The whole room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into loud cheers and whoops.
“That’s our Ethan! Doesn’t even bat an eye!”
“Come on, Jake, her boyfriend gave the green light! What are you waiting for? Go in for the kiss!”
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Jake, however, looked awkwardly at Madison and scratched his head.
“Man, I thought I had a chance with the campus belle… but if it’s Madison… nah, forget it. I’ll just take the drink penalty…”
As he actually moved to pour himself a drink, Madison abruptly stood up. Without a word, she
pulled off her white sweater, threw it on the table, and poured a glass of red wine over it.
The pristine white sweater was instantly stained a deep red. Then she looked up, her face expressionless. “Now there’s only one person in white. No need to choose anymore. Have fun
without me.”
She turned and walked out without a backward glance.
She had just reached the KTV entrance when, “Madison!”
Ethan caught up and grabbed her wrist, his face dark with anger. “What’s your problem now?”
He took a deep breath. For someone who rarely bothered with explanations, he made an effort. “I chose you because that Jake was obviously trying to get fresh with Chloe. But if I chose you, he’d definitely just pick the drink instead, since…”
“Since I’m not pretty, right?” Madison looked straight at Ethan. The winter night was bitterly cold, and wearing only a tank top, her face was red from the chill.
Yet she still met his gaze, her words deliberate and clear. “Just because I’m not pretty, you think you can pass me around like some object?”
“What object?” Ethan grew increasingly impatient. “It’s just a game…”
“Then let me ask you, if Chloe were the only one here wearing white today, what would you have
done?”
Ethan suddenly went quiet.
Madison looked down and gave a soundless laugh. She knew the answer, even if Ethan didn’t say it. If Chloe were the only one in white, Ethan would have lashed out at anyone who dared lay a finger
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on her.
Just like he had yesterday at the lake. But when it was her, Madison, he could casually offer her up to be laughed at without a second thought.
Thinking this, she shook off Ethan’s hand and walked forward. Until she heard Ethan’s icy voice from behind, “Madison, if you walk away today, we’re really through.”
Madison’s steps faltered for a second. But then, she let out a soft, derisive laugh. “Weren’t we already broken up?”
With those words, she left, never looking back. This time, Ethan didn’t follow her.
She walked all the way to the park before stopping, staring blankly at her disguised reflection in the dark water of the lake. Once, her excessively pretty face had attracted too many people with ulterior
motives.
It had even, indirectly, led to her mother’s death. So she had chosen to hide her looks and her background, starting fresh in a completely unfamiliar city. But she never expected that even this
couldn’t earn her a sincere heart….
Tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. She took out her phone and made a call.
“Alex,” she said, her voice choked with tears when the call connected. “I… I want to come back to
Southport.”
***
Graduation was approaching. Everyone else in her class was busy job hunting. Only Madison, as the heiress of the wealthy Shaw family from Southport, naturally didn’t need to worry about such things. She simply focused on packing her belongings to return home.
Her classmates, unaware of her true background, gossiped behind her back, “Have you seen Madison? Zero effort on the job hunt. Guess getting dumped by Ethan really knocked her out of the
game.”
“Totally her own fault for playing ice princess. Now that her ticket to the good life’s gone, she can cry into her latte by herself.”
Madison heard them but couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Just before her planned return to Southport, she received an invitation to the University Film
Festival.
As an advertising student, Madison occasionally made short films and posted them online. With the rise of new media, her account had garnered tens of thousands of followers.
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Although she hadn’t entered the competition this year, she was still invited to attend the festival.
However, when she arrived at the venue and saw the film that won the gold award, she was stunned.
