It was Sunday evening, and my best friend Doris Best had invited me out for some Jap food. During the meal, Doris went to the restroom, and when she returned, her face looked as if she had just eaten something terrible. I assumed she was constipated, considering how long she had been in the bathroom.

I was just wondering how to bring it up when I noticed Doris giving me a strange look. A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I gave her a knowing glance. I reached into my bag, took out a sanitary pad, and placed it in front of her, saying, "Do you forget to bring one? Here you are."

Doris looked bewildered by my gesture and said, "Why are you giving me a sanitary pad?"

Confused, I replied, "Your face looks so pale, and the look in your eyes just now seemed like you were hinting that your period had come."

Doris quickly swallowed the piece of salmon she was eating and said, "No, not at all. I just saw your boyfriend Paul Green."

She then lowered her voice and continued, "He is in the private room next door, with Eden. I found it odd, so I eavesdropped. He's actually on a date behind your back, despite being your official boyfriend."

I found it hard to believe. Paul and I had been getting along well recently, with no signs of infidelity. After all, I had just spoken with him on the phone before dinner, and he told me he was having dinner with his mother.

"It is impossible," I said, full of doubt.

Seeing that I didn't believe her, Doris took me to the door of the next room. Just then, a waiter was delivering food, and I caught sight of my boyfriend Paul, a middle-aged woman, and Eden from our school, all eating together. Unfortunately, Paul also noticed me as he was pouring water for Eden, but he chose to ignore me.

"Humph, if he ignores me, I'll ignore him too." I dragged Doris back to our private room and continued to eat heartily. Doris was stunned by my behavior but quickly understood my approach of turning grief into appetite. She even called the waiter to order more food. Indeed, when one door closes, another window opens. I might have lost love, but I gained some meat. Love can't fill your stomach, but meat can.

As fate would have it, when Doris and I finished eating and went to pay the bill, we ran into them doing the same. Eden saw me and whispered something to the middle-aged woman she was with. After hearing it, the woman frowned and glanced at me with disdain, as if she was evaluating a cheap item.

Paul also noticed me after settling the bill. Eden, in a display of ownership, linked arms with Paul and walked over to me, saying, "Maggie Brown, Paul and I are getting engaged. You two were never meant to be together. Dating can be fun, but when it comes to marriage, reality sets in."

I ignored Eden's words and looked Paul in the eye, asking, "Is that how you feel too?"

Before Paul could respond, the middle-aged woman came over and said to him, "Paul, not just anyone can be the wife of the Green family heir. Only a girl like Eden, with a good family background, good looks, and a good personality, is worthy of you. Nowadays, girls with a bit of beauty are all trying to climb the social ladder. Don't let those vixens from outside fool you."

That's when I realized this woman was Paul's mother. It seemed Eden had already informed her of my relationship with Paul. I had to admit that Paul's way of speaking was quite artful. He wasn't lying when he said he was having dinner with his mother, but he was also going on a date. The best lies are half-truths, and if I hadn't witnessed it myself, I might have been completely deceived.

Paul, after hearing his mother's words, said to me, "Maggie, I'm sorry, but I don't think we're right for each other. Let's break up." Hearing him say it himself shattered my last bit of hope. However, I didn't show any sign of distress. As an astronomy enthusiast, I have always loved the vast universe, so what does a Paul matter?

I said to Paul, "Congratulations! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. From now on, let's go our separate ways."

Doris, who had been silently fuming next to me, chimed in, "Exactly, that's right, 'that kind matches that,' and 'forever and ever.'" Since Doris' family is quite influential in A City, Eden's face darkened, but she didn't say anything. After all, this battle between her and me had ended in her victory.

The grudge between Eden and me can be traced back to the start of the school year. When school first began, the campus forum was abuzz with a heated debate over who would be the school beauty. Both Eden and I were nominated, and at first, I was leading in popularity. But then, it was revealed that Eden was the daughter of a wealthy businessman in A City, with a family fortune worth over a billion. With the backing of money, Eden eventually won the title of the campus beauty, while I came in second.

However, some tech-savvy individual managed to hack into the post declaring Eden as the top beauty, claiming that any post not reflecting the truth shouldn't exist. Later, another well-meaning person created a post stating that I was the rightful beauty, and it wasn't hacked. Clearly, money doesn't work on everyone, and this tech-savvy person wasn't one to bow to it.

Since beauty couldn't win, the next battle would be in talent. Eden was an arts student, while I was into astronomy. During the school's arts festival, our counselor actually insisted that I put on a performance. It was the first time I had heard of a mandatory performance.

Doris later found out the reason and told me, "Eden is shameless! She bribed the counselor."

She then urged me, "Maggie, make sure to slap her face hard, and show her what it means to have both talent and beauty."

Seeing how indignant Doris was, I couldn't bear to tell her that I had no talent whatsoever. But to not disappoint her, I simply replied, "Okay."

At the arts festival, Eden performed a dance routine, while I did some martial arts. Surprisingly, it was a tie.

I must say, Eden's dancing wasn't all that impressive. I have no idea how she gained her reputation as the best in the dance department. Eden did gain something though. She got the title of "elegant," while I was labeled a "brute."

After that, Eden and I were on relatively peaceful terms for a while. After all, she was the goddess, and I was the warrior—two different dimensions.

But something happened later that made Eden resent me again.

Toward the end of our first year, Eden publicly confessed to a senior in his final year, only to be rejected. The reason for the rejection, I heard, was that he preferred someone like me, who was both talented and tough. This incident caused Eden to lose face, and I became the thorn in her side. She constantly picked on me, and I could only silently thank that senior in my heart, "Big Brother, thank you so much."

And that senior never confessed his feelings to me before he graduated, which clearly meant he was just using me as a shield. I ended up with a false reputation for nothing.

By that time, Paul was already my boyfriend. When he found out about the incident, he said to me, "If it were me, I would also like someone like you, Maggie. Eden seems so fake."

Looking back now, it's clear that men's words are nothing but lies. That senior who claimed to like me was a liar, and so was Paul—neither had a single word of truth in their mouths.

After the incident where I caught them on a date, Eden began openly flaunting her relationship with Paul. She showed off their affection everywhere—on social media, in campus forums—wherever there was gossip, there were signs of them.

Paul was completely at her beck and call. The comparison was infuriating. He was never that obedient when he was with me.

Of course, their public displays of affection were effective. Soon, everyone at school knew that Paul and Eden were together.

As Paul's ex-girlfriend, many people assumed I had been played by a rich kid and then discarded. Some of my classmates pitied me, while others spoke to me with a mocking tone.

Some said, "She is a poor girl."

Others said, "What good is being pretty? She probably thought she could use her looks to climb the social ladder, but she's just a toy."

There were even posts on the campus forum defaming me, claiming that money could buy a night with me and that the "pure campus beauty" wasn't so pure after all.

Some rich playboys even tried to add me on Twitter.

"How much for a night?"

"Do you do one-night stands?"

"Do you want to be my eighteenth girlfriend?"

These playboys were all scared off by the fierce Doris, who cursed them out. The negative posts online were somehow taken down and replaced with my excellent academic records. The operation felt similar to what happened during the campus beauty contes.

Doris remarked, "Maggie, this mysterious person taking down those black posts is really someone who keeps a low profile but does great deeds."

Since then, no one has harassed or slandered me online. Even though I lost my rich boyfriend, I still have my wealthy best friend. More importantly, I'm a rich second-generation myself.

The Brown Group in A City belongs to my family. My father, Jeff Brown, is one of the top ten outstanding entrepreneurs in A City, and my mother, Emma Potter, is an internationally renowned painter.

However, I'm not interested in finance or painting. I have a deep passion for astronomy. My dad cut off my unlimited credit card, leaving me with only 3,000 dollars a month for living expenses. As a result, no one knew I'm actually a rich second-generation heir. After all, my clothes are all custom-made, and even if I occasionally wear something with a logo, people still ask me for the online shop link. Though I'd love to say, "I'm a rich second-generation heir, and I'm loaded," the balance in my bank account just won't let me say it out loud.

After breaking up with Paul, I immediately blocked him.

Later, his roommate called me and said, "Maggie, why did you block Paul? After all, you two did love each other once."

I must have been out of my mind to pick up that call. I hung up right away.

But then, another unknown number called. Worried it might be something important, I answered again, only to find it was yet another one of Paul's friends. Rich people sure have a lot of friends.

There's no reason to stay in touch after a breakup. I never believed in that "let's stay friends after breaking up" nonsense.

After Paul realized that harassing me with phone calls wouldn't work, he finally backed off for a while. I thought he had moved on.

Recently, I've been working on an astronomy project with Doris, staying late at the library.

Doris, being the unreliable person she is, left early. As I walked out of the library, a hand suddenly grabbed me. Instinctively, I delivered a powerful spinning kick, knocking the person to the ground. Then I heard a pained voice say, "Maggie, it's me, Paul."

Paul got up from the ground, looking at me with a mix of sadness and frustration. He said, "Maggie, I had no choice but to break up with you. My family's company needs financing from the Smith family, so I have to be with Eden. But I love you. Please wait for me. Once I get engaged to Eden, I can secure the funding, and when my family's financial issues are resolved, I'll find a way to break off the engagement with Eden."

Suddenly, I felt a bit sorry for Eden. The man she snatched from me only loved the power she represented.

I said to Paul, "Paul, don't call me Maggie anymore. We're not that close now. Since you've chosen to be with Eden for the sake of your family, you should treat her well. Your behavior disgusts me."

With that, I turned and ran. Although there was hardly anyone around the library at that time, if someone had seen me with Paul, rumors would surely spread. So, I rushed back to my dorm in one go. When I got there, Doris was watching a romance drama and, seeing my state, thought I was being chased by a ghost.

A week later, Eden came to my school specifically to find me. She handed me an invitation card and said I was invited to her engagement party, which would be held during the summer vacation at the biggest hotel in A City, the Rosewood. She smugly told me that this might be my only chance in life to experience the Rosewood.

Seeing Eden's self-satisfied expression, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. After all, her soon-to-be fiancé had recently told me that I was his true love. Though Eden was arrogant, manipulative, and self-centered, we were still both women.

Out of a sense of doing a good deed for the day, I said to her, "You might want to reconsider. Paul isn't good enough for you. He's only with you for your family's money."

Unexpectedly, Eden dismissed my advice with disdain. She said, "I know you like Paul, but he loves me now. Don't think you can drive a wedge between us by saying things like that. Besides, relationships among people at our level are mostly about money. It's called an alliance. You ordinary people wouldn't understand."

Well, I shouldn't have bothered being kind to Eden. I initially didn't want to take the invitation card, but Eden was so insistent that I eventually accepted it.