Chapter 24

Chapter 24
Lian’s heels clicked sharply against the polished marble floor as he entered the college building, his head lowered, jaw clenched. The whispers still echoed in his ears from the hallway mocking tones, cruel laughter, words that sliced deeper than they knew. He had spent an entire week trying to forget the chaos after the wedding just to resume today and the worst is yet to come, trying to bury the humiliation that came with those leaked pictures even if they were not his, but the world wouldn’t let him breathe.
He pushed open the door to the lecture hall, still fuming. His pulse raced, his mind a whirlpool of anger and exhaustion. But then his eyes caught a familiar figure sitting near the middle row.
Andy.
The sight made something inside Lian loosen. His steps slowed for the first time since entering the building. Andy was here.
A small breath escaped Lian’s lips, which turned into a little bright smile.
He walked over quietly, clutching his bag close to his chest. Andy didn’t look up. He was sitting beside a girl Lian didn’t recognize long brown curls, subtle lip gloss, pretty but not intimidating. She laughed softly at something Andy said, her voice light, easy.
Lian hesitated for a second before sliding into the empty seat beside him.
“Hey,” Lian said carefully, voice low. “Andy… long time.”
Andy’s pen froze midair but he didn’t turn.
“Yeah,” he said flatly, eyes still on his notebook.
The reply hit Lian like a slap. That single word. Cold. Detached.
Lian forced a small smile. “Didn’t think I’d see you here this early. You still hate morning lectures?”
Andy didn’t answer. He only exchanged a look with the girl beside him and kept talking to her instead, as if Lian wasn’t even there. He thought how Mei knew he hated morning lectures, he would have asked but he doesn't want to engage in an conversation with her.
The silence that followed was thick. Heavy.
Lian’s fingers curled under the table, nails digging into his palm. The tension in his chest grew until it hurt to breathe.
So this was how it was now?
Andy used to be his safe place. His one true friend before everything changed. Before he had to take his sister’s identity and name. Before everyone thought he was “Mei,” the girl who made Andy’s life miserable years ago.
Lian bit his lip hard, swallowing the sting.
The girl beside Andy must have noticed the awkward air because she turned toward Lian, flashing a polite smile. “Hey,” she said softly. “You’re Mei Wilson, right? Sorry my bad Mei Fu ”
Lian froze for a second before forcing a weak smile. “Yeah… that’s me.”
She smiled wider, eyes bright. “Oh my God. You don’t even need to introduce yourself everyone knows who you are. The Mei Wilson. Married to Cheng Fu. Like wow.”
Her voice carried excitement, not judgment. It threw Lian off balance.
“Um… thanks?” he muttered, unsure how to respond.
The girl grinned. “I’m Leila. Leila Cooper. I transferred here last semester, so I’m still trying to learn who’s who, but trust me your wedding was like, all over social media. Even people from my old school were talking about it.”
Lian’s heart dropped at the mention of the wedding.
Of course they were talking about it. How could they not? The tape. The photos. The scandal. The mess.
He could almost hear the whispers again. She’s not fit to marry the Fu family.
Lian tried to hold his expression steady. “Yeah, that… wedding.”
Leila’s tone softened, sensing the discomfort. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “Didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just meant it was kind of iconic. Like, you must’ve gone through a lot. Still, you showed up today like nothing happened. That’s… kinda badass, honestly.”
Lian blinked. No one had ever called him a badass.
Andy remained silent, flipping through his notes like the conversation was background noise.
Leila leaned forward a little, studying Lian’s face. “You don’t really look like what people say. They talk like you’re some spoiled princess, but… you look nice. Really nice.”
“Thanks,” Lian said quietly, his lips twitching. “I guess that’s a compliment.”
Leila chuckled. “It is. Trust me. I’ve met fake people before, and you’re not one of them.”
Her warmth made Lian relax a little. The tightness in his chest eased.
“Leila,” Andy muttered suddenly, without looking up.
“What?” she asked, turning to him.
Andy’s voice came out low. “You don’t have to talk to her.”
The air froze.
Leila frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Andy finally looked up first at Leila, then at Lian. His eyes were cold, distant. “She doesn’t care. She never did. People like her just show up when it benefits them.”
Lian’s heart thudded painfully.
He wanted to speak to defend himself but what could he even say? Andy wasn’t wrong. At least not about Mei. The real Mei had been cruel. Vain. A spoiled bully who thought the world revolved around her.
But he wasn’t her. He was just stuck in her skin.
Leila looked between them, confusion clouding her face. “What going on with you guys”
Lian forced a weak laugh. “nothing.”
Andy’s jaw tightened. He looked like he wanted to get up and leave.
Leila frowned again. “Okay, well, whatever drama this is, I’m staying out of it. But for the record, Mei, you don’t seem like a bad person. I don’t care what rumors say.”
Lian blinked. For the first time all day, he felt something warm. Acceptance.
“Thanks, Leila,” he said quietly.
Andy scoffed, shutting his notebook a little too hard. “You really don’t know her.”
Leila rolled her eyes. “And you really need to stop assuming things, Andy.”
Lian stared down at his desk, throat tight.
The rest of the class filled up quickly, and the professor’s voice eventually drowned out the tension. But Lian couldn’t focus. His thoughts kept circling around Andy’s words.
She doesn’t care.
She never did.
He wanted to tell him everything. To grab him and say, It’s me, Andy. Lian. Your friend. The one you used to share music with. The one who never stopped caring.
But he couldn’t. Not here. He will eventually tell him sooner or later.
He could only sit there trapped in the identity of the girl everyone hated, living a fake life, taking her name, enduring her sins.
And beside him, Andy sat stiff and silent, like a wall he couldn’t break through.
Leila, sensing the silence, nudged Lian with a small smile. “Hey, wanna grab coffee after class?” she whispered. “You look like you could use one.”
Lian hesitated before nodding slightly. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Andy didn’t react. Didn’t even glance his way.
Soon the class ended.
“hey leila will meet you at the coffee stand” Liansaid as he yanked Andy’s wrist and pulled him out of the café.
“Hey what the hell, Mei?” Andy barked, trying to twist free.
“Just come with me,” Lian said under his breath.
Andy stumbled behind him, half-dragged through the empty hallway that led toward the restrooms.
Students turned, curious, whispering, but Lian didn’t stop until he shoved open a door marked Men and pushed Andy inside.
Andy froze, eyebrows flying up.
“Wow,” he said, letting out a sharp laugh. “Didn’t think you were that desperate for privacy, princess.”
Lian blinked, realizing too late what he’d done. Male restroom. Damn.
He had moved on instinct, forgetting who he was supposed to be.
Andy crossed his arms, smirking. “You do know you’re in the guys’ restroom, right? Trying to tell me something?”
Lian ran a hand through his hair, voice low. “please just keep quiet, okay? I need to talk to you.”
“Talk?” Andy snorted. “You drag me here like some psycho and now you wanna talk? You’ve got guts, Mei.”
Lian’s jaw clenched at the name.
Andy stepped closer, mockery in his eyes.
“Or wait, what’s this about? Don’t tell me the great Mei Wilson suddenly caught feelings for the loser she used to bully?”
His tone was sharp, teasing, but there was old pain behind it.
Lian inhaled slowly. He deserved that. Mei had made Andy’s life hell back then mocking him for his clothes, his grades, the stutter he used to have. Lian had watched all that from afar, silent, there was nothing he could do then because Mei threatened him not to interfere.
But now he couldn’t stay quiet.
“This isn’t about feelings,” Lian said. “It’s about the truth.”
Andy laughed again, a short, bitter sound. “Right. What truth could a spoiled rich girl like you possibly have that I’d care about?”
Lian looked him dead in the eye. “Andy, it’s me.”
“What?” andy said starring at him dumbly.
“It’s me Lian.” Lian said hardened his voice
Andy blinked, confused. “Yeah, no wrong person. Lian’s ”
“Don’t.” Lian cut him off, voice sharp enough to slice through the air. “Don’t finish that sentence. You think Lian is dead But I’m right here.”
Andy stared at him, silent for a beat before bursting into laughter.
“That’s rich. You drag me into a men’s restroom just to tell me you’re my long-lost buddy? You’ve officially lost it, Mei.”
“I’m not joking.”
“Sure. And I’m the president of Spain. Seriously, what’s wrong with you?”
Lian stepped closer, his voice trembling. “You think I’d joke about this? Andy, look at me.”
He gripped Andy’s shoulder, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Remember when you were eight? The night you ran to my house, crying? You said your step father raped you. You said if anyone found out, he’d kill you. I was the one who helped you clean the bruises. I was the one who swore I’d never tell anyone.”
Andy’s smirk faded.
His entire face changed, like someone had punched the air out of him.
He stumbled a step back, staring at Lian like he was seeing a ghost.
“Stop,” he whispered.
“You told me not to tell anyone not even you're mom because no one will believe you bit i did Andy… i belived you. You said you’d kill yourself if anyone found out. I promised I wouldn’t. You were shaking so hard, Andy ”
“Stop it!” Andy shouted, his voice cracking. He slammed a hand against the tiled wall.
“How the hell do you know that?!”
“Because it's me,” Lian said softly. “Because I’m Lian.”
Andy’s mouth opened, then closed again.
He looked at Lian at the feminine face, the makeup, the soft features and his mind refused to connect it.
“That’s impossible,” he muttered. “You can’t be he Lian’s gone. His dead.”
Lian’s eyes glistened. “No. I not dead. I was forced into this. Long story, but I had to become her… Mei. For reasons I can’t explain yet. But it’s me, Andy. The same person who stayed up all night helping you build that stupid robot, the one who fought those seniors for calling you a freak. The one who made that dumb promise under the bridge that we’d never turn into monsters like the people who hurt us.”
Andy’s breath hitched.
He pressed his back against the wall, sliding down until he crouched, his hands buried in his hair.
For a moment, neither spoke.
“You ” Andy’s voice broke. “You can’t do you realize what you’re saying? If this is a joke ”
“It’s not.”
Andy looked up again, eyes red. “Then why? Why the hell are you pretending to be her?”
Lian’s throat worked. “To protect my family To keep myself alive. I can’t explain more. Not yet.”
Andy stared at him for what felt like forever, the silence filled only by the hum of the bathroom light.
Finally, he laughed a low, broken laugh. “Jesus, Lian. You’re serious.”
Lian nodded.
Andy shook his head slowly, still processing, still trying to make sense of the impossible. “You’re insane, man.”
Then softer: “it's really you.” as he pulled him into a tight hug.
Lian smiled faintly. “Told you.” reciprocating the hug.
Andy pulled out of the embrace, running a hand through his hair, pacing.
He still looked shaken. “You You remember everything, huh?”
“Every damn thing,” Lian said quietly. “Including that night.”
“Stop,” Andy whispered. His voice trembled now. “I buried that, Lian. You hear me? I buried itlong ago.”
Lian swallowed hard. “You can bury it all you want. But it’s still there. And you’re still the kid I promised I’d protect.”
Andy turned away, gripping the edge of the sink like he might collapse. His reflection in the mirror looked pale and broken. “You have no idea what that did to me.”
“I do,” Lian said. “Because I saw it. Every scar, every panic attack, every time you flinched when someone raised their voice.”
Andy exhaled shakily. “Why bring this up now?”
“Because I needed you to believe me,” Lian said.
For a long second, there was nothing but silence.
Then Andy sighed, rubbing his eyes. “If you’re really Lian… damn it, you picked the worst disguise possible.”
Lian gave a humorless laugh. “Tell me about it.”
Andy shook his head again. “This is insane. You Lian you’re her now? Cheng’s wife?” he said in sarcasm
Lian’s expression darkened. “Don’t remind me.”
“Holy sht.” Andy exhaled, his voice a low mutter. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Then don’t,” Lian said, exhaustion bleeding into his tone. “Just keep it to yourself. Please. No one can know. Not now.”
Andy looked at him, searching his face, finally nodding once. “Fine. But you owe me the full story someday.”
Lian managed a small, grateful smile. “Deal.”
Andy straightened up, brushing invisible dust off his jacket. “You know, if you wanted to talk, you could’ve picked literally any other place than the men’s bathroom.”
Lian blinked, realizing again where they were, and a quiet laugh escaped him. “Guess old habits die hard.”
Andy chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “You’re something else.”
Lian looked at him in the mirror. “So are you.”
For the first time, Andy didn’t look at him with hate. There was confusion, shock, a mess of emotions but also the faintest trace of the friendship they once had.
“Hmm interesting what a huge secret.“
A voice low, amused murmured from outside the door then slipped silently.