So What If the Heroine Forgot Me?

It's the fifth year of my mission to woo the heroine in this world, Aria Langston, yet she forgets my birthday once again. The person who remembers it and sends me a message right on time is none other than the villainous male supporting character, Nolan Kensington. Nolan: "So what if it's your birthday? All I had to do was curl my finger, and she came running to me!" This time, instead of cautiously begging Aria to stay as the system suggests, I reply to Nolan's message. "Thank you! You're the only person today who remembers my birthday." He replies almost instantaneously. "?" Then, my phone starts buzzing nonstop. Nolan: "Hold on… you sent that to the wrong person, didn't you?" Nolan: "Are you serious? Are you really that pitiful?" Nolan: "In that case, do you want me to come over and grab a drink with you?" Nolan: "Forget it. I'm coming over. Since you're allergic to mangoes, I'll order a strawberry cake, okay?" Nolan: "Seriously, I can't with you!" … The moment the doorbell rings, I smile faintly at the system. "You only told me to conquer the protagonist of this world. You never specified it had to be the heroine." Chapter 1 The system, which was usually an insufferable chatterbox, went silent for a brief moment before stumbling over its words to explain. [W-What do you mean? The target of your mission is obviously the heroine! You and Aria are definitely going to live happily ever after!] I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Ever since I was brought to Langston Manor five years ago, the system had been constantly dangling that carrot in front of me, assuring me that all the cold shoulders and grievances I endured were merely trials of love and that Aria Langston and I were destined for a happy ending. Too bad I didn't really want that ending anymore. Ignoring the system, I rose to my feet and walked straight to open the door. The first thing that came into view was Aria's annoyed face. She shot me a cold look. "Even if I forgot our promise, there was no need for you to use Nolan to force me to see you. I had no idea you were so scheming, Clement." I was caught off guard. To get her to spend this one birthday with me, I had worked practically day and night for the past three months, ultimately achieving a breakthrough in Langston Group's chip research and development. Aria had been thrilled and asked me what I wanted as a reward. I had cautiously asked if she could spare just one evening for me. When she'd readily agreed, I'd been over the moon, believing our relationship was finally taking a step forward. Little did I know, I'd be stood up and dismissed with a casual "I forgot." Footsteps sounded behind us as Nolan Kensington dragged himself up to the sixth floor, a massive cake box cradled in his arms, panting heavily. He planted himself between Aria and me with an odd expression on his face. "So, you didn't ditch Clement to spend time with me... You just forgot it's his birthday today?" Aria frowned and asked matter-of-factly, "Why should I remember his birthday?" Nolan turned to look at me again, his expression growing even more complicated. An awkward silence hung in the air for a while before Aria looked down at me condescendingly. As if she was doing me a huge favor, she said, "Considering how dedicated you've been to Langston Group, I'll grant you a reward. What do you want? Out with it." I looked up and met her eyes. "Anything at all?" Aria froze for a moment. Instinctively, she touched the tip of her nose and averted her gaze. "Of course." The system started screaming in my head. [Oh Em Gee, she's blushing! Did you see that? Hurry up and tell her you don't want anything; you just want to spend quality time with her for a day. Then, take her to an amusement park and a candlelit dinner… Her favorability level will definitely shoot through the roof!] I merely looked at her quietly for a couple of seconds before drawing a deep breath. "In that case, give me some money." The smile on her face stiffened. "Excuse me?" I languidly lifted my gaze. "Give me some money. My rent is due." Aria's expression darkened in an instant, and she gritted out, "At long last, your true colors are showing. To think you claimed you weren't after my money." Her knuckles cracked loudly as she clenched her fists. Then, she sneered, "Too late, Clement. Didn't you want to marry into my family? In that case, you'll be slaving away for Langston Group for the rest of your life!" Having said her piece, she turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving Nolan to hand me the cake with an unreadable expression. "Um… Happy birthday." I forced a faint smile. "I know you only came to watch me make a fool of myself, but... thanks." As soon as the door clicked shut, the system started wailing again. [Oh lord, what did you just do? Aria clearly felt guilty about forgetting your birthday. Why did you not use the opportunity to take advantage of her feelings and say those things to her instead?] I lowered my head and looked at the rent collection messages from my landlady. "Well, what else was I supposed to do? I still have to survive, don't I?' All these years, because Aria loathed me, I earned less than the janitor despite holding the title of Chief Engineer at Langston Group. The system was taken aback. [But that's just one of the trials the heroine's putting you through! Aria's in love with you; she just doesn't realize it yet! Once you two tie the knot, won't everything she owns belong to you anyway?] Just then, the doorbell rang. The delivery man poked his head in, clutching a cake box. "Delivery from Ms. Langston." The system instantly puffed up. [I told you she has feelings for you. Look, she even ordered you a cake. You're the one who pushed her away. Hurry up and contact her and coax her back!] I stared at the cake, which was covered generously with mango slices, in silence. Then, I looked up at the system. "Do you still remember five years ago, the day I first arrived?" Chapter 2 I arranged to meet Nolan at the cafe below the company. The system was pacing back and forth in my head. [Have you really thought this through, Clement? Are you seriously joining Kensington Group? Nolan's only taking you in right now because he wants to keep you away from the heroine. Once your relationship with the heroine develops, he'll come after you even more ruthlessly!] As I buttoned my shirt, I responded absentmindedly, "At least he can offer me a fair wage, so I won't end up destitute in a foreign land. Besides, Nolan didn't rise above all his siblings and secure his position as the heir of the Kensington family by being some empty-headed scion. So…" I left it at that. Five years ago, I traveled to the capital all on my own to look for my family. The security guards at the villa had looked down their noses at me and ruthlessly driven me away. Aria had swooped in like a dame in shining armor, reprimanded the guards, and brought me back to Langston Manor. Consequently, no matter how cold she was to me in the last five years, I had always held on to that first ray of light. Of course, I still remembered that five years ago, the person who had stood beside Aria, held an umbrella over my head, and draped his coat over my shoulders was Nolan. Perhaps if I hadn't made that ridiculous choice five years ago, the three of us wouldn't be where we are at the moment. Nolan sat across from me, leisurely swirling his coffee. "Do you really want to join Kensington Group? Why? Isn't Langston Group your whole world? For the last few years, you practically cooped yourself up inside the lab, and you would come running whenever Aria snapped her fingers. You were more obedient than their dog." I lowered my head and took a sip of my coffee. "It's because I don't want to be a dog anymore." Nolan was dumbstruck. After a long while, he had an unreadable expression as he handed me a contract. "Clement, I genuinely detest you, but there are times when I kind of admire you, too. "I've always kept business strictly business. I respect your abilities, so I won't make your life hard at work. However, when it comes to personal matters, you and I are still rivals!" He rose from his seat and extended his hand toward me. "Welcome to Kensington Group." I looked up, flashed him a faint smile, and took his hand. Before I entered the picture, Nolan and Aria were practically the main characters of this world. They were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match in social standing. Everything changed five years ago when Aria's father, Albert Langston, was ambushed. Dad, who was his chauffeur, had taken the fatal blow meant for him. Before drawing his last breath, Dad had asked the Langston family to take care of his only child. Hence, under the watchful eyes of the public, Mr. Langston had announced that I would marry his only daughter, Aria, and become his son-in-law. Aria's expression had instantly hardened. The young woman who had gently comforted me just the night before now looked at me with nothing but disgust in her eyes. … When I returned to the company, my assistant, Joel Smith, immediately started making faces at me. Bewildered, I pushed open the door to my office, only to find Aria sitting inside, her expression cold. "Clement Carlisle, you left your post during work hours. Is this your idea of professionalism? Your salary for this month will be withheld." I pursed my lips and remained silent. So, with a jeer, she continued, "Oh, I forgot. Without your salary, you won't even be able to pay your rent. What, are you planning to shamelessly move back to Langston Manor again?" The system abruptly started yelling in my head. [When has she ever come to the R&D department of her own accord? She's here to give you a way out! [I bet the rent's just an excuse. She obviously wants you to move back into Langston Manor. She's just too proud to admit it!] However, all of a sudden, I just felt exhausted. It had been five years. I was done living like this. "Forget it." Both the system and Aria were caught off guard. "Forget it. Since I violated the company's rules, I'll just resign." Aria sprang to her feet, gritting her teeth. "Do you think my resolve will waver just because you're playing hard to get? Who the hell do you think you are? You want to resign, right? Fine. Leave, and don't ever think about coming back!" The very next second, she swept everything off my desk and slammed the door behind her as she stormed out. I silently lowered my head and picked up the scattered documents. Just then, a message from Nolan popped up on my phone. "You're good to start on Monday, right? I bought you a few sets of clothes and had them delivered to your place. Dress presentably for work. Don't embarrass me!" Staring at the message, I suddenly lowered my head and let out a low chuckle. Chapter 3 On Monday morning, as I stood in front of Kensington Group's building, the system was still rambling on and on in my head. [Clement, have you really thought this through? You're walking right into Nolan's turf. According to the original storyline, he'll—] Walking into the building, I casually asked, "He'll do what?" [He'll prepare a complete set of office supplies for you on your first day, arrange your workstation, and even have his assistant buy you breakfast... Huh? Wait a second. He doesn't seem that villainous after all…] I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I had known for five years that Nolan was far from an airheaded scion. If the system hadn't pitted us against each other, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out the way they were that day. The elevator doors slid open, and before I could even take a step forward, Nolan was already waiting outside. He sized me up before knitting his brows. "I bought you new clothes, didn't I? Why are you still wearing this?" I lowered my head and looked at the white shirt I had on. "Those clothes are too expensive. I—" He cut me off. "I told you to wear them. So, you should've worn them! Why do you have so many excuses? Come with me. Your office is on the 18th floor." I froze for a moment. "My office? I'm just an engineer. I don't need—" Without sparing me a glance, he responded, "You need one, and that's final. Kensington Group isn't Langston Group. We don't dump our Chief Engineer in a cubicle. Also, your salary…" He turned around and handed me a debit card. "Here's a three-month advance on your salary. Pay your rent first. I won't have you getting evicted and embarrassing me!" Looking down at the bank card, my fingers trembled slightly. The system suddenly asked quietly. [Why do I feel like something's wrong, Clement? Aren't those supposed to be the heroine's lines?] … I was sitting at my desk, zoning out, when my new assistant, Jonah Jones, poked his head in. "Mr. Kensington asked me to let you know that he'd like to have lunch with you, Mr. Carlisle. Our company cafeteria's cuisine is as authentic as it gets." I snapped my head up. The Langstons preferred bland food, as Aria suffered from severe stomach issues. I, on the other hand, was from the southwest region, yet over the past five years, it felt as though I had never tasted the flavors of my hometown. Nolan and I sat across from each other at lunchtime. John trotted over with a steaming pot of chili con carne. Nolan frowned. "I forgot to tell him not to add onions." I stiffened. "How do you know I don't eat onions?" He looked at me as if I had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "What kind of stupid question is that? I have eyes. Of course I'd noticed." I couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle. Right then, my phone lit up with an incoming call from Aria. I didn't answer it, letting it ring until it finally went to voicemail. The very next second, Nolan's phone rang. He snickered and declined it without a second thought. "She probably saw the announcement our company just released about our new Chief Engineer. Aria's been proud and arrogant for years. I never imagined I'd get to see her lose her cool." Biting down on my fork, I lapsed into silence. "I thought you liked her." He arched his brow. "Aria's wealthy and gorgeous. She truly is the dream goddess of everyone in this industry. However, I'm not so bad myself, either. "At first, I merely couldn't stomach being outdone by a guy like you. But now that I can crush Langston Group in business, I can't tell you how happy I am!" Aria's call came through again, but I still didn't answer. The system asked cautiously. [Clement, are you really not going to pick up? Realizing you've really left, she's actually panicking a little.] As I stared at my phone, I remembered the countless nights in the last five years I had spent waiting—waiting for her call, her messages, or even a single glance from her. I had waited five years, yet she had no idea where I lived, when I went to bed, that I had gone to the hospital alone for an appendicitis surgery, or that I worried about rent every single month. Aria wasn't aware that I didn't eat onions, that I was allergic to mangoes, or how many days and nights I had spent silently waiting for her. There were far too many things she wasn't aware of, yet Nolan was aware of all of them. All of a sudden, I exhaled deeply, popped open a can of Coke, and raised it toward him. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Kensington." Then, I blocked Aria's number. Chapter 4 Aria never tried to contact me again in the three months I worked at Kensington Group. Nolan assigned me the most professional team and granted me the highest level of authority. I buried myself in work and often forgot to eat and sleep. Occasionally, I caught wind of news about Aria through other people's social media feeds. Even when someone intentionally brought her up in front of me, I simply smiled and brushed it off. Gradually, even the system seemed to have given up on me and left me to my own devices. The only time I happened to run into Aria was at an industry conference. I was on stage, confidently presenting our company's core technology, while Aria sat in the audience, gaping at me. When we brushed past each other after the event ended, she suddenly called out to me. "If you come back, I can pretend that none of this ever happened." I looked at that familiar face of hers, but for some reason, she suddenly felt like a stranger. I took half a step back, my demeanor cold and distant. Aria's smile stiffened, and her expression hardened in an instant. "Very well. I hope you don't regret this!" That marked the start of Langston Group's all-out war against Kensington Group. The fierce corporate battle raged on, dominating the financial news headlines for three consecutive days. Nolan tried to reach out to Aria, but every door was slammed in his face. His expression was grim. "Smart chips are our company's top priority for the next few years. I won't give up! I'll head to Ostria to secure an investment." He glanced at me and gritted out, "Clement, if you even think about running back to Aria at a time like this, I swear to God I'll end you!" Looking into his bloodshot eyes, I chuckled. "There's an industry conference at the end of the month. I'll go and give the pitch myself. Don't worry. I have faith in our research and development team." Nolan breathed a sigh of relief. It was as though all the strength had drained from him as he leaned against me. "Thank you." I remained silent for a moment. "I'm the one who should be thanking you." Thank you for the umbrella you held out to me five years ago and for giving me a place to fall back on five years later. … On the night of the banquet, Jonah delivered a suit to my door ahead of time. "Mr. Kensington specifically asked me to bring this to you." I fell into a daze for a moment when I looked in the mirror and saw myself dressed in a bespoke black suit. I'd never worn anything like this in five years. When I was at Langston Group, I had always worn the same couple of faded dress shirts, holed up in the lab. Aria had never taken me to any functions, so I never had a reason to own any proper formal wear. … The banquet was located on the top floor of a tower, where dazzling crystal chandeliers illuminated the room. Aria stood beside me, her expression cold. "Five years ago, you pulled out all the stops to insert yourself into my family. Now, it's Kensington Group. Clement, just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve?" I took a step back and prepared to leave, but she grabbed my wrist in a vice-like grip. "You're the one who provoked me, yet you're also the one who packed up and left. Who do you think you are? Listen here, you won't stand a chance. Nolan won't be able to secure an investment, and you'll spend the rest of your life begging at my feet!" I pried my wrist from her grip and met her eyes. Five years ago, on that rainy night, she had seemed like a goddess who had descended from the heavens. From that moment on, I had been like a moth drawn to a flame, guarding her for all that time. Now, I finally understood that a fleeting moment of warmth could never sustain an everlasting love. On the stage, I took a deep breath and solemnly began introducing our smart chip. Murmurs rippled through the audience, but all I saw were people shaking their heads with looks of regret. Aria sat among the audience with an intense fervor in her eyes that I couldn't quite understand. After wrapping up my presentation, I stood there anxiously as dead silence fell over the audience. Aria sniggered and looked at me. "I told you, as long as I'm here, you won't stand a chance." I lowered my head and smiled wryly. All of a sudden, three crisp claps echoed through the room. I jerked my head up just in time to see a familiar figure appear at the entrance. The system, which had been dormant for a long while, abruptly sounded in my mind. [Congratulations, Clement! The favorability level of your target has reached 100%. 'Happy Ending' unlocked.] Aria shot up from her seat. The audience's phones began ringing one after another. "Quick, look at the news!" exclaimed someone in the crowd.