I’m Yours

Our SAT results came back, and our parents booked a private room at a Michelin-starred steakhouse to celebrate. Over dinner, they began discussing how we should apply to the same university so we could keep looking out for each other. I looked across the table at Derek and asked politely, “Derek, which university are you planning to apply to?” The moment the words left my mouth, comments suddenly flashed across my vision. [Here she goes again. Is this desperate side character going to apply to the same university as the male lead?] [I feel so bad for him. Just to keep the close ties between the families, he has to be okay with her clinging to him for three whole years!] [Don’t worry. He’s promised the prom queen, Eliza, to go to Columbo University together. He's definitely going to name a school thousands of miles away just to brush her off. I can’t wait to see her breakdown!] Derek stared at me, his brow furrowed as he sneered. “Sofia, what business is it of yours where I go? I’m applying to Southwest University, all the way to the South. Could you please stop following me around?” I met his gaze and nodded calmly. Then, I turned my attention toward the quiet young man standing near the entrance of the private room, holding the heavy coats and car keys for Derek’s family. He was the driver’s son. “Julian, which university are you going to?” I asked. “I’d like to go to the same one as you.” The sneer on Derek's face froze, and both of our parents stared in utter disbelief. None of them had any idea that the humble, quiet boy wearing a cheap hearing aid, whom Derek mocked as “the deaf boy” day in and day out, was actually the long-lost son of New City’s wealthiest tycoon, missing for eighteen whole years. And all those years I spent shamelessly dropping by the family's estate had nothing to do with clinging to Derek. I had only done it so that I could catch a few extra glimpses of Julian. Chapter 1 Derek Hugh sneered, “Sofia, what kind of trick are you playing now? To play hard to get, you’d even bring out a disabled guy who can barely hear me just to annoy me?” Dad’s face darkened, and he scolded me under his breath, “Sofia, stop talking out of anger!” Mom quickly stood up and offered Derek’s parents an apologetic smile. “It’s just a little squabble between kids. Sofia is just acting out of spite. Derek, don’t take it to heart. We’ll give her a proper talking-to when we get home.” Mrs. Hugh smoothed things over immediately. “Well, young people have temper tantrums; it’s completely normal.” Although those were her words, she looked smug. In her mind, the more I liked Derek, the easier it would be for their family to control me. Floating comments flashed before my eyes. [Did the side character go way too far here?] [It’s hate born from unrequited love. Since she can’t have the male lead, she’s starting to go crazy.] [Poor Julian. He’s been humiliated and treated like a tool.] [The male lead has already made things crystal clear. Why hasn’t she given up yet?] I watched those words drift past without feeling a thing. Since we were young, everyone had assumed I liked Derek, all because I was constantly around his family’s estate. When Derek was going to school, I brought him breakfast. When Derek skipped class, I helped Mr. Hugh call around to find him. When Derek got into fights, I cleaned and dressed his wounds. Even when he was addicted to video games, smoking, or skipping football training, I was the one who covered for him time after time, trying every way possible to pull him back on track. Everyone said I was easy. What they didn’t know was that I didn’t agree to my parents’ arrangement to get close to Derek because I had feelings for him. In fact, the person I wanted to see was the one standing behind him—Julian Grey. Julian was wearing a faded white shirt, his hands holding the car keys and suit jackets for Derek’s family, with a cheap hearing aid fitted in his ear. He had used that device for so long that its edges were worn down and scratched. Derek usually loved calling him “the deaf boy.” However, I knew Julian wasn’t born deaf. Ten years ago, to save me, he was struck on the ear with an iron bar by a thug. That day, his face was covered in blood, yet he still shielded me behind his back. Later, the driver adopted him, and he became a servant in Derek’s household. To be near him, I had no choice but to follow my parents’ arrangements and hang around Derek all day long. Julian couldn’t hear me clearly, but he always looked closely at my lips when I spoke. Those eyes of his were calm and clear—completely different from Derek’s. I picked up the university application materials on the table, and just as I was about to speak, the door to the private room suddenly opened. Eliza White walked in wearing a white dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, holding an exquisite box of cake in her hands. Derek’s eyes lit up instantly, and he stepped forward to greet her. “Eliza, you’re finally here.” Eliza smiled gently. “The traffic was a little heavy on the way here.” Derek took the cake box from Eliza and took the opportunity to hold her hand. Then, he cast a provocative look toward me. “Father, Mother, this is Eliza, my girlfriend.” The room instantly fell silent. The smile on Mrs. Hugh’s face froze, and my parents exchanged glances. Everyone’s gaze landed squarely on me. I felt a little puzzled as to why they were looking at me. She wasn’t my girlfriend. Meanwhile, the comments went crazy. [Here it comes, here it comes! It’s time to bring out the popcorn!] [Is the side character going to cry now?] [The male lead has finally revealed the female lead’s identity!] [Sofia, go crazy, hurry up! Get wrecked!] Eliza broke free from Derek’s hand and slowly walked over to me, her eyes turning red. “Sofia, I’m sorry.” When I said nothing, she reached out to grab my hand, her voice soft as if she were comforting an unreasonable child. “I know you have feelings for Derek and that both of your families have always wanted you to be together. But you can’t force someone to love you. Derek and I have been together for a long time. It’s just that you’ve been clinging to him every day, and he couldn’t bear to reject you out of fear of hurting the relationship between both families, so he never told you.” At that point, tears were already streaming down her face. “I’m begging you, please give up on him. Just let us be together, okay?” Chapter 2 Derek looked heartbroken as he turned to Eliza. “Eliza, why are you apologizing to her?” He shifted his gaze back to me, his tone ice-cold. “Sofia, haven’t you made enough of a scene? We grew up together, and I’ve always seen you as a sister. You’re the one getting the wrong idea. Eliza is my girlfriend now. Just how long do you plan to cling to me?” Everything finally clicked. He had invited Eliza over today specifically so he could humiliate me in front of both our parents. Unfortunately for him, he was targeting the wrong person. I pulled my hand back and pushed the university application materials on the table toward Julian. “Which university do you plan to go to?” Julian was visibly stunned for a moment, and the indicator light on his hearing aid blinked twice in a row. He stared at my lips, making sure he hadn’t misheard me, before pursing his own. “Colombo University.” His pronunciation wasn’t accurate, and the tail end of his voice carried a faint huskiness. Hearing someone sneer softly, Derek laughed. “What did you say? Colombo University?” He made it seem as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “A guy who can’t even hear a full lecture thinks he’ll be accepted into Colombo University? Do you even know what kind of place Colombo University is? With those grades of yours, you’d be lucky to even get into a regular university.” Julian clenched his fingers slowly. I looked up at Derek and said, “I’ll be applying to Colombo University together with him.” The moment those words left my mouth, Dad stood up in shock. “Sofia, stop fooling around! Derek is applying to Southwest University. How could you possibly go to Colombo University?” Mom lowered her voice even further. “Do you know what you’re saying?” Too irritated to argue, I just looked down. Mrs. Hugh, however, suddenly waved her hand toward the door. “Waiter, escort Julian out. We’re having a family dinner. What is an outsider like him doing hovering around here?” Julian’s face turned pale for a second. However, just as he held the coats and turned around to leave, I pressed down on his wrist. “He came with me. He stays.” Mrs. Hugh’s expression darkened. “Sofia, that’s enough. Julian is just the driver’s son, while you’re the heiress of the Roberts family. Don’t you think it’s embarrassing for you to mingle with someone like him?” I looked at her and suddenly chuckled. “Since you find him so embarrassing, Mrs. Hugh, why do you keep him around Derek all the time? Is it because a driver’s son can only ever be an errand boy and isn’t allowed to have a life of his own?” Mrs. Hugh’s face turned ugly. Derek walked over to me and lowered his voice. “Sofia, don’t push your luck. Do you really think picking someone else will make me jealous? Let me tell you, even if you were the last woman left in the world, I would never have feelings for you.” I looked up at him. “Don’t worry. Even if you were the last man left in the world, I wouldn’t have feelings for you either.” The expression on his face froze. With that, I pulled Julian along and left the room. Even as the sound of Derek smashing a glass echoed from behind us, I didn’t look back. Yet, the floating comments didn’t stop. [Why is the female side character acting so tough?] [She must be crying her eyes out right now.] [She must’ve taken the male side character away to try and provoke the male lead, but the male lead doesn’t seem to care at all.] [How could Julian compare to the male lead for the female lead?] I stopped in my tracks and turned around to glance at Julian. “Can you hear me?” He shook his head. I pointed at my own lips and asked again, “Is your hearing aid broken?” He nodded. “Did Derek do that?” Julian didn’t answer, but his silence was an answer in itself. I clenched my fingers tight and led him into the elevator. Chapter 3 On the day university application submissions opened, Derek trended across social media. It was all because the Hugh family flaunted their son’s acceptance into a prestigious university by buying up coverage across major media outlets. In the news footage, Derek wore a crisp white shirt and offered a humble smile to the cameras. When the reporter asked if there was anyone special he wanted to thank, he glanced at Eliza beside him and said, “I’d like to thank my family and my girlfriend.” Eliza had received early admission to Colombo University’s School of the Arts. Standing side by side in front of the lens, they looked every bit like a golden couple. The Hugh family even arranged an exclusive interview for Derek. Throughout the piece, my name was brought up repeatedly as the heiress of the Roberts family, who had desperately pursued Derek for years, only to be rejected right after our SATs. The comment section mocked me. [The pathetic simp finally got dumped.] [She tried so hard and still failed. How ironic.] [Derek and Eliza are the true match made in heaven.] I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I opened my laptop and submitted my transcripts and research papers directly to Colombo University’s Honors Research Institute. Less than ten minutes after sending the email, a reply landed in my inbox. [Dear Miss Roberts, congratulations. Following evaluation by the review committee, we cordially invite you to join the Algorithm Research Project at Colombo University.] I looked at the screen and smiled calmly. They all assumed I was just a helpless girl who had to cling to the Hugh family. What they didn’t know was that I had secretly built my own tech empire long ago. Back in my sophomore year of high school, I registered a business under the anonymous name “Star”. Under that persona, I took on complex projects, led research and development, and filed multiple patents. Now, Star was Hugh Corporation’s largest overseas technology supplier. The Hugh family simply had no idea that the person behind it was me. As for Julian, his test scores looked ordinary on paper. However, standardized testing was never where his true talent lay. I forwarded his portfolio along with my submission to Colombo University’s advanced research lab. Three days later, the lab sent back a direct invitation. [Mr. Grey, we were impressed by the signal recognition model you submitted. We would love to officially invite you to join our lab as a specially recruited talent.] I took a screenshot of the invitation and texted it to Julian. He stared at the screen for a long time before looking up at me. “I got in?” “Of course.” “But my scores…” “Colombo University values real talent, not the labels other people put on you.” He looked up, the small red light on his hearing aid blinking softly. “Why are you helping me?” I met his gaze and teased, “Didn’t you say you wanted to go to the same university as me?” The tips of Julian’s ears flushed red. After that day, Julian and I walked to school together. Just as we reached the school gates, Derek and Eliza stood in our way. Eliza clung tightly to Derek’s arm, wearing a sweet, gentle smile. “Sofia, I heard that both you and Julian got into Colombo University! Congratulations!” Though she offered her congratulations, she didn’t look genuine. Derek sneered as he sized us up with contempt. “You actually went through with it? Sofia, are you really throwing away everything just to spite me? And to think someone like Julian had the nerve to apply to Colombo University?” I pulled up the official admission emails on my phone and held the screen right to his face. “Look closely,” I said. “I was recruited by the Honors Research Institute, and Julian was personally invited by their advanced research lab. As for you two…” I shifted my gaze to Eliza. “One of you got in through the arts quota, and the other is just a standard applicant. I'm sure you can figure out who among us here got in through connections.” Derek’s expression turned hideous. Eliza bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes in an instant. “Sofia, do you have to speak so harshly? I know you’re upset because Derek rejected you, but…” Her voice wasn’t loud, yet a crowd of surrounding students had begun to gather. Derek immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her behind him. “Sofia, apologize to Eliza right now.” “On what grounds?” I countered. “Because you still want to marry me!” I chuckled coldly. “Rest assured, Derek. I would rather marry a dog than you.” Snickers broke out among the surrounding crowd. Derek’s face instantly flushed red with rage. He took a step forward, only to be cut off as Julian stepped between us. As Julian, with his slender figure, shielded me in quiet defiance, Derek glared at him with a cruel, condescending smirk. “What’s this? Are you trying to play the hero, deaf boy? Do you even know what you’re doing?” Chapter 4 Julian didn’t answer as he couldn’t hear clearly. Derek, however, seemed to have found a new form of entertainment. He suddenly reached out and yanked the hearing aid straight off Julian’s ear. “You can’t hear, can you? Then I’ll make sure you can’t hear a thing.” With the hearing aid yanked off, blood immediately seeped from Julian’s ear. His body swayed slightly, but he still didn’t make a sound. Derek threw the hearing aid onto the ground and brought his foot down, stomping on it viciously until it crunched. Just like that, the device that had accompanied Julian for so many years shattered into several pieces. The floating comments instantly boiled over. [Yeah! Put the supporting character in his place!] [Well done, Derek! Show him who you are.] [I hope the female supporting character knows who she shouldn’t be messing with now.] In a fit of fury, I stepped up behind Derek and kicked him hard in the back of his knee. Caught off guard, Derek lost his balance, and his knees dropped down right beside the broken pieces of the hearing aid, and blood began to bleed through his pants immediately. Everyone fell silent. I looked down at him and said, “Stay down. I’d hate for you to stand up and forget what a piece of trash you are again.” Derek looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Sofia, how dare you hit me?” “What if I did?” I kicked him once more. “You love stomping on things, don’t you? Well, today, you get a taste of how it feels.” News of the incident spread quickly to the Hugh family. In under twenty minutes, Derek’s parents arrived at the school accompanied by their entourage. When Mrs. Hugh saw Derek on the ground, she shrieked at me hysterically, “Sofia, have you gone mad? How dare you lay a finger on Derek!” Mr. Hugh looked equally furious, his face dark with rage. “Is this how your father raised you?” Mom arrived right on their heels. Seeing the chaotic mess on the floor, she rushed over immediately to grab my arm. “Sofia, apologize to Julian now!” I yanked my hand back. “What for? He was the one who raised a hand first.” Derek clutched his knees, glaring at me with hatred in his eyes. “Father, you can’t let her get away with this. If she has the nerve to kick me today, she’ll be walking all over the Hugh family tomorrow!” Mr. Hugh gave me a frigid look. “Sofia, you’d better apologize right now. Otherwise, the Roberts family can forget about getting that South City project.” I pulled a black card out of my bag and replied, “The South City project? Are you referring to the project that requires overseas technological support?” Mr. Hugh’s eyelid twitched. I dialed a number on my phone and switched it over to speakerphone. “Notify the legal team. Terminate all partnerships between Star and Hugh Corporation immediately.” A respectful voice quickly responded from the other end. “Understood, Miss Roberts.” Mr. Hugh’s face instantly turned ashen. He looked at me as if I were a clueless little brat. I hung up the call, bent down, and used a tissue to gently wipe away the blood beside Julian’s ear. Unable to hear, he could only stare intently at the movement of my lips. I lowered my voice, shaping my mouth clearly so he could read my words. “Does it hurt?” Julian shook his head. I raised my hand and touched his cold earlobe. “Remember this. No one gets to kick what’s mine.” Julian’s breath hitched for a second. Derek, on the other hand, lost it. “Sofia, do you really think cutting off a single supplier can threaten the Hugh family? You’re nothing more than a useless daughter of the Roberts family. Stop pretending to be some big shot!” Before I could reply, my phone suddenly rang. It was Dad calling, and his voice was trembling with panic. “Sofia, come home now! The Hugh family has made their move! They fired Arthur, and they even teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce to freeze our company funds! Your mother wants you to apologize to Derek right this second!” Meanwhile, Mr. Hugh watched me with calm composure, a triumphant smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Derek stared at me and said, “Sofia, I’ll give you two choices. First, make Julian bark like a dog. Second, you can be Eliza’s personal assistant for a month. As long as you do as you’re told, I’ll spare the Roberts family.” The floating comments flooded my vision again. [This is the true power of money!] [The supporting female lead is dead meat this time!] [This is so satisfying!] Just as I was about to speak, a roaring engine sound resonated from afar. Ten Rolls-Royce Phantoms with sequential number plates came speeding toward us, and the motorcade had sealed off the school gates. The car doors opened all at once. Dozens of bodyguards dressed in black suits stepped out, lining up neatly on both sides. From the very last car, an elderly man with a head of gray hair stepped down. He wore a tailored black suit and held a walking cane in his hand. Even though he was over sixty years old, his imposing presence intimidated everyone. The elderly man did not spare a glance at Derek, nor did he look at anyone from the Hugh family. Instead, he walked straight up to Julian. In the next second, under the shocked gazes of everyone present, the elderly man bowed his head. His voice trembled yet echoed clearly across the entire school entrance. “Sir, we’ve finally found you. Your father has fallen critically ill. Please return to the New City to inherit the Grey family’s billion-dollar empire!”