I suddenly got a call from the police, telling me I was involved in an abandoned baby case.

My best buddy was holding me up as we rushed to the scene when Shirley Dunn, the girl who had asked me for directions last week, suddenly pointed straight at me.

"That's her. I saw her this morning, holding her stomach, going into the restroom! Now the baby's been born, and her belly's flat!"

I was completely stunned.

Before I could react, she shoved the newborn straight into my arms.

"This is your own flesh and blood! How could you abandon him?"

The officer's expression was equally severe.

"Miss, I understand that becoming a mother at 20 can be scary, but abandoning a baby is a crime. If you didn't want to raise a child, you shouldn't have had one."

More and more college students gathered around, their stares stabbing into me like needles.

Cold sweat soaked my back.

My best friend suddenly burst out laughing.

"Congrats, man! You're a dad now!"

"Her friend is even congratulating her. That proves it. She's definitely the kid's mom!"

"But why did her friend say congrats on becoming a dad? Shouldn't it be congratulations on becoming a mom?"

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

Shirley Dunn looked at me and spoke in a shrill, cutting voice.

"That's because she's one of those girls who acts like a guy! She's always hanging around men, calling them bros, acting all buddy-buddy, even saying she's more manly than they are. So her friend saying congrats on becoming a dad totally makes sense."

I froze again, too shocked to even argue back.

Just then, the baby in my arms suddenly started wailing.

I panicked and awkwardly rocked him a couple of times. Somehow, the crying actually quieted down.

"See?" Shirley's voice trembled with excitement. "That's a mother's instinct! Girls like her love flirting with men. I thought she was still a woman deep down, soft by nature. I never expected her heart to be cruel enough to dump her baby!"

What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?

Yes, I had long hair, fair skin, long legs, slim arms, and a gentle voice.

But I was absolutely, unquestionably, a real man, complete with all the equipment!

"This isn't my kid!" I clenched the edge of the blanket until my fingers turned white, trying desperately to explain. "There's no way I could've given birth to a baby!"

Shirley let out a cold laugh.

"You're still denying it at this point? If the baby isn't yours, then why are you so pale? Why do you need someone to support you when you walk? And most importantly…"

She paused on purpose, her gaze locking onto my gray sweatpants.

"Why is there blood on your pants?"

Everyone immediately looked at me. When they spotted the stain, they all chimed in.

"Yeah, how do you explain the blood on your pants? Don't tell me it's your period."

My face instantly went up in flames, and even the tips of my ears were burning red.

The truth was, I'd just had surgery for hemorrhoids. Before this, I had been howling in pain in bed. Then the police called, and somewhere on the way over, the stitches probably split, so there was blood.

But there was no way I could say that in front of all these people. As a handsome college guy, I had my pride, too.

When I fell silent, Shirley got even more worked up.

"You can't say it, right? Fine, I'll say it for you! You just gave birth this morning, and your body hasn't recovered yet. That blood is postpartum discharge. Stop arguing and just admit it. Take the baby home and rest!"

I was honestly begging at this point.

Could we at least get my gender straight before accusing me of abandoning a baby?

I clenched my teeth.

"Shirley, I don't know how this abandoned baby misunderstanding even started, but the blood on me is from the stitches that split after my hemorrhoid surgery. Besides, I'm not a wo…"

Before I could finish speaking, Shirley cut me off coldly. "You just happened to get a hemorrhoid surgery now? What are the odds? Who's going to believe that?"

The onlookers stared at me, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Young lady. When you were messing around with men, why didn't you think about the possible consequences?"

"If you choose to give birth, then raise the child properly. That's your responsibility as a mother!"

I was being cursed out for no reason at all.

I had never felt more wronged in my life.

"Shirley, what did I ever do to you that you're so determined to make me admit this kid is mine? You say I'm the baby's mother. Do you have any proof?"

"Of course I do. Do you think I'd slander you for no reason?" Shirley pulled out her phone and brought up a photo.

She even held it up so everyone around us could see the screen.

"There's a man and a woman in this photo. The woman is her. The man is Aaron Goodman, and he's my boyfriend. I saw them with my own eyes, sneaking out of the men's restroom together, acting all intimate. This photo is solid proof!

"And my boyfriend already confessed! He said he was cheating on me with you. You're this baby's parents!"

The crowd exploded in shock.

My pupils widened as well, stunned all over again.

Wait, who was that guy? I didn't even know him!

And I never imagined that just going to the bathroom could somehow get me a boyfriend I could supposedly have a baby with!

Even my best friend, Theo Jensen, was completely dumbfounded.

"Shirley, your boyfriend is lying. Taylor can't possibly have a child with him!"

"Stop covering for her," Shirley snapped. "She slept with my boyfriend, so today, I'm telling the world that she's a third wheel!"

Fuming, Shirley swiped through her phone and showed another set of photos.

"This woman didn't just hook up with my boyfriend. She has plenty of rich sugar daddies. Everyone, take a look! These are all photos I took of her getting into luxury sports cars. She only looks innocent. In reality, she's a total social climber with a messy private life!"

I stared at the photos of several familiar limited edition sports cars, my face turning pale and then green.

Those cars all belonged to my father, the richest man in the city.

"My dad has a collecting habit, and he's really into trends, so he owns a lot of supercars…"

I tried to explain, but my voice was completely drowned out by the crowd's uproar.

"She looks decent on the outside, but in reality, she's wild. No wonder she could abandon a baby!"

"Officer, the evidence is clear now, right? Hurry up and lock her up. I'm scared to even go to the same school as her. Who knows what diseases she has!"

The officer frowned deeply, his gaze growing harsher by the second.

"Miss, I strongly suggest you tell the truth. Hiding it won't do you any good."

My vision went dark. "You've really got it wrong. I'm a man. I can't get pregnant, and I definitely can't give birth!"

Theo was hopping in panic. "Yeah! He's a dude, through and through. I can vouch for him!"

"Even now, you're still lying for her!"

Shirley jabbed a finger at my chest, speaking with absolute certainty.

"Look at her chest. It's bigger than mine. And you say she's a man? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

I lowered my head and glanced at my chest. Years of working out had given me clearly defined pecs, and under a tight T-shirt, they did look pretty full.

They were definitely bigger than Shirley's flat chest.

I kept quiet, having no comeback.

Theo's face turned red. "What, men aren't allowed to have big chest muscles now?"

"Stop trying to twist things. I have more evidence!" Shirley sneered.

She pulled up another photo.

It was a photo of me in cosplay at a convention.

I was dressed in women's clothing, wearing a long pink wig and a cute, ornate dress.

"Would a man dress like this? So how are you planning to explain it this time?"

Everyone's eyes instantly stabbed toward me.

My scalp prickled with panic.

"I'm an anime nerd. I like cosplay. Wearing women's outfits is normal in that circle. What does that prove?"

Evidence kept piling up, one piece after another.

Shirley, whom I'd only met once, had clearly come prepared.

She was setting me up.

But why?

Shirley scoffed.

"Cosplay? Yeah, right! With this many coincidences, who do you think people will believe? That you're a man, or that she's a woman?"

Before the crowd could even question me further, a group of reporters and influencers suddenly pushed their way in.

They carried cameras and held phones high, shoving forward as their lenses locked onto me.

"Your schoolmate is accusing you of abandoning a newborn and trying to dodge responsibility by confusing your gender. What do you have to say about that?"

"Who's the child's father? A sugar daddy, or your schoolmate's boyfriend? Did you really steal her man?"

"Your private life is a mess, and you abandoned a baby. Is that how a student is supposed to act? We need to call your parents. I fully support expelling you. Go home and take care of your kid instead of playing the social climber!"

The situation quickly spiraled out of control.

More and more filthy accusations flew at me like blades.

I had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet in an instant, I became everyone's target.

Theo tried to help me, but the crowd hunting me down shoved him straight out.

At that moment, Shirley, who had been relentlessly aggressive, suddenly softened her tone.

"Everyone, please go easy on her. No matter what happened, she's still a student. Her abandoned baby was found, and everything about her private life is out there now. Of course, she's scared and losing it. If she's willing to admit her mistakes, take responsibility as a mother, and raise the child properly, I hope everyone can give her a little grace."

As soon as she finished, praise erupted all around.

"See? That's what real class looks like. Even after the other woman had her boyfriend's baby, she still showed kindness. She's amazing!"

"Everyone, take a good look at this woman. Don't ever marry someone like her. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Hey, Shirley's handing you a second chance. Why aren't you thanking her?"

Thank her?

If she hadn't been making things up on the fly, how would I have suddenly ended up with a baby and the reputation of some promiscuous homewrecker?

The accusation hit me like filth poured over my head.

But when enough people repeat a lie, it starts to sound like the truth.

Everyone believed only what they wanted to believe.

At this point, words were useless. I needed proof.

I turned to the police officer.

"Officer, I didn't abandon a baby. Please look at the evidence."

I took out my phone and pulled up my hospital records and payment receipts.

They showed that yesterday afternoon, I had undergone hemorrhoid removal surgery at a local medical center.

"I can barely move today. The blood on my pants is from my stitches splitting after the surgery. I didn't give birth. I couldn't have given birth."

Before the officer could say anything, Shirley let out a scornful laugh.

"Fake evidence, right? How much did you pay someone online for that? I could whip up a hundred records like this in a single day."

I swallowed my anger and met her gaze head-on.

"You say my evidence is fake. Then what proof do you have that this baby is mine?"