At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Lin Miaomiao leaned back in her chair, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Wang Yali and Zhou Xin's faces.

Both faces bore the same expression—eagerness, obsequiousness, and a hint of barely concealed panic.

She felt panicked, realizing that the powerful figure she had painstakingly cultivated had been outshone in this round. She was all too familiar with that expression. Two months ago, in the luxury goods counter at Deji Plaza, when she secretly rolled her eyes at the price tags, that same face was reflected in the glass mirror.

But now, she's sitting on the other side of the counter.

"We're all roommates."

Lin Miaomiao repeated Zhou Xin's words, her tone very soft, as if she were carefully savoring the weight of those words.

Then she smiled, a smile as warm as the early winter sun shining through the French windows of the Bauhinia Garden.

"Yali, Zhou Xin, what did you say when you came in—we disturbed Manman's beauty sleep?"

Wang Yali's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. She squeezed the bubble tea cup in her hand so tightly it made a cracking sound, and the plastic straw was deformed from biting it, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Zhou Xin reacted even faster; she took a small step forward, her tone quickly switching from sarcastic to almost coquettish and ingratiating:

"Miaomiao, it's all a misunderstanding! We were just saying it casually, don't take it to heart. As for Manman—you know Xu Manman, she's so pretentious. If we don't go along with her, she'll give us the cold shoulder again. Actually, we really..."

"Alright." Lin Miaomiao raised a hand, interrupting Zhou Xin.

The movement was small, but the timing and angle of raising that hand were just right. It was neither aggressive nor did it clearly draw a line that could not be crossed—you can only speak if I let you speak, and you have to listen if I don't let you speak.

She learned this gesture from Li Xiao.

Once, in the living room of Binjiang No. 1, she witnessed Li Xiao interrupt a senior executive's long-winded speech on the other end of the phone with the same gesture. The movement was as light as brushing off non-existent dust from a sleeve, but the voice on the other end of the phone immediately stopped.

She sat in the corner of the sofa and memorized the gesture. She practiced it in front of the mirror no less than twenty times when she got back.

Now that she's used it, the effect is even better than she imagined. Zhou Xin's mouth was open, but the second half of her sentence got stuck in her throat, and the smile on her face froze, unable to go forward or backward.

"I won't take back what I said." Lin Miaomiao lowered her hand, her tone returning to its usual nonchalant composure. "For the weekend gathering, Hao Hao did invite a few single friends. As for the requirements—you heard it just now, they're the kind with assets over 100 million and drive supercars."

She paused, her gaze sweeping from Wang Yali to Zhou Xin, then back to Wang Yali, like a teacher scrutinizing two students at the bottom of their class: "It's not that I don't want to take you to this kind of gathering, but you need to think about one thing first. If you go, how will you explain it to Xu Manman?"

"If she finds out you two are sneaking off to my place behind her back, will you still be able to stay in that little circle of room 405?"

These words were like an extremely sharp scalpel, precisely slicing into the nerve that Wang Yali and Zhou Xin feared most. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with even greater panic than before.

The reason they've managed to get to where they are now alongside Xu Manman isn't because of their looks or talent—Wang Yali's face would only be considered slightly above average in an art academy full of beauties, and Zhou Xin is even more ordinary; you wouldn't even notice her in a crowd.

They rely on taking sides.

Stand on Xu Manman's side, relay messages for Xu Manman, help Xu Manman isolate those she dislikes, and accurately stand on Xu Manman's side in every situation where a statement is needed.

Although this niche is humble, at least it gives one a place in Xu Manman's small circle of the rich and powerful, where one can occasionally get a few meals of high-end Japanese food or borrow a few designer bags to show off.

But if Xu Manman knew that they had gone to Lin Miaomiao's party—and it was the kind of top-tier social gathering with supercar-driving rich kids—then their niche in 405 would be completely wiped out overnight.

Xu Manman is incredibly petty; she can't stand anyone around her getting close to her enemies. At that point, forget about borrowing bags or clothes; she won't even be able to get into room 405 anymore.

But not going?

That's a VIP booth at SPACE, Jianye City's most exclusive nightclub! Sitting there is the son of a wealthy young man from Huaqing Business School, with assets exceeding 100 million yuan! This kind of opportunity to transcend social class might not even come once in four years of university. Missing it could mean a lifetime of mediocrity.

Lin Miaomiao saw the entanglement and struggle between the two, and the pleasure of being in control was like a glass of warm red wine, slowly spreading upwards from her stomach.

She didn't urge her, but turned around, opened the wardrobe, and began to choose clothes to wear in the afternoon.

Hanging in the closet was the black tweed coat worth tens of thousands of yuan that he had just bought yesterday, next to several basic cashmere sweaters and silk shirts that Zheng Hao had the housekeeper deliver.

Next to her were a few old clothes she had brought from her dorm room—a slightly faded denim jacket, a pilling knitted cardigan, and a floral dress she had bought for eighty yuan at the university town night market.

The contrast between the old and the new is startling, as if two completely different life experiences have been crammed into the same small space.

She reached out and took out the black tweed coat, then picked out a beige pure cashmere scarf from the drawer. The whole outfit cost a little over 40,000 yuan.

She used to be too afraid to even try on clothes in this price range at Deji Plaza, worried that she wouldn't be able to afford to pay for them if she got them dirty. Now, she wears them to have lunch at Zijingyuan, to shop with private shopping consultants at Deji Plaza, and to the black card booth at SPACE.

Her life has irreversibly slid onto another, dazzling track.

Wang Yali and Zhou Xin were still standing at the door, their cups of milk tea, which cost twenty yuan each, were almost cold.

"Wonderful." In the end, Wang Yali gave in first.

She placed the milk tea on the shoe cabinet by the door, took two steps forward, and said in a humble tone that Lin Miaomiao had never heard from her before:

"We can keep Xu Manman's whereabouts a secret for now. We'll go with you this weekend, and we won't mention a word about it when we get back. As for the future—Miaomiao, whatever you say, we'll do."

This is a declaration of loyalty, and also a pledge of allegiance.

Lin Miaomiao adjusted her scarf in front of the full-length mirror, where she saw Wang Yali's uneasy face reflected in the mirror. She suddenly found this game of class oppression really interesting.

Two months ago, when Wang Yali first made a sarcastic remark in the dormitory that she "made a living off her looks," she remembered that arrogant face very clearly.

Now, even when the same person stands in front of her, she doesn't dare to raise her voice.

The reversal came so quickly that she didn't even have time to fully enjoy it.