Several of our classmates gasped when they heard Vivian's story, immediately offering help.

"Don't worry. We're not heartless like certain people!"

Vivian looked up, a trace of provocation hidden in her smile. "Thank you, everyone. But please don't say that. This is my own problem after all. I can't force anyone to help me."

The classroom quickly filled with sarcastic comments about how I was nowhere as generous or resilient as Vivian, and how I lacked Lionel's compassion and sense of responsibility.

I couldn't be bothered arguing with this group of idiots. Right now, the only thing that mattered was my job.

I had promised my mother that I would start from the bottom, gain experience, and eventually take over the family company my late father had left behind.

Thinking of that, I immediately called the company to explain the situation with my degree certificate.

But unexpectedly, I was scolded. "This morning, someone told me that your grades were terrible, that you failed classes, that your résumé was fake, and that those awards weren't even yours. I didn't believe it at first.

"But now, I get it. You've been lying to me from the start! If you can't even get your degree certificate, what abilities could you possibly have? Our company will never hire someone who falsifies their qualifications."

Before I could explain, he angrily hung up.

A nameless rage burned in my chest as I looked up at Lionel.

At that moment, Vivian's phone rang. I saw the familiar company name and number on her screen, and a bad feeling crept over me.

That company had only recruited one person from our university. And during the interviews, I had been the only applicant from our school.

Very quickly, the exact same voice came through the phone. "Our company appreciates people who fight hard for opportunities. So, after careful consideration, we've decided to hire you. When would you be available to start?"

Vivian looked around excitedly. "This afternoon! As soon as I get my degree certificate, I can report in."

"Great. See you this afternoon."

After hanging up, Vivian gazed at Lionel affectionately. "Lionel, thank you for lending me Amelia's résumé and helping me fight for this opportunity. I'm truly grateful."

She then turned to me with a guilty expression and said, "I'm really sorry. You have to take the blame and sit for the makeup exam because of my degree certificate, and now I even took your job opportunity. I hope you won't hold it against me.

"Once you pass the makeup exam, I'll recommend you to the company and see if they can let you start as an intern."

Lionel glanced at me dismissively. "Don't bother with her. She can do whatever she wants. Besides, being able to contribute something to you is her privilege. You earned this yourself by being amazing."

I was so furious that I wanted to scream. Those were things I had worked my butt off for.

I slapped Lionel across the face. "What right do you have to decide for me? You stole my work to make her look good, and you have the nerve to speak? So much for worrying about getting exposed."

Lionel was stunned for a moment, suppressing the anger in his gaze. He barked, "Your achievements were all fake. If you can use them, why can't she? Can you stop being so petty? All you ever think about is tearing her down!"

I glared at him. "Who said they were fake…"

"Enough. Don't argue with me. Do you think I wouldn't know the truth? I'm your boyfriend. In the future, you'll be marrying into my family. You should start listening to me sooner rather than later.

"What does a woman need a good career for? All you need to worry about is staying at home and taking care of your husband and kids. I'll support you in the future. Isn't that easier than struggling on your own? I've already planned everything out for you. What more do you want?"

Before I could speak, others immediately started flattering him.

"Amelia, you should appreciate what you have. Lionel is such a catch. If you keep acting this immature, he could dump you anytime."

"It's such a shame. If Vivian had transferred here earlier, someone as amazing as Lionel never would've dated you in the first place."

I looked at Lionel, basking in everyone's praise, and laughed in disbelief.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was only dating you for fun. As for marriage, I already have someone else in mind."

Lionel's smile froze as he stared at me in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

Yes, we had agreed to get engaged after graduation. But ever since Vivian slowly started intruding into our lives, everything had changed.

If she said she was scared to be alone, Lionel would abandon me in the middle of the street on our anniversary just to comfort her.

Once, I called him crying after being harassed by a drunk man, and all he gave me was an impatient, "Can you stop copying other people for attention?"

And during a rainstorm, because he worried Vivian would get soaked on her way home from her part-time job, he took the only umbrella I had and left me stranded in the pouring rain, unable to get a cab no matter how hard I tried.

I ended up with a high fever so bad that I nearly blacked out. When he came home, not only did he show zero concern for me, but he actually dragged me out of bed to make ginger tea for Vivian who'd only gotten drizzled on slightly. And he still accused me of being dramatic and spoiled.

There had been too many moments like that. I should've realized sooner that there was no place for me in his heart anymore.

I looked at him calmly. "I mean exactly what I said. You're not worthy of my love."

The room instantly fell silent. No one dared to speak.

Suddenly, Vivian fell to her knees, looking pitiful. "This is all my fault. I was the one who begged Lionel for help. He was only trying to be kind. Please don't break up with him, okay? He really loves you. He's already planned out your entire future for you. Please!"

Lionel snapped to his senses and hurried to help her up. He said to me, "I'm really disappointed in you."

The moment he said that, criticism exploded all around me.

"It's just a delayed graduation. Your grades are so good. It's not like you won't pass the makeup exam. Do you really need to make such a big scene over this?"

"Yeah. If you're so capable, what's the big deal about giving up one job opportunity? Stop making a mountain out of a molehill."

"She's about to get sold off to some old man, and all you care about is graduating. How can you be so selfish? You deserve to be shipped off to the mountains. Disgusting!"

Everyone chimed in one after another, throwing vicious jabs at me.

I looked at their righteous expressions and sneered coldly. "You all love to talk big without understanding the facts, huh? You love standing up for justice on behalf of others? Fine. Then let's all delay graduation together."

As I spoke, I immediately called my uncle. "I want a satisfactory explanation for my delayed graduation. You have 30 minutes."

My uncle clearly had no idea what had happened. He paused for a second before answering seriously.

After hanging up, I didn't want to look at their smug faces for another second. I turned to leave, but Lionel blocked my way.

"The degree certificate arrangements have already been finalized. Even if you go looking for someone, it won't change anything. Stop ruining everyone's mood and stay for dinner."

I looked at him with amusement. "You never know."

Several students with poor grades immediately looked uneasy. "What does that mean?"

Vivian looked at them pitifully. "She's just angry and trying to scare everyone on purpose. She wants you all to panic and push the blame onto me."

Lionel snorted. "Don't worry. No matter what she says, none of us will throw you under the bus! Besides, I've dated her for years. I've never heard of her having any relatives on the school board. She's obviously lying."

Hearing that, everyone visibly relaxed, and the hostility in their eyes toward me only deepened.

"Don't worry, Vivan. We won't let you suffer either. Someone like Amelia, always pretending and scheming, will definitely become a menace once she enters society."

I just smiled silently as they spoke with such confidence.

Lionel pulled me back into my seat and told everyone to relax and have fun. Then, he handed them the menu and told them to order whatever they wanted.

I had planned to leave. But hearing them call me petty and emotionally unintelligent changed my mind. I wanted to see the looks on their faces later when they had neither money nor degree certificates.

I watched as Lionel grew more and more generous in response to everyone's praise. With a wave of his hand, he ordered seafood platters, oysters, and other premium dishes for everyone without hesitation.

He certainly didn't hold back.

Back before graduation, Vivian's social media had been filled with photos of fancy meals—mostly from high-end restaurants.

Around that time, Lionel started lamenting that he had never treated everyone to a proper meal. He also mentioned that money was tight due to his internship and job hunting. Otherwise, he would've loved to treat everyone to a meal as thanks for all their support over the years.

At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just thought he was good at managing relationships, so I agreed to pay for it on his behalf.

He excitedly announced to the whole class that he was treating everyone, and even specifically asked Vivian what she wanted to eat. That was how they ended up choosing this restaurant.

Lionel glanced at me guiltily before quickly changing the subject. Soon, the atmosphere became lively again. He poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of me.

"You made such a huge fuss over nothing today and made everyone upset. I'll give you a chance here. Say tonight's dinner is your treat as an apology to everyone.

"And later, apologize to Vivian too. Everyone will let this go for my sake. I've already arranged everything perfectly for you, so stop being so stubborn. Sometimes, it's better to take the loss. Don't ruin everyone's graduation dinner."

I looked at his shameless expression and laughed softly. "You don't even know if you're graduating or not. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself by celebrating?"

The smug look on Vivian's face froze instantly. A second later, she looked too wronged to endure it any longer. "You've gone too far. You can say whatever you want about me. But are you really going to drag everyone down with you just because you can't get your degree certificate?"

I looked at her with disdain, then splashed my wine straight across her carefully made-up face. "Let me correct you. It's not because of me. Everyone is losing their degree certificates because you obtained yours through improper means."

Watching the makeup Vivian had spent so much time on get ruined, Lionel completely lost it and slapped me across the face. "Can you behave and stop embarrassing me? The school has already issued the degree certificates. Who do you think you are? You think you can change the school's decision?"

My cheek burned with pain. I was stunned. "You actually hit me?"

A trace of panic flashed across his face. "If you do something wrong, shouldn't you be taught a lesson? Today, it's kind-hearted Vivian. Tomorrow, what if you offend someone else?"

Everyone immediately backed him up.

I looked at him coldly. "You're the first person who's ever dared to hit me in my entire life."

At that moment, someone noticed that 28 minutes had already passed. They sneered. "Pfft! Stop pretending to be some rich heiress. Maybe you should check the time. It's been almost half an hour. Where's your explanation?"

"I told you she was bluffing. Amelia, hurry up and apologize to Vivian already. Then we can all pretend none of this happened, alright?"

Laughing, they brought over all the alcohol on the table. "Vivian, what should she drink? And how would you like her to apologize to you? It's your call."

Vivian looked at me, her eyebrows raised slightly. "That's too much."

With a loud crack, Lionel pried open the cap of a bottle of hard liquor. Vivian held an open bottle of red wine in her hands, her eyes wide and hesitant.

Seeing that, Lionel directly mixed the two together.

"Damn! I didn't expect you to be this ruthless to your own girlfriend."

Lionel held the mixed drink to my lips, sounding almost helpless. "She's way too spoiled. She needs to be humbled properly. Otherwise, once she marries into my family, she'll turn the whole house upside down."

He then looked at me. "Be good. I shouldn't have hit you earlier. Just drink it and let this end here. I'll help you beg Vivian for forgiveness."

I glanced at the message my uncle had just sent me and curled my lips into a smile. Then, I poured myself a glass of red wine and downed it in one gulp, as if to wash away my bad luck.

"There definitely will be begging for forgiveness tonight. But whether it'll be me begging you, or all of you begging me is another story. Oh, and one more thing. It's been exactly half an hour."

As soon as I finished speaking, someone looked like they were about to hit me. But the next second, the class secretary's phone rang.

The moment everyone saw the words "Dean of Students" flashing across the screen, their expressions changed completely.