Riches in Disguise

Lina was something else, and Ryan was just as bad. They were perfect for each other—a lying woman and a desperate man.

I thought I had seen Lina's true colors when I caught her with Joshua, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The memory of her acting all pure and shy in front of me made me want to throw up, and I could not believe how blind I was to let her play me like that.

While walking Felicia back to her dorm, she told me more about Lina. Apparently, Lina had been badmouthing me in the girls' dorm and ruining my reputation, especially to Charlotte, who had wanted to hire someone to beat me up several times.

My blood was boiling, finally realizing that Charlotte hated me so much, all because of Lina's doing behind my back. Every time I went to see Charlotte, Lina acted completely innocent, and if Felicia had not told me the truth today, I would never have suspected her.

"And you know the night Joshua got in trouble? When she asked for her jacket back? Good thing you ignored her. She told us later that she was testing you. If you'd shown even the slightest interest in getting back together, she would ask you for money."

It turned out that after Joshua had scammed her and borrowed a lot of money, she had been desperate for cash and thought of targeting me again. My heart sank—I had almost played the sucker again.

"Thanks for telling me all this," I said, feeling like my whole worldview had been shaken.

Felicia replied righteously, "It's nothing. I've always hated how they act-forming cliques, bullying others, using their looks to scam people for free stuff, and playing with people's feelings."

"Sure, my livestreaming isn't exactly honorable, but at least I'm not lying to anyone. If guys give me money, it's because they want to."

I smiled. "You've got a point."

Felicia blushed. "Though I can stop if you don't want me to stream anymore. I've got enough for my grandpa's surgery now anyway."

No way! If she stopped streaming, we would miss out on all the fun. I quickly said, "Keep streaming if you want to. I might drop by sometimes and send you gifts to help boost your views."

I thought Felicia would be happy to hear this, but her smile vanished instantly instead. I was puzzled, thinking if she did not want my support.

When we reached her dorm building, I waved goodbye. "Go ahead. I'll go back to my dorm too."

Just as I was leaving, she called out, "William, are we friends now?"

"Of course." I gave her a bright smile and a definitive answer.

"Then... can we have lunch together tomorrow too?"

The way she said it made it sound like I was some kind of prize. It felt nice, so I immediately replied, "You treated me today, so tomorrow lunch is on me. Let's go somewhere fancy."

Her face lit up with joy. "It's a deal!"

The next day, as soon as class ended, I called out to Felicia, "Let's go get lunch."

Felicia packed her things and ran over to link her arm with mine. I felt a bit awkward about the physical contact as it seemed too intimate.

However, I did not push her away since I was single anyway, and no one would be jealous of this act. Plus, she seemed so happy; I did not want to hurt her feelings by rejecting her.

The other students in class immediately started whispering when they saw us together.

"What's going on with Felicia and William? Are they dating?"noveldrama

"No way. Felicia's doing those sexy streams now, so she'd surely prefer a rich guy. She'd never go for a nobody like William."