Chapter 112: The Great Deceiver! (1/4 – Please Vote)

Lily Dunbar was a classmate of Sumu’s back at Casteral High School.

They never really interacted much, barely even friends. Compared to Kate, who completely captivated Sumu’s heart, Lily was actually more popular at school. She had a pure white face and bore a slight resemblance to the famous early-century actress Vivien Leigh, making her incredibly attractive to young men.

Kate, on the other hand, was of mixed race, with softer features leaning more toward an Eastern aesthetic. That’s why Sumu preferred Kate; the feeling of first love was peculiar and, as time went on, her appearance became secondary—more like an obsession.

Hearing someone call her name, Lily finally turned her gaze to Sumu’s face and smiled brightly. “What a coincidence! You’re here shopping too?”

“I’m just here to help out. I know the store owner. Everyday essentials are over there. If you walk straight ahead, you’ll see the signs above,” Sumu replied with a smile.

Taking a closer look at Lily, she wore a striped shirt and black bell-bottom pants. Bell-bottoms were quite popular in this era, having first appeared in the sixties and later popularized worldwide by Elvis Presley.

Unlike other white girls, her face bore no trace of freckles. Her skin was smooth, her eyes deeply set—altogether, a truly beautiful young lady.

Noticing his gaze, Lily felt a surge of pride. She slightly puffed out her chest, unable to suppress the smile spreading across her face.

How long can a woman hold a grudge?

No one could say, but Lily clearly remembered that day in the library when Sumu was unwilling to talk to her, yet laughed happily upon hearing about Kate. Now, having successfully caught Sumu’s attention, she felt quite pleased.

She knew little about Sumu, mostly that he was a good student. They never interacted much as classmates; it was just a matter of pride.

Many beautiful girls, relying on their looks, focused solely on their appearance while neglecting other aspects. Like the cheerleaders at Casteral High, who treated having multiple boyfriends as a sign of popularity but had dreadful grades.

Lily was different. Her academic performance was good, and she already knew where the body wash was located, yet showed no intention of leaving. Curious, she asked Sumu, “You’ve left the school, right? Where did you end up going for further studies?”

“Menlo Park Private High School near Silicon Valley. What about you?” Sumu asked, still helping to arrange goods.

“I got accepted too, at Marymount High. It’s closer to home, so I chose it. Today I accompanied my father to Casteral. I heard there was an interesting new store here, so I came to have a look. I thought it was a department store, but it turned out different. There’s a supermarket near Beverly Hills too, but I’ve never been there.”

Marymount High, located in West Los Angeles, was a prestigious private all-girls school with a century of history. While most of East LA was synonymous with poverty, West LA was the domain of the wealthy. Beverly Hills was over that way, and everyone at school knew Lily’s father was rich. She didn’t technically belong to Casteral High, and even the principal often tried to cozy up to her.

With calm curiosity, Sumu asked, “Is that supermarket very big?”

The question stumped Lily. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Uh... probably. Our housekeeper goes there to shop every day.”

“All right.”

Sumu’s response was cool and brief—once again, he shut down the conversation!

In interactions between men and women, it’s usually the man who tries to keep the conversation going. But Sumu was the ultimate “conversation killer,” leaving Lily full of frustration.

It wasn’t that Sumu disliked Lily; he just never thought of her that way.

Growing up, white girls rarely wanted to interact with Sumu. He never believed he had any qualities that would attract Lily’s attention. Their years as classmates proved this—he could count their conversations on one hand.

Nearby, a Jewish friend named Helberg was speechless.

A beautiful girl willing to talk to Sumu so much, clearly not rejecting him, was the perfect candidate for a date or deeper friendship.

Lily was stunning enough to make Helberg’s heart flutter, but Sumu asked questions this kind of girl wouldn’t care about, showing he was more interested in business.

Helberg’s difficult upbringing had made his personality odd, but even with low social skills, he thought he was still a bit better at this than Sumu. Now he rolled his eyes repeatedly.

He suggested, “Boss, why don’t you take her to find it? I can handle it here. She’s having trouble locating the body wash!”

“Trouble?” Sumu thought. How could it be hard to find? With such a big sign overhead, anyone could guide her.

He glanced at Helberg and noticed him sneaking looks at Lily, winking and gesturing. Even Sumu, usually slow to pick up on things, sensed something was off.

Feeling it was rude to leave his classmate hanging, he added, “Okay, I know where everything is here. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll help you find it.”

Lily felt he was reluctant but her curiosity overcame her slight annoyance. Walking beside Sumu, she asked, “Boss?”

“Yeah... I invested in this supermarket. I own half of it.”

He was only socially awkward with women, not stupid, and suddenly understood why Helberg called him “boss.”

Turning back, he saw Helberg grinning oddly, giving him a thumbs-up.

Lily probably knew about Sumu’s family situation; his broken bicycle, worn-out backpack, and modest lunch all hinted at modest means.

Looking at the supermarket again, she figured the investment must have been substantial, making Sumu seem even stranger.

She thought maybe his family was rich but frugal. One impression she had of Chinese people was their thriftiness—they’d save half of even two dollars just in case. She had a few Chinese classmates who fit this image.

She said, “That’s cool, but you shouldn’t have lied to me last time—about not being able to afford private school tuition and wanting to ease your family’s burden. I actually believed you. It made me look like a fool.”

Sumu felt wronged and explained, “Miss Dunbar, I really wasn’t lying. Back then, my family was truly short on money. All our wealth is tied up in this supermarket.”

“All right, just call me Lily. We’re classmates, aren’t we?” she replied, thinking maybe he had invested money and that’s why he claimed to have no funds.

Not caring much about the supermarket, she shifted the conversation to their lives at their respective schools.

Though Lily’s family was wealthy, having attended Casteral for so long, she understood what life was like for the less fortunate. She was a relatively grounded rich girl. When choosing body wash, she compared prices and picked the discounted bottle.

Suddenly, five men in suits blocked their path. Mr. McKay, a salesman from Penguin Corporation, laughed as he addressed Sumu, “Finally found you, boss!”

“Do you know how many computers we sold today? Over six hundred!”

A salesman named Phelps excitedly added, “The company is already shipping more. Look at these checks—especially this one for two hundred thousand dollars. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Sumu instantly noticed Lily shooting him a look that said “big liar.”

Judging from the supermarket and the $200,000 check alone, even Sumu felt wealthy.

Months ago, when they met in the library, he had said his family was struggling with tuition and hoped to get a scholarship to ease the burden, speaking with utmost sincerity.

Back then, he hadn’t won any lottery or started a company—it was genuinely true.

Lily didn’t know this. She had believed him so much then and now felt terribly frustrated. She recalled how she had sympathized with Sumu, and the anger welled up inside her all over again...