Chapter 2

The kitchen lady stirred the pot of soup as she chatted with me.

“Thanks, ma’am,” I said with a smile.

I glanced at the steaming pot of soup, its rich aroma filling the kitchen, and the corners of my lips curled upward.

When no one was looking, I poured the bottle of water into the pot.

Afterward, I immediately got back to work at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was packed at lunchtime. Students and faculty came and went nonstop, keeping me busy until noon.

When I pushed open the dorm room door, I immediately spotted Mia sitting at her desk.

Her eyes locked onto me, filled with anticipation, as if she had been waiting for me for a long time.

Before I could even sit down, Mia sprang to her feet and hurried over to me. She was holding a neatly packaged loaf of toast, wearing a warm and earnest smile.

“Claire, you must be exhausted after working all morning. You’re probably hungry too, right? I just bought this bread. Have some to hold you over.”

The next second, I heard her thoughts again.

[I wonder if she drank the water. If she didn’t, I need to get her to eat something else, just to be safe!]

[And maybe I can transfer not only her scholarship money, but also what she earned from her part-time job today. Even a little extra is better than nothing!]

Hearing her greedy calculations, anger surged through my chest.

Stealing my scholarship money was bad enough, but she was even eyeing the money I had worked so hard to earn.

I suppressed my anger, though my voice came out colder than before.

“No, thanks. I already ate the staff meal at the cafeteria. I’m not hungry at all.”

Mia’s hand froze in midair. The smile on her face immediately faltered, and she reluctantly pulled the bread back.

She silently returned to her desk, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward.

Our other roommate, Rachel Sinclair, had always thought I was antisocial and seemed to dislike me no matter what I did.

Now, she immediately seized the opportunity to defend Mia, her voice filled with accusation and displeasure.

“Claire, don’t you think that was a little rude?

“Mia was just being nice. She brought you water and bread because she was worried about how hard you’ve been working. How can you be so ungrateful?”

I looked up at Rachel, my expression calm and straightforward.

“I’m not being ungrateful. I already thanked her.

“Besides, I’ve eaten and I’m not hungry. What’s wrong with turning down food I don’t need?”

Mia sat nearby, and I could hear every frustrated thought running through her mind.

[Claire is such a pain! She refuses everything. She won’t eat or drink anything!]

[If I’d known she’d be this difficult, I never would have chosen her as my test subject. What a waste of my time!]

Rachel still refused to let it go. She crossed her arms and scoffed.

“You’re just pretending to be above everyone else! You never want to hang out with us, and you think you’re better than us just because your grades are good.

“And now you’re even too good to accept someone’s kindness?”

She paused, eyeing me suspiciously.

“You didn’t secretly throw away the water Mia gave you, did you?”

I met her gaze directly, my expression clear and composed.

“Don’t make assumptions about other people, and don’t label them however you please. Besides, I already drank the water.”

The moment I said that, the disappointment on Mia’s face vanished.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

The corners of her lips curled upward, and she could barely contain her smile.

She quickly suppressed the wild excitement in her eyes and put on a friendly expression, stepping in to smooth things over.

“Okay, okay. Rachel, don’t be so hard on Claire. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. She probably really wasn’t hungry. We’re roommates. There’s no reason to let something this small ruin our relationship.”

[Yes! It worked! She drank the water! That five thousand dollars will be mine soon!]

[Once I get the money, I’ll buy the dress first. Then I’ll give the other two girls some snacks and drinks and transfer all their spending money too!]

[A few more transfers, and I can pick up some new designer bags. Perfect!]

I quietly watched her fake, friendly expression and listened to her increasingly greedy plans.

There was nothing left in my heart but coldness.