When my boyfriend told me he had failed the college entrance exams, he begged me to apply to a vocational college with him.

I was about to say yes when a barrage of floating comments suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

[The male lead deserves an Oscar. Since when is 680 considered a bad score? He was literally touring Kingston University with the real heiress just moments ago.]

[Don't fall for it! You're the top scorer in the entire state! He only wants to drag you down so the real heiress can shine.]

[There's no point warning her. She's completely blinded by love. A provincial champion wasting her future at a vocational college... she'll end up abandoned by her family, framed into debt by the real heiress, forced to drop out, and stuck running a roadside stall for the rest of her life.]

My hand froze midair.

In an instant, all the blood drained from my body.

"Chloe Brooks? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Aaron Smith dropped the university application guide onto the table, his voice carrying a deliberately restrained frustration.

"Honestly, I don't even think a college degree matters that much anymore. Plenty of graduates still end up working for bosses who only finished middle school. Learning an actual skill is what really matters."

He reached over and held my hand.

"How about we apply to a vocational college together? Mechatronics graduates get hired straight into major factories. The pay's no worse than what regular university grads make.

"You'll go with me, right?

"Chloe?"

When I still didn't respond, Aaron frowned slightly and reached for the mouse in front of me.

"Are you worried Auntie won't agree? It's fine, I'll help you submit it. I'll take responsibility for everything in the future. We'll go together and--"

"Wait!"

I jerked my hand back sharply. Those glaring floating comments were still hanging in front of my eyes.

I stared at him, trying to find even the slightest crack in his expression.

"Aaron, why did I hear that you massively overperformed this exam and scored over 680?"

The expression on his face froze instantly. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes before disappearing.

He quickly looked away, his voice suddenly rising with offended anger.

"Chloe, what's that supposed to mean? You don't even trust me now?

"We've known each other for over ten years. We grew up together. Our families even arranged our engagement. Do you really think I'd lie to you about something like this? Are you even still my fiancée?"

And precisely because we had grown up together for so many years, I could read every tiny change in him. Even the rhythm of his breathing was enough for me to tell what he was thinking.

Right now, he looked exactly like he did as a child after smashing that antique vase, pretending to stay calm while panicking inside.

A crushing sense of absurdity and betrayal swept over me.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"Choosing a university is a major decision. I still need time to think about it."

"You still need to think about it?"

Aaron reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

"Chloe, didn't you promise me before that no matter where we went to university, we'd stay together? So what is this now? Do you look down on vocational schools, or are you embarrassed because I didn't do well on the entrance exams?"

To pressure me, he had actually positioned himself as the victim, pointing fingers at me like I was the one in the wrong.

I stared at him in disbelief.

He seemed to realize he had gone too far, because his tone immediately softened.

"Chloe, ever since people found out you're not the real daughter of the family, everyone's been mocking you. I'm the only one who stayed by your side.

"So this time, why can't you sacrifice a little for me?

"Even if we go to a vocational college, we still have family money. We'll still have a good future ahead of us. The important thing is that the two of us stay together.

"Be good, alright? Let me help you submit the application."

The moment he finished speaking, he forcefully snatched the mouse out of my hand, his fingers flying rapidly across the keyboard.

Before I could stop him, he had already ticked the option for Medford College on the screen.

"Aaron, I don't want to go to this school."

Even I did not notice the tremor and coldness in my own voice.

I pulled his hand away and warned him flatly, "You know how much time and effort the Brooks family spent raising me. There's no way I can choose a school like this and keep disappointing my parents."

"How would your parents be disappointed? You're not even their biological daughter…"

The moment the words left his mouth, Aaron quickly corrected himself.

"Besides, don't they already have another daughter now? And college entrance exam scores don't define a person anyway. You're talented no matter where you go. You'll shine anywhere."

Remembering what the floating comments had said, I stared directly into his eyes.

"What about Yvonne Brooks?"

"Her?" Aaron sneered with obvious disdain. "That real daughter they just brought back? She has no manners and no class. Even if she gets into university, she won't amount to much."

His words were harsh, but there was an unmistakable softness hidden in his eyes.

A kind of indulgence.

"You're right," I said calmly. "Gold shines no matter where it ends up."

I snatched the mouse from his hand.

"In that case, I'll fill out my application myself."

"Just remember to pick Medford College." He watched me patiently. "Go on, hurry up and submit it. Why are you dragging this out?"

Right then, his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen, and almost instantly, the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile. His fingers moved rapidly as he replied to the messages, so focused that it was as if I no longer existed.

Looking at how eager he was to leave, I forced out a smile.

"If you've got something to do, then go ahead."

Even as he was leaving, he still turned back to remind me, "Remember, you have to choose Medford!"

Meanwhile, the floating comments above my head scrolled wildly across my vision.

[The real daughter prepared a maid outfit as a reward for the male lead. She's already waiting for him at the hotel!]

[Damn, sneaking a taste of forbidden fruit right after graduation? That's wild.]

[Supporting female character, don't throw away your future for a man. Your life belongs to you. Don't become part of their little game.]

I quietly exited the application page.

Then I changed my university choices.

Because to me, my future mattered far more than any man.

After resubmitting my applications, I even edited a fake screenshot and sent it to Aaron.

Sure enough, my phone vibrated almost immediately.

[Chloe, I knew you'd apply to Medford. I knew you'd stay with me!]

[There's a class reunion tonight, and I've got a surprise for you too. Did you see the dress on the table? You have to wear it tonight. Make sure you dress up beautifully before you come.]

The moment he saw the screenshot I sent, he could not wait to message me.

I looked toward the cheap paper bag sitting beside the table.

Inside was the 'surprise' dress Aaron had prepared for me.

I pulled it out and immediately saw the awful quality. The fabric was cheap synthetic material, with loose threads sticking out everywhere.

Even the floating comments could not help mocking it.

[So the male and female leads want to humiliate the supporting female character in public, but did they really have to pick such a cheap knockoff?

[If she's actually willing to wear that dress to the reunion, that's true love right there. The thing is ugly and practically see-through. Then the female lead can show up in the authentic version and mock her fake heiress identity all over again.]

[Suddenly both the male lead and female lead feel kind of disgusting. The supporting girl literally didn't do anything, yet they still insist on humiliating her.]

[What do you mean she did nothing? She stole the female lead's identity as the Brooks family's daughter for years! This is the price she should pay!]

I clenched the cheap white dress tightly in my hands.

If they wanted to make a fool out of me, then fine. I'd play along to the very end.

By evening, I arrived at the entrance of the Trillion Hotel, where the gathering was being held.

My phone screen lit up again. Another message from Aaron.

The same nauseating tone, full of self-important urgency, like he needed to control everything.

[Chloe, are you here yet? Everyone's waiting for you, don't keep us waiting too long!]

[And remember to wear the dress I bought you. I've got a huge surprise for you tonight!]

A cold smile tugged at my lips.

My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I finally replied with a single word:

[Okay.]

I pushed open the heavy private-room door.

Around the enormous round table sat a sea of familiar faces, all our old high school classmates.

At the head of the table, Aaron sat close beside Yvonne, the intimacy between them painfully obvious.

Just like the floating comments had said, Yvonne was wearing a dress almost identical to the one Aaron had given me.

Except hers had intricate embroidered detailing along the skirt, made with luxurious fabric that screamed money at first glance.

She had been leaning toward him, whispering something softly into his ear. The two exchanged shy, sweet smiles.

Meanwhile, Aaron casually rested his arm along the back of her chair in an openly possessive gesture.

The moment he saw me walk in, a flicker of mockery flashed across his eyes.

Then, as if waiting precisely for this moment, he pulled out the bouquet of nine hundred and ninety-nine roses he had hidden behind him. Raising his voice deliberately so everyone could hear, he dropped to one knee in front of Yvonne.

Several classmates turned toward me in confusion.

"Aaron, did you get this wrong? Isn't Chloe your girlfriend?"

Aaron frowned immediately, irritation obvious on his face.

"Chloe and I just grew up together. How could she possibly be my girlfriend?"

"The one I actually like is the real daughter of the Brooks family, Yvonne. Everyone misunderstood before because Chloe kept imagining things."

"And look at her now, wearing another knockoff version of Yvonne's dress. Fake things will always be fake. I only like the real deal."

He looked at Yvonne affectionately.

"Yvonne, will you be my girlfriend?"

Yvonne covered her mouth with both hands, her voice trembling emotionally.

"Yes... I will."

I stood there alone, like I had been completely shut out of everyone's world.

All this time, everyone thought Yvonne and I were biological sisters.

Turns out I was the fake heiress all along.

The room immediately erupted into whispers.

"So Chloe is the fake daughter? No wonder she never looked anything like Yvonne."

"And today of all days, she deliberately wore the same dress to show up here? What is she trying to do, embarrass herself?"

"Fake girls like fake things. Makes perfect sense."

"She could wear knockoffs for the rest of her life and still never become a real rich heiress."

"Wait though, that dress looks kind of familiar. I feel like I've seen it in a magazine before."

"You're crazy. A fake dress making it into a magazine?"

To make things even more humiliating for me, Aaron looked me up and down with blatant judgment and disdain.

"Your dress honestly doesn't look too bad at first glance.

"But Yvonne's authentic version is obviously better. You get what you pay for.

"A cheap bargain-bin knockoff like yours doesn't even deserve comparison."

He turned toward Yvonne with a smile.

"Don't you agree, Yvonne?"