The speaker was Joshua.


    What was he doing here?


    I hadn''t seen him in ages, and it looked like he had gained significant weight. His belly was so round now that he resembled a middle-aged, fat businessman-far from the moderately good-looking guy he used to be in school.


    He smirked at me. "William, long time no see. Bet you didn''t expect to run into me here, huh? Never thought we''d meet again, did you?"


    I looked at him and replied, "It''s definitely a surprise."


    In truth, I had run into him twice at the hospital before and had heard that he was


    now relying on wealthy women for support. But I hadn''t paid much attention. I never imagined that we would end up talking face-to-face like this.


    "Joshua, do you two know each other?"


    A middle-aged woman stepped forward, naturally linking arms with him, her demeanor exceptionally affectionate.


    Everything clicked into ce. One of the rich women Joshua hadtched onto was someone from the Morgan family.


    He chuckled smugly. "Of course we know each other. We used to live in the same dorm!"


    His words immediately drew the curiosity of everyone around us.


    "Same dorm? What a coincidence!"


    "But what did you mean earlier about exposing his true colors?"


    Joshua turned toward me, his face gleaming with malicious glee. "Exactly what I said. He''s putting on an act! Not only is he dirt poor, but his character is absolutely awful.


    "Back in school, he used to wear knock-off designer clothes and go around unting himself as some rich heir. But that''s not even the worst of it! He used that fake identity to deceive our campus belle and toy with her feelings! Tell me, everyone was I wrong to call out his shady character?"


    The crowd immediately started whispering, their disdainful looks now even more pronounced. "What? How shameless!"


    "He''s poor and an impostor. There''s nothing worse than that!"


    "Having no money is one thing, but pretending to be a rich heir? That''s disgusting."


    Anna and Celia were practicallyughing, their malicious delight written all over their faces.


    Crystal, on the other hand, flushed red with anger. "That''s not true! Don''t just make stuff up. William isn''t like that!"


    Joshua looked at her with feigned sincerity. "Ms. Crystal, don''t be fooled by his honest appearance. He''s quite cunning. You''ve heard of Lina, right? She was William''s ex-girlfriend. Back then, when they were dating, he had her wrapped around his finger, making her believe he was some wealthy heir.


    "But in the end, he turned out to be nothing more than the son of a fruit vendor. Many people at school knew about this. If you don''t believe me, go ask around."


    She turned to me, her eyes searching mine for answers.


    I sighed.


    Usually, I wouldn''t even bother exining. But she had been so kind to me, and I couldn''t stand the thought of her being humiliated in front of many people. So, I decided to rify.


    "Firstly, I''ve never pretended to be a wealthy heir. I genuinely have money. Secondly, I never deceived Lina. She cheated on me with Joshua, and to cover her tracks, she made up a story about how I tricked her. Many people at school knew this, but they believed her lies because they didn''t know the whole truth.


    "Lastly, Crystal, I can say with confidence that ever since I met you, I haven''t done anything to betray your trust. I''ve never once lied to you. If you believe me, I''ll stay. If you don''t, I''ll leave."


    I had said all I needed to. I didn''t want to waste any more words.


    When I finished speaking, Crystal eximed without hesitation, "I believe you, William!"