Lizhou Aristocratic Academy was a school with a long history.
Qi had grown up in Lizhou, so she was quite familiar with it.
When she first woke up in the dormitory, Qi thought she had transmigrated into a wealthy young lady, but an investigation revealed she was merely a Special Admissions Student.
Although the school carried the word “aristocratic” in its name, family background wasn’t an absolute requirement for enrollment.
There were two ways to enter: either by paying exorbitant tuition fees or by achieving admission scores that far exceeded other top-tier high schools, entering as a Special Admissions Student with a three-year tuition waiver.
Qi belonged to the latter category.
As for her grades… one could only say she didn’t know what methods that person had used to get her in.
If there was one thing that best fit the “aristocratic” label of this school, it was that the lunch here was incredibly expensive!
The cheapest healthy set menu cost twenty-five, and she didn’t even dare to look at the others.
That was even the discounted price for a set; buying items individually was even more expensive, with vegetarian dishes starting at twenty and up.
Take the fifty-eight-yuan oil-drenched cabbage hearts, for example—and that was the student price.
However, she had no choice.
The restaurants near the school were even more expensive, the kind that practically plastered the word “high-end” on their storefronts specifically to profit from wealthy guys.
She could afford them even less.
The only cheaper option was a snack street a bit further away, but the food there was too oily and salty for her taste.
Qi had about 300 yuan left on her campus card.
Combined with the bank card she had just recovered, she could last a month at most.
To avoid starving to death at school in the future, she had to consider new sources of income in advance.
Qi arrived at the second floor of the cafeteria.
Although it was called a cafeteria, the variety of food was no less than that of a regular food street.
Different types of food were divided into different areas on various floors.
She was most interested in the dessert area on the fourth floor, but the prices dispelled all her thoughts.
Pushing open the doors to the regular Chinese food section, she saw that there weren’t many students dining there, so there was no need to queue for a number.
After receiving her number, Qi pulled down the brim of her hat and found a seat.
She opened the Campus Forum on her phone.
This was the official app of Lizhou Academy, a fully functional social platform developed by a former senior student.
The management consisted of students, yet it could be linked to campus cards and even featured a trading system.
This was also Qi’s primary source of information in this school.
For instance, a post had been published on the forum yesterday about a transfer student who had entered as a Special Admissions Student and was personally greeted by the Principal.
The post included a photo of the transfer student standing with the Principal.
Because of that photo, the post’s click count had exploded, and it was still pinned on the front page.
While she was drawing attention, most of the transfer student’s information had been dug up and made public on the forum within a single day.
The transfer student’s name was Jiang Wanli.
Her family background was ordinary, but her academic performance was excellent.
She had once held the title of Lizhou’s Middle School Entrance Exam Topper and was a genuine scholar.
However, not many people cared about that; what really kept her popularity high was her beautiful face.
There was even a section specifically for candid photos of beautiful girls to be posted.
In the time it took for the Principal to show her around the school, nearly 100 photos of her had already appeared on the forum.
Fortunately, these photos were taken from a distance, which was generally ignored.
However, being caught taking secret photos up close would be a violation of school rules and could lead to expulsion.
‘There sure are a lot of idle people in this school,’ Qi grumbled inwardly as she adjusted her hat.
Luckily, there hadn’t been a segment where the Principal personally greeted her when she entered the school.
Thanks to her height advantage, disguising herself was simple.
She only needed to wear a hat to hide most of her face.
As long as she didn’t do anything particularly eye-catching, she would remain a “nobody.”
She didn’t want to be like Jiang Wanli, constantly being stared at and photographed for the forum; just thinking about it was exhausting.
By the time she finished looking at the forum, her healthy set menu was ready.
The standard for the set was three vegetarian dishes, one meat dish, and a soup.
It was a bit pricey, but the colors looked appetizing.
However, there was one more meat cutlet than usual this time.
Noticing this, Qi looked up in confusion and happened to meet the kind, smiling face of the cafeteria lady at the window.
“Eat more, child. You’re at the age where you’re still growing! Look at how thin you are. Such a beautiful girl, yet you’re not even as tall as my daughter in middle school.”
It seemed that Qi eating the healthy set menu for several days in a row had caused the cafeteria lady to misunderstand.
Qi smiled sheepishly.
“Thank you, ma’am…”
“It’s nothing! No matter what, you have to eat well!”
Under the cafeteria lady’s enthusiastic gaze, Qi carried her lunch back.
The smile on her face turned into a bitter one.
‘Why is there another meat cutlet…’
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the regular Chinese food section seemed a bit livelier than usual today.
Qi sat back down in her original spot, wondering how to deal with these two meat cutlets.
It wasn’t until she looked up inadvertently that she noticed a young girl sitting opposite her.
The other girl was very tall, appearing to be over 1.7 meters.
Unlike the secretive Qi, she had her hair tied in a neat, high ponytail, fully exposing her face.
In front of her was the same healthy set menu, and she was poking at the meat cutlet in her tray with her chopsticks.
At that moment, the other girl also looked up, and their eyes met.
‘So pretty. Her eyes are beautiful.’
That was Qi’s first impression.
‘Wait, this person looks so familiar…’
That was her second impression.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
When the girl spoke, her voice was like a hot spring in the snow, possessing a warmth that could melt frost.
Only then did Qi realize—wasn’t this the Jiang Wanli from the forum!
The black-haired girl immediately felt a sense of dread.
She looked to her left and right until her gaze met with no fewer than ten others.
The heart hanging in Qi’s chest completely died.
‘No way. I specifically chose a spot with no one around. With so many empty tables, why did you have to pick the one right across from me!’
While her mind was frantic, Qi’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she lowered her head shyly.
“Sister, you’re very pretty. I accidentally got lost staring at you. I’m sorry…”
“Thank you. You’re very cute too,” Jiang Wanli replied with a light smile.
She returned her gaze to her lunch, but the movement beside her caught her attention again.
She saw the little one opposite her push her tray to the side, hop down from her seat, and quickly move to sit right next to her.
“Sister, I’m Qi. What’s your name?”
“I’m Jiang Wanli. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Since you’re so happy—” the black-haired girl suddenly leaned in closer, “—will you be my first friend?”
“Eh?” Jiang Wanli was stunned and a bit surprised.
This girl looked very shy, but her way of speaking was unexpectedly… enthusiastic?
“Don’t reject me. I just transferred to this school too, and I don’t know anyone. But as long as I’m by your side, I feel much more at ease…”
As she spoke, Qi lowered her head, feigning a look of grievance.
‘Also?’
Jiang Wanli’s expression shifted slightly.
“I didn’t mean to reject you. If Qi wants to be my friend, of course you can.”
“Yay—! Then from now on, Wanli is my friend!” The black-haired girl appeared exceptionally happy.
“Just a moment ago you were calling me ‘sister,’ and now it’s ‘Wanli’?” Jiang Wanli smiled faintly.
“Wanli sounds more intimate—”
As she spoke, Qi even picked up a meat cutlet and placed it on Jiang Wanli’s tray.
“This is the friend fee. You’re not allowed to refuse.”
“Is that so? I think you just don’t like eating meat cutlets, Qi.”
Hearing this, Qi froze for a moment, then sheepishly stuck out her tongue.
“Is it that obvious? Hehe—”