Perhaps Talia really doesn’t remember Samuel Langdon, but Adrian Jennings finds it hard to forget. Samuel Langdon was in the same year as Talia. When he was a freshman, Adrian Jennings was already a graduate student. Logically speaking, since Samuel was several years junior to Adrian and they attended different schools, they shouldn’t have had much contact. But because one was the most handsome guy in the history of Oakhaven University, and the other was the most handsome guy at Veridian University of Law in the past decade, they were often compared for their outstanding looks. This didn’t matter much, as Adrian wasn’t interested in these things. He remembered Samuel because of that confession. Samuel’s confession to Talia. Adrian remembers it clearly. It was December, during Talia’s first year at university, on Christmas—a day suitable for confessions—when Samuel made a big show of arranging roses in a heart shape on the field of Oakhaven University. He was dressed flamboyantly like a peacock displaying its feathers, strumming his worn-out guitar while singing love songs. Adrian was also pursuing his master’s degree at Oakhaven University at that time. He had a habit of night running, and he went to the track as usual that day, amidst a noisy crowd at the center of the field. "Wow, did you hear? The heartthrob from Veridian is here to confess!" A gossiping voice from a female passerby reached Adrian’s ears, but he wasn’t interested. Such things happened often at university and weren’t particularly special, nor did he care. Adrian started jogging slowly. The gossiping voices around him continued to filter through. "The heartthrob from Veridian? Is it Samuel Langdon?" "Yes, I just saw him holding a guitar in the center of the field, arranging a heart with roses. I gotta say, Samuel truly lives up to being the heartthrob. His looks are impeccable, really handsome!" "Wow, the heartthrob from Veridian actually came to confess at our school. I have to join the fun." "Wait for me, I’m coming too." "Oh my God, isn’t it true! Samuel has someone he likes? How many girls will have their hearts quietly broken tonight." "Wow, I just saw Samuel Langdon in person. He’s even more handsome than in the pictures—a deserved heartthrob from Veridian!" Some girls began to cry after realizing Samuel was going to confess. The lights on the field were dim at night, and few people noticed Adrian, the campus heartthrob of Oakhaven, also jogging there. But some of the admirers who knew Adrian’s routine would usually follow him, sometimes offering him water, though he never accepted it. Initially, Adrian had no interest in this confession until he heard a familiar name. The source of this content ɪs 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍 As he approached the second lap, amidst the crowd watching the spectacle, he vaguely heard someone shout Talia’s name. Adrian’s pace slowed, and the gossip became clearer. "It turns out the person Samuel likes is our school’s beauty, Talia. In that case, I’ll give up. Losing to the school beauty isn’t shameful." "To be honest, Samuel and Talia really match well—one heartthrob and one beauty. Together, they’re truly a perfect couple. I support this relationship!" "But I really like Samuel. Boo-hoo! Can’t Talia reject him?" Adrian changed direction and headed towards the center of the field. Samuel was surrounded in the middle of the crowd, wearing a light khaki coat with a white turtleneck sweater underneath, looking gentle and elegant, his eyes filled with smiles, tender enough to cause people to drown in them. He strummed the guitar strings at his fingertips, providing his own accompaniment. Samuel sang a then-popular love song. He sang beautifully, hitting all the right notes with a deeply warm and textured voice that mesmerized a large group of girls. After finishing the love song, someone brought Talia to stand before Samuel. Adrian stood cold-faced among the onlookers, watching this confession spectacle unfold. Samuel held a bouquet of roses, offering them to the girl in front of him, his voice as gentle as possible: "Talia, I like you. Will you go out with me?" After a round of coaxing, the scene fell into utter silence. Everyone was waiting for Talia’s response. On a winter’s night, tiny snowflakes danced across the sky, creating a graceful, enchanting beauty, setting a romantic atmosphere as if even heaven was aiding the confession. With roses in hand, Samuel stood tall and striking in the center of the crowd, exceptionally handsome and drawing all eyes. Not only was Samuel exceptionally good-looking, but he also excelled in both character and academics, coming from a good family background as the sole heir of The Langdon Family in Oakhaven. A handsome man and a beautiful woman—a match made in heaven. The answer seemed obvious. Adrian was so nervous he forgot to breathe, his fingers clenching tightly, a dull pain in his heart. Talia’s answer surprised everyone. "I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to that." Samuel’s smile faded from his lips. The night wind disheveled his dark hair, and the dim lights failed to illuminate the loneliness on his face. "Can I ask why?" His voice shook slightly, hinting at low spirits. The girl pressed her lips together, her expression cool and indifferent, devoid of any fluctuations, "Because I’m not interested in dating right now. I have no time for relationships, so I’m very sorry I can’t agree." The crowd erupted once more. Adrian raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a satisfied smile. After Talia finished speaking, she turned and left, never accepting the bouquet of roses. Adrian knew Talia had many suitors during her university years. She probably turned down such confessions over ten times a year, so it was normal not to remember what the confessors looked like. However, Adrian remembered the name and appearance of every person who confessed to Talia. So when he saw Samuel with Talia in the restaurant on Valentine’s Day, a tangible sense of crisis formed within him. Recalling this, Adrian’s eyes darkened, "I didn’t expect that after so many years, you still haven’t given up." Samuel chuckled, maintaining a composed demeanor, "I still have to thank President Jennings for the opportunity." Adrian looked at him warily, squinting his eyes, "Stay away from her." Samuel raised an eyebrow slightly, "What right do you have to say that to me, President Jennings?" Adrian snorted coldly, "You won’t have a chance. Talia only has me in her heart." Samuel didn’t get angry, still appearing as graceful as ever, "Then we’ll wait and see." That night, Talia had a nightmare. In the dream, she was running across a vast, desolate wasteland, void of people. Behind her were vicious thugs. She ran with all her might until the scene suddenly shifted, and someone grabbed her neck, Vincent Fletcher’s face suddenly looming. The man’s smile was eerily sinister, like a ghost from hell demanding her life. Breathing became increasingly difficult, and just as she felt she was about to die, the scene changed again. She saw her sister Jasmine Rhodes tied to a chair, and Vincent was smiling as he poured gasoline over Jasmine. "No! Don’t!" Talia screamed, "Don’t touch her! Stop!" Suddenly, Vincent’s face twisted grotesquely, transforming into that of the bespectacled man. "Die—" The bespectacled man sneered menacingly as he hurled a jar of concentrated sulfuric acid at her. "Ah—" Talia screamed, waking with a start from her nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. The night was silent and still. In the darkness, Talia’s rapid breathing was particularly clear. It took her a long time to recover. The phone screen lit up. Talia picked up the phone to glance at it. A new text message had arrived from an anonymous number. [If you want your sister to survive, just follow my instructions obediently.]