Though they wanted to avoid Gu Zhi, their allowances were controlled by their parents. Hence, they had no choice but to cluster around her, offering insincere compliments.
"Zhizhi, your dress looks fantastic. When this design first came out, I pestered my dad for so long to buy it for me, but he said we couldn't afford it."
"It's not the dress that's beautiful, it's Zhizhi herself who makes the dress look good."
"Exactly, it's Zhizhi who's beautiful!"
"Zhizhi, your hair is so thick and luscious, and your skin so fair and soft. You look like a little princess. Meanwhile, my hair is falling out in clumps, and my skin is dark and rough. Do you have any skincare products you'd recommend?"
"Zhizhi probably can't recommend any; she's naturally beautiful and no amount of skincare can replicate that!"
...