Love Began with the First Meeting

"You... You are such a devil." He was so irritated that he wanted to throw something at Charlie's pretty face. However, he stayed composed. Charlie was Evelyn's brother, so he couldn't displease him. He glared at him and ruffled his own hair to pacify his anger. Meanwhile, Allen was in the balcony with a can of coke in his hand. He just sat there, staring at the dim, dusty street lamps of the college. He took out his cell phone and swiped across the screen to see all the photos he had with Elsa. Some of the pictures were taken in amusement parks, while others were taken when they were eating or just hanging out in the college. He had a few more pictures of her which he had taken secretly while she was taking a nap in the school library.

He had been living a complicated life before he had met Elsa at the freshman reception. After meeting her, his world had seemed so simple. However, he was doomed to live a life he didn't desire. Along with the comfort and wealth, he also had huge responsibilities which he had to take despite his will, such as his engagement to Rita for saving his father's company.

He had had everything well planned. All he had to do was to endure the pain of breaking up with Elsa. He knew that this breakup would hurt her so much that she would probably need at least a year to recover from the pain and sorrow he had caused her, which would give him enough time to deal with this ridiculous engagement with Rita and help his father's company get rid of the difficult situation it was in.

But he hadn't expected that Rita would insult Elsa publicly in Dragon on the day they had broken up, and what was more unexpected was the existence of a player called Silent Sorrow in the game.

Allen was annoyed just thinking about it. He swallowed the whole can of coke, but only felt worse as the gassy liquid burnt his throat.

He crashed the can with one hand and shut his eyes, trying to take a deep breath. However, when he opened his eyes again, his fury had doubled.

"Still awake?" One of his roommates walked into the balcony when he heard the crashing noise. He was wearing shorts and a loose tee. He shook his head at Allen and asked, "Don't you have class tomorrow?" Allen didn't answer. He threw the coke can into the trash bin at the corner.

"Are you thinking about Elsa and Charlie?" he continued to ask, but he already knew the answer from Allen's expression. He sat on the small sofa outside and looked up at the clear starry sky. "No matter how much the headmaster wants to keep this all-rounder Charlie in this school, he wouldn't dare offend Rita Gu. Her family is one of the biggest shareholders of the university. Once Charlie is gone, there will be no need to worry about Elsa." He turned to Allen and asked, "I don't understand. Why is it taking so long for you to deal with this problem?"

Allen looked back at his roommate, George Meng, who was his senior and was in his final year of college. He was waiting to take over his family business at the right moment. Unlike Allen, George was truly highborn. His family ran an international company. People like him were supposed to study abroad, yet he refused to live in foreign countries.

"I don't want Rita to get involved," Allen replied. Deep down in Allen's heart, he had a strong sense of self-respect. The battle tonight in Dragon was Rita's idea. At first he didn't approve, which led to Rita's complaining and sarcasm laced words, but finally he decided to accept the challenge when he realized that Charlie was his rival.

"Do you need my help?" George asked.

Allen wanted to reject, but he knew that he didn't have the power to influence Charlie for now. And to his surprise, Elsa refused to answer his phone call earlier. He was afraid that Charlie would steal her from him before he could solve his family's financial problem and dissolve the engagement with Rita.

George smiled with a sigh, the he said, "Allen, you are going to take over your family business in the next few years. How can I work with you if you are so hesitant about making decisions?" Allen didn't say anything. His head was hung low in anger, shame and defeat. George stood up and patted Allen on his shoulder. "People who want to achieve something in life should know very clearly what they really desire. When you strive hard to achieve your dreams, you will never bow down to your opponents. Let's go talk to the headmaster when you finish your classes tomorrow. Go and get some sleep now." George patted his shoulder again and left him alone.

George's words plunged into Allen's heart like a poisonous knife. He was paralyzed. He stared at George's receding figure. 'Never bow down to your opponents, 'he repeated in mind. The next day was pretty gloomy.

When Allen walked out of his classroom, he saw George leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

"Let's go," George said when he saw him coming out.

Allen nodded and followed George to the headmaster's office.

When the headmaster saw Allen and George walking into his office, he asked with a servile smile, "George! What brings you here? Is there anything I can do for you?"

While George was invited to sit on the sofa, Allen sat down beside him. After the headmaster asked his assistant to bring some coffee for them, he sat down in front of them too. "So, George-"

"I am here to ask a favor of you." George stopped the headmaster before he could finish his sentence. He threw a quick glance at Allen and then continued, "I want to check the school performance record for the past two semesters compared to other colleges."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐