.

When I used to adore Ian, even if I had a lot of upset feelings in my mind, I would hold my tongue.

But now it was different.

I pushed away Ian's hand on my shoulder and sneered, "Do you have poor eyesight or are you guys deaf? Can't you hear what Ian is saying? Or do you have to get the other woman for him?"

The surroundings were instantly quiet.

Because no one expected me to suddenly lash out.

After saying this, I felt extremely relieved. I had wanted to say this for a long time because they had gone too far.

As for now, I had already thought about it. Since Ian was going to use me as his girlfriend, I was going to take advantage of my identity.

Even though I didn't call her name, everyone knew who I was talking about, so they all looked embarrassed.

Tiffany bit her lip, glanced at Ian, and said with grievance, "Ellie, did you mistake it? George was joking."

I said nonchalantly, "You don't have to say that, and I know what they mean better than you do."

Speaking of Tiffany, I was somehow upset with her. When I used to pursue Ian, I knew he had Tiffany by his side, but both shook their heads firmly and reassured me by indicating that they didn't have the slightest affection for each other.

However, when I truly began to pursue Ian, Tiffany began to subconsciously mess things up. For example, my gifts to Ian always ended up in Tiffany's hands, and she would smile in embarrassment.

"Did Ellie give it to you? Sorry, I didn't know. I just thought it looked tasty, so I took it over."

Ian didn't seem to mind it either. "They're just some snacks, and you can have them. Ellie won't mind, right?"

What could I say? All I could do was smile and agree.

But it had happened once upon a time.

George looked irritated. "Ellie, don't push your luck. You could blame me, but did Tiffany piss you off?"

I almost forgot that it wasn't just Ian, even George had a crush on the girl he grew up with. Unfortunately, Tiffany had already fallen for Ian a long time ago, and it had nothing to do with him.

But that didn't stop George from standing up for the girl he loved.

I sneered, "Who went too far? Did I say who it was? I was talking about you, so don't get me wrong. If you're worried about her, you shouldn't drag me into this. Haven't you heard that Ian is my boyfriend? If you can't catch on, you should go back to school and stop embarrassing yourself here."

Ian had come back from his shock. I was always gentle and soft in front of him before, and this was the first time I showed a violent temper.

However, when he saw Tiffany's pale face, he couldn't help but pull me back, frowning and rebuking, "Come on, you shouldn't say anything so excessive either. They're all my friends, so can you forgive them just for the sake of me?"

I looked at him and felt a bit ridiculous. "So what if they're your friends? Why would I do that for you?"

"Ellie!"

I crossed my arms and said, "Why are you yelling? Was there anything wrong with what I said? Why should I forgive them if they treated me so poorly? They talked so harshly and expect me to forgive them. How could they think so?"

George couldn't help it and turned directly to Ian. "Ian, is this your girlfriend? Listen to what she said and how she treated us. Look, I don't accept your girlfriend, and the only one who deserves you in my mind is Tiffany."

Tiffany immediately blushed as she yanked George. "What are you babbling about? Ian has already got a girlfriend."

But Tiffany's tone sounded aggrieved.

George said, "She is nothing. Tiffany, don't be upset. Ian was just mesmerized by this woman. I know he loves you inside."

After all, I was Ian's girlfriend now, and it was too much for George to talk like that. Even Ian said in a hushed voice, "George, don't talk nonsense."

George said, "Did I say something wrong?"

He glared at me, as if I was the one who had done something wrong.

I looked at George with interest. "What are you looking at? George, you said you didn't accept me, but who did you think you were? Who were you to say that?"

"You..."

"What's wrong? Look at you, you're blaming everyone like you're a maniac. What does it matter to you that I'm dating Ian? Who are you to accuse me here?"

Ian said, "Ellie..."

I said, "Shut up."

The rest of Ian's friends in the private room couldn't be bothered to hear me and accused me of it. Zachary Reed frowned, "Ellie, you didn't used to be like this, but why are you becoming so unreasonable now?"

"Am I unreasonable?" I smiled, "So what do I have to do to be reasonable? Should I just let them laugh at me? I'm sorry, but I can't. If you're so generous, can you be mocked by me without retorting me?"

Something suddenly occurred to me. "Oh yeah, some of you took my gifts earlier, and you said you'd help me pursue Ian, but you took my gifts but never helped me. What's going on? Did you guys want to take something from me for nothing?"

I called their names one by one. "Zachary got a pair of sneakers from me that cost thousands of dollars, and Sam took away one of my limited edition game consoles. Also, George, despite what you've said, it seems like you've received a lot of gifts from me as well. I helped you get the autograph of your favorite basketball player, but you didn't pay me till now."

George subconsciously said, "You gave it to me voluntarily."

"Did I give it to you voluntarily? You took something from me to help me do something. If you couldn't do it, you should give it back to me." I immediately became angry.

Ian hadn't realized that his friends had taken so many gifts from me behind his back, so he was shocked as he said, "When did all this happen?"