Blue Valley Tea House. After the waiters served the exquisite afternoon tea sets, they withdrew from the private room.
He Miao looked at the colorful pastries on the table, her mouth watering. "Sister Lu, you're amazing. I have to book half a month in advance every time I come here for afternoon tea."
Shen Lu's eyes held a hint of disdain. "I'm an old member here, I don't need reservations at all."
He Miao ate while asking, "Sister Lu, is our plan really foolproof? What if the plan fails?"
Shen Lu's expression turned fierce. "Only a fool would mess up such a perfect plan. Let me warn you, I've done everything I needed to do. The rest is up to you. If your part fails, don't blame me for turning hostile."
He Miao quickly assured her, "Don't worry, that bitch made me lose all face. I absolutely won't let the plan fail."
Shen Lu stood up. "Then you eat slowly. Tell me the results tonight."
"Aren't you eating, Sister Lu?"
"I'm a celebrity, I don't eat just anything." Shen Lu walked away arrogantly in her high heels.
He Miao looked at the table of pastries with a troubled expression, losing her appetite.
She took out her phone and dialed a number.
"Is everything ready?" she asked.
"It's ready, just waiting for her. I'm about to call her."
"If you really want to turn your life around, you can only succeed, not fail," He Miao reminded.
The voice on the other end was extremely firm. "I know."
...
At three in the afternoon, during a break between classes, Quan Jiu saw a missed call on her phone, followed by four more.
Thinking it was someone with important matters, she called back.
The call was immediately answered. Before Quan Jiu could ask anything, a mechanical male voice said, "Tonight at eight o'clock, Juyuan Hotel, a class reunion. You must attend, don't let them succeed."
A class reunion... Quan Jiu's heart stirred slightly. "Who are you?"
"I am... someone who wants to help you."
Quan Jiu wanted to ask more, but the call was hung up. When she tried again, the phone was already switched off.
Quan Jiu thought for a moment, then opened her QQ account, which she hadn't logged into for years, and logged in with her college account.
As soon as she logged in, countless red dots popped up with notifications.
Quan Jiu clicked on the class group. The most recent message was about a class reunion initiated by the class monitor.
She scrolled down the messages. Initially, it was just everyone enthusiastically signing up. But after a comment from Zhang Ling, the topic changed.
Zhang Ling: [Will Quan Jiu be there?]
Wu Yue: [She dropped out of school, she must have gone back to the countryside to get married. How could she come?]
Fan Qiu: [Why would she go back to the countryside? She's a mistress, often seen in high-end clubs.]
Zhong Hong: [I'm grossed out. In college, she was desperately chasing the CEO of Chu Group, crazy about marrying into a rich family.]
Class Monitor: [We're classmates after all, stop talking about it.]
Zhang Ling: [Class monitor, are you still thinking about her? It's a pity your family's money isn't enough for others to notice.]
Quan Jiu scrolled to the end and saw the dinner time and location: tonight at eight o'clock, Juyuan Hotel.
Quan Jiu smiled and opened the class monitor's chat box: [Class monitor, I'll be at the reunion tonight.]
Soon, the class monitor Liu Yi replied: [Quan Jiu, long time no see. It's great that you can come to the reunion. I'll send you the address and time.]
Quan Jiu put down her phone, stood up, and said with a smile, "Classmates, it's time for class."
...
At eight o'clock in the evening, Juyuan Hotel. The golden ballroom, illuminated by crystal chandeliers, looked dazzling and luxurious.
Wu Yue hovered around Zhang Ling, fawning, "As expected of the rich, they can book such a large venue so easily."
Zhang Ling tossed her hair proudly, her mouth full of disdain. "What is this? I've attended thousands of parties with bigger scenes than this. The day before yesterday, I even went to actress Shen Lu's birthday party."
Fan Qiu looked envious. "A big star! Is she as good-looking in person as on TV?"
"Of course. I even took a photo with her." Zhang Ling pulled out a photo to show off.
Wu Yue and Fan Qiu showered her with compliments. Zhong Hong, however, looked around curiously. "Didn't they say Quan Jiu would be here tonight? Why haven't we seen her?"
"She's too embarrassed to come. We're all legitimate medical students here. It's normal that she, who dropped out, wouldn't dare to come," Zhang Ling said haughtily.
Zhong Hong looked around and suddenly smiled. "She actually dared to come. Let's go say hello."
Zhang Ling, Fan Qiu, and Wu Yue looked in the direction Zhong Hong was looking.
Zhang Ling immediately smiled, "Guo Dongmei, this will be fun."
The four of them walked towards Guo Dongmei.
Guo Dongmei was toasting Liu Yi with her wine glass. "Class monitor, thank you for your past care. I toast you with this glass."
Liu Yi politely replied, "Don't mention it. You are Quan Jiu's best friend, and you are also my friend."
Guo Dongmei's smile stiffened slightly, then she smiled and nodded, took a sip of wine, and returned to her seat.
"Oh, isn't this our dear Dongmei? I almost didn't recognize you. You must be comparable to the beauty Quan now." Zhang Ling laughed and approached Guo Dongmei.
Wu Yue retorted, "Quan's beauty is unshakeable. Dongmei used to be by Quan's side, so she naturally looked plainer in comparison. Now that Quan is gone, she looks much more pleasing to the eye."
Zhong Hong pulled open Guo Dongmei's collar to take a look and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Oh my god, it's clothes from Fanxing! This dress must be over a hundred thousand yuan!"
Fan Qiu said with a smile, "Our Dongmei is good at bargaining. She probably bought this dress for fifty yuan."
As soon as she finished speaking, a group of people burst into laughter, their mockery evident.
Guo Dongmei's face turned ashen, and she gripped her wine glass tightly. "This is an authentic Fanxing dress, one hundred and fourteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan, not a penny less." She took out a shopping receipt from her handbag and showed it to Zhang Ling and the other three.
To her surprise, Zhang Ling and the other three laughed even harder.
"An ugly person is still an ugly person, even if they wear nice clothes," Wu Yue clicked her tongue and shook her head. "And it looks out of place. I advise you not to wear this dress."
Fan Qiu continued, "I remember the place she and Quan Jiu used to go to, what was it called? Daguan, right? I heard the clothes there are only forty-five yuan each. I never knew there were such cheap clothes, but they really suit them."
The four burst into laughter again.
Guo Dongmei's fingernails dug into her palm, causing pain. Why, why couldn't clothes worth over a hundred thousand yuan make these people look at her differently? She was unwilling.
Zhang Ling winked at Wu Yue, Fan Qiu, and Zhong Hong. The three understood. Then, Zhang Ling somehow stumbled, and the champagne in her hand was all splashed onto Guo Dongmei's dress.
Guo Dongmei recoiled in shock. "My dress."
Zhang Ling giggled, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Dongmei. I didn't mean to. Don't be angry."
Guo Dongmei gritted her teeth in hatred, but the next moment, her mouth opened, and she looked at Zhang Ling with astonishment.
A slender hand, like a tender bud, appeared above Zhang Ling's head, and then with a "splash," a glass of champagne was poured all over Zhang Ling's head.