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

Xu Manman stood at the entrance to the booth, looking like a washed-up leading lady who had been dragged off the stage.

Her hand gripping the wine glass trembled violently, and the olive in the martini rolled around at the bottom of the glass, much like the thoughts swirling wildly in her mind.

"Great...very good!"

Xu Manman's voice was already trembling with barely concealed sobs. She bit her bright red lipstick hard, her gaze sweeping venomously over Wang Yali, Zhou Xin, and the haughty Lin Miaomiao. "You just wait! You really think you can become a phoenix just because you snuck into this booth? A bunch of shameless gold diggers!"

After uttering this extremely weak and powerless harsh statement, Xu Manman slammed the martini glass in her hand heavily onto the table next to her.

With a sharp "bang," the glass shattered, and the wine splashed everywhere.

She had no face to stay there for another second. She turned around, and in her flamboyant red stilettos, like a defeated pheasant, she stumbled and scrambled into the crowded and noisy dance floor, quickly disappearing from sight.

Watching Xu Manman flee in panic, Wang Yali and Zhou Xin finally relaxed completely. They both breathed a sigh of relief, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

Actually, when Wang Yali stood up and angrily confronted Xu Manman, she was also feeling uneasy.

But there was nothing they could do; Lin Miaomiao had given them just too much.

The Tom Ford lipstick, costing a few hundred yuan, was merely a stepping stone. What truly convinced Wang Yali and Zhou Xin to completely betray their former allies was the glittering opportunity for upward social mobility that was right before their eyes.

Since they've already publicly betrayed Xu Manman and thoroughly offended her, if they were to slink back, not only would Xu Manman make things difficult for them, but they'd also become the laughingstock of the entire art academy. Given that situation, they might as well go all the way!

Wang Yali secretly raised her eyelids, her eyes greedily sweeping over the boys in the booth.

Zheng Hao's Patek Philippe watch worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, Wang Lei's frighteningly thick gold chain around his neck and the Porsche car keys casually tossed on the table, and Zhou Yu's understated yet expensive custom-made streetwear... any one of these people represents a top-tier resource that they could only dream of having access to in their shabby university.

As long as you can latch onto one of them, even if it's just a scrap of food slipping through their fingers, you won't have to worry about the next life!

As for dignity? What about deep friendship? What about pure and innocent love on campus?

Wang Yali let out a disdainful sneer in her heart. Back in high school, she might have felt her heart race at the sight of that poor boy in a white shirt playing basketball on the playground, and she might have fantasized about that kind of simple, love that made even water taste sweet.

But once you enter university and step into this microcosm of society, where money and power are highly concentrated, in this dazzling and extravagant world of fame and fortune, who still believes in that?

Can love put food on the table? Can pure love afford a Chanel Gabrielle bag worth 35,800 yuan? Can it allow them to sit in the most upscale SPACE bar in Jianye District, in a black card booth with a minimum spend of 100,000 yuan, and drink Ace of Spades champagne?

No!

Since youth and beauty are their only bargaining chips, why not take advantage of their peak value and sell them for a good price? Lin Miaomiao simply saw through the cruel truth of this world earlier than them, which is why she can now sit there high and mighty, issuing orders, while Xu Manman, a pseudo-socialite who only knows how to use small favors to order people around, is destined to be nothing more than a joke.

"Alright, everyone's gone. What are you standing there for? Sit down."

Lin Miaomiao turned around with extreme elegance, as if she had merely shooed away an annoying fly. She slightly raised her chin at Wang Yali and Zhou Xin, her tone carrying the unique patronage of someone in a superior position.

"Thank you, Miaomiao! Thank you, Miaomiao!"

Wang Yali and Zhou Xin felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and bowed and scraped as they sat down at the very edge of the booth. Although it was just a corner seat, the soft touch of the genuine leather sofa made them feel even more intoxicated than sitting on a dragon throne.

"Haohao, I'm so sorry, I made you laugh at me."

Lin Miaomiao nestled into Zheng Hao's arms, picked up her wine glass, and said with just the right amount of grievance and coquettishness in her eyes, "This girl likes to bully people in the dorm. My roommates and I only talked back to her because we were really angry. Did we spoil your fun?"

"Why spoil the fun? I think it's quite interesting." Zheng Hao laughed heartily and pinched Lin Miaomiao's waist.

As a rich second-generation, he had been used to all kinds of flattery since childhood. The palace intrigue that Lin Miaomiao's roommates had just staged in public was like a wonderful monkey show to him.

Moreover, Lin Miaomiao's boss-like demeanor and ability to control the situation in this scene made him feel very proud to bring this woman along.

"Come on! Let's have a toast to celebrate Miaomiao's successful clean house!" Zheng Hao raised his glass and called out with great enthusiasm.

"Cheers!"

The atmosphere in the booth was instantly reignited.

Wang Yali and Zhou Xin completely abandoned their last bit of reserve, and very skillfully picked up the decanter. Like two well-trained high-class female public relations officers, they gracefully moved among the boys, calling them "Young Master Xu" and "Brother Lei" in a way that made their bones tingle.

Old Xu was clearly more interested in Chen Xiaoxue's fiery red, deep-V dress. He casually draped his arm over the back of the sofa behind Chen Xiaoxue, creating a semi-enclosed, ambiguous position. Although Chen Xiaoxue stiffened for a moment, she quickly gritted her teeth and, with a mixture of reluctance and attraction, offered Old Xu half a glass of champagne.

It was already past midnight when the party ended. Zheng Hao called a designated driver and didn't let Lin Miaomiao leave with her roommate. The black Alphard sped along the deserted main road of Jianye, the only sounds inside the car being the low hum of the air conditioner and the intermittent breathing of the two people.

Zheng Hao had drunk quite a bit, but he was unusually sober tonight, and his hand never left Lin Miaomiao's waist.

Back at the apartment, as soon as the door closed, Zheng Hao pinned her against the wall in the entryway and kissed her. Lin Miaomiao's black off-shoulder dress was pulled askew by him, the neckline askew. She tilted her head back, her fingers running through his hair, her breathing ragged.

Tonight's battle was fought so brilliantly, so brilliantly that both of them were bursting with pent-up energy that needed to be released. Zheng Hao picked her up and carried her to the master bedroom. Lin Miaomiao wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear:

"Brother Hao, I'm counting on you tonight."

When Lin Miaomiao woke up the next day, she was lying on Zheng Hao's bed, feeling like her body was falling apart, with the silk sheets crumpled up and piled at her feet.

Zheng Hao hugged her from behind. Before she even opened her eyes, a smile crept onto his lips, and he said in a hoarse voice:

"Where did you learn those moves last night?"

Lin Miaomiao turned around, buried her face in the crook of his neck, and laughed shyly and triumphantly: "You don't like it?"

Zheng Hao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he rolled over and pinned her down again.

"I like it. I don't have class today."