Li Jiu looked puzzled. "Someone else was invited too?"
Gu Qinghuan flicked her finger. "There's bound to be a sucker! These days... plenty of fools around."
Just as Gu Qinghuan finished speaking, the manager chimed in, "Mr. Chu, the other party says... if you are willing to pay ten times the price, they are willing to give up the table."
"Well, let's just enjoy our meal properly. Some people can't even afford a proper meal, after all," Li Yuan chimed in with well-timed sarcasm.
Chu Hao narrowed his eyes. "I'll pay."
"It's just a meal." Chu Hao cast a proud glance at Gu Qinghuan, clearly showing off.
Indeed, the Chu Family was wealthy and influential; how could they possibly not afford a single meal?
Promptly, the manager hurried to pull out the POS machine. "Card and cash both accepted!"
Chu Hao tossed his card right over.
As soon as the card was swiped, the crisp notification sound of the restaurant's payment receipt rang out:
—Bank card credited with three hundred thousand yuan.
Chu Hao instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
Gu Qinghuan pressed a hand against her lips and coughed. "That was my phone. I forgot to turn off the silent mode."
Chu Hao's handsome face darkened. "The three hundred thousand I just transferred—how did it land in your account balance?"
Gu Qinghuan looked completely innocent. "Time was short, so I forgot to mention it. That private room was booked by me, but seeing how badly you wanted it, I decided to be generous."
Li Jiu silently put her phone away. Actually, she had wanted to handle it herself just now.
She never expected... that her own mother would directly scam Chu Hao out of three hundred thousand yuan.
By now, the rest of the Chu family members finally figured it out.
"Li Jiu, you actually teamed up with these people to scam me?" Chu Hao stared at Li Jiu in disbelief.
Li Jiu raised an eyebrow and let out a light laugh. "There are so many restaurants around, you didn't have to eat here. You were the one fighting and scrambling for it, it has nothing to do with us."
A crimson tint stained the depths of Chu Hao's eyes.
"Li Jiu, since you refuse to acknowledge the Chu Family now, from this moment on... we are strangers." Chu Hao dropped the harsh warning directly.
After speaking, Chu Hao turned his back to Li Jiu, assuming she would act like she always did, whining and begging for forgiveness. When that happened, he could lecture Li Jiu severely, which would also help him salvage a bit of his dignity.
Yet he never expected...
Li Jiu gave a grand wave of her hand. "We can order whatever we want today. Let's try every single specialty dish here, since someone else is treating."
"Yes, yes, let's try them all. Thirty thousand is more than enough to spend anyway," Li Yuan agreed with a nod.
Chu Hao: ?
Upon seeing this, the three brothers let out cold snorts and pulled Chu Yunyun into the private room.
"Eldest Brother, I think Li Jiu did this on purpose. She's just trying to get our attention through this stunt!" Chu Xun lowered his voice to analyze.
Chu Hao thought so too.
"Still, she went way too far this time!" Chu Hao let out a heavy breath and a muffled grunt.
"Let's focus on celebrating Yunyun's birthday properly today, we can deal with the rest later. It won't be long before Li Jiu comes crawling back to beg you anyway. After all... she still needs us to sort out her schooling." Chu Xun's lips curled into a smile.
Mentioning this improved Chu Hao's mood a little.
That's right... when school started later, Li Jiu would definitely come looking for them.
……
"Xiao Jiu, eat more. Look how thin you've gotten." Gu Qinghuan felt heartbroken for her daughter.
Li Jiu nodded.
"Use this three hundred thousand for your tuition," Gu Qinghuan added.
Li Jiu's hand froze mid-motion as she picked up some food, but then she calmly replied, "No need. I can cover my school expenses with part-time jobs. Use this three hundred thousand to pay off Dad's gambling debts first. I know Dad is currently trapped at the casino and can't get back."
"This..." Gu Qinghuan sighed. "It's our fault for not giving you a good environment."
"A family with love is already enough." Li Jiu's voice remained cool and pleasant, almost making Gu Qinghuan blurt out the truth.
However... she knew the time wasn't right yet. Chu Yunyun had already hurt them, so this time she also wanted to test the waters regarding Xiao Jiu's feelings.
……
Li Jiu changed into a school uniform.
She wasn't particularly obedient, but... when Li Yuan handed her a uniform a size too big, Li Jiu suddenly realized the uniform actually looked pretty good.
Li Jiu casually hopped on a motorcycle, and upon arriving at the school gates, simply abandoned it outside.
The Royal Academy, as the name suggested, was a paradise for the wealthy. It boasted the best teaching resources and was split into two factions: one consisted of top-tier elites, while the other comprised top-ranking students from the Capital who earned their place entirely through grades.
Li Jiu belonged to neither camp.
She owned both!
Carrying her bag, Li Jiu slung it casually over her shoulder.
Before she even stepped into the classroom, she heard the discussions buzzing among the students.
"I heard the sheltered socialite princess raised by the Chu Family got assigned to our class."
"That's the legendary great beauty who has never attended any of our parties. Today I must see what kind of extraordinary phoenix among men this legendary eldest miss of the Chu Family really is."
"I also heard... she's a total good girl and a proper socialite."
Li Jiu leaned against the doorway, openly eavesdropping.
What everyone said wasn't wrong. The Chu Family was a powerful and influential conglomerate in the Capital, ranking third. The most intriguing part of the family was their daughter, who never stepped outside and was rumored to have been cultivated impeccably—a genius in everyone's eyes.
Naturally, all of that was just exaggerated hype.
Yet, no one had ever seen Li Jiu's true face.
That was precisely why the Chu Family could cast her aside without hesitation and bring Chu Yunyun home instead. Since no one knew what the real Chu Family daughter looked like, they could simply groom a replacement.
Li Jiu kicked the door open.
"She's here, she's here..." Hearing the commotion, everyone instantly quieted down.
Since the Chu Family's daughter was the only one who hadn't arrived yet, everyone naturally assumed that the person walking in right now had to be her.
Li Jiu glanced sideways, her gaze finally locking onto the back row—which was Chu Yunyun's seat.
She tossed her bag directly onto the desk, her expression haughty, paying no attention to anyone around her.
"Is this the eldest miss of the Chu Family? She's actually still wearing a school uniform..."
"Why does she... seem so lacking in manners?"
"What a joke. Is this really the well-behaved daughter the Chu Family raised? Where is the obedience?"
"A good girl..." Li Jiu lifted her chin and repeated every single word, "Don't insult me."
Crowd: ......
Just as everyone wanted to question Li Jiu, the door was pushed open once more. This time, a teacher walked in, followed by a girl dressed in a white dress with loose, flowing black hair. Two bodyguards flanked her sides, and after the girl murmured a soft instruction, the two bodyguards retreated outside the classroom.
"Let me proudly introduce everyone to our newest student, Chu Yunyun, who is also the final enrollment addition to our school. Let's give her a warm round of applause."
"Whoa."
Some of the boys started catcalling.
"So *this* is the real eldest miss of the Chu Family. Truly lives up to the legend."
"The white moonlight!"
"Chu, my dear, what a rare sight."