Three Men Fell for My Stolen Face

All three of my roommates were using my face to date online.

One stole my photos, one kept finding excuses to take pictures of me, and the last one treated me like a moneymaking tool for all three of them.

If I hadn't suddenly started seeing the floating comments, I'd have gone along with what my roommate said and become some greasy middleaged man's "sugar baby." But the comments told me that the three rich, handsome guys my roommates had landed online weren't just childhood friends—someday all three would fall for the socalled "female lead." And me, the girl the photos actually belonged to, would get sick and jump off a building.

Just then, my roommate raised her phone again. "Nora, smile." I played along and made a heart with my hands, smiling sweeter than I ever had.

Since the fish were caught with my photos, it only made sense that they all belonged to me, right?

Chapter 1 [OMG, Tiffany sent Bradford this photo and he loved it so much he sent her another $5,000 to buy the new iPhone.] [Bradford isn't just rich, he's the third generation of a political dynasty.

That's pocket money to him. Doesn't matter anyway, it all goes to our precious FL eventually.] I looked at the phone in my hand, its screen shattered into a spiderweb.

Five thousand dollars for one photo. I'll admit it—I was jealous. Tiffany should have been thrilled with the money, but instead she suddenly let out a shriek.

The other two in the room immediately crowded over and asked what was wrong. Tiffany shot a look in my direction, thinking she was being subtle.

Lila, who was closest to me, cleared her throat and looked over. "Nora, are you heading to the dining hall?

Grab me something, will you?" Ever since the three of them started dating online, they'd looked down on the dining hall as cheap and always ordered delivery from upscale restaurants.

If the school didn't have a strict rule about it, they'd probably all have moved off campus by now. Lila was obviously just looking for an excuse to get me out of the room.

Without letting anything show, I tucked a disposable cup into my sleeve and obligingly went out.

As soon as the door closed behind me, I pressed the cup against it and put my ear to it. Tiffany sounded openly panicked. "What do I do? CY's asking to meet again.

This is the third time. If I turn him down again, he's probably going to get suspicious." Tiffany had milked Bradford for plenty.

In just one year, she'd gotten over a dozen designer bags alone, and all sorts of other gifts that were worth a lot too.

Not to mention that for her birthday this year, he'd given her a necklace worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Now that she was used to living like this, there was no way Tiffany wanted to lose it.

By comparison, Lila was fairly calm and offered Tiffany a suggestion: "Why don't you say yes for now, and when the time comes, say something happened to your roommate and you can't make it.

Molly and I will back you up." Tiffany grabbed at it like a lifeline, gushing with gratitude.

With the problem solved, the three of them stopped talking, but the comments got even busier. [Our precious FL really is the brains of the three.

So smart.] [Those two should be worshipping her.

If it weren't for the FL, would they even have it this good?] [Good thing all three male leads fall for the FL in the end, and those two freeloaders have to pay every cent back.] At that moment, I was finally sure.

Chapter 2 Lila really was the female lead the comments talked about. And the old guy I'd almost given in to had been introduced to me by none other than Lila.

I didn't even have to ask around—the comments gave away where Tiffany and Bradford had agreed to meet.

It turned out to be the very hotel where I'd been hired for a parttime job just two days earlier.

Since I'd been planning to accept the old guy's offer to keep me, I'd lost all interest in going to work. I'd already backed out of the job yesterday.

Luckily, when I called the hotel manager, I didn't get any pushback. I was told I could come in and start anytime. I couldn't help touching my face.

I knew why the manager had agreed so readily. Because of this face. Ever since middle school I'd known I was pretty. The love letters in my locker never stopped coming.

But Mom always taught me never to use my looks to take shortcuts. So I'd always earned money honestly, on my own ability, and never once thought about taking the crooked path.

In the end, I never took it. Someone else took it for me, using my face. I rushed over to the hotel as fast as I could, and because I was pretty, they put me out front as a hostess.

Through the comments, I knew Bradford had already been waiting three hours for Tiffany in a private room. Just five minutes ago, he'd found out he'd been stood up.

Catching sight of a figure coming down from the second floor, I deliberately walked right into him with my tray of drinks.

Bradford was already a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten to meet his online girlfriend. When I crashed into him, he immediately turned an angry look on me.

I kept my head down, apologizing as I frantically dabbed at his clothes. Right before he could say anything, I snapped my head up. Bradford froze the instant he saw my face.

He grabbed my arm, unable to hide the delighted surprise in his voice. "Babe?!" I pretended to be confused and quickly pulled my arm free. "Sir, I think you've got the wrong person." Bradford got a little anxious. "Babe, it's me.

I'm CY." "Sir, I really don't know you. Please keep your hands to yourself." My composure doused Bradford's enthusiasm.

He stood there stunned, as if he'd belatedly realized something, his face clouding over and clearing by turns. Just as things hit a standstill, my phone suddenly rang.

When I heard what the person on the other end was saying, the tears started falling and I couldn't stop them. I hung up.

With no time for the mess in front of me, not even a second to tell the shift lead, I hurried out. Bradford came after me. He raised a hand to wipe away my tears.

But his hand stopped in midair. I didn't let him pull it back. I grabbed his hand, tears falling one after another. "Sir, do you have a car? It's hard to get a ride out here.

Could you please, please drive me to the city medical center?" In the car, I couldn't stop sniffling and hiccuping.

Bradford kept his eyes on the road and freed up a hand to pass me a tissue. "Did something happen? Maybe I can help." I spoke up, embarrassed. "We don't even know each other.

You giving me a ride is already too much to ask." Bradford glanced at me. "It's fine.

I just like helping people." With that reassurance from him, I flushed and asked bashfully, "Then… could you lend me some money?" Worried he'd have doubts, I promised, "I'll pay you back, I swear.

I can write you an IOU." My mom had been diagnosed with acute leukemia last year and needed longterm hospitalization for chemo.

Chapter 3 Just now the hospital's billing office had given its final notice: if the overdue balance wasn't paid in full today, they'd halt her next round of chemo and start the discharge process.

I saw Bradford frown, and I quietly lowered my eyes. Thanks to the comments, I knew the persona Tiffany had been playing for Bradford was copied straight from mine.

A dad who died young, a seriously ill mom, and a broken me. By playing the pity card, she'd gotten plenty out of Bradford. The same face, the same backstory.

If Bradford couldn't figure out what was going on, there had to be something wrong with his IQ.

When Bradford spoke, his voice was a little hoarse. "You've really never heard of anyone with the username CY?" I tilted my head, pretending to think hard. "Really, never.

But it does sound a little familiar, like I've heard someone mention it." Bradford didn't say another word the rest of the way to the hospital.

At the billing office, he paid a hundred thousand dollars on the spot, clearing the balance and covering the next three months of treatment in advance, so the hospital couldn't kick us out for at least that long.

Thanks to Bradford's help, Mom even got moved into a private room with special nursing care. Watching Mom's peaceful sleeping face, I let out a breath.

I Venmoed twenty dollars to the number that had called me earlier. Exposing Tiffany in front of Bradford today had only ever been secondary.

Finally free for a moment, I had time to check the comments. [Is the side character sick in the head or what?

Her little stunt threw everything on the FL's end into chaos.] [Bradford stopped answering Tiffany, and now Tiffany's blaming our precious FL for the terrible idea that screwed her over.] [Our precious FL has never been repaid with ingratitude like this before.

I'm so mad!] I'd written the IOU at the hospital. On the way back I handed it to Bradford, but he wouldn't take it.

I stubbornly refused to pull my hand back, playing the proud, stubborn girl to perfection. Bradford finally sighed and had no choice but to accept it.

I could feel that even the way he looked at me had changed. Tiffany never turned down Bradford's money, and a lot of the time she even asked for it.

Maybe Bradford hadn't thought anything of it before. But now, with a stubborn, innocent little flower like me to compare her to, of course he'd feel something was off.

Even if that money was loose change to him, that's just how men are, deep down. I can give it to you, but you can't hold out your hand and ask.

Most importantly—wasn't it my face that drew Bradford in the first place, that made him willing to get to know Tiffany's inner beauty? Bradford offered to take me back to campus.

I said no. I had him drop me off at the hotel where I worked. Before we parted, Bradford suddenly pulled up a photo on his phone and asked when it had been taken.

I showed just the right amount of confusion. "Why do you have a photo of me?" Bradford came clean. "The girl I was dating online sent it to me." I mumbled under my breath, "Dating online…" Then I stopped short and clapped a hand over my mouth.

Bradford's sharp eyes fixed on me. "Do you know something?" Hemming and hawing, I spilled everything about my three roommates dating online. "This photo—my roommate Lila took it yesterday.

She takes pictures of me all the time." The one who actually loved taking pictures of me was Tiffany.

They were all dating online with my photos, but each of the three had her own method.

Tiffany liked doing it the oldfashioned way and could always come up with all kinds of excuses to take pictures of me. Molly just stole photos off my Instagram.

Lila was the impressive one. She used AI—photos, videos, you name it. Chapter 4 She'd even used AI to wear my face on video calls with her online boyfriend.

I was smearing Lila right in front of Bradford. The comments flashed up immediately, cursing me nonstop. Watching Bradford's face darken, I closed my eyes for a moment.

Since the comments said Bradford would end up falling for Lila too, I'd cut whatever fate the two of them had right here and now.

Bradford broke up with Tiffany swiftly and decisively, and demanded she pay back all the money he'd spent on her, or else she'd be hearing from his lawyers.

But a lot of the money was already spent. Tiffany went to Molly and Lila to borrow money and threw a massive fit. She threatened them.

Molly had once logged into Instagram on Tiffany's computer, and Tiffany had written down the account of Molly's online boyfriend.

If they didn't lend her the money, they'd all go down together. I don't know how the three of them worked it out in the end.

Anyway, all the designer bags Lila and Molly had piled up in their closets were gone. And Tiffany had clearly been cut out of the alliance.

The moment I walked into our room, I could tell the atmosphere was weird. Tiffany was quietly being frozen out—and this was only the beginning.

I pretended not to know anything and went back to my own desk. Lila suddenly came over and pulled me out of the room.

She leaned in, dying for gossip. "My aunt just told me your mom's hospital bill got paid." After a pause, Lila waggled her eyebrows and went on, "So were you on a date with Mr.

Gaines this morning?" Mr. Gaines was the old guy I'd almost given in to—the one Lila had introduced me to. Lila's aunt was a nurse at the hospital where Mom was staying.

Somehow Lila had found out about my family's situation, so she'd "kindly" pointed me toward a way out. With Lila watching me expectantly, I shook my head. "Someone lent me money.

It's paid for now." Lila didn't quite believe it. "That much money? Who can just casually come up with that and lend it to you?

Besides, a loan's got to be paid back." Lila still wanted to talk me into contacting Mr. Gaines, and went on and on about how loaded he was. I cut her off.

I remembered someone online saying the way to shut a person up is to ask them for money. "Lila, your boyfriend gives you all those luxury things and sends you an allowance every week.

Could you lend me some money?" Sure enough, Lila shut up right away and stammered that she'd spent most of her money already. Lila wasn't actually lying.

Almost all the money her online boyfriend gave her went into cosmetic procedures and skincare. Before I could ask anything else, Lila turned and went back into the room.

I followed her in just in time to hear Molly counting her blessings. "Thank God Sunny hasn't asked to meet me." Too bad she was celebrating too soon.

For the university's hundredth anniversary, I picked up a paid volunteer gig in the campus group chat