20: The awe brought by the treasures

She is not Li Tingting, who knows nothing about watches; she knows exactly the origin of the watch in front of her—the Vacheron Constantin "soaring swallow".

The dial features a micro-carving of a soaring swallow. This is a treasure she has gazed at longingly in display cases many times, but could never obtain.

"This is unbelievable... What kind of divine person did Tingting bring?" Su Nian exclaims inwardly.

The women's version of this watch starts at at least 4 million, and it is by pre-order only; there is no upper limit to the price.

Her own family background is quite affluent, but she could only bring herself to buy watches worth a few hundred thousand at most. Who exactly is this seemingly ordinary girl?

Li Tingting has been observing Su Nian, trying to gauge the value of the watch from her reaction.

She clearly sees the shock on Su Nian's face. Although she does not know much about watches, she can judge from Su Nian's reaction that the price of the watch on Meng Yu's wrist is likely far beyond the two or three hundred thousand she initially guessed, possibly reaching millions.

This discovery leaves her confused as well—what is Meng Yu's background?

Su Nian quickly adjusts her expression, but her gaze cannot help lingering on Meng Yu's wrist for a moment; she loves this watch too much.

After enthusiastically inviting the two to take their seats, her voice becomes even softer than before: "Meng Yu, come and sit. The cheese-baked Lobster here is very good; would you like to try it?"

"Thank you, Sister Su Nian." Meng Yu smiles faintly and takes a seat in front of the table covered with a pristine white tablecloth.

The three chat while dining. Meng Yu takes small bites of the baked Lobster; the delicious flavor blooms on her tongue, making her silently praise it in her heart.

Every dish here is like a work of art, impeccable from plating to taste.

She suddenly understands the saying, 'It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.' This is truly no lie.

Once one has tasted such an exquisite life, it becomes a lifelong incurable disease.

All this dreamlike wealth was brought to her by Chen Li. Thinking of this, a complex emotion rises in Meng Yu's heart.

She is just an ordinary girl; in terms of looks and Figure, she cannot compare to Liu Manman, let alone Li Tingting, Su Nian, and the others present.

Why did Chen Li choose her?

This thought gives rise to an even stronger desire—no matter what, she must cherish this rare opportunity.

Don't ask what shouldn't be asked, don't meddle in what shouldn't be meddled in, and certainly don't make unreasonable scenes like those foolish women.

Even if Chen Li has others around him, so what? As long as she is sensible enough and does not court death herself, she will always be the primary mistress.

This realization acts like a sobriety pill, smoothing out her previously slightly worried brows.

She puts down her teacup. The sound of the porcelain cup touching the saucer is crisp, drawing Li Tingting's attention.

"What's wrong?" Li Tingting asks with concern.

"Nothing, the black tea here is very fragrant. By the way, Tingting, where is the restroom?"

"Go down that corridor ahead, turn right, and you'll be there." Li Tingting points along the corridor.

Once Meng Yu's Figure disappears at the end of the corridor, Su Nian immediately leans forward and asks in a low voice: "Tingting, what exactly is the background of this classmate of yours?"

"Actually, I'm not too sure."

Li Tingting tells the truth, "We just met not long ago. I just feel that Meng Yu is quite nice. Why? Is the watch on her wrist... especially expensive?"

"Especially expensive?"

Su Nian shakes her head gently, "That's not something that can be described just by the word 'expensive'. That is a 'soaring swallow', costing at least over four million."

"How... how much?" The fork in Li Tingting's hand almost slips, "Over four million? Sister Su Nian, could you have misread it?"

"I would never misread it."

Su Nian's tone is exceptionally firm, tinged with unconcealable envy, " 'soaring swallow' is the watch I've dreamed of. This classmate of yours is not simple; you must maintain this relationship well."

Li Tingting freezes in her seat, unable to recover for a long time. She still clutches the napkin in her hand, unconsciously tightening her grip.

Four million—this number buzzes in her mind, completely exceeding her imagination.

She originally thought Meng Yu was just an ordinarily wealthy classmate; now she understands that they are simply not people from the same world.

"I'll have to be careful about how I interact with her from now on."

She silently reminds herself in her heart that she can neither appear too enthusiastic and sycophantic, nor deliberately alienate her because of this gap.

On the other side, Meng Yu stands in front of the sink, letting the warm water flow over her wrists. She squeezes out some hand soap and slowly rubs it into a lather.

Turning off the faucet and pulling out a paper towel, she inadvertently looks up and meets her own gaze in the mirror.

In the mirror is the same familiar face—same brows, same contours.

But for some reason, the feeling she gives off has changed; there is a bit more composure in her eyes.

She purses her lips slightly, and the person in the mirror does the same, but the sparkle in those eyes is something that was not there before.

She throws the paper ball into the trash can, takes one last look at the mirror, and turns to head back to the restaurant.

...

Another person who has changed like Meng Yu is Song Lingyun. Ever since she received that money, her life has also undergone significant changes.

She began to frequent the Shopping Mall like her roommates, buying clothes and skincare products she could only admire in the past.

In the Dormitory, she is the poorest but also the prettiest. Although she has many pursuers, none of them have much financial strength.

Listening to her roommates discuss various designer brands every day and what their boyfriends bought them, while she herself could not join the conversation—this differential treatment made her feel terrible.

Instead of losing her virginity to a relationship, it is better to sell it for a suitable price. Ideally, she should latch onto a rich second-generation heir and live a wealthy life.

Due to her recent lavishness, a roommate in the Dormitory wearing exquisite makeup asks half-jokingly: "Lingyun, have you struck it rich recently?"

Song Lingyun pursed her lips and explained vaguely: "It's nothing, it's money given by my boyfriend."

"Wow, you got a boyfriend?"

Another roommate who was trying on lipstick turns her head, "How many handsome men must be heartbroken for you."

"But your boyfriend is really good to you, willing to spend so much money,"

The first roommate leans in closer, "When are you going to invite him out for a meal? Let us see him too."

Tang You, who had not spoken until now, also walks over. She has the best family background in the Dormitory and drives a bmw 7 series herself. She usually takes good care of Song Lingyun.

She gently pats Song Lingyun on the shoulder: "I'll treat you all to a meal. Do you think you can invite him out? It's mainly to help you vet him. Some people nowadays just spend a little money to trick girls; no matter how rich someone is, you have to look at their character."

Song Lingyun sees that Tang You has spoken up. Although she feels a bit awkward, she cannot directly refuse.

She knows Tang You is genuinely looking out for her, so she nods and bites the bullet: "Okay... then I'll ask him if he's free later."

Song Lingyun's money has also been spent almost entirely these past few days, and she also wants to find Chen Li to meet up and see if he's free tonight.

This way, she can earn money and enjoy herself—honestly, that night's event left her reminiscing, and she would think about that feeling from time to time.

The experience that night left too deep an impression on her. Now, whenever she thinks back even slightly, Chen Li's image immediately appears before her eyes, and she cannot help but dwell on it.

Since the topic has come up, she might as well ask Chen Li out today.