The Ice Prince's Sweet Surrender

To finally buy that panoramic ocean-view condo, I activated a Get Paid If Rejected system.

My target: Ethan, the brilliant but unapproachable law student, the ultimate campus heartthrob.

Every time he rejected me, the system deposited ten thousand dollars into my account.

For two whole years, come rain or shine, I confessed my feelings to him 99 times.

For the 100th time, I stood under the guys' dorm building with a megaphone, ready to claim my final ten thousand dollars.

"Ethan, I like you! Be my boyfriend!"

I'd even opened up SnapChat to message the real estate agent for the beachfront condo.

Then, the door to the second-floor balcony opened. Ethan stood there in loose loungewear, looking down at me.

"Okay."

His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed across the entire dorm area.

"Grab your ID. We're going to City Hall to make it official right now."

My hand shook, and the megaphone clattered onto my foot.

Wait, what?! Dude, where did my ocean-view condo go?!

The early autumn breeze whistled through the sycamores under the dorm building, making the megaphone in my hand feel chilly.

I cleared my throat and pressed the switch.

"Ethan! I like you! Be my boyfriend!"

A massive echo reverberated between the buildings.

A crowd of guys had gathered around, some even holding cups of instant soup, watching the show.

"Lily's here again. Is this the 100th time?"

"She actually dares to go for the ice prince. She's really determined to hit that brick wall."

"If Ethan says yes, I'll eat this instant soup---cup, soup, and all---right here, right now."

I lowered my head, feigning shyness and nervousness.

But inside, fireworks were exploding.

Reject me.

Just tell me to get lost, quickly.

Ethan, please, be merciless and just turn me down!

I chanted in my head.

If he just said "not interested" one more time, the system would transfer my final ten thousand dollars.

A whole million dollars!

I'd even opened up SnapChat to message the real estate agent for the panoramic ocean-view condo. The down payment was happening today!

For two years, come rain or shine, I'd confessed to him in every creative way imaginable.

He was handsome, brilliant, top of his class in law school, and famously unapproachable to women.

He was basically my personal ATM, tailor-made by fate.

For the first 99 times, he was a true professional.

The first time, he said, "Excuse me, coming through."

The tenth time, he said, "I'm busy."

The fiftieth time, he said, "Lily, are you that bored?"

The ninety-ninth time, he frowned at me and said, "Stop coming here."

I'd heard it as, "Stop coming here to collect money."

No way! I was still short ten thousand!

So today, I brought the megaphone.

The second-floor balcony door suddenly opened.

Ethan, in loose loungewear, his fair skin almost glowed under the streetlights, his jawline sharp enough to cut glass.

He leaned on the railing with one hand, looking down at me.

The entire scene went silent.

I took a deep breath, ready for the sweet sound of "get lost."

But then, he suddenly chuckled.

"Okay."

I froze.

The guys around me froze too.

He straightened up, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached my ears.

"Grab your ID. We're going to City Hall to make it official."

*Clatter.*

The megaphone slipped from my hand and hit my foot.

The system in my head let out a piercing scream.

[Warning! Target has not rejected!]

[100th confession mission failed, ten thousand dollar reward canceled!]

My vision went black. I almost passed out right there.

The whole place erupted.

The guy with the instant soup cup even dropped his fork in shock.

My best friend, Chloe, was shaking my shoulder wildly from the edge of the crowd.

"Lily! You did it! You brought the ice prince down from his pedestal!"

I didn't feel like I "did it" at all.

I just felt a suffocating pain in my chest.

My ocean-view condo, my floor-to-ceiling windows, my huge balcony---all gone.

I stiffly raised my head, looking at Ethan on the balcony.

"Ethan, are you studying for the Bar exam too hard lately? Are you out of your mind?"

He had his hands in his pockets, his tone flat.

"I'm perfectly clear-headed."

"But you used to say we had no chance!"

"That was before."

He paused.

"Now I've changed my mind."

I was almost in tears.

"Ethan, seriously, don't be impulsive. A forced relationship never works out!"

He looked at me, a flicker of an imperceptible smile in his eyes.

"Sweet or not, we'll know once we try."

With that, he turned and went back into the dorm.

Less than three minutes later, he came out of the stairwell.

He'd changed into a crisp white shirt and dark pants, standing as tall and poised as a runway model.

He walked up to me, blocking the streetlights above.

"Let's go."

I took a step back.

"Go where?"

"Didn't you ask me to be your boyfriend?"

He naturally reached out, taking my wrist.

"Come with your boyfriend to study."

His palm was warm, so hot it made me shiver.

The system dinged again.

[Host has entered a romantic relationship.]

[New mission activated: Hold hands with target for five minutes.]

[Reward: Five dollars.]

I stared fixedly at the "five dollars" in my mind.

Five dollars?!

I used to get ten thousand for getting yelled at, and now holding hands only gets me five?!

Was the system getting a cut from some middleman?!

I struggled fiercely.

"Ethan, I suddenly remembered I have a huge assignment for my literature class that I haven't written yet! I have to go!"

He didn't let go; instead, he gripped my hand tighter.

"Literature class assignment? Your English Lit department has advanced math this semester?"

I choked.

He looked down at me, his gaze incredibly penetrating.

"Lily, you chased me for two years. Now that you've got me, you want to run?"

"I didn't..."

"Then just follow along."

He led me, past a sea of guys staring like they'd seen a ghost, out of the dorm area.

All the way, I tried to pull my hand free.

But Ethan's grip was surprisingly strong.

He even threaded his fingers through mine, turning it into an intertwined hold.

The system slowly announced:

[Hand-holding duration met. Five dollars deposited.]

I looked at the five-dollar transfer notification on SnapChat, my heart aching like crazy.

Taking that money felt like an insult to my intelligence.

At the library, Ethan found a window seat.

He pushed a thick textbook on contract law in front of me.

"Read."

I had no mind to read. My head was filled with how to make him break up with me first.

If he broke up with me, maybe the system would still count it as a failed confession and give me that ten thousand dollars.

I started acting out.

I deliberately dropped my pen on the floor.

*Clink.*

He bent down, picked it up, and handed it to me.

I dropped it again.

*Clink.*

He picked it up again.

The third time, just as I was about to let go, he pressed his hand over mine.

"Lily."

"Huh?"

"Do you have shaky hands?"

I let out a dry laugh.

"My hands are just clumsy."

He sighed, pulling his chair closer to mine.

We were practically touching.

The scent of cedar from him wafted into my nose.

"If your hands are clumsy, then don't write."

He opened the book and pointed to a line of text.

"Read this for me."

I looked down.

"When an unmarried man adopts a female, the adopter and the adopted must have an age difference of at least forty years."

My eyes widened.

"Why are you making me read this?"

He rested his chin on one hand, turning his head to look at me.

"Just a little legal education."

"And a reminder that no such age difference exists between us, so we can only be legally married."

My face flushed instantly.

The system popped up.

[Engaged in academic discussion with target. Reward: Ten dollars.]

I closed my eyes in anguish.

Ten dollars.

I couldn't even buy a decent fancy latte with that.

This life was unlivable.

By lunchtime, I decided to use my trump card.

Ethan was a germaphobe and super picky, preferring incredibly bland food.

He wouldn't eat anything with strong aromatics like onions, ginger, or garlic, let alone anything with an intense flavor.

I dragged him to the notoriously pungent pasta place on the other side of campus.

Not only did I order spaghetti, but I also added double stinky cheese and double cilantro.

When the bowl arrived, the smell alone could knock a person out.

I pushed the bowl towards him.

"Honey, eat up. This place is amazing."

I deliberately emphasized "honey," intending to disgust him.

Ethan looked at the bright red, green, and bizarrely smelling noodles, and sure enough, his brow furrowed.

My heart surged with delight.

Get mad!

Just lose it!

Say you can't stand me anymore and want to break up!

But instead, he just picked up his fork, slowly selected a noodle, and put it in his mouth.

I was stunned.

"Don't you think it smells?"

He swallowed, his expression unchanged.

"It's alright."

"But you used to not even eat onions!"

He looked up at me.

"No one forced me to eat them before."

He picked up a piece of stinky cheese and placed it in my bowl.

"You ordered it, eat more."

I looked at that piece of stinky cheese, on the verge of tears.

The system dinged.

[Had lunch with target. Reward: Twenty dollars.]

I listlessly poked at my noodles.

Twenty dollars.

At this rate, I'd have to be in a relationship for the rest of my life to save up for the condo down payment.

After eating, Ethan wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"I have moot court practice this afternoon. Are you coming to watch?"

I immediately shook my head.

"No, I'm going back to the dorm to sleep."

He stood up, walked over to me, and suddenly reached out to pinch my cheek.

"Okay, let me know when you wake up, and I'll bring you dinner."

His actions were so natural that people at several nearby tables turned to look.

I covered my face, stammering.

"Y-you, don't touch me like that."

He chuckled.

"Boyfriend's privilege. Might as well use it."

Back in the dorm, Chloe had already scrolled through ninety-nine pages of the university's gossip forum.

"Lily! You're trending! You're absolutely viral!"

She shoved her phone in my face.

The post title was bold and bright:

[BREAKING! 100 Confessions Later, They're Official! Law School Ice Prince Falls for English Lit's Relentless Suitor!]

The comments below were all shocked.

[OMG, did this girl cast a spell on him?]

[Has Ethan been possessed? He actually held Lily's hand to the library this morning!]

[Not just held hands, they even ate spaghetti in the back alley for lunch! Ethan eating spaghetti! The world has gone mad!]

I lay on my bed, my eyes unfocused.

"Chloe, I think I got a raw deal."