Chapter 3

"Long time no see, I'm Chloe."

I spoke first.

Ethan looked at me intently, a faint, strange resentment in his eyes.

"You think I'd forget?"

I didn't understand, and eagerly confessed my long-held feelings.

"Um, actually, I've liked you for many years."

His expression became even stranger.

"Are you saying you worked so hard to surpass me just to pursue me?"

I nodded firmly.

"Only someone excellent enough can be worthy of you."

Ethan was silent.

"You want to be with me?"

His eyes seemed to flicker with encouragement.

I looked up, a little excited,

but then I suddenly noticed that the aura around Ethan had disappeared.

"I…"

Just as I hesitated, about to admit it, a group of foreign students squeezed into the international student registration area.

As I moved to avoid them, I suddenly felt my rear lightly but distinctly pinched.

At the same moment, a girl shrieked.

"Who's got grabby hands?"

A few foreign students smirked, their eyes brazenly scanning our bodies.

They spoke in French, which I didn't understand.

One of them even pointed at me, snickering lewdly.

The girl was furious, stamping her foot, and demanded in English.

The foreign students, emboldened, shrugged and finally spoke in English.

"You say it was us? Got any proof?"

The girl decisively turned her head to me.

"You got touched too, didn't you?"

Countless eyes fixed on me.

But I was a timid, easily rattled person who avoided trouble.

That was always the policy for kids from less affluent backgrounds when they were away from home.

Seeing this, Ethan silently stepped in front of me, shielding me from their stares.

The foreign students smirked in triumph.

"Heard you local girls love foreign guys, even for free. Is that you too?"

"How much for a night?"

The girl's face flushed crimson with rage.

Some people who couldn't stand it tried to argue, but the foreign students just spoke in French, leaving them powerless.

Until a young man named Julian appeared.

The Student Council members seemed to find their backbone, visibly relieved.

Julian gently comforted the girl for a few moments.

Then his face hardened, and he looked sternly at the foreign students.

Though tall, he still seemed slender compared to the group of nearly six-foot-three white men.

But his presence showed no weakness.

He conversed with the foreign students in fluent, firm French.

Their arrogance gradually turned into bluster.

Julian pulled out a statement and made a phone call.

The big, burly white men's faces changed; they exchanged glances.

They grudgingly apologized to the girl, quickly registered, and slunk away.

"Hmph, these foreign students still think they have privileges like before, but the Ministry of Education and the school have issued management announcements."

"It's a good thing Julian arrived in time this time, otherwise we'd just be forced to accept it again."

The freshmen were full of curiosity and admiration.

"Is he the Student Council President?"

"Yes, Julian is a school legend, fluent in four languages, the student representative and planner for the college."

"He wins awards constantly, manages event projects flawlessly, and even brought in $100,000 in sponsorship for orientation."

"It feels like there's nothing he can't handle. I heard even the strictest Dean Thompson praised him, and several top-tier companies have extended job offers."

The Student Council members were full of praise and reverence.

Julian, at the center of the crowd, was charming and approachable, a true gentleman.

With just a few words, he lifted the girl's bad mood, and she offered a shy smile.

I whispered Julian's name.

For the second time in my life, I was captivated, my heart completely drawn to him.

Ethan remembered the unfinished conversation.

"Right, you still haven't answered. Confessing to me, do you want to take things further?"

I hesitated for two seconds.

Looking over his shoulder, I saw Julian suddenly walking our way.

My mind went into a frenzy, and I blurted out something random.

"No, I didn't mean that. I think love is about adapting to circumstances."

Ethan: ?