The past

The only advantage that Waldo possesses is his voice.

Upon arriving on campus, he participated in a campus singing competition for the first time and won a large group of female fans.

Waldo continued to send a message: "Helen, how did you end up in this doomsday game? How's the situation over there?"

Helen replied, "I'm doing okay for now, barely able to eat enough, but the supplies are not abundant."

By the way, guess who I ran into here?

Waldo looked at the message and speculated that it might be an old acquaintance from college.

Moreover, they were playing riddles, so it should be a former classmate or teacher from college.

"Who is it? We had so many classmates in our class. I can't guess one by one. I might guess until it's dark!" replied Waldo.

Helen sent an emoji of covering her mouth and laughing, then said, "I won't tease you anymore. I'll just tell you. I teamed up with Russ from our class. Do you remember him?"

Upon seeing these three words, Waldo's expression became somewhat unpleasant.

He naturally remembered this rich second-generation classmate.

Russ was a local student at the university where Waldo studied, and he was famously wealthy.

Furthermore, he lived in the same dormitory as Waldo, which exposed Waldo to the lifestyle of the wealthy for the first time.

Luxury goods were casually discarded, and a stream of female companions came and went without repeating.

Waldo's parents passed away early, and he was raised solely by his grandfather.

After entering university, his grandfather passed away, and Waldo had to rely on part-time work and student loans to cover his living expenses and tuition fees.

Fortunately, with his astuteness and adaptability, Waldo managed to make his university life relatively comfortable with the money he earned from his job.

The discord between the two of them arose due to money.

Waldo still vividly remembered the incident that occurred in the second semester of his sophomore year, on a hot evening.

As usual, the dormitory was empty, with only Waldo reading alone while everyone else went to the local bar for a night of clubbing with Russ.

When Russ and the others returned, laughing and joking, Waldo greeted them with a smile, as he always did.

Then he went back to reading.

However, that night was not peaceful.

Russ was flipping his bed and wardrobe, unable to find his watch.

When he went clubbing at night, he intended to wear his Royal Oak watch to attract high-quality girls.

But due to time constraints, he didn't search carefully and left.

So, when Russ returned from clubbing, he wanted to quickly find his watch for the next time.

However, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find it.

Strange? Where did my watch go?

Russ grumbled, and other roommates gathered around him.

One of his closest roommates, who was usually very close to Russ, said, "What's wrong? Russ, your watch is missing? That watch must be worth at least several hundred thousand!"

Other roommates joined the discussion.

"Russ, keep looking carefully. You'll definitely find it. It couldn't have been stolen, right?"

Suddenly, the dormitory fell into an eerie silence.

Russ slowly raised his head and looked at Waldo, who was sitting at a nearby desk, furrowing his brows.

"Waldo, there was only you in the dormitory just now. Where did my watch go? Do you know?" Russ asked.

Upon hearing this, Waldo immediately furrowed his brows.

The implication of his words was, "Your watch is missing, and you're implying that it's related to me?"

Waldo put down his book and calmly said, "I've been in the dormitory the whole time, and no one else entered. Keep searching carefully. If you still can't find it in the dormitory, maybe you lost it yourself?"

Russ sneered and said slowly, emphasizing each word, "My watch was always at the school. I was wearing it in class yesterday. You say no one came to the dormitory. I think you're the one who stole it."

Waldo stood up from his chair, feeling angry. "Russ, what do you mean by that?"

Facing Waldo's questioning, Russ refused to back down. "What do I mean? I mean I suspect you stole my watch! What makes you so sure it was me? Just because I was alone in the dormitory?!"

Russ tore off the facade and angrily said, "Who in our class doesn't know that you're the poorest? You see my expensive watch, can you resist the temptation?!"

Waldo's lips trembled with anger and disbelief. So, after being roommates for two years, is this how they all see him?

The other roommates remained silent, seemingly confirming Waldo's suspicions. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Even though he had treated himself to a cup of milk tea today to reward himself for a hard day's work, his mouth still felt bitter.

Seeing Waldo's silence, Russ took the opportunity to continue his aggressive approach. "Waldo, if you want to prove your innocence, fine. You and your luggage, let us search through them."

Waldo couldn't bear such humiliation and exploded in anger. "Bullshit!"

The argument between the two attracted other classmates from the dormitory, who gathered at their door.

"Russ, Waldo is not that kind of person. Although his family is poor, he is still righteous and honest," one classmate defended.

Others echoed, "Yeah, we've been together for two years. You, as his roommates, should know him better."

But Waldo's other roommates sided with Russ. "You don't understand. Let's just search his belongings. If there's nothing, then forget about it. It's not a big deal."

Waldo laughed bitterly. He felt a sense of injustice. He never expected that the ones who spoke up for him would be classmates from other dormitories. Meanwhile, his roommates, whom he had spent two years with, were all siding with Russ.

Search his belongings? Waldo considered it an insult to his character. He couldn't accept it!