Urban System in America
Chapter 39: Cold Hard Truth

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Cold Hard Truth

Navigating the campus, he soon reached the designated place.

Yes, it was the exact same spot where he had witnessed everything yesterday, the backside of an old campus building.

From a distance, he could see a hunched figure sitting carelessly on the weathered wooden bench.

His posture and vibe screamed heartbreak. At this age, the only thing that could make a young man look so broken was, without a doubt, failure in love.

Sighing, he walked closer and clearly saw his haggard appearance.

Seeing this, he shook his head. Love really can make or break a person.

That’s right ... the person sitting on the bench was Adrian, his friend and the boyfriend of Blair.

Well, now ex-boyfriend.

Rex paused a few feet away, not wanting to startle him.

"Adrian," he said softly, his voice low and careful.

No response.

Seeing this, he didn’t mind and sat beside him, the bench groaning beneath their weight.

A somewhat heavy silence hung in the air.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The quiet was filled only by the soft rustling of leaves and distant voices of students from the other parts of campus.

Adrian sat motionless, staring at the ground, lost in a storm of thoughts.

Rex glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He looked like a shadow of who he used to be ... heartbroken, disoriented, clinging to something already lost.

Rex hesitated, fingers tightening slightly around his phone.

He had debated whether or not to show Adrian what he had discovered.

It wasn’t just gossip, and it wasn’t just about heartbreak. It was something much bigger .... and as the person involved, he at least deserved to know the truth before it became public.

Otherwise,considering his personality, the damage would be far worse.

"I wasn’t sure if I should tell you this," Rex said, breaking the silence. His voice was low, measured. "But you at least have a right to know..."

Adrian finally looked up, confused and guarded. "What do you mean?"

Without another word, Rex unlocked his phone and turned the screen toward him.

"What’s this?" Adrian asked, frowning.

Rex leaned in. "Blair’s phone. She dropped it yesterday. Don’t ask how I got it ... I just did."

"And before you ask, I already checked it. Trust me, you’ll want to see this."

With hesitant hands, Adrian took the phone and scrolled through the messages Rex had already pulled up. His expression darkened with each passing second.

Let’s meet again at night. Same place. – Professor Clement.

When he reached the latest message, he froze. With great difficulty, he turned to look at Rex.

His jaw clenched, and his eyes seemed to plead. "This... this isn’t real, right?" His voice was tight, almost desperate. "It has to be some misunderstanding."

Rex sighed. "I wish it was. But keep reading."

More messages confirmed everything ... gifts, secret meetings, and subtle hints at academic favors. Adrian’s grip on the phone tightened. He shut his eyes, inhaling sharply through his nose, trying to keep himself from losing control.

"These two bastards," he muttered under his breath. "She... how...?"

His breath caught in his throat, and for a second, Rex thought he might lash out .... or crumble.

"She... what the hell is this?" Adrian muttered, his voice hoarse.

Rex just sighed and patted his shoulder. "I know it’s hard to accept, but it is what it is. We can’t change reality."

"But... B-but we’ve been dating for a year. Why would she do this to me? Haven’t I already tried my best to fulfill all her wishes?"

"Haven’t I already bought her everything she wanted? I took her to shopping centers, beauty salons, top restaurants... Wherever she wanted, I took her. Even if I had to eat plain sandwiches, I made sure to bring her favorite pasta from that Michelin-starred Italian place. Promised her a future. A home. A damn fairy tale." He was almost screaming at this point.

His voice cracked. "And she... she sold herself for what? Grades? Gifts? Some middle-aged man who should’ve never looked at her that way?"

"Why did she do this to me?"

"Couldn’t she wait a bit? Why.....?"

His voice got more and more hoarse until he finally broke down crying.

Rex placed a steady hand on his back and gently patted him without saying anything.

At this point, words weren’t necessary. Some pain couldn’t be dulled with words. It had to run its course, like poison that needed to bleed out.

He let Adrian cry.

He needed to vent his pent-up emotions and accept the cold, hard truth.

But honestly, seeing a grown young man cry wasn’t a pleasant thing.

Rex knew his friend was the type to fall hard in love .... the kind who poured everything into a relationship.

In fact, they used to have a great friendship, but since Adrian got together with Blair last year, he had nearly forgotten everything else and devoted himself entirely to her.

Some would call him a simp and laugh at him, but others would call him admirable .... a young man truly devoted to his girlfriend.

Anyway, what is right and what is wrong depends upon their own individual understanding and experiences.

This was also why Rex had decided to show him everything before exposing it to the public.

Considering Adrian’s personality, he was genuinely afraid he’d be hit even harder if the truth came out suddenly. People their age were impulsive, after all.

After crying for a while, Adrian finally got his emotions under control, though his body looked desolate.

He leaned back against the bench, breath shallow and uneven. He looked up at the sky like it might have answers.

Then out of nowhere, he started laughing and shouting loudly like a maniac.

"Hahaha, I’m really a fool. A real goddamn idiot. I didn’t even realize what kind of woman she was, even though there were so many hints along the way. I ignored them all, telling myself it was normal nowadays. That modern relationships were complicated. That she’d come around eventually," he choked out.

"I knew she wasn’t really into me from the start, but I always hoped my care and effort would change her mind."

"But... I guess I was just running from reality."

"I’m not bragging, but I really think I was a perfect match for her ....I mean, I’ve got a decent face, good body,good grades, a rich family. I was going to give her everything. Hell, I already did." He said, turning towards Rex, as if asking him the reason.

"What was I even lacking?" He said looking in the void, as if asking for an explanation from God.

Some people called guys like Adrian licking dogs. But he saw it differently.

He saw someone who had loved deeply, maybe too deeply. Someone who had believed in the kind of love the world now mocked. And in doing so, he’d handed his heart to someone who never planned to keep it.

He continued venting while Rex just sat quietly beside him.

Looking around, Rex was thankful they were in a remote place. Otherwise, students would’ve definitely gathered by now.

Still, his thoughts drifted. Thinking about it, Adrian was right ... What exactly was he lacking? He had everything someone would want in a boyfriend or even a husband, and yet he still got dumped.

And just for some extra bucks, it’s not that she didn’t know that his family was rich, In fact, that was likely the most important reason why she chose him in the first place ,out of all the guys chasing her.

He gave her everything he could, literally everything, but of course he couldn’t provide her with those extravagant designer items ... which he couldn’t afford, at least for now.

If she had just waited one more year, she could’ve really gotten married into a wealthy family and transformed from sparrow to phoenix.

But she still chose betrayal.

Even though he has been contemplating since last night, he really couldn’t understand her mentality .... Even more so, as someone who died a virgin in his past life.(￣┰￣*)

Still, he remembered reading about similar stories online. Women divorcing loving, successful husbands because they were "too perfect" — because they wanted thrill and excitement in their lives.

He remembered being speechless for days, even getting scolded by his supervisor for zoning out.

Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away.

Looking at Adrian’s dull eyes, he patted his back hard and said, "Listen! I don’t know what else to say, but you didn’t do anything wrong.Somethings, some people, no matter how hard you try, some things just aren’t meant to be."

"I know it’s cruel, but honestly... you should be glad this happened now. Just imagine ... what if you’d married her, had kids... and then found out the truth?"

Hearing this, Adrian’s eyes gained a bit of clarity. He closed them, deep in thought.

Time passed like falling leaves.

One minute.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Just when it was about to hit twenty, Adrian suddenly shuddered and stood up. His eyes were bloodshot, jaw clenched, chest heaving and body soaked in sweat.

Seeing him like this, Rex immediately stood up, worried, but Adrian quickly waved him off.

After taking a few deep breaths, he sat back down again.

This time, he didn’t cry, didn’t shout ... just sat there breathing deeply, eyes locked on the horizon.

Eventually, his breathing returned to normal.

And he turned toward Rex.

His eyes flickered with a multitude of emotions before settling into gratitude.

He tried to speak, but no words came out.

After another breath, he finally said,

"Thank you... T-thank you so much. If you hadn’t told me the truth, I would’ve just kept blaming myself. I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened ... but it wouldn’t have been anything good."

"Anyway, thank you very much."

His voice was hoarse and barely audible, but Rex understood him clearly.

He leaned forward and hugged him again.

"It’s okay. And why are you thanking me like an outsider? We’re friends. Isn’t this what a friend should do?"

Then, with a hint of mock sternness, he added, "Unless you don’t consider me a friend!?"

Hearing this, Adrian hurriedly broke from the hug, flapping his hands frantically. "No... N-no... no, I— I..." He stammered, panicking.

Seeing him like this, Rex burst into laughter. "Hahaha, relax! I was just joking. Look at you. If someone saw you like this, they’d think I bullied you!"

Seeing Rex like this, Adrian stopped panicking and slumped back onto the bench, giving Rex a bitter glare as he grinded his teeth.

After laughing for a while, Rex looked at him and seeing him grinding his teeth he hurriedly backed away. "Hey, hey, man! Easy! I was just joking. Don’t hit me!" he said, feigning fear.

Adrian gritted his teeth even more.

"Alright, enough joking," Rex said, straightening up as his tone shifted to seriousness.

Adrian also calmed and relaxed against the bench. Silence returned.

After a while, Adrian turned to Rex and asked hesitantly, "By the way... what are you going to do with all this?"

Rex looked back at him, expression solemn. After a moment, he said,

"I’m going to expose him. Expose that bastard — that stain on the name of a professor."

"B-but..." Adrian began, but Rex cut him off.

"I know what you’re going to say. But I won’t change my mind. And it’s not just about Blair, I have another very solid reason. I have to do this."

"Honestly, with the beef between us, the only way I can keep studying here in peace is if he’s gone. There’s no middle ground."

"And don’t worry , I’m not reckless. I already have a foolproof plan."

Adrian still looked like he had more to say but ultimately said nothing.

He knew his friend. Even if there were no personal grudges, Rex would still expose him , for the sake of other students.

And honestly, considering Professor Clement’s bizarre personality, Adrian knew he wouldn’t let Rex off the hook easily either.

Sighing, Adrian turned to Rex, his gaze sharpening as he straightened up.

"Okay. So... what’s the plan?"

(End of Chapter)

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