Zuri glanced at the opulent hotel. "Yes, this is my first time dining here."
Hearing this, Shi Feifei's smile grew even more smug. She knew this poor girl had never been to such a place before. She could hardly wait to see her embarrassment when it came time to pay the bill. The mere thought of Zuri's impending humiliation brought Shi Feifei immense joy.
The dishes were served quickly, much faster than Shi Feifei had anticipated. Esme noticed something strange—people who had arrived before them hadn't been served yet, but their table was already filled with food.
"Our dishes seem to be arriving faster than at other tables," Esme whispered.
"Maybe several tables ordered the same things, so they prepared them together," Shen Menglai suggested.
But it soon became clear that wasn't the case. Their dishes kept coming, almost without pause, as if the entire kitchen was focused on serving just their table.
The people around them noticed and began to grumble.
"Waiter, what's going on? We got here before them, so why are they being served first?"
Other diners joined in the complaints.
"Exactly!"
"Are we being ignored here?"
"I'm a VIP at this hotel—I should have priority!"
Zuri and her three companions watched the scene unfold with surprise.
The waiter, unsure of how to respond, hesitated until the restaurant manager approached. Smiling, he explained to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient. This guest is a V-Diamond member at our hotel, which entitles her to top priority. If anyone feels the service is slow, I encourage you to upgrade to V-Diamond status for the same benefits."
With that explanation, the room fell silent. The Haotian Hotel was a super five-star establishment, and becoming a V-Diamond member was extremely difficult, let alone maintaining that status, which required significant yearly expenses—not something just anyone could afford.
After the commotion subsided, the manager turned to Zuri's table and offered, "Ladies, if you find the main dining area too noisy, you're welcome to move to a private room."
Shi Feifei, intent on making Zuri lose face publicly, refused. "No, we'll stay here," she said, waving him off.
The manager, however, didn't leave. His gaze shifted to Zuri, and seeing her shake her head, he smiled and took his leave. "I wish you all an enjoyable meal. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything."
After he left, Shen Menglai looked at Shi Feifei in amazement. "Feifei, you're a V-Diamond member here? That's impressive."
Shi Feifei, who had managed to book the restaurant through a friend's connections, smiled proudly. "It's nothing special. Next time, I'll take you all somewhere even nicer."
Turning to Zuri, she added, "Zuri, now that you're in the capital, you should get out and see the world. It would be embarrassing to go back home and have nothing to talk about."
Zuri smiled and replied softly, "Thank you for the advice."
Shi Feifei, noticing Zuri didn't retort, felt a surge of satisfaction. This poor girl must be intimidated by her V-Diamond status.
"Let's not just sit here—dig in! The seafood won't taste as good if it gets cold," Shi Feifei said, playing the role of hostess as she spun the lazy Susan to place the king crab in front of Zuri. "This is king crab. You've probably never had it before—eat up."
Zuri didn't hesitate; she picked up a crab leg, skillfully extracted the meat, and began eating slowly. Meanwhile, Esme and Shen Menglai found the food tasteless as they glanced at the costly dishes before them, their hearts sinking.
This wasn't just eating; it was like consuming money.
Noticing their discomfort, Zuri placed a piece of crab meat into Esme's bowl and said gently, "Don't overthink it. The money's spent, and it's even worse if you don't eat."
Her words snapped Esme and Shen Menglai back to reality. Zuri was right—since they were going to spend the money anyway, they might as well not let the food go to waste.
Determined, the two began eating with a vengeance, shoveling food into their mouths as if trying to eat their money's worth. Shi Feifei watched them, her brow furrowing in disdain. If it weren't for her desire to isolate Zuri and make her feel ashamed, she wouldn't have bothered associating with these two country bumpkins.
When the desserts were served, Shi Feifei didn't touch them, and neither did Esme and Shen Menglai, who were too full to eat another bite. Despite their efforts, several dishes remained untouched.
"Everyone full?" Shi Feifei asked with a smile, barely containing her excitement. "Waiter, the bill, please!"
The waiter approached with a smile. "This meal is complimentary, no need to pay."
Everyone was stunned.
Esme and Shen Menglai breathed a sigh of relief, their gazes instinctively turning to Shi Feifei.
"Feifei, is your V-Diamond status that good? It even covers the bill?" Esme asked, still a bit confused.
Shi Feifei assumed as much and replied with a proud smile, "Of course. That's the benefit of being a V-Diamond member!"
She then turned to the waiter and said smugly, "Even though we don't have to pay, bring the bill over anyway. I want to see how much this meal cost."
Hearing this, Shen Menglai realized what Shi Feifei was up to. She wanted to speak up on Zuri's behalf but was too scared of upsetting Shi Feifei and ending up paying herself. So, she stayed silent, while the naive Esme remained oblivious.
The waiter quickly returned with the bill. "Today's meal totals 78,565 yuan."
Esme nearly dropped her jaw in shock.
Shen Menglai felt a wave of relief that she hadn't spoken up for Zuri.
Satisfied with the amount, Shi Feifei smiled and said to Zuri, "That's 78,000 yuan, so if we split it, each of us owes 19,641 yuan. I'll cover Menglai and Esme's share. You can pay for yourself."
"I'll even round it down for you—just give me 19,600 yuan. How about that? Am I being generous as a classmate?" Shi Feifei taunted.
Zuri ignored her and addressed the waiter, "Could you please ask your manager to come over?"
The waiter left, and the restaurant manager quickly arrived at Zuri's side. "Miss Zuri, how may I assist you?"
"This meal won't be complimentary—we'll pay for it."
"Very well, no problem."
Esme and Shen Menglai watched in confusion.
Then they heard Zuri say calmly, "The total is 78,565 yuan. I'll pay 19,600 yuan. The remaining 58,965 yuan will be covered by this lady. You can ask her for the money."
Zuri pointed at the dumbfounded Shi Feifei.
The manager turned to Shi Feifei.
Shi Feifei blurted out, "But I'm a V-Diamond member here! Why should I listen to her? The complimentary meal was for me, not her."
The manager smiled politely and said, "I'm sorry, but Miss Zuri is our Supreme VIP customer, so the complimentary meal was for her. As for you, my apologies, but I must have overlooked you—we don't have you listed as a V-Diamond member."
The atmosphere at the table instantly became awkward.
"How... how is this possible? You must be mistaken!" Shi Feifei stammered.
"Our hotel has issued a total of ten V-Diamond VIP cards. Could you please tell us which card you hold and its specific attributes?" The manager asked with a polite smile.
Shi Feifei's face flushed with embarrassment as she was cornered by the manager's question. She had never seen a V-Diamond VIP card, let alone owned one, so she had no answer.
Esme and Shen Menglai exchanged a glance, both realizing the truth. It turned out that she wasn't a V-Diamond VIP at all, yet she had been flaunting her supposed wealth in front of them. Now that the truth was out, the situation couldn't be more awkward.
They both felt secondhand embarrassment, let alone Shi Feifei herself.
The surrounding diners had already noticed the commotion at their table, and many were now watching intently, having witnessed quite a spectacle.
At this moment, Shi Feifei, under the scornful gazes of the onlookers, wished she could dig a hole and disappear into it. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.
She turned her gaze to Zuri, "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately wanted to embarrass me! How could you be so despicable? Just because I didn't give you a gift, you set me up like this!"
Her attempt to shift the blame left Esme and Shen Menglai in shock.
They all knew the truth—Shi Feifei had been the one to bring them to this ridiculously expensive hotel, she had been the one to order a table full of dishes, and she had been the one to claim she was a V-Diamond VIP, constantly showing off her supposed wealth and status.
Now, with her lies exposed, she had the nerve to accuse Zuri of being vindictive and setting her up.
The onlookers, however, were unaware of the truth and began to shift their focus to Zuri.
Zuri rested her chin on one hand, watching Shi Feifei with amused interest as she fumed with anger.
"You're absolutely right," Zuri responded calmly. "After all, I have the power to make you bring us here, to make you order a whole table of dishes, and to make you claim you're a V-Diamond VIP."
As Zuri finished speaking, the surrounding crowd erupted in laughter.
Shen Menglai couldn't hold back and joined in the laughter.
The sound of mocking laughter struck Shi Feifei like invisible slaps, making her wish she could disappear on the spot.
Unable to bear the humiliation, she covered her face and turned to leave.
But just as she was about to walk away, an arm blocked her path.
"Wait!"
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. You should settle the bill first," Zuri said slowly.
"You..." Shi Feifei was so furious she could feel her organs ache. "I'll only pay for my portion. As for the other two, I don't care about them. Swipe the card."
She pulled out her card and handed it to the waiter.
Esme and Shen Menglai began to panic. They exchanged worried glances with Zuri.
If Shi Feifei didn't pay, and if Zuri refused to cover the bill, they would have to bear nearly twenty thousand yuan each, an amount far beyond what their families could afford.
"I thought Miss Shi was quite generous, but it turns out you're just pretending to be wealthy. If you can't afford it, don't offer to treat. Look how awkward it is now," Zuri teased, taking a leisurely sip of the tea that the waiter had just brought over, completely unconcerned with Shi Feifei's humiliation.
Under the growing scrutiny from the onlookers, Shi Feifei clenched her teeth and spat out, "I'll pay!"
Zuri glanced at the waiter, "Make sure to charge for three people."
The waiter smiled, "Don't worry, I won't make any mistakes."
After the transaction was complete, Shi Feifei couldn't stay a minute longer. She immediately left the hotel.
Once she was gone, the drama finally came to an end.
The manager handed a card to Zuri, "Miss Zuri, this is your card. Please keep it safe. From now on, with this card, you can enjoy free dining and accommodation at our hotel."
Esme and Shen Menglai were stunned by what they heard.
Zuri glanced at the black Supreme VIP card but didn't take it. "Take it back. I won't need it."
She had just looked up some information on her phone and discovered that the Hai Tian Hotel was one of the hotels owned by Nolan's company. The moment she stepped into the hotel, someone must have notified him, and he had arranged everything.
It really wasn't necessary for him to do so.
The manager didn't insist and respectfully took the card back. As long as he remembered her, that was enough.
The hotel's president had personally ordered that she was an extremely important guest. From now on, all her expenses would be covered, and if she needed to purchase anything, the hotel would even buy it for her in advance.
The manager had never encountered such a situation before, but it indirectly confirmed one thing—the young woman before him had an extraordinary identity.
After leaving the hotel, Shen Menglai couldn't hold back any longer, "Zuri, what does your family do? Do they own a company or something?"
Esme looked at her with equal curiosity.
Zuri responded with just four words, "I'm an orphan."
Shen Menglai and Esme's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That handsome guy who accompanied you yesterday, isn't he your brother?" Shen Menglai asked.
"No, he's a friend of my friend," Zuri replied.
Shen Menglai wanted to ask more, but Esme tugged on her sleeve, signaling her to stop.
It was clear that Zuri didn't want to talk about it. Pushing further would be crossing a line.
The three returned to their dormitory, but there was no sign of Shi Feifei. They didn't think much of it, knowing that they weren't really on the same wavelength.
The next day, rumors of Shi Feifei pretending to be rich and posing as a V-Diamond VIP at the Hai Tian Hotel spread throughout the department. Many who hadn't even met Shi Feifei had heard about her embarrassing incident.
She became the first freshman in the department to gain widespread notoriety, though not for the reasons she would have wanted.
After class that day, Shi Feifei confronted Zuri and the other two, her eyes full of malice as she glared at Zuri, "Did you start those rumors at school?"
"I'm busy."
When Zuri didn't admit to it, Shi Feifei raised her voice, "Only the four of us knew about it. If it wasn't you, then it must have been them!" She pointed to Esme and Shen Menglai.
Shen Menglai instinctively avoided eye contact, her gaze shifting to the side.
Zuri ignored her and walked past her without a word.
Watching Zuri walk away, Shi Feifei was filled with rage.
Zuri, just you wait!
Relationships between people are indeed very strange.
Some are destined to be friends.
Some are destined to be enemies.
Like Shi Feifei and Zuri—they were never meant to be friends.
Azura found Zuri and greeted Esme and Shen Menglai before gossiping enthusiastically, "I heard about what happened yesterday. It was hilarious! I knew that woman would make a scene, but I didn't expect it to end like that. It was brilliant! I kind of regret not going with you guys. I would have loved to see it unfold."
As the four of them lined up for lunch, two bodyguards in sharp suits approached with food boxes in hand and made their way to Zuri.
"Miss Zuri, Miss Azura, here's your lunch."
Azura was surprised, "Lunch deliveries again?!"
The bodyguard smiled, "From now on, lunch will be delivered daily. If you ladies have any special requests, just let me know in advance."
Esme, Shen Menglai, and everyone around them stared in surprise at Zuri and Azura.
Azura took the food boxes and said to Esme and Shen Menglai, "Sorry, we can't join you in line. We'll go grab a table first."
"Okay," the two nodded.
As Zuri and Azura walked away, Shen Menglai couldn't help but remark, "What do you think Zuri and Azura's backgrounds are? They even have people delivering lunch for them."
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