Chapter 871 Progress

Chapter 871 Progress

The next day, Rita hitched a ride to school with Evan again.

They got there early, and a bunch of students were just hanging out on campus. As Rita walked by, people couldn't help but stare, some even pointing and whispering behind her back.

Rita pulled out her phone, flipped to the camera, and checked her face. Nothing seemed off.

'Why's everyone staring at me?' she wondered, a bit confused but shrugged it off.

She hadn't been to class for a few days and had no morning classes, so she decided to head back to her dorm to catch up on some reading.

But as soon as she walked in, she heard Zoey and Grace gossiping.

When they saw Rita, they turned and stared at her with these curious eyes, like they were trying to read her mind. "Rita, you're really good at keeping secrets. We've been roommates for months, and we had to hear about you from others."

Rita was baffled, "What are you talking about?"

Zoey shot back, "Don't play dumb. Do you not think of us as friends?"

Rita insisted, "I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

Grace pulled up a picture on her phone and shoved it in Rita's face. "Look at this."

Rita took a closer look and saw it was a photo from Royce's funeral, with her standing right next to Evan. Anyone could see they were close.

There was no hiding it now.

Zoey pressed, "Come on, spill the beans."

Rita sighed, "It's not what you think."

Grace got impatient, "The photo shows you with Evan. That's pretty solid evidence."

After living together for almost three months, Rita had grown close to Zoey and Grace. She couldn't keep it from them anymore, so she explained briefly, "It's all arranged by our families. There's nothing romantic between us."

Zoey jumped in, "So your families are cool with it, and you're Evan's fiancée."

Rita replied, "Is that what I said?"

Zoey and Grace didn't care about the details; they just wanted to believe their version.

Grace added, "No wonder Vivienne kept bugging you. She probably knew you were Evan's fiancée. How could a fake girlfriend act so high and mighty in front of the real one?"

Rita said, "Let's drop it. I want to read for a bit."

Grace shrugged, "Fine. But the whole school knows now, and you're probably not gonna get any peace."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Zoey, being closest, opened it to find a bunch of girls standing outside. "Who are you looking for?"

Zoey didn't recognize any of them.

Before she could say anything, they pushed their way in. "We're here to see Rita."

They all crowded around Rita like they were old friends. "Rita, are you really Evan's fiancée?"

"Rita, I can't believe it. No wonder Evan said Vivienne wasn't his girlfriend. He was making way for you, his real fiancée."

"Evan must really care about you. You're so lucky."

"Yeah, it's so enviable. I'm almost crying with jealousy..."

They kept chatting away, totally ignoring how awkward Rita felt.

After that group left, another one showed up, and then another, taking up Rita's entire morning.

And it wasn't just a one-day thing; for the next few days, Rita was like a walking attraction at school, constantly surrounded by curious students.

Evan heard about it too.

Nathan said to him, "Evan, everyone at school knows Rita is your fiancée. Aren't you gonna clear things up?"

Evan shrugged, "She's my fiancée. What's there to clarify?"

Nathan gave him a look, "Evan, at the start of the semester, you couldn't stand her and didn't want to be linked to her. Now, a few months later, your attitude's done a 180. Have you fallen for Rita and actually want to marry her?"

Evan shot Nathan a cold glare, "Whether I marry her or not is none of your business. Even if I don't, she wouldn't be interested in you. So drop it."

Nathan sighed, "Once I found out she was your fiancée, I gave up on her."

Evan said, "From now on, keep an eye on her at school."

Nathan replied, "With the title of your fiancée, she doesn't need my protection."

Evan thought about it and agreed, saying nothing more.

He picked up his phone, intending to message Rita, only to realize he didn't have her contact info. "Do you have Rita's contact info?" he asked.

Nathan looked surprised, "Evan, are you telling me you don't even have your fiancée's contact info?"

Evan snapped, "Just answer the question."

Nathan replied, "If you, her fiancé, don't have her contact, why would I? But I have her in a group chat. I'll try to add her, and if she accepts, I'll share her Facebook with you."

Evan nodded, "Do it."

Nathan found Rita's profile in the group and tried to add her, but a message popped up saying she didn't allow friend requests.

He showed his phone to Evan and said, "Can't add her."

Evan said, "Add me to that group."

Nathan quickly complied.

Soon, Evan was in the group. "Which one is Rita's account?"

Nathan pointed, "That one."

Evan immediately tagged Rita: [Rita, this is Evan. Add me on Facebook.]

Evan, who never joined any groups, suddenly appeared in the Facebook group and tagged Rita to add him. This instantly caused a stir.

No one in the group dared to tease, but within minutes, the group grew from dozens to five hundred people, showing how gossipy they were.

But Rita didn't respond to Evan's message because she was in class and never brought her phone with her during lectures.

Zoey, sitting next to her, quietly passed her a note: [Rita, Evan just tagged you in our reading competition group, asking you to add him.]

Rita immediately wrote back: [I didn't bring my phone. Can you reply to him for me? I'll add him after class.]

[Evan, Rita didn't bring her phone. She'll add you after class.] Zoey typed the message secretly but hadn't sent it yet when Evan appeared at the door of their lecture hall.

Ignoring the teacher on the podium, he scanned the room, found Rita, and said loudly, "Rita, I asked you to add me on Facebook. Why haven't you?"