Morrison looked completely unfazed.
"What's wrong with what I did?" he said casually. "You're my girlfriend. They're your classmates. I just wanted to help you bond with them a little—what's wrong with hosting a little party on your behalf?"
Lilian puffed up, clearly annoyed.
"But now they all know I have a boyfriend, okay?! Didn't we agree to keep this a secret?"
Morrison swirled the wine in his glass with leisurely elegance.
"I didn't show up, did I? All they know is you have a boyfriend. They don't know who."
Of course, Morrison would never admit that he absolutely did it on purpose.
As someone who'd been through it all, he knew these graduation parties like the back of his hand. They were hotbedsfor emotional confessions. Guys who had secretly liked a girl for years but never dared say a word would suddenly grow bold under the influence of alcohol and the bittersweet finality of graduation.
Confess now or regret forever.
And a girl like Lilian—gentle, graceful, and effortlessly beautiful—there were bound to be plenty of boys who secretly liked her.
Morrison didn't care whether or not those confessions would lead anywhere. Even if it wouldn't change a thing, just the fact that someone might confess to her was unacceptable to him.
So what did he do?
He made his move before the party even started—dropping a big, unmistakable hint that she already had a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend, but one who could afford to treat the whole class without blinking. It was a warning shot. A way to crush all those naïve little schoolboy dreams before they even had the chance to grow wings.
Hence, that little performance earlier.
Lilian: "…"
Fine. No matter what she said, he always had a comeback. When it came to arguing, she was clearly no match for him.
Lilian looked at him and asked,
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Morrison set his wine glass down. The lazy nonchalance he'd worn just moments ago vanished in an instant as he sat up straight, looking at her seriously.
"That woman at the restaurant… we're just business partners. That's all."
To be honest, it was rare for Morrison to offer explanations like this. He didn't even know why he felt the need to clarify anything. Usually, it was women who circled around him—never the other way around.
"Oh…"
The girl only gave a quiet, nonchalant reply. Morrison had just started to feel relieved when she followed up with another question:
"If it's just business… then why did you hug her?"
Morrison: "…"
He'd thought she'd be easy to placate. One sentence from her, and he was completely cornered.
Why had he hugged Monna?
Could he even admit that he'd done it just to shut her up, to humiliate her a little? Except Monna didn't have the shame to feel humiliated.
What a joke. He'd wanted to put Monna in her place, but ended up getting caught by Lilian mid-hug. It was like fate had scripted it just to mess with him.
As he stayed silent, Lilian looked down, her gaze falling on her pale fingers as she whispered,
"If you've fallen for someone else… you can just tell me. I won't cling to you."
Her voice dropped lower.
"But you didn't even break up with me before hugging another woman…"
Her expression as she said this was quietly aggrieved, making her look so heartbreakingly pitiful…
Morrison instantly felt like the worst kind of scumbag. He moved over to her side, took her hand, and looked her in the eyes as he spoke solemnly,
"I haven't fallen for anyone else."
But the girl looked up at him again with teary, accusatory eyes and pressed once more,
"If you didn't like her, then why did you hug her?"
Morrison nearly lost it.
She didn't yell, didn't cry—just kept asking that one question over and over. And yet that simple question hit him right in his weak spot.
The truth was undeniable.
He had a girlfriend, and still went and hugged another woman. It didn't matter if he meant to humiliate Monna or whatever excuse he wanted to come up with—it was wrong. And she knew it was wrong.
With a heavy sigh, Morrison finally admitted defeat and apologized.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have hugged another woman. I shouldn't have behaved ambiguously with her."
And then he added a vow,
"I promise—while we're together, nothing like that will ever happen again."
Morrison thought to himself—
This relationship with her probably wouldn't last much longer anyway.
So what if he made a few promises? Sweet words came easily to him, after all.
Lilian wasn't the type to hold onto anger once someone had admitted their mistake.
He'd done wrong, he'd apologized, and so she forgave him.
In her mind, Morrison really had crossed a line. If they weren't in a relationship, then he could hug whoever he wanted, flirt with as many women as he liked—she wouldn't care one bit. But since they were in a relationship, she believed he owed her that basic level of respect.
That was why she'd confronted him with such grievance earlier.
She didn't understand all the little games men liked to play.
Her view of love was simple—
At the very least, be loyal to each other while the relationship lasted.
Still, he had apologized and made a promise.
So to her, the matter was resolved.
"Alright," she said plainly. "I forgive you."
Morrison watched the way her expression immediately relaxed, and let out a soft chuckle.
Sometimes, a woman crying and screaming and making a huge scene didn't affect a man as much as one who let things go with graceful ease.
The more a woman argued and clung, the more a man would pull away—and more likely he'd go out and do it again.
But if she acted with quiet dignity, that very forbearance could make a man reflect and think twice the next time temptation arose.
Lilian figured Morrison had asked her here for no other reason than to clear this up. Now that it was done, she should get going. So she stood up and said,
"I'm leaving now. My classmates are still waiting for me."
"Lilian!"
Morrison called her name through gritted teeth.
They hadn't seen each other in days.
And now that she was finally here—she wanted to leave just like that, without even a hint of reluctance?
When Morrison asked, "Do you know how many days it's been since we last saw each other?" he sounded like a resentful husband.
Lilian looked at him, puzzled. Why was his tone so sour? They hadn't seen each other for a long time before, and he hadn't contacted her either. Now she was about to leave for her class's graduation party—how come he suddenly wasn't happy about her going?
Morrison was burning with frustration inside, but looking at her innocent eyes, he couldn't hold it in. All the promises he had just made were tossed aside in his mind. He reached over, pulled her close by the shoulders, and pressed his lips hard against hers.
This time, he kissed her with more force—biting and sucking.
She whimpered in protest, but he loosened his hold slightly, breathing heavily as he commanded, "Open your mouth."
"No!"
She refused, but before she could react, his tongue slipped inside, aggressively entwining with hers, making her tongue tingle.