“Qianqian, how can you say that? Hurry up and apologize to Ji He!” Ji Yin pretended to push Su Qian and then spoke to Ji He in a fake, insincere tone:

“Ji He, don’t take Su Qian’s words to heart. She didn’t mean it; she just speaks bluntly sometimes. Are you unable to afford ice cream? Do you want me to buy you some? I heard your family owes a lot of money and that you even go to the morning market to sell offal to make a living.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Qian, who was standing beside her, giggled.

Ji Yin feigned surprise, covering her mouth as if she’d just realized something. “Oh no, Ji He, did I say something I shouldn’t have? I wasn’t supposed to mention you selling offal at the morning market, was I? I didn’t mean to, I’m really sorry. You’ll forgive me, right?”

Ji Yin didn’t like Ji He.

They were the same age and had been compared to each other by their parents since childhood.

Her father drove a luxury car worth millions, while Ji He’s father could only afford one worth tens of thousands. Her family’s financial situation was far superior, so why did their grandparents favor Ji He since they were little?

Ji He was such a scheming bitch—she looked innocent but was actually wicked.

Every time her mother attended a parent-teacher meeting, she would come home and scold Ji Yin, saying she was a waste despite having such good conditions, yet she still lagged behind Ji He in academics.

Ji He’s family was dirt poor, living in a small house, so why did the teachers all like her? At every parent-teacher meeting, they used Ji He as an exemplary student.

So what if she was ranked first in the class?

In the future, wouldn’t she still end up working for her?

And now, her parents had both died—she deserved it!

Ji Yin looked at Ji He with intense malice in her eyes.

Su Qian pinched her nose and fanned the air dramatically. “No wonder there’s been a weird smell since just now. I was wondering where it came from. How did such a high-end mall let in such a stench of poverty?”

Ji Yin played along, also pinching her nose and laughing mockingly.

Their voices were not quiet, and by now, a small crowd had gathered around them to watch the commotion. People whispered among themselves, occasionally pointing at them.

Ji He, however, showed no change in expression. She turned to the employee behind the counter and asked, “Did you hear what they said? The one on the left with the high cheekbones is my cousin. She wants to buy me ice cream. Please give me one of each flavor from the display case. Thanks.”

After thinking for a moment, worried that the employee might hesitate, she added, “That dress she’s wearing is worth over ten thousand yuan. Her family is loaded, so don’t worry, just pack it up. She can definitely afford it.”

The only reason Ji He knew the price of that dress was that Ji Yin had deliberately texted the original owner about it. Otherwise, even if it were placed in front of her, she wouldn’t have recognized its worth.

The employee had been watching the drama unfold and didn’t like Ji Yin either. Being poor was no crime. After all, she was just a worker here, and even she couldn’t afford this store’s ice cream.

Without hesitation, she swiftly grabbed a bag and packed one of each ice cream, filling up two large bags before handing them to Ji He.

Ji He took the ice cream, turned to the dumbfounded Ji Yin, and nodded. “Thanks for the ice cream. Next time you want to treat me to a meal, make sure to give me a call.”

With that, she walked through the crowd and left.

Ji Yin stomped her foot in fury and shouted after her, “Come back here! Who said I was treating you to ice cream?!”

“Miss, your total is 5,264 yuan. How would you like to pay?” The moment Ji Yin tried to leave, the employee stopped her.

“You—!”

…

Ji He didn’t care how Ji Yin reacted. Carrying her ice cream, she was in an excellent mood.

For a teenager, those words might have been hurtful, but to her, they were nothing.

She even wished for more fools like them to come her way!

This was just ice cream—imagine if they had treated her to a full meal. If that happened, she wouldn’t stop eating until Ji Yin went bankrupt.

Since the ice cream might melt, Ji He stored most of it in her personal space, keeping only one vanilla flavor to eat while sitting down.

The moment she took a bite, her eyes lit up. She had to admit, it was indeed better than the 2.5-yuan ones from the supermarket.

The creamy texture was rich and smooth—absolutely delicious.

On a hot summer day, nothing felt better than eating ice cream!

Just as Ji He finished her ice cream, someone approached and handed her a flyer. “Hello, miss. Our Sleep Experience Center is having its grand opening today. Would you like to join our event?”

Ji He instinctively wanted to decline.

She was just resting here for a bit before riding her bike home. How would she have time for some opening event?

But then the person continued, “Since today is our first day, we’ve specially invited a five-star hotel chef to prepare a luxurious buffet. Every distinguished guest can enjoy the experience for free.”

Ji He immediately changed her tone. “Where?”

Not because she wanted to eat—she just couldn’t bear to turn down such kindness.

“It’s on the 16th floor upstairs.”

Taking the elevator, Ji He quickly arrived at the 16th floor.

The upper floors were built as part of the shopping mall, designed as office spaces and leased out in units.

The 16th floor was quite spacious, with two businesses: a pharmaceutical company on the left and the Sleep Experience Center on the right.

Ji He glanced at the pharmaceutical company before turning toward the Sleep Experience Center.

It was clear that the owner had put a lot of effort into the place. The interior was designed as a series of small suites, each with a different style. Not only were they tastefully decorated, but even the beds and bedding were high-end.

A casual glance told Ji He that none of the beds cost less than five figures.

Some mattresses even reached seven figures.

There were quite a few people inside, all dressed well, leisurely browsing and occasionally touching or sitting on the furniture.

Ji He wandered around, admiring the various bedroom designs—it was truly an eye-opener.

Eventually, she found herself at the buffet area.

At this moment, there weren’t many people in the restaurant, only two or three scattered around. They didn’t seem particularly hungry or perhaps were just putting on airs.

They barely filled their plates—one glance told Ji He that one person had only taken two pieces of broccoli.

Ji He walked around the buffet table, noting that there were at least forty different dishes, both Chinese and Western cuisine.

Some covered plates hadn’t even been touched. When she lifted a lid to check, the dish was completely full, as if it hadn’t been served at all.

Wouldn’t the chefs feel bad about this?

They worked hard to prepare these dishes, yet no one was eating them?

Ji He couldn’t let that happen.

She immediately grabbed a plate and filled it to the brim—with steak, crab, fried chicken, pasta, and two slices of pizza.