"Actually, I'm just an ordinary guy," Aiden James said sincerely.
"All I ever wanted was a simple kind of love… but I guess things just didn't go my way."
And he meant every word.
Aiden truly was just an ordinary person, no powerful background, no hidden family fortune, no glamorous identity.
But Zoe Quinn didn't believe him.
To her, Aiden was simply being modest. She was convinced that he was hiding his real identity, a man of mystery pretending to be low-profile, just to seek genuine love untainted by money or status.
But the cruel truth was, in reality, an ordinary man didn't deserve love.
Fairy tales were just that, fairy tales.
If you had no money, how could you give a girl romance?
How could you offer her a sense of security, or that dreamy, comfortable lifestyle she longed for?
Why would anyone choose you?
Pretending to be poor to "test" a woman's heart?
You're not noble, you're delusional.
You're destined to be someone's backup, her emotional toy, a bootlicker.
After Aiden left the lobster restaurant with Zoe, Emily Rose wandered back to her dorm in a daze.
She felt like her entire world had collapsed.
Not only had she been played and humiliated by the scumbag Justin Reed, but even Aiden, the one who used to worship her like a goddess, now looked at her with complete indifference.
In the past, she wouldn't have cared at all.
So what if Aiden was gone? He was just another admirer.
If one left, she could easily train another.
After all, Emily's "fish pond" didn't just have Aiden and Justin swimming in it, there were plenty of other guys she kept on the hook.
They weren't as handsome or rich, maybe, but they were useful enough when needed.
At the very least, they could fill the gaps.
But this time… it was different.
This time, she truly cared.
Ever since Aiden became more confident, more charming, more fearless, she realized she might have never really known him at all.
Now, even Zoe Quinn and Ivy Mae, two goddess-tier girls on campus, had started getting close to him.
And for the first time, Emily began to panic.
> "Aiden… could he actually be someone with real depth?"
Just then, her roommate Sophia jumped up from her bed, eyes full of excitement.
"Emily! You're finally back! I found out something huge! I wanted to tell you earlier, but you were out with Justin, so I figured it wasn't the right time."
Emily sighed wearily. "What secret, Sophia? I'm really not in the mood."
Sophia frowned, clearly sensing her bad mood, but pressed on anyway.
"Do you know who 'OneOfAll' really is?"
Emily blinked. "You mean the rich guy who went viral? The one who sent ten million in gifts to that streamer?"
"Not ten million, twenty!" Sophia said, voice rising. "Last night, I was scrolling through TikTok, and guess who I saw? Zoe Quinn, she was the top-ranked streamer on the entire platform! Her popularity exploded!
"But get this, the one who gave her all that money, that mysterious tycoon OneOfAll… that's not the real shocker."
Emily frowned. "Then what is?"
Sophia leaned closer, her tone trembling with disbelief.
"When I followed his account, I realized something, I already had him added on WeChat."
Emily froze. "Wait, what?"
Sophia's voice dropped to a dramatic whisper.
> "Emily… that 'OneOfAll' guy, the one who sent twenty million — is Aiden James!"
Oh my God, do you know how I felt when I heard it? I was completely stunned. Aiden James, that loser? He was the wealthy tycoon who dumped twenty million online?
He'd hidden himself so thoroughly. The story about his house being demolished had to be a ruse. The only explanation was that Aiden wasn't an ordinary student at all but a super-rich second generation or even the heir to a corporate group. Emily, you're going to marry rich someday; don't forget your sisters!
Sophia jabbered on, breathless with excitement, unable to stop herself.
Emily Rose sat there as if struck by lightning. Her chest tightened like someone had plunged a knife in: ten thousand points of damage in a single instant.
"What… what did you say? Aiden? He… he's OneOfAll?" she stammered.
It was true. The Douyin account linked to that mysterious donor couldn't be wrong and Aiden had casually transferred her fifty thousand without blinking. Even if his home was demolished, would his family hand him that kind of cash so easily? There was only one conclusion left: Aiden James was a born rich kid, a hidden tycoon. Sophia's words hit her like salt in a wound.
"Stop it, Soph, stop—" Emily tried to choke it out.
"Why are you crying, Em?" Sophia pleaded, already picturing Emily's future fortune.
Emily's mind raced. Zoe Quinn, dining alone with Aiden. Ivy Mae sketching his face. Ten million given to a streamer. It burned: that money should have been hers. How had it ended up with Zoe, of all people?
No, this couldn't be happening. Not when she'd spent years cultivating him.
She refused to accept it.
"Aiden is mine. He'll always be mine. Nobody will take him from me," Emily told herself, clinging to the last threads of denial.
People rarely treasure what they have until it's gone. That, she realized, was the cruel truth.
"Brother, why're you back so late? Haven't seen you gaming lately, where've you been?" Ryan asked as Aiden walked into the dorm.
"I went out to dinner with Zoe Quinn," Aiden replied, casual as ever. He tapped the new shoes on his feet. "Then we wandered the shops. She bought me a pair of coconut shoes."
"Dinner with Zoe? Bought you shoes? Dude, you're pushing it," Daniel scoffed.
"If you don't believe me, I won't explain. Maybe she's the one pursuing me, who knows?" Aiden shrugged, deliberately vague and more amused than embarrassed.
The brothers started ranting and trading mock threats in the familiar dorm-room way, loud, ridiculous, and affectionate.
"Old Four, take my Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms!" Daniel shouted, cracking up.
"You'll regret treading on the dragon!" Jason laughed.
"The monkey stole the peach!" Ryan chimed in.
"Kicks that'll cut off your descendants!" someone else yelled, and the room erupted into chaos.
Aiden slid onto his bunk with a grin. Inside, though, he felt that same strange mix of triumph and unease. Everywhere he turned, the world had shifted. Emily's silence had been the loudest sound of all.