The ordinary me ended up dating a rich and handsome boyfriend.

He was gentle and considerate, always taking care of me. My friends often joked that I was a frog who somehow got the chance to marry a swan.

That is, until I started getting cosmetic procedures, learning how to dress, and suddenly transformed into a little beauty.

And then, he broke up with me…

...

Today was my first day with Caspian Thorne.

I never imagined that my idol, the one I had dreamed of for so long, would confess his feelings for me in front of everyone.

Flowers, candles, a kiss—these were emotions and joys I had never felt in my 20 years of life.

Even when I got back to my dorm, my face was still flushed with heat.

One of my roommates peeked her head out, "Elara, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Are you sick?"

She had already noticed something was off, and I decided not to hide it.

I held my hands behind my back, feeling shy, and said, "I'm in a relationship."

The entire dorm fell into stunned silence for three seconds. Then, several of my roommates exclaimed, rushing down from their top bunks.

"No way! Is the iron tree blooming? Let us see the photos!"

I pulled up a few of Caspian's handsome pictures from his social media.

In the photos, the man had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a sharp jawline, and a fit, well-toned body. Beneath his neatly pressed shirt, his abs were subtly visible.

He was the perfect 10 in every way.

My roommates looked at the photos and burst into wild laughter.

"Elara, are you dreaming? A guy like him would actually be into you?"

"Do you even know what you look like? Are you crazy?"

I felt a sting of humiliation from their words and bit my lip, holding back tears.

Was I really not good enough for Caspian?

I looked at myself in the mirror, and for a moment, I felt like I wasn’t.

I had a bit of baby fat, severe nearsightedness, and couldn’t exactly be called beautiful...

A bitter ache settled in my chest.

Caspian was not just handsome—he was also the son of the CEO of a listed company. He was the epitome of a rich and handsome man.

But… it was him who pursued me...

I had always been a self-conscious girl. My looks weren’t even average, they were far from it—some might even call me ugly.

If Caspian hadn’t approached me, step by step, I would never have dared to talk to a radiant and handsome guy like him.

I met Caspian at a cosplay exhibition.

I’m an otaku, and though I wasn’t conventionally attractive, I’d put on thick makeup and dressed in detailed costumes that made me look… somewhat cute.

I noticed him immediately at the event. He was alone, tall and well-built, holding a camera, his gaze scanning the crowd like a crane among chickens.

There were many beautiful girls asking him for his Facebook, but he didn’t even spare them a glance.

If he wasn’t interested in all those gorgeous girls, there was no way he would notice me...

Though I was very drawn to him, I didn’t dare approach him.

That is, until after the event. I was removing my makeup in the restroom, getting ready to leave.

It was raining, the sky was overcast, and I was about to get drenched when Caspian appeared with a large black umbrella.

I kept my head down, too shy to look at him, but he pulled me into his arms.

“Didn’t bring an umbrella? Let me walk you home.”

Later, Caspian told me that it was that moment, when I looked so lost and helpless, that he felt a strong urge to protect me.

But because of my roommates’ comments, I couldn’t help feeling down.

The next day, when I saw Caspian, he noticed I seemed a little upset and immediately asked what was wrong.

"My roommates think you’re too handsome. They don’t believe I’m dating someone so good-looking. They even teased me…"

I said, feeling very hurt.

"Haha—"

He laughed a few times, then pulled me into his arms and squished my chubby face.

“Elara, you’re ugly, but what can I say? I must be blind.”

What kind of comfort is that!?

A normal boyfriend should hold his girlfriend in his arms and say, "You're the most beautiful thing in my heart," right?

I was even more upset now, pouting and staying silent.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Tonight, I'll invite your roommates out for dinner. Once they meet the real deal, let's see if they still dare to talk nonsense."

That was actually a great idea. Caspian was too sweet. Ugh, I was so lucky.

That evening.

My roommates still didn't believe me that I was dating someone as handsome as Caspian.

That is, until they saw him in person, with their own eyes, at the luxury hotel.

"You, you, you really are Elara's boyfriend? I don't believe it, I need to test you!"

They all questioned whether I was just pretending.

Mira, who was one of my closer friends and a fairly plain-looking girl, asked,

"Elara's birthday?"

"February 14th."

"Favorite celebrity?"

"Timothée Chalamet."

"Your high school entrance exam score?"

"528."

"Ahhh! Looks like he really is Elara's boyfriend!!"

Caspian answered every question flawlessly. Even I couldn't believe it—he knew so much about me. It seemed like he'd done his homework on me.

Seeing everyone stunned and envious, I felt even more touched.

The only person whose face seemed a bit stiff was my rich and beautiful roommate, Lyra.

She was the goddess of our college, rich, and her boyfriend was the school’s heartthrob.

But her looks and wealth were still no match for Caspian.

Now, seeing how outstanding my boyfriend was, she was practically about to pop her eyes out!

After dinner, Caspian thoughtfully escorted us back.

While we were getting ready for bed, Lyra, with a face mask on, walked into the bathroom and said to me,

"Elara, your boyfriend is pretty handsome."

"Too bad he has bad taste. He ended up with you, a total mess!"

Lyra had always been sharp-tongued, and her words made me fume with anger. "Who are you calling a mess?!"

"If you're not mentally ill, why would you go for someone like her? But don’t think he truly loves you. He probably just feels sorry for you and is playing around. Otherwise, why would he take the note I handed him earlier?"

What...?

It felt like a thunderbolt out of nowhere.

Why was Lyra so disgusting, trying to flirt with my boyfriend?

Did she really not want me to be happy?

I ran out in tears.

I was mad that Caspian accepted Lyra's note, but more than that, I felt helpless. Lyra was better than me in so many ways—if I were him, I probably would’ve chosen a beautiful goddess too, right?

Then, my phone rang with a "ding" sound. It was a call from Caspian.

"Don't hang out with that Lyra anymore. She kept throwing you seductive looks at the table and even left her Facebook number for me, thinking she's something special. Does she really think I would fall for a woman like that?"

Huh...?

Caspian sounded furious on the other end of the phone.

But hearing that made all my anger disappear. I felt so happy.

Indeed, during the dinner, Caspian didn’t spare even a glance for Lyra.

He only exchanged a few words with Mira, who was one of my closer friends.

Ugh, so Caspian really does love me…

After Lyra tried to sabotage us, my relationship with Caspian only grew stronger.

Caspian was romantic, considerate, and generous. He was nearly the perfect man with no flaws.

He often told me that women don’t need to be beautiful—beautiful women are like snakes, while simple is best.

I thought Caspian didn’t care about looks, until I met his ex-girlfriend.

That day, I accompanied Caspian to an art exhibition.

It was hosted by one of Caspian's artist friends.

This was the first time Caspian had taken me to meet his friends. I was terrified of embarrassing him, so I spent a good while in the dormitory getting ready, trying to make my face look as presentable as possible.

I wore a long dress, high heels, and a delicate handbag, hoping to catch Caspian's eye.

But Caspian glanced at me casually and said, "Did you put on makeup?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Next time, don’t bother. You look better without it."

Ouch, that stung. But I didn’t want to argue with him, a typical straight guy.

Sometimes Caspian would casually say things that stung. After seeing the humiliated look on my face, he seemed to enjoy it more, though he would always try to cheer me up afterward.

I linked my arm with his as we entered the exhibition, but not long after, we were called over by a bright, clear voice.

"Caspian, I’ve finally caught up with you."

I turned around and saw a woman, elegant and refined, with long, straight black hair. She looked like the kind of sweet, gentle first love you’d see in an anime.

The way she looked at Caspian was soft, full of affection, and something in me told me their relationship was far from simple.

But when Caspian looked at her, there was nothing but disgust in his eyes.

"What are you doing here? I told you, we’re done."

It was clear—this was Caspian's ex-girlfriend.

I felt a pang of jealousy. Caspian's ex was absolutely stunning, like a goddess. Compared to her, I was nothing—she was a natural beauty, while I was just... well, me.

It seemed Caspian wasn’t immune to looks after all...

The woman swayed slightly, trying to reach for Caspian's hand.

"I really regret it, Caspian. Can you give me another chance...?"

"My girlfriend is right here. Show some respect!" Caspian said sharply, pulling me away as he stormed off.

I couldn't understand it—Caspian seemed to have an intense dislike for any beautiful woman who approached him.

The more attractive the woman, the stronger his aversion seemed to be.

But I didn’t think much about it at the time. I convinced myself it was because he loved me so much.

Even though everyone knew Caspian was my boyfriend, no one really believed in our relationship.

Some even thought Caspian was just playing me for money.

Nonsense. Who would run a scam like that without asking for a penny, and even paying me thousands of dollars each month?

Caspian and I were always together. After a big meal, if I got acne from overeating, I’d feel frustrated, but Caspian would kiss me and tell me how cute I looked, even with pimples.

Time and time again, I found myself falling for the "love makes you beautiful" cliché.

And so, our relationship continued to grow stronger.

On our three-month anniversary, I shared a couple picture of us online.

My post quickly attracted a lot of comments, but most of them were negative.

Some people sarcastically said I must be a rich woman keeping a pretty boy. Others accused me of trying to get attention.

Some were even more blunt, saying that Caspian was a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.

Meanwhile, I also received numerous private messages from cosmetic surgery clinics.

"Sweetie, your boyfriend is so handsome. Aren’t you worried he might leave you? Aren’t you afraid another beautiful woman might steal him away?"

"Come to our clinic! We’ll give you a complete makeover, and you can surprise your boyfriend!"

Reading those messages, I hesitated. After all, plastic surgery wasn’t a small thing. With so many horror stories online, I was honestly scared.

But the beauty consultant was so eager, offering me a free consultation.

Maybe... I could just go and see what they had to say?