My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Wayne wanted to sigh again.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I want the most expensive coffee.”

"Okay... I understand."

After returning the books to their original places and showing their student IDs again at the exit, the two successfully completed their library experience.

"Phew! It's much more comfortable outside." The minister breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he came out.

The setting sun cast its slanting rays onto the railings and grass along the passageway, a gentle breeze softly ruffling his hair as Wayne stepped on his own shadow.

"Yes, it's very pleasant."

If you close your eyes and just feel the atmosphere here, you might even feel as if you've suddenly returned to your university days.

Back then, after borrowing books from the library with his friends, he would always like to take a leisurely stroll along the campus sidewalk to relax.

But after starting work, I never had such a carefree state of mind again, and my former friends all went their separate ways to pursue their own careers.

"Oh! We've arrived." The minister interrupted Wayne's reminiscence.

Wayne opened her eyes and looked in the direction she was pointing. A small cabin nestled quietly in the woods stood there.

The design of this tea restaurant is very harmonious with the surrounding environment, appearing quiet yet full of natural charm.

Pushing open the glass door, the wind chimes hanging by the door jingled crisply.

A tall waiter with a short beard was standing behind the bar, carefully wiping the already shiny, clean dishes under the light.

Noticing that a guest had arrived, he put down what he was holding and said, "Welcome."

"Two cups of the most expensive coffee here!" the minister said generously.

The waiter didn't say much, spent some time making two cups of coffee, brought them to the booth on the inner side where they were sitting, and then went back to his original seat to do his own thing.

Although you can't get sunlight while sitting here, you can see a clear stream in the distance. I have to say the designer has great taste.

Just as Wayne was about to exclaim that this was truly a wonderful place, the wind chimes hanging at the entrance began to sway gently again.

"Welcome, Miss Ge Li, good afternoon!" the waiter greeted in a strong voice.

The girl sitting opposite Wayne immediately showed an expression of great interest, and just as she raised her head and craned her neck to look at the doorway—

Then it immediately withdrew even faster than it had before, as if afraid of being seen by someone.

A hint of surprise flashed in Wayne's eyes, and he tried to turn his face away, but the minister quickly reached out and grabbed his head, pressing it down.

"Hmm, good afternoon to you too," Ge Li's slightly arrogant voice rang out.

"Afternoon Tea Set #1, for two," another female voice said, gentle and soft, sounding somewhat familiar.

As Ge Li and the girl walked toward the booth area, Wayne felt a little nervous as their footsteps drew closer.

He glanced at the minister across from him with a hint of resentment.

Fortunately, the two of them sat on the other side of the booth facing the street, with their view blocked by the partition and flower pots in the middle.

"So, why did Senior Sophia specifically ask me to come here?" Ge Li asked bluntly.

That girl is Sofia Patrick, the president of the Lily Society!

Wayne finally understood why her voice sounded familiar.

"Because there are no outsiders here, it's easier to talk."

Sofia whispered.

Sophia was also a regular at the library, and she knew that not many people usually came here, especially the children in her elementary school.

She went through a lot of hard work before finally making this decision.

But her inner impulse still prompted her to take action.

So, after class, she invited Golly Edgeworth to meet up with her there sometime.

A silence fell between the two, while Wayne, waiting in the next room, was getting a little impatient.

The waiter brought two drinks and dessert to Ge Li and her companion's booth, saying solicitously, "If Miss Ge Li needs anything else, please feel free to call me..."

"Excuse me, could you please go into the back room for a moment?" Sophia interrupted him rudely. "We'll call you if any new guests arrive, or if we're about to leave."

"...Huh?" The waiter looked bewildered.

But seeing that Ge Li didn't object, he had no choice but to obediently do as he was told, feeling wronged.

"Could it be that Senior Sister specifically chose this place because it's owned by our Edgeworth family?"

Goethe picked up the small spoon and scooped a spoonful of food from the glass.

Sofia took a deep breath and readily admitted:

"Yes."

"Because what I want to say is very important."

She said it solemnly.

"I hope that the crafts club will... lose the match against the orchestral club."

Chapter 43 Friendship

Ge Li paused, his hand holding the spoon still.

Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows beside me, casting shadows around the desserts and glasses on the table.

"Why?" she asked.

Sofia looked up at the window, her expression slightly bewildered.

"Yeah, why?"

Have you ever experienced the feeling of having something very important taken away from you?

Although she asked the question, Sofia didn't seem to care about the answer and continued talking.

"I feel like the craft club has taken away an important... friend from me."

"You can have as many friends as you want," Ge Li said nonchalantly.

"No, I'm not talking about someone who's dispensable like a follower, but a true friend. Someone who won't treat you differently because of your status, nor will they have any designs on you because of your family background."

As she said this, a faint smile appeared on Sofia's lips.

"Although she's clumsy and always does a lot of troublesome things, I feel relaxed and happy whenever I'm with her."

……

In the new school year, the academy, as in previous years, randomly assigned classes to the students.

Sofia was admitted to Class F of the sixth grade.

Since the classmates have changed, those courses that require group work will naturally need to be paired up with different partners.

This time, her life skills class partner was a girl with a short ponytail.

"Hey—the president of the Lily Society? She seems like a very important person!" the new partner said.

"Huh? No, the Lily Society is just an ordinary student organization." Sophia used this sentence every now and then, and she could recite it by heart.

"But, but, the work must be very hard, right? Just maintaining a club with only a handful of members is exhausting enough. Sophia must have put in a lot of effort to handle everything so well!" the person exclaimed with genuine admiration.

You must have put in a lot of effort.

This is a completely unfamiliar phrase.

Although she was always surrounded by many people, Sofia believed that she had a good relationship with them because she was always outgoing and lively.

But whether it's teachers, family members, followers, or anyone else, they always say:

"Ah, no wonder she's the daughter of the Marquis Patrick!"

"Truly superior bloodline and extraordinary talent!"

"Geniuses really can do everything well!"

No matter how well she performs, it's all taken for granted by her.

When she finally achieved a good result after giving it her all and was overjoyed, all she heard was, "This is just a piece of cake."

Not recognized.

Unnoticed.

Not understood.

She gradually got used to hiding her embarrassing side, building a hard shell around her perfect facade.

But that was fake.

On one hand, she still tries her best to accomplish everything that makes her look excellent, while on the other hand, she can't help but doubt herself, wondering if she needs to work so hard to meet the expectations of others.

The more praise one receives, the more one realizes that this is not the case.

However, why is it that this complete stranger can see my efforts?

Sofia stared at her blankly, completely puzzled.

Because they often had to collaborate on course assignments, Sophia and her classmate, May Jones, gradually became acquainted.

"Just call me Meimei, that's what my family calls me!" the girl said casually.

A joy that even Sofia herself couldn't quite understand welled up inside her.

Does this mean that she considers herself like family?

Life skills classes are always the last period in the morning or the last period in the afternoon, and Meimei often stays in the classroom for a long time even after class is over.

"Why isn't get out of class over?" Sofia asked her.

"Even after class, there's nowhere to go," Meimei said with a bitter look. "My club is usually empty; it'll probably be disbanded soon."

"I see..." She pondered for a moment, "In that case, I'll stay and keep you company."

"Huh?" Meimei was very surprised. "No, no, no, I'm just staying in the classroom because I'm bored. There's no need for you to waste your time with me."

"Ah, I usually just listen to other people chat when I go to the Lily Club." She slightly curled the corners of her mouth. "To be honest, it's quite boring."

So, the two of them became good friends who "seemed absolutely impossible to get along with".

……

Listening to Sofia's heartfelt words, Ge Li felt inexplicably anxious.

"That's enough. I don't want to know more about your past and your friends' past."

Ge Li tapped his fingers unconsciously on the edge of the table: "So, what did the handicrafts department do?"

“The Crafts Club…” Sophia’s smile faded slightly at the mention of the club’s name. “The Crafts Club was originally going to be disbanded, as Ge Li knows, right?”

Ge Li nodded slightly.

If Chris hadn't suddenly decided to join the craft club, this club would have been shut down due to insufficient members, just like many other unpopular clubs that existed in the academy in the past.

After all, activity departments and activity funds are limited and cannot be provided to useless clubs indefinitely.

“Before, Meimei only had time to spend with me because the craft club was practically invisible. But ever since Chris joined the craft club this semester, the club’s activities have suddenly increased, and Meimei seems to have become a completely different person.”

Sofia sounded somewhat downcast.

"No matter when, she always rushes to the craft club's activity room as soon as get out of class is over. When I try to ask her out on another occasion, she always says she has something else to do..." Sophia couldn't understand, "She's not doing anything important in the craft club..."

"Is that the reason?"

Ge Li frowned and said, "Even if all the effort your friends have put into the club is wasted because of your interference, is that alright?"

"It's ok."

Her voice was as gentle as ever.

"Because I hate... how she's so lazy, yet she's so energetic for other people."

Sofia laughed self-deprecatingly, "Isn't that selfish of me?"

“Yes,” Goethe said, “absolutely terrible.”

“There’s nothing I can do about being told that. But you can’t control your feelings,” she murmured. “Maybe I’m too possessive. I always think, I wish that friend belonged only to me.”