Chapter 2

Those words seemed to strike a nerve with Harvey. His head snapped up from Ruby's shoulder, his voice rising sharply. "What makes you think you can speak to me like that, Felix?"

He stubbornly lifted his chin, still wearing that pitiful expression, yet his gaze had transformed. The previous helplessness was gone, replaced by a cold, biting sharpness.

"I'm poor, my family circumstances are bad, and I've never even touched a Patek Philippe in my life. But no matter how poor I am, I won't grovel for scraps the way you do."

"What else can you do besides sucking up to rich people, Felix? You failed three classes last semester and got a 43 in calculus. Do you even deserve to be called a real man? Do you know what I got in calculus? A 98—the highest in the whole department."

There was an unmistakable note of triumph in his voice, as if he had finally dropped the poor, helpless victim act and revealed his true, sharp-edged nature.

The surrounding students' glares shot toward me in unison.

I laughed out of sheer exasperation. I hadn't even gone after him yet, but he was already playing the victim. I took a step forward, staring down at him. "What makes you think I can't afford it, Harvey?"

Harvey's lips parted, but before he could speak, Ruby scoffed. She crossed her arms, looking completely annoyed. "Why are you putting on airs, Felix? Some people might not know your situation, but I certainly do.

"You rotate the same few clothes all the time, you always buy the cheapest meals at the dining hall, and last month, you spent ages doing math just to save 50 dollars on your phone bill.

"Harvey at least doesn't put on an act. He wins scholarships left and right, and the professors all say he has a bright future. But what about you? You're ranked last in the major, you lack a man's basic dignity, and you've somehow developed an ego from being someone else's lackey."

She then shrugged dismissively, her voice dripping with contempt. "Any designer watch you wear will only look like a fake, Felix. You actually took something someone else gave you and used it to embarrass Harvey. Do you not feel ashamed?"

She turned to look at Harvey after saying that, her expression radiating the smug satisfaction of a woman convinced of her own generosity.

Harvey lowered his head right on cue, adjusting his glasses as if embarrassed. "You shouldn't say that, Ruby," he said softly. "Felix might be a failure, but he still has his pride."

It sounded like he was defending me, but in reality, he had actually labeled me a failure.

A wave of low laughter broke out from the crowd.

I suddenly felt a sharp pang in my heart. It was Ruby's birthday last month. Someone on her feed had posted a limited-edition lipstick set their boyfriend had gifted, and she'd forwarded it to me with an envious emoji.

I wanted to give her a decent gift earned through my own hard work, so I took a job at the milk tea shop near the campus entrance, pulling eight-hour shifts on my feet until they swelled so much I couldn't get my shoes on.

I also tutored high school kids, riding the bus for two hours round-trip and talking until my voice was completely shot.

Finally, I saved up enough money to buy the lipstick set. But on the day she opened the present, she only gave it a single glance before rushing out to go shopping with her roommates.

I doubted she even remembered it.

I took a deep breath and forced the bitterness in my heart back down. Staring straight at Ruby, I asked, "Are you done? Whether I can afford it or not is my business. What does that have to do with any of you?"

I then turned on my heel and walked away. "Excuse me."

The crowd parted to make way for me.

I had only taken two steps when Ruby yelled, sounding absolutely furious. I then heard footsteps behind me as she ran up and grabbed me by the arm.

"Hold it right there, Felix! Harvey was kind enough to let me talk some sense into you, yet you still have the nerve to give me attitude. Who the hell do you think you are?"

I forcefully shook off her hand.

Ruby looked even more furious. "You'd better apologize to Harvey and return that watch!"

I was baffled by her demand. The watch belonged to my family, so I had no one to return it to. I said nothing, turned, and kept walking.

"You'd better stop right there, Felix!" Ruby shrieked, as if she couldn't believe I had publicly humiliated her. "If you take another step, we're breaking up!"

The whispering among the crowd died down, and everyone stood there waiting to see if I'd turn back and apologize to Harvey.

I paused for a split second. Then, without looking back, I took another step forward.