The Rose Never Wilts

The bullet comments—the floating reader comments only I could see—told me the golden heir to one of New York's most powerful families had the wrong girl, just as he asked me out with 999 lilies.

He thought I was the girl from his online romance, the one who'd agreed to be with him once they got to college.

The bullet comments said Kai would find out the truth sooner or later, turn around, and fall in love with her, while I'd be cyberbullied out of school for playing the cuckoo in someone else's nest.

I looked up at Kai, who was waiting for my answer, and the corner of my mouth curved. My ending had already been written for me.

So: "Sure, babe." Chapter 1 Before Kai could even look delighted, I went on. "A onemonth probation period." He looked at me, lost. "What?" "Don't get me wrong, I do like you." I tilted my head. "But you don't seem to… really know me." I raised my hand and lightly touched a lily petal.

The heavy fragrance hit me full in the face. But I'd never liked flowers with a strong scent. I pulled my hand away and took a step back. "I like roses.

Red roses." Kai frowned, even more confused. "But didn't you say…" I blinked. "Say what?" The bullet comments flooded the screen. [Our girl told the male lead lilies were her late mom's favorite flower.

That's why he picked lilies.] [LMAO, the side character's already about to slip up? She couldn't wait even one second?] I smiled and said nothing.

One of Kai's friends leaned in and said, "Kai, man, girls are all like this.

Don't ask, just do it." It clicked for Kai, and he immediately raised a hand. "Get rid of the flowers." That night. 999 red Bulgarian roses were delivered to my dorm.

At the same time, my phone buzzed. Kai had sent me a voice DM on Instagram. [Babe, you got the flowers, right? Day one of probation.

Are you happy so far?] My lips curved, and I took a deep breath of the roses' scent. I lightly pressed the voice button, my tone soft, the last word drawn out long. "Got them.

Thank you. Go to bed early, okay?" The bullet comments were heartbroken. [Ahhh our girl, don't cry! The side character's just showing off on purpose.

The male lead only loves you!] [The side character just comes right out and says what she wants. She's nothing like our girl.

How could the male lead mix them up?] [Sitting here waiting for the male lead to put the side character in her place himself!] The bullet comments said that once Kai and I started dating, he'd slowly notice the clues and finally realize he'd gotten the wrong girl.

And I, out of guilt, would scramble to cover my lies. One lie after another. Until, in the end, I'd turn myself into a liar everyone wanted to tear down.

I lifted my eyes to the bedroom door across from mine, shut tight. I smiled, said hi to my other roommates, and went to bed.

The next morning, I got up right on time for my morning run. After three laps, I logged the run in my running app and looked around.

Once I was sure Kai wasn't there, I took out my phone and tapped twice. The next second, the bullet comments went wild. [Wait, what am I seeing??

The side character just removed the male lead from her followers?] Chapter 2 [LMAO, the male lead's still fast asleep. The second he opens his eyes, his whole world's gonna cave in.

The girlfriend he just landed is gone.] [Okay, I've gone from hater to neutral on the side character.

She cut him off without a second's hesitation.] I put my phone away, walked to the dining hall to eat, and then went to class like normal.

It wasn't until second period let out that Kai cornered me at the classroom door. Ella was standing right behind me, but he didn't spare her a single glance.

His face dark, he held up his phone. "You removed me?" I ignored him, turned, and walked off. Kai had a whole list of accusations ready.

When he saw I wasn't even looking back, he panicked and hurried after me, grabbing my wrist.

I frowned and shook him off. "I don't talk to people who can't keep their emotions in check." Kai went stiff and pulled his hand back at once.

He fell into step beside me like a good boy, his voice a few notches softer. "No, I wasn't blaming you. I just got too anxious, so I was a little loud.

I woke up and saw you'd removed me, and I kind of panicked…" "Did I do something wrong?

Tell me, and I'll fix it." I stopped walking and turned back to look at him. "At six this morning, I was running on the track.

Where were you?" Kai stared, dumbfounded, unable to believe it. "…Just because of that?" "Of course." My expression was serious. "If you can't even be bothered to keep me company during the probation period, it just means you don't care.

I don't need a boyfriend who doesn't care and isn't considerate." "Now say you were wrong." Kai swallowed hard. After a long moment, he spoke quietly. "Babe, I was wrong.

I won't do it again." I kept my face cold. "I don't need you to make promises.

I need you to follow through." "Okay, babe." The bullet comments erupted. [Is the side character a drama queen or what?

So he missed one morning run with her, and she just flips out? Why is the male lead even backing down?] [The male lead fell for our girl because she was sweet and gentle.

The gap here is insane.] [Gotta admit, the side character really knows how to train a dog.] Just as I'd expected, after that one hard knock, Kai got careful around me.

He knew my routine and my class schedule better than I did. Every morning he saved me a seat at the library ahead of time.

At noon he timed the end of my classes so he could stand in line at the dining hall for me. In the evening he walked me back to my dorm. Bags, jewelry, flowers, desserts.

Not a single day went by without them. He sent so many roses that there was a bunch even on the front desk of my dorm building.

Naturally, my attitude toward him warmed up quite a bit too, and I let him follow me again.

Now and then, I'd agree to have dinner with him or go to the basketball court to watch him play. Kai was a starter on the school basketball team.

The moment I showed up courtside, the crowd around us started whooping. After the game, I walked over, cheeks pink, holding a bottle of water.

A summer breeze swept past, lifting the hem of my floral skirt and carrying the faint rose scent on me right under Kai's nose.

I took a towel from my bag, rose on tiptoe, and wiped the sweat from his temple, my eyes curved in a smile. "Babe, you were amazing today.

I loved it." "What do you want as a reward? How about I watch a movie with you tonight?" The whole crowd erupted in envious howls.

Kai's eyes stayed glued to me the entire time, startlingly bright. At the movie theater that night, we barely looked at the screen once.

When the house lights came up at the end, he reached out a long arm and pulled me into his embrace.

He bent his head and buried his face in the side of my neck, his voice low and rough, the words gritted through his teeth.

Chapter 3 "Babe, I want to hide you away so no one else ever gets to see you." I leaned against Kai's shoulder and lazily lifted my eyes.

I watched the bullet comments flicker in front of me. [WTF, the male lead's first kiss is just gone like that?

What happened to both leads saving themselves for each other?] [It's over, it's over. The male lead is in way too deep.] [The side character is playing on a whole other level.

She's got the male lead hook, line, and sinker. Not even a god could resist that. Two seconds of silence for our girl.] [Relax, our girl's identity is gonna come out soon.

Then no matter how good the side character is at flirting, she'll just be a scheming girl in the male lead's eyes.] [How can you treasure the right person if you've never been with the wrong one?

The side character is just a whetstone for the love between our baby female lead and the male lead!] [Waiting for the day the side character gets cyberbullied out of school!] I lowered my eyes and answered him. "I'm only giving you one chance, you know." The onemonth probation period ended, and that day was also my birthday.

Kai started preparing for it half a month in advance.

He booked out the hardesttoreserve revolving restaurant in the city, with a full ten thousand red roses spread from the lobby all the way to the terrace.

He also had someone deliver a couture gown worth twenty thousand dollars.

At six in the evening, a line of matching supercars pulled up right on time in front of the girls' dorm, and the whole building crowded at the windows to look. "It's Kai!" "Is he going to propose to Rosanna?" "A boyfriend who's rich and hot?

I'm so jealous!" I changed into the gown and came downstairs. Kai was already standing by the car.

When he saw me, a flash of stunned admiration clearly crossed his eyes, and he hurried to open the car door for me. "Happy birthday, babe." I smiled, nodded, and got into the passenger seat.

Kai had obviously dressed up with care. He was wearing the cedarandebony cologne I liked, his hair styled into a textured crop, and he had on the obsidian helix stud I loved.

From head to toe, there wasn't a single thing that hadn't been done to my taste. As if he sensed me staring, the rims of his ears turned faintly pink.

I tipped my face up, smiling, and touched his collar. My fingertips brushed lightly across his chin.

Kai's breathing clearly faltered, and he swallowed. "Babe, you look so good today. From now on, dress like this only for me, okay?" "…Okay." My eyes curved.

I reached for his right hand and laced our fingers together. I raised my phone and snapped a photo.

Then I made us official in an Instagram post. [You said you wanted to tend a rose with care, so now you have me.] After we went official, Kai—with my permission—followed all my roommates on Instagram so he'd never again be unable to reach me.

When he got to Ella, he paused. He frowned at her. "Rosanna drew your profile picture too?" Ella kept her head down, her fingers tightening around her phone.

Her voice trembled slightly. "…No, I commissioned it online." Kai stared at her, thinking. I took all of it in. The bullet comments lost their minds. [Here it comes, here it comes!

The classic recognition scene!] [HAHAHAHAHA, the male lead finally noticed something's off.] [Our girl has been an illustration genius since she was little.

Their couple avatars, chat backgrounds, stickers—she drew every single one herself.

You can't fake an art style!] [If the male lead hadn't asked out the side character, and our girl hadn't switched to a new account out of heartbreak and changed her profile picture along with it, she'd have been found out already!] [But it's fine.

The male lead's already suspicious. One look and he'll find out!] Chapter 4 [The side character's still happily celebrating her birthday.

Once the truth comes out, she'll scramble to cover her lies, and the male lead will see her for good as a gold digger and a schemer.] I looked at the last comment, and the corner of my mouth lifted slightly.

Cover my lies? Did I ever say who I was? Kai was the one who got the wrong girl. What did I do wrong? I get the bad name and the tragic ending too. How is that fair?

My lips curved slightly as I turned my head to look at Kai. "Babe, didn't you sponsor our school's AI club? Can you get me in to take a look?" Kai snapped back to himself.

Before, he'd have nodded without a second's hesitation. But now, he hesitated.

He was silent for two seconds before he spoke quietly. "Why are you suddenly interested in competitions, babe?" I tapped my chin and thought about it. "It just seems really cool.

And also… I want to learn a little about the things you like." Something flickered in Kai's eyes. He reached out and ruffled my hair. "The school has two teams. I'm on Team One.

The selection bar's pretty high, and training is intense. But there's also Team Two—they train alongside the main team. That one would suit you better." My smile deepened. "Sure.

Thanks, babe." After the birthday party, Kai suddenly disappeared for three days. He said a project had come up and he had to go out of town.

He still messaged me every day as usual: checkins, good mornings, good nights, not one missed. But I knew he hadn't gone to see about any project.

The bullet comments livestreamed his every move. [The male lead's spent these three days going over it with his buddies—why the side character is nothing like the girl he dated online.] [The male lead's already got someone looking into our girl's identity.] [The male lead ran into our girl while she was rescuing a stray cat, and then he asked THE question!] My drowsiness vanished without a trace.

I sat up in bed and picked up my phone. I opened my chat with Kai. On the screen was still the message he'd sent an hour ago. [Babe, the project's almost wrapped up.

I'll bring you back a present.] My fingers didn't pause for even a moment. I sent back one line. [I know everything now. It's not me you love.] [Let's break up.] I