Chapter 2

Quinn constantly preached about how important it was to repay kindness. But most of the time, what she really did was acknowledge someone else's kindness… and then use others' stuff to repay it.

That was textbook moral blackmail. She pretended to be generous and noble, but the second it involved her own interests, she suddenly no longer agreed with that kind of generosity.

To build up her whole "grateful and kind-hearted" persona, she even set up a social media account just for it. She took staged photos and posted them with long, emotional captions.

For example, Quinn once took all the cakes and bread I'd bought and handed them out to the campus janitors. She said they worked hard to keep the campus clean and beautiful, so they deserved it.

When I said I wasn't okay with that, she immediately took the moral high ground and scolded me for not having any compassion.

She even started a live stream and deliberately aimed the camera at me. "Babes, all the janitors and cleaning staff really loved the bread I gave them. My dormmate is against what I do, but I'm still going to keep doing what I believe in. Love you guys!"

She didn't spell it out, but she also said everything she needed to say. And so, online, Quinn was this grateful, kind, and socially responsible model citizen, while I was painted as a stingy, cold-hearted piece of trash.

Her clueless fans showered her with gifts and donations. Even though she claimed she would use the money for charity, she pocketed it all.

I watched her antics coldly. I knew very well that if I wanted her to fall hard, I had to let her climb higher first.

…

That day, Quinn went out drinking and came back completely wasted. The dorm supervisor, Ms. Carlton, gave her a bottle of water to help her sober up. She even helped Quinn back to the dorm.

When Quinn woke up, she rubbed her forehead and said, "Oh man, I'm such a scatterbrain. I'm so grateful for the water that Ms. Carlton gave me. I really have to repay her properly."

As she spoke, her eyes kept drifting toward me. That alone told me that, just like in my past life, she was already plotting against me.

In my past life, she'd insisted I foot the bill so she could treat Ms. Carlton to a thank-you dinner. And somehow, that had turned into bringing all 50 of our classmates along.

She'd said, all righteously, "Ms. Carlton treats us like family. How can you invite just one person in a family and not the rest? Our classmates are like our siblings. When we're away from home, we have to stay united. Don't you get that?"

A dinner with 50 people meant there were five tables in total. Quinn ordered a ton of seafood and premium beef. In the end, the bill came out to six thousand dollars per table.

I emptied all my savings, yet it still wasn't enough. I had to call my parents and borrow money from them just to pay off the final bill.

After I paid, Quinn didn't mention me covering the cost at all. When our classmates started praising her, she just waved it off, acting all modest.

"I was just doing the right thing! We're one big family—we're supposed to look out for each other!"

If that was how she wanted things to be, then she could "look out for everyone" by herself.

When I didn't react, Quinn tested the waters again. "Lydia, Ms. Carlton has been so nice to me. How about we treat her to a meal?"

I nodded. "You're right. And while we're at it, let's invite the whole class too."

Her eyes lit up. She couldn't hide her excitement. "That's perfect—it's exactly what I was thinking! Ms. Carlton works so hard all the time. The least we can do is buy her a nice meal. How about we set the venue at the Regalion Hotel?"

I smiled. "It's your call."

Quinn was thrilled because she thought I would cover the entire bill just like before. I would spend the money, and she would walk away with a good reputation.

This time, though, I had no intention of playing the sucker.