Canteen Turmoil

When the noon bell rang, everyone in the class left for the cafeteria one by one. Kaden opened his eyes and saw his petite desk mate slowly packing her books, unhurriedly standing up.

Zuri picked up her card holder and left. As she walked, people couldn't help but steal glances at her, whispering amongst themselves.

"Did you hear? She's the girl sitting next to Kaden."

"Kaden didn't kick her out?"

"Apparently not."

"What's her background?"

"She's the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the one who was just brought back. I heard she made Blake look pretty bad this morning."

"I heard Blake was so badly messed up by her, he almost lost his life. By the time I got the news, it was too late to see the show."

"I missed it too, such a pity."

"Pity? You might get to see Kaden throw her into the lake."

"Hahaha, I'll make sure to record a video and post it on social media."

...

Kaden walked with his group, and any student who saw them immediately moved two meters away, creating a vacuum around them.

The surrounding gossip occasionally reached Kaden's ears as he watched the slender, delicate figure ahead.

"Kaden, are we going to the third cafeteria or the second one today?"

Windsor Academy had three cafeterias, the most expensive being the third. The first floor offered international cuisine, with chefs hired from five-star hotels, and the food prices were higher than outside. The second floor had private dining rooms with even higher prices. Despite this, the third cafeteria was always popular.

Kaden didn't respond, following the person in front into the third cafeteria.

As soon as Zuri entered the cafeteria, she saw a group of boys and girls gathered around the card swipe area, one of them being Rhea.

Rhea stood there awkwardly, looking helpless.

"Are you kidding me? You said you'd treat us, but you don't have any money. Are you messing with us?" a girl mocked.

"If you're broke, don't pretend to be rich."

"Being poor isn't scary; what's scary is not knowing your place."

"She was so confident before. Didn't expect... tsk tsk, such a big liar."

Rhea blushed at their words. How could she have known the food here was so expensive? One dish could cost half her monthly living expenses. And they ordered the most expensive dishes—how could she afford it?

She just wanted to fit in with them, not expecting such a high cost.

Facing the contemptuous and mocking stares around her, she wished she could disappear into a hole.

In her desperation, she spotted Zuri entering the cafeteria, her eyes brightening.

"Zuri," Rhea called out loudly, disregarding whether she would disturb others.

The people around Rhea turned their gaze to Zuri, sizing her up. Despite her ordinary clothes, her looks were stunning. Even in plain clothes, her beauty was undeniable.

"Who is she?" someone whispered.

"Don't know."

"She must be another poor person from her circle," a girl said disdainfully.

Rhea quickly walked up to Zuri, "Do you have a card? I don't have enough money today. Can you help me cover it?"

Zuri inwardly sneered.

In her previous life, she had covered for Rhea countless times, but Rhea had never once paid her back.

"Yes, I have a card."

Zuri took out a special card from her bag.

Rhea's heart leaped with joy, feeling saved at last.

"Hey, does your card have enough money? Don't end up like Rhea, with an insufficient balance," a girl taunted, laughing.

Another girl joined in mockingly, "Eating here is expensive. Are you sure you can afford it?"

From the window seats on the second floor, which offered a full view of the first floor, Natalie excitedly shouted to her tablemates, "Look, something interesting is happening down there."

A group of boys and girls turned their heads, spotting Zuri in the center of attention.

Eduardo stared at the proud girl in the yellow dress, "Do you guys know her?"

Naya, hearing this, frowned slightly. She noticed Eduardo's eyes fixed on Zuri and frowned even more.

Samara asked, "Eduardo, are you interested in her?"

"Pfft, Eduardo, your taste is questionable. How could you like that kind of girl?" Natalie mocked.

The sunny, handsome boy beside them asked in confusion, "She looks pretty. I think she's no worse than Jazmin."

Naya, who hadn't spoken before, said, "Do you know who she is? She's the one who took Saira's things and beat up Saira's sister. Colin, weren't you going to stand up for Saira? Now you're praising her."

Eduardo, Colin, and the others looked shocked.

"She's Saira's sister?"

"She's so pretty, but such a bad person."

Someone gleefully remarked, "Looks like she's in trouble now."

"Lila and her gang love bullying poor students. Her friend is getting played by them. Let's just watch," Farida said with a smile.

Kaden and his group, just entering the cafeteria, saw the crowd ahead.

Ricardo spoke, "Boss, your desk mate seems to be in trouble."

"Looks like they don't know the third cafeteria is expensive. Pity, they're going to make a fool of themselves," one of the lackeys said.

"Every time there's a new student, Lila's group always does this. Year after year, it's so boring. Don't they get tired of it?"

"Hahaha, that girl's so cocky. Now she's in for it," Ricardo said, gloating.

At this moment, in the center of everyone's attention, Lila and her friends took turns mocking.

"Lila, Zuri has money."

"Ten bucks is still money," Lila laughed.

Everyone around laughed uproariously.

"Zuri is the eldest daughter of the Lin family," Rhea said timidly.

"Pfft, the eldest daughter of the Lin family? Why not say she's Kaden's girlfriend too?" someone beside Lila mocked mercilessly.

They knew who the eldest daughter of the Lin family was!

Someone pulled Lila's sleeve, hinting for her to look outside. The girl followed the hint and looked outside, her face turning pale.

When did Kaden enter the cafeteria?

A spectator said, "Lila, don't joke around. She really is the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the real one."

Lila and her friends were stunned, then remembered the recently recognized biological daughter of the Lin family.

When people thought of the Lin family's eldest daughter, they naturally thought of Saira, not this newly recognized biological daughter.