Part 1Restoring His Male Pride

After getting rejected by the campus belle, Seth hired me to be his sycophant.

My job description included, but was not limited to, shamelessly fawning over him to restore his shattered male ego.

Finally, the day came when the campus belle got jealous.

I excitedly pulled up my payment QR code. "Money! Pay up!"

Seth's face darkened, and he snapped my phone in half.

* * *

The night Seth confessed his feelings to the campus belle was quite the spectacle.

Rumor has it he worked three part-time jobs around the clock for three months to buy 999 roses.

The result? The campus belle elegantly flicked her long hair and gently declined:

"Seth, why do this? This kind of grand romantic gesture is clearly beyond your means. It doesn't move me; it just makes me feel pressured."

That night, the school forum exploded:

【Who does that broke loser Seth think he is, even dreaming of the campus belle?】

【The campus belle is so beautiful and kind. She must be so annoyed by shameless poor guys like him, but she was still so polite!】

As evening fell, the crowd on the athletic field dispersed, leaving Seth's solitary figure behind.

He smoked for half an hour, then suddenly turned and kicked at the magnificent bouquet of rainbow-dyed Ecuadorian roses.

"Dude, watch the flowers—" I yelled, waving my arms.

Seth's raised leg froze mid-air. He teetered for a moment before regaining his balance.

He lifted his heavy eyelids and looked at me, his lips pressed into a thin line, saying nothing.

I trotted over. "Hey, if you don't want these flowers, can I have them?"

Seth frowned in annoyance, turned, and walked away.

A grin split my face. I took off my jacket and gathered the massive bouquet in my arms. Ignoring the thorns pricking my skin, I hauled the flowers to the night market next to the school.

"The Rolls-Royce of roses, Ecuadorian rainbow roses! Freshly flown in from South Africa! Not 199, not 99, just 9 bucks a stem today! Come and get 'em!"

I work part-time at a flower shop. I was the one who delivered Seth's confession bouquet. 999 roses, at $199 a stem. My boss had offered Seth a discount. Seth refused. "My love doesn't need a discount."

My boss was thrilled to have found such a sucker. He told me I could clock out after the delivery.

Since the delivery was on campus, I decided to stick around and see who the lucky girl was.

Unsurprisingly, it was the campus belle, Amelia Thorne. She's been the campus goddess since freshman year—gentle, elegant, with a legion of male admirers.

I had no idea Seth was one of them.

I'd heard his name before. He was famous, mainly for his looks. He had the sharp, defined features and broad-shouldered, long-legged build of a comic book hero. Drop-dead gorgeous.

But he was supposedly poor.

Hence his nickname: the "Handsome Pauper."

But that afternoon, I'd seen him drop twenty grand at the flower shop without batting an eye. I had no idea what kind of part-time job paid that well in three months... or what it involved.

It was Valentine's Day, and the night market was bustling. Lots of girls were selling roses, but their ordinary red roses were no match for my luxury galaxy-themed bouquet.

My phone kept chirping:【Venmo payment received: $9.】

It was the sweetest sound.

I was in the middle of a transaction when Seth pulled up on his electric scooter. He put one long leg down, stopping right in front of my stall. His expression was unreadable.

My phone chirped again:【Venmo payment received: $9.】

I panicked, wishing I could muffle the sound.

Seth's eyebrow twitched. He gave me a thumbs-up.

"Impressive."

Then he got back on his scooter and rode off.