Chapter 208

The first day at university was very relaxed. It was a time for everyone to get to know each other and start building their social circles. Because of Zuri's outstanding appearance, she was quickly dubbed the "department flower."

Zuri just smiled when she heard this and didn't take it seriously, but someone else certainly took note.

Shen Menglai, sitting beside Zuri, lowered her voice and said, "Zuri, do you see that handsome guy in the front row, Xu Xieze? I heard his family owns a clothing factory with its own brand. He's here purely out of interest, to learn more about the industry."

Shi Feifei chuckled lightly. "Some no-name brand I've never even heard of. But Xu Xieze does look pretty good."

If she hadn't seen Leo yesterday, Shi Feifei might have been interested in Xu Xieze, but after meeting Leo, Xu Xieze simply couldn't compare.

Shen Menglai smiled, "Not bad! He might just be starting out, but having that kind of scale is impressive."

Zuri knew about that brand. It's not very noticeable now, but in the future, it would dominate the mid-to-low-end market, holding over 30% of the market share. It could be said that in its category, it would claim the largest piece of the pie, with a future that's nothing short of promising—a brand well worth investing in.

"Xu Xieze could be the 'department grass' for us," Shen Menglai changed the topic.

Around noon, Zuri received a text message from Azura.

As the four of them headed towards the cafeteria, Zuri said to the other three, "A friend is looking for me, so I'll head over first. You guys go ahead and eat."

After Zuri left, Shi Feifei scoffed, "Let's just go eat ourselves! Clearly, she thinks she's too good to eat with us."

Shen Menglai and Esme were too embarrassed to say anything.

Azura came alone to meet Zuri without bringing anyone from her dorm. The two went to the second cafeteria, which was crowded with people, with long lines at every window.

Unlike Windsor Academy, there wasn't a dedicated cafeteria here just for the students.

"What a long line! I haven't queued up for food in years," Azura said as she craned her neck, trying to see over the sea of heads in front of her.

"Isn't it a good experience?" Zuri didn't seem to mind.

As they moved to the middle of the line, two men in suits suddenly approached them.

"Miss Ye, Zuri, your family has sent lunch for you," one of them said.

Zuri quickly took the lunch box from their hands. "Thank you."

"Enjoy your meal," they said respectfully before turning to leave.

The commotion drew the attention of those around them, with many people casting curious glances their way.

Zuri and Azura took the lunch box to a corner table and opened it. The aroma of food wafted out, revealing a balanced meal with one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

Azura smiled as she looked at the food. "I wonder who sent this? Zuri, do you think it was my uncle?"

"I don't know. Maybe your father sent it," Zuri said, having a rough idea of the situation between Azura and the Ye family and aware of the tension between father and daughter.

"Hmph, him being that thoughtful? I don't believe it. It's probably something your brothers arranged." Although Azura said this, she secretly hoped it was from her father.

Zuri noticed this but didn't say anything.

"Let's eat."

As Zuri looked at the food, she realized these were all dishes she liked or ate most often—simple home-cooked meals.

"Zuri, our dorm is having dinner with the dorm next door tonight. You should come along," Azura said with her mouth full of an egg roll.

"We're having a dorm dinner tonight."

"Your dorm? Is that Shi Feifei going too?"

"She's in our dorm, so naturally, she'll be there."

"I don't like her. You should be careful around her," Azura said, shoveling food into her mouth. She couldn't help but feel that the food tasted exceptionally good today. Did they hire a new chef?

"Hmm."

Zuri didn't think much of Shi Feifei.

Thinking of Zuri's methods, Azura felt she might be overthinking things.

By evening, the freshmen were heading out in groups by dorm, including Zuri's dorm.

"Feifei, which restaurant did you book nearby?" Shen Menglai asked.

"When I was making the reservation, the better restaurants nearby were all fully booked, so I had to book one a bit farther away. We'll need to take a taxi."

"Alright."

The four of them flagged down a taxi. Shi Feifei sat in the front, while Zuri, Shen Menglai, and Esme sat in the back.

"Driver, to the Haitan Hotel," Shi Feifei instructed.

"Got it."

Esme's eyes lowered when she heard they were going to a hotel, her hand quietly tightening around the little money she had in her pocket.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of the hotel. The four of them stood outside the grand and opulent entrance. Shi Feifei's eyes gleamed with pride as she glanced at Zuri, feeling pleased with her plan.

She was completely unaware of Esme's nervousness and Shen Menglai's strained expression.

Esme came from a poor family, and Shen Menglai's family was only moderately well-off—neither could afford to eat at such a place.

Seeing Zuri's calm demeanor, Shi Feifei sneered inwardly.

Keep pretending!

Let's see how long you can keep it up.

"Let's go!" Shi Feifei said with a smile, not caring about the other two's uneasy faces.

They had no choice but to follow her inside. Shen Menglai couldn't help but glance at Zuri, admiring her composure.

"Do you have a reservation, ladies?" the hostess asked.

"Yes," Shi Feifei responded, giving her name and phone number. The hostess quickly led them to table 48 in the main hall. The waiter was attentive, pouring tea and handing them the menu.

Shi Feifei picked up the menu and started pointing out the most expensive seafood dishes. "This, this, this, and this, plus these few items—we'll have them all."

Her aggressive ordering left Esme and Shen Menglai looking increasingly uncomfortable.

Unable to maintain her composure, Shen Menglai finally spoke up. "There are only four of us. We don't need to order so much. We can't eat it all."

"It's fine." Shi Feifei ignored her, continuing to point at the menu. "And we'll have these desserts, four of each. That's it."

The waiter smiled and left.

"This meal is our dorm's first gathering, so of course we have to eat well. Don't you think?" Shi Feifei said to the group.

No one responded, not even Shen Menglai, who was usually the most talkative.

Shi Feifei felt a bit awkward and continued, "Come on, it's not that much money. Don't worry about it—I've got it covered."

Shen Menglai forced a smile, while Esme kept her head down.

Shi Feifei then turned to Zuri. "Zuri, I bet this is your first time eating at such a fancy place, right?"