Chapter 501 - 498: Wyatt Thorne Doubts His Existence

Yuna Sutton was beautiful and came from a prominent family.

Wyatt Thorne, on the other hand, was just a poor boy.

Wyatt Thorne was born and raised in the countryside. He had three older sisters, and since his parents had him late in life, they doted on their only son.

In their poor village, some children couldn’t even afford shoes, but Wyatt Thorne was able to buy new shoes and clothes every month.

And that was precisely why he was so arrogant.

His entire family of seven worked to put him through school. Fortunately, Wyatt Thorne’s grades were good, and thanks to regional admissions policies, he got into Emberfall University.

Before attending Emberfall University, the farthest Wyatt Thorne had ever traveled was to the provincial capital, and those were just rushed trips where he had to return home without any time for sightseeing.

After finally getting into Emberfall University two years ago, he realized that the monthly allowance of a student from the city was more than what his entire family earned in the same amount of time.

Fortunately, Wyatt Thorne was good-looking, and he cultivated the image of a gentle, kind-hearted upperclassman, which won him the affection of many female students.

In all his years at Emberfall University, he had barely spent any of his own money.

Chloe Sinclair felt there was no difference between Wyatt Thorne and a man who mooched off women.

If there was any difference, it was that a professional moocher was probably more loyal than him.

At least a proper kept man latches onto one rich woman for life, waiting for her to die so he can inherit her fortune. Wyatt Thorne, on the other hand, was juggling who-knows-how-many girls and acted like it was perfectly natural.

Chloe Sinclair couldn’t be bothered to put on an act. "If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving," she said directly.

With that, she prepared to get up and leave.

However, instead of getting angry, Wyatt Thorne stopped Chloe Sinclair. In a gentle voice, he said, "Miss Sinclair, we’ve never met. Perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding?"

Chloe Sinclair nodded. "We’ve never met, yet you told Yuna Sutton you like me. Do you actually like me, or are you just using me as a pawn?"

Wyatt Thorne: "..."

’He felt a surge of irritation. He hadn’t expected Chloe Sinclair to be as sharp in person as she was online.’

’Didn’t that idiot Nina Sinclair say she was hopelessly naive?’

’Why is she acting like a bunny with steel teeth today?’

But Wyatt Thorne was extremely confident in his looks and remained convinced there must be some sort of misunderstanding.

He said, "It’s true that this is our first time meeting, Miss Sinclair. But I’ve seen you on the basketball court before. I... I like you."

As he spoke, he gazed at Chloe Sinclair with deep affection, his eyes gentle yet resolute.

Chloe Sinclair looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "So you pay a lot of attention to me, then?"

Hearing this, Wyatt Thorne thought he still had a chance and rushed to profess his sincerity. "Mhm, I’m always paying attention to you. I’m actually a fan of yours. I even joined your fan club. I’ve seen all your variety shows and movies. They’re great."

As he spoke, he quickly pulled his phone from his pocket. "How about we add each other on WeChat? We could discuss our studies sometime."

Chloe Sinclair glanced down. It was the latest phone from "Fruit," released just a few days ago.

She didn’t move a muscle, not even lifting her eyelids. "You say you pay close attention to me?"

Before Wyatt Thorne could reply, he heard Chloe Sinclair ask coolly, "Then you don’t know I have a boyfriend? Are you trying to get me to cheat on him, or are you trying to be the other man?"

Chloe Sinclair’s voice was loud enough for all the students watching nearby to hear every word.

The color instantly drained from Wyatt Thorne’s face. He scrambled to explain, "Chloe, that’s not what I meant."

Chloe Sinclair shot him a contemptuous glance. "Good. My boyfriend and I are rock solid, so you can stop liking me. Besides, Miss Sutton right there seems like a much better match for you."

"And don’t bother with the WeChat add. I don’t add guys I don’t know."

Wyatt Thorne’s face was deathly pale, and he looked wounded. "I just wanted to discuss academic matters with you."

’He seethed with indignation.’

’He’d asked around before. People said Chloe Sinclair was always polite and would freely give her WeChat to any classmate who asked.’

’So what was with today? It felt like she was deliberately targeting him.’

’He couldn’t help but glance at Yuna Sutton. He had a feeling this had something to do with that idiot.’

The snickers and scrutinizing looks from the crowd made him extremely uncomfortable.

Chloe Sinclair shot Wyatt Thorne a look, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Discuss academics with me? Are you publishing a paper or something? I’ve recently been doing interdisciplinary research in biopharmaceuticals. If you’re interested in that, then maybe we could be friends."

Wyatt Thorne was a computer science major. He didn’t know the first thing about biopharmaceuticals.

’Besides, isn’t Chloe Sinclair a student at the School of Physics? What’s she doing studying biology?’

He flushed, at a loss for words.

Chloe Sinclair couldn’t be bothered to talk to him either and left without a backward glance.

Wyatt Thorne gritted his teeth, watching Chloe Sinclair’s departing figure, lost in thought.

Yuna Sutton looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and said in a pitiful voice, "Wyatt, I’m sorry. It’s my fault she’s upset."

She was clever. She knew Wyatt Thorne’s personality; as long as she acted meek, he would never blame her.

Sure enough, though Wyatt Thorne had been seething with anger, his heart softened the moment he heard her words.

’Instead, he started blaming Chloe for being so tactless.’

"It’s okay. I must have done something to upset Chloe. I’ll explain things to her properly after a while. I don’t blame you."

Listening to his voice, which sent shivers down her spine, Yuna Sutton’s tears began to fall. But in her heart, she cursed Chloe Sinclair for being so unappreciative.

The crowd dispersed as soon as Chloe Sinclair left.

There was no shortage of smart people at Emberfall University, and many of them couldn’t stand Wyatt Thorne.

"Hah, that Wyatt Thorne is so dumb. Does he really think people can’t see his ulterior motives?"

"His intentions are as obvious as the nose on your face."

"Watching Chloe Sinclair shut him down was so satisfying. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen her tear someone down like that in person. I absolutely loved the look in her eyes."

"Man, I’m so jealous of Jasper Shaw. The guy’s turning thirty in about twenty days, and he’s got a girlfriend that young, fair, and beautiful. If I had a girlfriend who looked like a goddess like her, I’d worship the ground she walked on."

"What girlfriend? You don’t have a fucking girlfriend."

"Hey, don’t be so insulting! You’re single too, aren’t you?"

"..."

Wyatt Thorne had sharp senses; ever since he was a child, his hearing had been better than most people’s.

Plenty of students were still discussing the incident, and listening to them made Wyatt Thorne’s stomach churn.

But he couldn’t afford to lose his composure and throw a tantrum now.

He glanced at Yuna Sutton and started blaming her again.

He had been wondering why Chloe Sinclair was so hostile to him from their very first meeting.

’It had to be because of Yuna Sutton.’

The more Wyatt Thorne thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He muttered something to Yuna Sutton and then took his leave.

He left Yuna Sutton standing there alone, her eyes filled with tears as she watched his retreating back with a heartbroken expression.

Meanwhile, Wyatt Thorne had just stepped out of the cafeteria, planning to go get a drink and drown his sorrows.

Just as he was passing an alley, someone suddenly grabbed him and pulled him inside.

Before he could even react, he was brutally slapped across the face.

The sound was crisp and loud.