His Real Love Compatibility

The day SAT ended, my class decided to throw a party.

At one point, someone suggested we play a love compatibility game.

When it was Liam's turn, the party room went quiet for a moment.

Four words flashed across the screen: Total softie for love. The entire class erupted.

Someone joked,

I always thought Liam was a total ice-king, but he's actually a softie for love?

Liam was my secret boyfriend of three years.

I was about to open my mouth and say Liam was anything but a softie for love, but Chloe spoke first.

"You guys found out."

She said, then linked her arm through Liam's.

"He really is a softie, so clingy. He even insisted on going to the same university as me."

Liam smiled gently and tightly clasped Chloe's hand.

Chloe smiled, looking around.

"I didn't mean to keep it from you all, but before the SATs, I was worried it would affect Liam's studies if we went public."

She leaned her head on Liam's shoulder. "And our families have known each other forever. We're childhood sweethearts. My mom said as soon as the acceptance letters come in, she's throwing us an engagement party!"

Liam didn't push her away. He just took a sip of his ice water, his face devoid of expression.

The whole room was silent.

Someone in the corner whispered,

"I won! I told you Chloe and Liam were a thing, and you guys didn't believe me."

"Seriously? They kept it so quiet!"

"Didn't you notice? Liam only ever lent his study notes to Chloe. When he played basketball, Chloe was always in the front row handing him water. Even for college applications this time, Liam applied to the same city as Chloe!"

Everyone exchanged glances, cheers rising in waves.

I sat in the farthest corner, holding a glass. My fingertips felt numb with cold.

All those details they talked about made me incredibly uncomfortable.

He didn't have time to organize his study notes; I stayed up three nights copying them for him.

The soda he drank during basketball games? I saved half a month's breakfast money to buy cases of it and had someone carry them to the court.

Even college applications...

He had said, "Aurora, romance affects studies. We'll talk after the SATs."

He had said, "Aurora, I want to go to New York with you."

Because of that sentence, I gave up my original college applications.

It turned out he wasn't cold to everyone.

I thought we'd meet at the top together. It turned out he was just enjoying having an all-in-one caretaker manage everything for him, and the only person he truly loved was his childhood sweetheart.

The students' cheers grew louder: "Liam, say something! Is that a yes?"

Liam finally moved.

Not only did he not deny it, but he clasped Chloe's wrist, lowering his voice, "Stop it."

His tone was full of indulgence.

Then, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, landing on me.

But it quickly moved away, as if I were just an insignificant passerby.

Chloe smiled even sweeter, adding, "Our families have even picked out our wedding home. Everyone has to come to our wedding, okay?"

The entire room erupted again.

I suddenly felt it hard to breathe, as if all the air had been sucked out of the party room.

I stood up, not looking at anyone, and walked straight to the door.

"Hey? Where's Aurora going?" someone asked.

"To the restroom," I said, without turning my head.

The moment I closed the party room door, I heard someone inside say,

"Aurora's been chasing Liam relentlessly. She's getting what she deserves now!"

"Please, with her pathetic, desperate act, does she even deserve him?"

I rushed into the restroom, locked myself in a stall, covered my mouth, and silently cried.

Three years of hidden devotion, three years of a secret relationship in his eyes, it wasn't even worth a joke.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a message from Liam: "Let's talk later, don't throw a tantrum."

I forced a smile, typing a few words on the screen: "Liam, we're over."

A hot summer breeze hit me, but I shivered from cold.

When I reached the intersection, I turned my phone back on to call a ride.

The screen lit up. There was no plea from Liam, only a text from an unknown number:

"Aurora, right? I want to talk to you about your college applications. I'm Liam's mom."

The next morning, at a coffee shop downtown.

Eve, Liam's mom, sat across from me, elegantly sipping her tea, not even bothering to look at me directly.

She pushed over an agreement and a bank card.

"I know about you and Liam," she said, her voice cold, with a condescending sneer.

"Aurora, it's important to know your place."

I sat frozen, my fingers tightly gripping the hem of my shirt.

"Your grades were good enough to get you into a top school like Stanford, but to go to the same city as Liam, you intentionally chose Columbia University in New York. Am I right?"

I didn't speak. Eve sneered.

"Too bad, Liam and Chloe already got into Cornell University. Even if you go to New York, you'll only be at a step-down school like Columbia. Did you really think you could cling to him in the same city?"

My head spun. Liam had never told me!

It turned out he'd always had a backup plan, while I foolishly gambled my future for him.

"There's two hundred thousand in this card," Eve tapped the table.

"Sign this agreement, promise never to contact Liam again, and this money will be my charity to help you pay for college."

"I don't want your money." I gritted my teeth, my voice trembling.

Eve's eyes narrowed. "Your dad's struggling factory? Half of its orders this year come from our company's patronage. If you don't know what's good for you, your family's going to have a very hard time for the rest of the year."

My blood instantly froze.

Just then, the coffee shop door opened.

Liam strode in, wearing a well-tailored white shirt, still looking as neat as he had for the past three years I loved him.

I shot up, a final flicker of hope igniting in my eyes.

He glanced at me, then walked to Eve's side: "Mom, I'll handle it."

Then, he turned to me, his gaze colder than I'd ever seen it: "Aurora, just sign it."

"What did you say?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Chloe has a delicate heart; she can't handle stress. If she knew about you and me, she'd get sick."

Liam frowned.

"Columbia University isn't bad. For the tuition... I can have my mom compensate you."

"Liam." I heard my voice tremble.

"You want me to sign an agreement, admitting I was the one harassing you?"

"What else?" he retorted, his self-righteousness chilling. "These past three years, you willingly acted as my assistant, allowing me to use you, didn't you?"

I looked at the man before me, feeling utterly alien.

I didn't take the card. Instead, I grabbed the agreement from the table, tore it to shreds, and threw it hard in his face.

"Liam, you disgust me."

I turned and stormed out of the coffee shop, not looking back.

A few days later, our class reunion dinner. The homeroom teacher explicitly called me and made me go.

Pushing open the party room door, Chloe and Liam were clearly the center of attention.

Someone asked me, "Aurora, where did you end up getting accepted?"

I looked down: "Columbia University."

Chloe covered her mouth, exclaiming in "surprise": "Oh, that's too bad! You almost got to be classmates with Liam and me at Cornell.

But Columbia University is good too! Liam said we're all classmates, and he'll look out for you in New York."

Hearing this, Liam said indifferently, "Honey, eat. Don't worry about other people's business."

Everyone around them laughed and agreed, every word praising how perfect they were for each other, every word mocking my presumption.

When the dinner ended, I stood alone by the road, waiting for the bus.

A brand-new BMW pulled up in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing Liam's unreadable face. It was the car his family rewarded him with for his summer job.

"Get in, I'll drop you off." His tone was like an act of charity.

I stepped back, shaking my head.

The rear window immediately rolled down, and Chloe poked her head out, smiling sweetly.

"Aurora, don't be shy. Liam just seems cold, but he's really warm-hearted. He takes good care of old classmates. Come on up."

Looking at them, my stomach churned.

Just then, my phone rang.

"Dad" flashed on the screen.

As soon as I answered, my father's hoarse, tearful voice came through:

"Aurora, something happened at the factory... That most important order was canceled. We have to pay a penalty... I'm so sorry, I might not be able to afford your college tuition anymore..."

What does it feel like when your world collapses? I didn't know before, but now I did.

That crucial order for my father's factory was with a company under Liam's family. They unilaterally canceled the contract, citing "substandard quality," and demanded a massive penalty.

Our family's economic pillar instantly crumbled. My mother, overwhelmed by stress, suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage that night and was rushed to the hospital.

The machines in the ICU beeped, "drip-drip," burning through money every second.

I frantically ran around like a madwoman, humbly knocking on every relative's door.

"Aurora, it's not that I won't lend you money, but your dad's hole is too big, we can't fill it."

"Did your family offend some bigshot? We can't get involved."

I was met with cold shoulders and couldn't borrow a single dollar. College tuition and my mother's medical bills weighed on me like two crushing mountains.

Just when I was at my wit's end, Chloe contacted me.

In a coffee shop across from the city hospital, Chloe, in an elegant dress, pushed a thick envelope toward me.

"Aurora, I heard your mom's in the hospital? Take this money for emergencies."

"I know you like Liam."

I stared at the envelope, not moving.

Chloe sighed, leaning closer, her eyes holding a hint of condescending disdain and malice.

"Oh, by the way, you probably don't know why everyone in class suddenly turned against you that day at the dinner party, do you?"

She lowered her voice and chuckled.

"Before the SATs, I secretly looked at Liam's phone. I picked a few segments of your chats where you actively sought him out and took screenshots. Now, everyone thinks you're a persistent, clingy tramp willing to be a mistress."

My blood instantly rushed backward, and I glared at her.

No wonder! No wonder the whole class was laughing at me!

"Don't be stubborn. You know Liam has a soft spot."

Chloe sat up straight. "This money... consider it peace of mind for you. Don't bother him and his mother anymore, and don't try to use your dad's bankruptcy to gain sympathy, okay?"

I abruptly stood up and splashed a glass of ice water directly onto her face.

"Take your money and get out."

Chloe shrieked, drawing stares from everyone in the coffee shop.

Shortly after returning to the hospital, Liam's call came in.

As soon as I answered, his furious voice exploded:

"Aurora, are you crazy? Why are you taking it out on Chloe! Was that sweet, obedient girl act all fake?"

I leaned tiredly against the wall: "She went to you to complain?"

"She kindly brought you money, and not only are you ungrateful, you splashed water on her?" Liam's voice was full of impatience.

"Let me tell you. My family doesn't owe you anything. Your dad's factory issue is a business problem; he didn't do his quality control properly. Don't blame my family. Chloe isn't well, don't keep bothering her!"

"Business problem?" I laughed, tears streaming down my hand. "Liam, do you dare swear your mom didn't pull strings behind the scenes?"

"Aurora, you're absolutely unreasonable." He coldly threw out one last sentence, "If you keep acting like this, no one can save you."

The call ended.

At eleven PM, the nurse station called: "Family of Room 3, if you don't pay the fees tomorrow, we'll have to stop the medication."

I crouched in the cold hospital hallway, looking at the mere ten-odd dollars remaining on my bank card. Despair washed over me like a tide.

Trembling, I dialed Liam's number.

This was my last time bowing to him.

The phone rang for a long time.

The moment it connected, Chloe's soft, drowsy voice came through the receiver:

"Who is it... Liam's already asleep. Is something wrong this late?"

After a while, she chuckled softly: "Oh, it's Aurora. Are you short on money? Let's talk tomorrow, don't wake him up..."

The call was immediately disconnected.

I scrolled through my contact list, hundreds of names, but I couldn't find a single person to ask for help.

Finally, my gaze stopped on a familiar nameEthan.

A transfer student in senior year, always skipping class and getting into fights, with the worst grades, but seemingly from a very wealthy background.

He always teased me. Once, he handed me a crumpled business card, grinning mischievously, "If you're in trouble, call me."

With trembling fingers, I dialed the number I thought I'd never call in my life.

"Where are you?"

The moment the call connected, Ethan didn't waste a single word.

Half an hour later, a black Aston Martin screeched to a halt in front of the hospital.

Ethan, in a loose black T-shirt, with messy hair, but sharp eyes, rushed straight to the payment desk without a word. He paid all the overdue fees with his card, and even pulled strings to get the best neurosurgeon from out of state transferred overnight.

He still had that playful, rebellious look, leaning against the hallway wall, twirling his car keys.

"Don't look at me like that. This money is a loan, and there'll be interest."

I cried in front of him like a broken mess, and he just handed me a pack of tissues.

"Alright, someone taller will bear the weight if the sky falls."

With Ethan's help, my mother's condition temporarily stabilized, and I finally got a moment to breathe.

To repay the money and earn college tuition, Ethan asked me to do a short-term internship in one of his company's project teams. Although it was mostly running errands and odd jobs, the pay was surprisingly generous.

A few afternoons later, I walked out of Ethan's company building, carrying a stack of files.

A familiar BMW was parked at the bottom of the steps.

Liam got out of the car and blocked my path.

"Aurora, are you really going to stoop this low?"

I looked at him coldly: "Move."

"For money, you'll throw away all your dignity, and hang out with trash like Ethan?"

Liam gritted his teeth, "After leaving me, are you only fit to be a plaything for people like him!"

I found it utterly ridiculous and couldn't be bothered to explain anything to him.

"Does it concern you what I do?" I walked around him.

Liam grabbed my wrist: "I offered you money, but you refused! Now you're here selling yourself? Are you being fair to your parents?"

I swung my hand back and slapped him hard across the face.

"Don't talk about my parents, you're not worthy."

I shook off his hand and walked away without looking back.

However, the very next day, several candid photos suddenly went viral in the class SnapChat group.

The photos were blurry, but clearly showed me getting into Ethan's car, and also a picture of me and Ethan talking outside a fancy restaurant, from an extremely ambiguous angle.

The caption was vicious: "No wonder she used to follow Liam, and now she's not. Turns out she's latched onto a richer branch. Pretending to be so pure, but still just a plaything for rich men."

I looked at the messages in the group, my hands and feet turning cold.

Immediately after, Chloe Snapchatted me privately.

She sent a screenshot of her chat with Liam.

Liam: "She's changed. She'll do anything for money. I really misjudged her."

Chloe replied: "Forget it, Liam. To each their own. I just didn't expect her to be so eager. It's only been a few days since her mom passed away, and she's already in the mood to hook up with a rich guy..."

What? My mom was clearly still in the ICU, and Chloe was cursing her like that behind my back!

Just as I was about to be crushed by this overwhelming malice, my phone rang with a jarring sound.

It was the hospital.

"Aurora! Come to the hospital immediately! Your mother suddenly developed severe complications and urgently needs brain surgery! You need to pay eight hundred thousand for the surgery right away, or she won't make it!"

I rushed to the hospital like a madwoman.

Ethan's phone was temporarily unreachable. He had gone out of town with his father to handle an urgent project.

The whole world seemed to shrink to just me, rapidly plummeting into the abyss of despair.

Just then, my phone screen lit up. It was a text message from Liam.

It contained a picture and a sentence.

I trembling clicked on the picture.

In the photo, my father was kneeling on the ground, humbly before Eve, holding a pen, ready to sign an agreement that waived all claims and accepted the exorbitant penalty.

Liam's message said:

"Beg me. Or, let your dad go to jail."