The group kept playing off one another, praising Zhong Suian higher and higher. It was obvious they were waiting to see her humiliate herself.
But Zhong Suian felt no pressure at all.
She leisurely typed a reply.
Don’t all the houses in Palm Bay look more or less the same? What’s there to look forward to? It’s nothing special.
The moment she appeared, the group chat exploded.
Oh, look at that! Our great Miss Zhong thinks Palm Bay’s luxury villas are too ordinary!
Ordinary? You mean the kind of ordinary where you can’t even get through the gate?
With that attitude, I suppose even Palm Bay’s crown-jewel villa isn’t good enough for you~
Messages kept appearing one after another, and everyone mocked her even more enthusiastically.
However, Zhong Suian had already exited the chat.
She casually browsed an online shopping platform and ordered several pieces of furniture she liked.
They could say whatever they wanted.
By tomorrow, the facts would naturally shut them up.
Because of the filming activity, all their classes the following day had been rescheduled.
At nine in the morning, the entire class was required to gather at the university gate.
Zhong Suian arrived exactly on time.
The moment she boarded the bus, she heard deliberately hushed whispers.
“Why hasn’t Zhong Suian arrived yet?”
“Wasn’t she still pretending in the group chat yesterday? She must be feeling guilty…”
“Let’s see how she gets out of this later.”
…
Zhong Suian pretended not to hear and chose an empty seat with no one nearby.
She wanted peace and quiet, but some people refused to leave her alone.
Not long after the bus started moving, several of Ye Qiaoqiao’s followers crowded around her.
“Suian~ We already agreed that we’d film at both villas today.”
“You didn’t forget your keys, did you?”
Zhong Suian did not even bother lifting her eyelids.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
But they had come specifically to cause trouble and refused to let it go.
“Come on, did you bring them or not?”
“Why don’t you take them out and let us check?”
“Exactly! We just want to broaden our horizons and see what a Palm Bay homeowner’s card looks like!”
Zhong Suian could not be bothered responding.
She was in no hurry to prove herself.
However, while she was not paying attention, a boy beside her suddenly stretched out his arm and snatched the wallet she had placed next to her.
“Oh, come on. We’re all classmates.”
“There’s no harm in letting us take a look.”
Under the entire bus’s gaze, the boy grinned and pulled a card from one of the wallet slots.
The card was dark in color and had no writing on it.
Only a ring of subtle patterns decorated its edges.
When held under the sunlight, the patterns seemed to shift with the angle of the light, faintly revealing a complicated design resembling the outline of the number nine.
The card had a premium texture and felt heavy in his hand, as though it were made from some kind of alloy.
The air inside the bus seemed to freeze.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the card.
The boy forced himself to remain calm and laughed awkwardly.
“Heh… it actually looks pretty convincing.”
Suddenly, someone in the front row sneered.
“That card’s wrong!”
“I’ve personally seen Qiaoqiao’s homeowner card. It’s clearly turquoise!”
“What is this ugly black thing?”
“Exactly!”
Someone immediately agreed.
“I also heard Palm Bay cards all have identification numbers corresponding to each homeowner.”
“Every card is unique.”
“This one is completely blank.”
“It must be counterfeit!”
Zhong Suian frowned.
She had not expected someone to be bold enough to steal her belongings just because she had let her guard down for a moment.
“I can understand that you’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“But touching someone else’s property without permission is a matter of poor upbringing.”
She looked at the card in the boy’s hand with disgust.
Forget it.
She would have a new one issued another day.
She no longer wanted anything that had been touched by someone like him.
Just then, the bus gradually came to a stop.
Zhong Suian looked out the window.
They had arrived at Palm Bay.
“We’re here!”
A class officer shouted from the front.
“The driver says they won’t let us enter.”
“Qiaoqiao, could you swipe your homeowner card and speak with security?”
Hearing this, the boy who had stolen the card immediately became excited.
“I’ll do it!”
He waved the black card with a smug expression.
“Since Miss Zhong insists this card is real, why don’t I verify it for everyone?”
He eagerly jumped off the bus and rushed toward the security booth.
Seeing there was entertainment to watch, the other students poured out of the bus after him.
Zhong Suian followed at the very back.
Expressionlessly, she took out several tissues, removed her identification cards, bank cards, and cash from the wallet, and placed them inside her bag.
Then she casually tossed the contaminated Hermès wallet, which had cost four yuan, into a roadside trash can.
It landed inside with a soft thud.
However, the moment the other students stepped off the bus, they were immediately captivated by the scenery.
At the entrance to Palm Bay stood an enormous snow-white marble arch more than ten meters tall.
It looked exceptionally grand.
The landscaping on both sides was perfectly maintained.
An automatic irrigation system sprayed a fine mist over the greenery, making it resemble a vast green velvet carpet from a distance.
At the center stood a white fountain.
Several ancient Greek-style statues of different sizes stood in the pool.
Clear water flowed down their surfaces, making the smooth stone gleam with a pearl-like luster.
None of the students had ever visited such an expensive place.
They were immediately overwhelmed by its grandeur.
For a moment, they did not know how to behave.
Even their footsteps and breathing became lighter.
“Oh my god…”
“This place is beautiful…”
Someone whispered in amazement while hurriedly taking out a phone to secretly take pictures.
The security guard on duty happened to be the same foul-smelling drunk from last time.
The moment he saw the boy attempting to swipe the black card on the machine, he immediately grabbed his wrist.
“Get lost!”
“Where did a brat like you come from, randomly swiping cards?”
“Do you know how expensive this machine is?”
“If you break it, can you afford to compensate us?”
The boy froze after being shouted at and hurriedly forced a smile.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I only wanted to swipe the access card…”
His voice grew quieter and quieter.
In a place so saturated with wealth, even an ordinary security guard at the entrance was enough to make him behave submissively.
“Get out of here!”
The guard shoved him roughly.
“Palm Bay doesn’t even use cards like this.”
“Stop causing trouble!”
The boy’s face turned bright red.
Just as he stood there helplessly, a slender hand patted his shoulder.
He turned around and saw Ye Qiaoqiao approaching.
She handed over her turquoise homeowner card.
“Sorry. He brought the wrong one.”
“This is the correct card.”
The boy immediately looked as though he had been rescued.
The moment the guard saw the turquoise card, his attitude changed completely.
Most of his drunkenness disappeared at once.
He bowed repeatedly, the fat on his face gathering into a flattering smile.
“Oh! So you’re one of our distinguished homeowners!”
“I’ll open the gate immediately!”
“Right away!”
The guard hurried over and pressed the button to open the gate.
Once they were back on the bus, the boy angrily applied force and snapped the black access card in half.
“I knew it!”
“This access card really was fake!”
“How could you deceive us like this?”
“You nearly humiliated me in front of everyone!”
“Luckily, Qiaoqiao helped!”
“Exactly! If even the access card is fake, then the house must be a lie too!”
Seeing that Zhong Suian was about to be exposed, Ye Qiaoqiao hurriedly gave the red-haired boy a look.
The show was only halfway through.
Exposing her now would be far too boring.
The red-haired boy immediately understood and stepped forward.
“Oh, come on.”
“How could our great Miss Zhong be that kind of person?”
“She must have been in such a hurry this morning that she accidentally brought the wrong access card!”
“Exactly!”
“Once we see the house, the truth will become obvious!”
Zhong Suian ignored their ridiculous performance.
Her gaze was fixed on a certain figure outside the window.
Why did the person standing near the entrance look so much like Zhong Yaoran?