My childhood sweetheart, Ethan Smith, kissed my archenemy out of spite.

Instead of losing my temper, I just took a video of the scene with an indifferent smile.

This video would be respectively sent to Ethan's mother, my mother, and my archenemy's boyfriend.

After blacklisting Ethan, I changed my major and went to study abroad.

I heard from my best friend that he looked for me like crazy.

During the five years of our relationship, all the people around thought we were a perfect match and would create a fairy tale of a loving couple being with each other from their teens to the end of their lives, except me.

If the destination was off course from the beginning, the only end of us would only be a breakup.

There was never a future in our relationship.

Like now.

Staring at me with a frown, Ethan turned his back to the window with apparent impatience and a hint of disdain. "Sophia, can you stop arguing you have nothing to do with academic plagiarism? You're lucky enough to enter this lab. Do you want others to notice it when you get results of such a vital subject? Quit before something serious comes to you, now!"

Many freshmen and sophomores were still in the lab, among which they knew nothing about his accusation. Hearing what he said, they all looked at me in disbelief.

Ethan was the school idol of Crestwood University. With his ability to research, a handsome face, and profound background, countless fans in school chose to ignore his defects under his halo.

More and more students looked at me with scrutiny and suspicion.

My scalp was numb from being stared at. Holding my breath uneasily, I felt my throat was so dry and defended myself, "No, it's my tutor, Taylor Harris..."

But he just interrupted me without even letting me finish my words.

"That's enough. When did your mother ever teach you to lie?" he said.

No matter who it was, no one could change what he had decided subjectively.

He convicted me of academic plagiarism in spite of my explanations.

The temperature in the laboratory was not low but was enough to freeze my heart.

"But it's mine! It's mine!" I shouted.

Ignoring my cry, he grabbed my wrists and tried to pull me out of the lab. I refused and held on to a corner of the table tightly, tears streaming down my face.

Laura Davis, my mother, said that I had been a crier since I was a kid.

As my hand was about to be pulled, I knew that once I left the laboratory, my six months of experimental results would be named after someone else.

Meanwhile, my nails broke because of too much force.

"What are you doing!"

The familiar roar rescued me.

I looked back in surprise and loosened my hands subconsciously, finding Taylor, who had gone out to study come back early.

The tears that I had held back for a long time suddenly burst out.

I said, "Mr. Harris, that's the result of my experiment."

I dared not to imagine what would happen if Taylor didn't schedule to come back earlier.

After hearing my statement, Taylor's eyes were as sharp as a knife, and he sneered.

"Great, it's really great to see so many 'talents' in my lab!"

Taylor showed no tolerance for plagiarism and stealing experimental results from their schoolmates.

"Please leave, ladies. I'll inform your tutors that you won't have to come here anymore," he said.

The faces of several senior schoolmates were very pale, and they no longer had the arrogance they had in the beginning to target me.

Many of them spoke with tears in their voices, "Mr. Harris, we won't do that again anymore. Can you let us off this time?"

I wiped away my tears, trotted over, and took back my experimental results.

"Now you act like you're scared. Weren't you very proud just now?" I said.

Taylor's showing up backed me up, making me have the guts to fight back with tears, though.

"If you would have spent the time on the experiment instead of framing me, you wouldn't have failed to come up with anything!" I said.

Ethan couldn't stay silent anymore, as if he couldn't stand my aggressiveness and shouted to stop me.

"That's enough, Sophia!" he said.

I turned around and looked at him in surprise.

He just scolded me, her girlfriend, to defend others.

After that day, I didn't contact him again, until Freya Cassius, Ethan's mother, called me.

Freya and Laura were best friends.

And my relationship with Ethan added more intimacy to their friendship for decades.

The call was connected.

Freya asked me in a gentle voice, "Sophia, did you also have a little fight with Ethan?"

I said yes and decided not to tell what happened in school after thinking twice.

Sighing, she sounded somehow helpless. "Sophia, you know how forthright Ethan is. You two still need to adjust to each other even after you have been together for so many years."

I opened my mouth but swallowed the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

Finally, I could only say, "I understand."

Freya continued to persuade me, "I'll let that kid apologize to you. If he does anything wrong in the future, tell me and I'll punish him."

I nodded, knowing that she couldn't see it over there, and replied, "Okay."

But the conflict between us was almost impossible to be resolved through mediation.

After hanging up the phone, Ethan, whom I hadn't seen for three days, called me. Judging from his tender tone, it seemed that Freya should be nearby.

"There's a movie you like tomorrow night. Let's go watch it together," he said.

Every time I wanted to watch a movie with him, he would refuse with the excuse that movies were only for pretentious and boring people.

I was afraid that he wouldn't even make this call if it wasn't her mother's command.

It was hilarious that I was even not comparable to his mother's command.

The breakthrough of the first compromise made it easier for him to say the rest. "It was my fault. I wouldn't do that again."

It was Self-deceiving under the cover of an apology.

Ethan's outstanding look attracted the peer girls since he was a kid.

I was one of the few people who could walk side by side with him. Over time, other people mistook us for a couple. He didn't explain and even enjoyed the rumors.

But gradually, I became anxious and worried, fearing that he would be stolen by other girls.

I asked him, "What kind of girls do you like?"

At that time, his handsome face still looked a little childish, and he answered in a sweet voice.

"I like smart girls. She'd better be a scientist. I admire scientists most," he said.

Maybe he wouldn't believe that I took his casual words seriously and swore to become the type of girl he liked.

Until now, I was still working on it.

Meanwhile, I recalled what Taylor said to me.

"Sophia, my appointment here is about to end. I have accepted a re-appointment from a high-level laboratory at Crestwood University. The school also has approved two exchange students there. Do you want to go with me?" he asked.

"Can I?" I was a little surprised. The laboratories at Crestwood University enjoyed a worldwide reputation.

It must be splendid to study there.

I said, "Yeah, I just need to talk to my mother about it."

Taylor didn't push me for the answer, and I was so happy that I wanted to share the news with Ethan as soon as possible.

I didn't know how thrilled he would be.

Just when I thought about whether to call him or meet him in person, I saw my best friend, Lily Higgins, gestured to let me go out.

Usually when she had this expression, I knew Ethan was coming.

I was still a little excited.

A young man was standing with his back to me in the cold wind in a white turtleneck sweater and a gray coat. From his back, he looked so elegant and intelligent.

Girls passing by all fixed their eyes at him.

He looked at the phone, talking to someone I had no idea of his or her identity.

I said, "Ethan."

Hearing my voice, the young man turned around, and his handsome features were ruined by his frown.

"Sophia, can you quit researching in the laboratory?" he said.

I suddenly lost all my desire to share my thoughts with him.

After being stunned for a second, I forced a smile and said softly, "I thought you liked girls working in labs..."

He reached out to pull me but failed because I dodged that. Then, he agitatedly rubbed his temple.

"Do you understand? I admire independent and capable women." he said.

I found it funny that he actually thought I was too foolish to discern admiration and covet.

He thought I was having a bad temper and softened his voice.

He said, "If you leave the lab, I'll marry you as soon as we graduate, and you can be a full-time housewife then."

My heart sank as a housewife was a full-time caregiver without wages.

"It's impossible." I shook my head.

In his eyes, I was probably the most unreasonable, irrational, and hopeless woman in the world. "Why on earth are you so obsessed with this lab? I'll give you some days to figure it out yourself."

"Wait..." I said.

My refute seemed so feeble. I watched him turn around and walk away without looking back. It was like the first time I faced his back. He didn't understand me, just like I didn't understand him.

I really couldn't understand what he was thinking.

Lily came out of the corner. Looking in the direction where Ethan left, she patted my shoulder and said, "Do you need a hug?"

"Yeah, I guess so." I smiled, but everything in front of me was blurry.

As his movie of apology went up in smoke, I continued to organize my thesis.

Suddenly, Lily said, "Hey, check this out. Some bitch is stealing your man."

Before I could react, she passed me her phone with a photo of Ethan and Amanda York, my archenemy, walking side by side and having a great conversation.

In fact, my feud with her started with our parents.

It was a tawdry drama.

Amanda's mother was fond of Harold, but he only loved Laura.

Unfortunately, the boys that Amanda liked loved me; that was why our grudge became deeper and deeper.

Unless there was an unexpected disaster and I saved her in that crisis, there was no way to ease her hatred towards me.

I wouldn't have to regard her as my archenemy if she didn't plot against Lily and almost got her killed to vent her anger to me.

That was how both of us hated each other so much.

"Is it really necessary for him to disgust me like that?" I said.

Patting my head, Lily comforted me as she had experienced such an occasion so many times.

"Men are always scheming. You'd better check it yourself," she said.

I didn't expect to see him having coffee with Amanda after that unpleasant conversation.

Although they looked like normal friends having a small talk, it still hurt me.

Noticing me, he mocked me with his eyes viciously and found a way to retrieve his self-esteem as I approached. "Are you done with the lab, Ms. Clark? I'm afraid I don't have time for you."

Amanda looked at me with contempt and an innocent smile. She looked me up and down and said, "Sophia, as your schoolmate, I still suggest if you ever plan to get married in the future, you have to be less selfish for your family."

I picked my ears and felt a little sick watching her putting on such a show. "And as your schoolmate, I think you're more like a mistress who ruins others' families rather than a good wife."

I was not into female competition for men like her and hated moral kidnapping even more.

From beginning to end, I didn't have the idea of talking to Ethan because there was no need to do so.

"Sophia!"

Ethan yelled at me again. He seemed to always target me for some unreasonable issues, as if I was born to be under his control.

Our five-year relationship didn't vanish in a moment.

I sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Ethan, am I your girlfriend? Let me ask it another way. Do you even consider me as your friend?"