I was Sibley Pascall. On my birthday, my mom bought me a Chanel bag I'd been longing for.

But my boyfriend, Gerald Geis, was furious when he saw the bag.

"You spent 10,000 dollars on a bag? My mom only makes 400 dollars a month. She'd have to work for two years to earn that much. Sibley, I can't believe how materialistic and spendthrift you are!"

"Return the bag! Save the money! I'll buy you one online. It'll only cost me a few bucks, and it even comes with free shipping. It's just a bag."

I was shocked.

I retorted, "I don't care how much your mom makes a month. I didn't spend your money. Why are you so furious?"

——

Gerald was a senior above me.

He was tall, handsome, cheerful, and good at socializing. He was very popular in school.

We got together because he pursued me.

He pursued me relentlessly for a year.

I thought he was nice, so I agreed.

We had been together for six months and had never argued. I always thought he was gentle, except now he was losing his cool.

Sensing that I was angry, he immediately softened his tone and apologized to me.

"Sibley, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Don't be upset."

He wanted to come and hug me, but I directly pushed him away.

He ruined my good mood which lasted for the whole day.

"Anything else? If not, I'm going back to the dorm."

Saying that, I walked past him and left.

He grabbed me and put a pot of plant the size of a palm into my hand.

"Sibley, happy birthday."

I didn't want it, but when I saw the sincere look on his face, I accepted it.

"Thanks."

Back in the dorm, I put the plant on the table, washed up, went to bed, and watched a TV series on my tablet.

Gerald kept messaging me, but I ignored him.

At ten o'clock in the evening, I turned off the tablet and was about to go to sleep. My roommate, Myra Beck, glanced at me from time to time. Her gaze was resentful, and it seemed she had something to say.

I couldn't stand her look, so I asked her, "What's up?"

She hesitated for a few seconds and then said, "Sibley, Gerald said he's waiting for you downstairs."

It was pouring rain at this time.

I got out of bed and walked to the window to look down. Sure enough, Gerald was standing downstairs, already drenched totally.

I frowned, unable to describe my feelings.

To be honest, I didn't have much feelings for Gerald. I agreed to be with him because he was nice. That was all.

I didn't feel sorry for him when he was caught in the rain, just helpless.

After thinking about it, I took the umbrella and went downstairs.

He saw me and smiled.

He hugged me tightly.

"Sibley, I'm really sorry. It was my fault today. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. Can you please stop ignoring me?"

I remained expressionless and didn't say anything.

He continued to explain and coax me patiently.

"Sibley, I didn't mean to blame you for spending money recklessly. I just think that we are still students, and we shouldn't spend that kind of money on a bag. We might as well save the money. After we graduate, we'll have startup capital. Don't you think so?

"Besides, not many college girls have bags that expensive, right?

"I'm sure you don't wanna be different in that way compared to others. What if they get jealous and isolate you? I will feel bad for you and worried about you."

The more I listened to what he said, the more uncomfortable I felt.

I came from a rich family, and my parents owned a listed company.

My family had at least a billion dollars.

I had been trying to keep a low profile since I came to this school.

Gerald said I was different from others? All I did was get a bag worth 10,000 dollars.

Seemed he was trying to manipulate me emotionally.

I sneered inwardly. I looked up, met his gaze, and said tentatively, "You're right. Shall I return the bag?"

He looked delighted and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes. And put the money with me. I'll keep it for you. From now on, I'll keep your monthly living expenses, too. You can ask me for it when you need it for food or something else. How about that?"

How about that?

Fuck you!

How dare you covet my living expenses?

You're so shameless!

I faked a smile and said, "I've saved over 150,000 dollars since I was a child. You want that as well?"

His eyes lit up when he heard that.

"Really, Sibley?"

I pushed him away and completely turned gloomy.

"When you go back to the dorm and go to sleep, sleep on a higher pillow. It may be true in your dream."

He was stunned for a moment.

Then he realized what I meant and shouted angrily at me, "Sibley, you're playing me?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

I felt disgusted.

"Gerald, let's break up."

After saying that, I turned back to the dorm without looking at him again.

Daphne Schwartz, one of my roommates, hadn't slept yet.

The other two roommates, Tasha Briggs and Myra, just came back from hanging out.

Seeing that I looked unhappy, Myra came forward and asked me with concern, "Sibley, what's wrong? Did you have a fight with Gerald?"

I replied calmly, "No. We broke up."

I was unhappy because he disgusted me, not because we broke up.

"What?"

All three of them were surprised.

After that, a trace of gloat flashed across Daphne's eyes.

"Why?" Tasha asked me.

I roughly told them about what had happened. Tasha and Myra were particularly angry and couldn't understand Gerald's behavior.

Myra straightforwardly and sarcastically said, "I never knew he was like this. Today is a first."

Tasha echoed, "Indeed. We shouldn't judge people because of their appearances."

"I actually think Gerald is right," Daphne suddenly said, defending Gerald.

"After all, we are still students, using money earned by our parents' hard work. We shouldn't be extravagant. Buying those luxury goods only satisfies your vanity. It's pointless.

"You should let him keep the money for you. After you graduate, you'll need plenty of money for a lot of things."

Her speech shocked us.

Is she crazy?

Myra had a bad temper and directly retorted.

"Daphne, if you're sick, go get help. Stop with all the crazy theories."

"Did I say something wrong? I'm stating facts," Daphne retorted.

Tasha, who was known for being gentle and calm, was so angry that her face turned red.

"Nonsense! Sibley comes from a wealthy family, and she's an only child. Her parents wanna spend money on her. It's none of your business.

"If you think what Gerald says is so true, go pursue him. He can have all your money. I bet he'll love you so much."

I calmed them down and then looked at Daphne.

With a sneer, I warned her, "You don't get to judge what I spend money on. Mind your own business. OK?"

Daphne was such a pain in the ass.

She loved taking advantage of others and sometimes stole.

She stole our things several times and never admitted it.

My gaze was a bit terrifying, which scared Daphne into silence.

I didn't have class the next day, and I woke up at nine o'clock.

I picked up my phone and saw more than 99 WhatsApp messages and more than 20 missed calls.

I thought it was Gerald harassing me again, but it was actually Jack Pascall, my dad.

I immediately called him back.

He said on the phone in a broken voice that he had been waiting for me at the school gate for three hours, wanting to take me to a big meal and make up for my birthday.

I was overjoyed and immediately got out of bed, washed up, and changed clothes to go out.

The Rolls-Royce at the school gate was very eye-catching and attracted many onlookers.

I pushed through the crowd and saw Dad leaning against the car door, smoking a cigar.

He saw me and waved at me with a smile, saying, "Baby, I'm here! Come here!"

I sighed helplessly and got in the car.

As soon as I got in the car, he asked me, "I heard you have a boyfriend. Aren't you gonna introduce him to me?"

I smiled and said, "We broke up."

He insisted on asking me for the reason, and I briefly told him.

After I finished speaking, he looked at me with a serious expression on his face.

"Baby, stay away from people like him from now on.

"I'm not saying that I've been working hard, but remember this. I work hard to earn money so that you and your mom can have a great life. Whether it's now or in the future, I won't allow you to sacrifice your quality of life for a man. My money is enough for you to live a worry-free life forever, understand?"

I nodded, wanting to cry.

Dad took me to a fancy restaurant to eat, and we were enjoying our meal when suddenly my phone rang.

It was Myra.

Just as I picked up the phone, her anxious voice came through.

"Sibley, check the school forum and the school group chat. Someone is spreading rumors about you."

I immediately clicked on the forum and saw a photo of me in the Rolls-Royce on the homepage.

A line of words all in capitals in red said, "Shocking! Sibley Pascall, the beauty of the Art Department, is actually kept by an old man."

In the school WhatsApp group, Gerald posted something.

He twisted the truth and said that I looked down on him, that I was vain, and that I sold my body for money.

He also said that he truly loved me, and even though I broke up with him for an old man, he wouldn't mind.

He said he would definitely pull me back from the wrong path.

His words completely made me laugh.

Dad was a sophisticated businessman, and of course, he noticed my expression.

He asked me, "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

I didn't want him to worry.

So, I put away my phone and said with a smile, "Nothing. I had a quarrel with my friends."

I could handle it.

After the meal, Dad gave me a card and hurried back to see my mom.

He had been on a business trip abroad for more than a month and had been missing my mom sick.

But he still came to me first. Guessed I mattered to him too.

By the time I returned to school, I had become famous.

Though not in a good way.