Chapter 2: Treachery!

Perhaps even in his wildest dreams, Edward had never dreamt of such a horrifying nightmare. What he saw before him was his girlfriend, Janet. She was in the most vulnerable state, entwined with another man, and her moans of desire filled the air.

She had told him she was studying, but in reality, she was having an affair with someone else. Edward couldn't believe what he was seeing, and as he opened the restroom door, both turned to look at him, including the man Edward recognized as Jeff is one of the young heirs of a wealthy family in this city. The reason why Edward knows Jeff is that Jeff's mother is a member of the board of directors at this university, while his father is the owner of a company.

This scene struck him with a tremendous shock. 

"Janet!?" Edward exclaimed, his voice trembling. 

"What is all this? Is this all true?"

Edward clutched his head with his hands, unable to accept this reality, retreating further and further within himself. How would he confront Janet, and how would she face him? He had no idea.

But contrary to Edward's thoughts, Janet showed no signs of shame, embarrassment, or fear. She looked at Edward, smirking coldly. 

"Yes, Edward. That's right. I lied to you, and I'm having an affair. Do you have a problem with that?"

Janet's frank admission and disdainful attitude only deepened Edward's shock. His heart shattered, and all the trust and hope for their future vanished instantly.

"Do you even realize what you're doing, Janet?" Edward tried to hold back the pain, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. "Why would you do this to me? I loved and trusted you!"

Janet chuckled softly and yanked the necklace off her neck, throwing it at Edward. It was a gift he had given her. "Love and trust mean nothing to me, Edward. They hold no value. I wanted to escape the hardships of life, and you made me feel like I was being dragged down. From now on, we're done. Find someone more suitable."

Edward couldn't believe what the girl before him was saying. But the more she spoke, the more he realized it was true. He felt a deep sense of hurt and humiliation that reached the depths of his soul.

At that moment, Jeff pulled up his pants and approached, smirking at Edward. 

"Hey, buddy, you should know your place and stop loving. Are you worthy of Janet? A foolish and poor guy like you, Janet, should have dumped you long ago. She deserves a better man like me. Poor people like you shouldn't engage in love; you should live alone and try your cheap part-time jobs. Idiot!" 

Jeff jabbed Edward's shoulder, his words like countless arrows piercing his heart, causing Edward to feel deeply hurt and extremely angry, and insulted.

He knew he was poor, that was true, but he was trying his best every day. He was poor but always wanted to provide the best for his loved ones. He had never denied her anything; whatever she wanted, he would buy for her.

He was willing to work sixteen-hour days to think about their future, where he wanted to give her a better, more comfortable life and at least free from financial worries.

But what did he get in return?

Betrayal, humiliation, and trampling upon.

He didn't ask for much from her; he wanted her by his side, studying and enjoying life. But it seemed that was never enough for her. She always wanted more.

Edward felt immensely disappointed. What could be more heart-wrenching than witnessing the person you love intimately involved with someone else and mocking you together?

Edward felt his heart being cut to pieces.

"Well, keep that mindset for yourself then, you miserable guy cheating on someone else's lover."

Edward, of course, couldn't tolerate it, and he had never been one to hold back. If Janet no longer loved him, so be it. He had no habit of forcing or clinging to someone else. Edward turned to leave when Jeff suddenly chased him and grabbed his wrist. As Edward turned back, he saw Jeff with a clenched fist, ready to punch him.

He quickly grabbed Jeff's wrist and attempted to immobilize it in mid-air. However, he underestimated the strength of Jeff's arm, which caused Edward's hand to quickly bend backward, followed by Jeff easily pushing Edward to the ground.

Jeff looked at Edward with the gaze of a hunter eyeing its prey. He twisted his arm and shook his head to prepare for a chokehold.

"Oh well, my friend, I will show you you're nothing."

After speaking, Jeff advanced and continuously punched and kicked Edward. Edward tried to defend himself by raising his hands, but Jeff's attacks were too fast and powerful for him to counter in time.

"I will teach you the strength of an athlete!" Jeff sat straddling Edward and grabbed his collar, pulling him up, then swung his fist and delivered a cross punch to Edward's left cheek. The hole left Edward dazed, and as he prepared to strike back, he quickly caught Jeff's fist, but within seconds, Jeff knocked his hand away. However, Edward swiftly used his leg to grab hold of Jeff, leading the two of them to wrestle and struggle on the ground.

Meanwhile, Janet stood by, arms folded, watching. Her eyes showed a smirk as she witnessed Edward being beaten and a gentle and excited expression as she saw Jeff emerging victorious.

 "It's best if you don't resist anymore! Pitiful and wretchedly poor people like you only deserve to be punching bags for others." Janet smirked and kicked Edward in the leg, causing him to wince in pain and furrow his brow. Not only was it physical pain, but also a pain in his spirit.

Edward didn't bother to glance at Janet, only God knows how much her words had hurt him, and he still loved her. Yes, no one stops loving someone right after hearing the terms of a breakup.

Janet's words had no effect, and right at that moment, Jeff reached into his pocket, took out a wad of cash, and threw it into Edward's face.

"This is your payment for doing my punchinh bag!" Jeff laughed mockingly. Then he twisted Edward's arm behind his back, causing him to feel his joints being forcefully pressured, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"What's going on?" At that moment, a fourth voice suddenly spoke up. Edward, Janet, and Jeff all turned to look in the direction of the vote. And they saw that a few more people had entered the women's restroom, their eyes filled with curiosity and caution.

Perhaps they had been drawn by the loud argument. The soundproofing here could have been better. Edward opened his mouth, intending to explain that this was a private matter, when Jeff suddenly pointed at him and exclaimed, "He... he's a pervert! He went into the women's restroom and peeped at my girlfriend!"

After speaking, Jeff casually released Edward, with a calm and indifferent expression on his face. He said, "You should go exercise, and do it at the gym, not in the women's restroom. It would be embarrassing if someone else caught you doing that."

Edward couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was so shocked that he couldn't find any words to explain it. Meanwhile, the others took a deep breath in unison, their eyes filled with disgust as they looked at Edward.

Jeff, this wealthy guy, declared that he had caught Edward red-handed and rescued Janet from a problematic situation.

"No, it's not..." As Edward was about to explain, a sobbing sound suddenly rang out. It was Janet, portraying herself as pitiful and distressed while gently nestling into Jeff's embrace.

"He wanted to do something terrible to me. Luckily, Jeff arrived on time..." Janet cried, looking around at her classmates. "Please believe me; he's a despicable person!"

The others empathized with Janet and began criticizing Edward, blaming and cursing him.

"He truly is a monster."

"I'll post his pictures on social media. Girls should be warned about this perverted creep."

"Who knows if he's not only preying on women? But also on men?"

"Ew, it's disgusting."

Everyone around seemed to be holding a knife, taking turns stabbing Edward's heart. He felt the world spinning, the curses like malevolent demons leaving deep wounds in his heart. It couldn't be true; it couldn't be true.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Janet looked at him with a triumphant and contemptuous gaze.

With phones pointed at him, Edward didn't know how to escape this chaos. And then Edward shouted:

"No, they're lying. I didn't peep at anyone; it was them..."

"Shut up, you demon!"

"That's right; why can you bully a girl like that? If you're desperate, find girls willing to spend a night with you for money."

"This is outrageous!"

Edward could barely open his mouth before countless attacking words assaulted him as if they were trying to bury him alive.

"No..."

Amid the chaos, Edward didn't know how to escape. Should he run away? But would that be any different from admitting his guilt?

"What's going on here? Why are you causing a disturbance at this hour?"

At that moment, a stern voice rang out, and Edward recognized that voice—it was Olivia's.

She appeared, and her gaze passed through Edward, standing in the center of the crowd.

Seeing her, a female student immediately spoke eagerly, "It's fortunate you've shown up. You must demand justice for that girl and report this to the school authorities. He, he went into the restroom and peeped."

Contrary to that student's expectation, Olivia turned back and casually said, "Why do you assert that so quickly and decisively?"

"Because that girl spoke up. There's no doubt that the victim has spoken."

"How do you know she's the victim and not the perpetrator? Were you here and witnessed everything from beginning to end? Dear students, remember that half a loaf is still a loaf, but half a truth is untrue. Why is it that, in court, they gather testimony from both the perpetrator and the victim and witnesses? And the perpetrator's statement is always important. But here, you've only listened to one side and quickly concluded."

Seeing Olivia defending Edward and shaking the trust of everyone, Janet, angry, furrowed her brows and said, "Olivia, you're also a woman, so why don't you protect women?"

"Women aren't always right; please remember that. It's because I am a woman that I make such arguments. We should be objective; the truth will come out. Don't turn yourselves into heartless and deceitful creatures."

Olivia's words hinted at something, something that everyone understood. Upon hearing this, Janet saw red and growled, "You!"

"Alright, students, it's late now. Go back and get some rest, as you have classes tomorrow. Of course, I will not defend or favor anyone. This matter needs to be clarified first. Like you, I do not witness everything from beginning to end, so I will not believe any side."