Grace, while rinsing the tableware with boiling water, asked with a smile, "You haven't been to this street at all this year of university, have you?"

  Scarlett shook her head, her brows furrowed. She didn't even know there was a food street behind the school.

  Grace wasn't surprised at all, teasingly saying, "I bet the worst thing you've ever experienced in your life is an iced Americano."

  "But don't worry, although this little restaurant looks unhygienic, it's actually not clean at all."

  "Ah?" Scarlett looked horrified.

  Grace chuckled, "Just kidding. This street is behind the University of Science and Technology, so its main clientele is university students. It gets frequent surprise inspections from the authorities. The hygiene can't compare to those high-end restaurants, but don't worry too much."

  "The main thing is the food is really good. You'll see once you try it."

  Scarlett, though a little spoiled, wasn't pretentious. She continued wiping the table with a napkin, looking at Grace earnestly, "Anyway, I said I'd treat you to dinner. You can eat whatever you want."

  Grace smiled and nodded, setting out the hot tableware so Scarlett could at least feel more at ease.

  As lunchtime approached, the small restaurant gradually filled up. The space was a bit cramped, with seats very close together; leaning back even slightly would bump into the person behind you.

  Scarlett felt a little awkward, but also more curious about this kind of small restaurant. The kitchen was behind a curtain, quite noisy inside, but the aroma wafting out was incredibly enticing.

  She was even starting to look forward to it.

  "Grace!"

  Eating here, it's inevitable to run into acquaintances. Several girls greeted Grace warmly.

  Grace smiled and responded. They were all from the dorm next door, and they were all nice people.

  "I heard from Candy that you moved out? Is that true?"

  "I changed dorms. You know I didn't get along with them," Grace explained. Their dorm situation wasn't a secret in the East District girls' dorms; the people in the next dorm knew it best.

  Several girls nodded in agreement. One of them said, "It's good that you moved out. Candy is just jealous of you, and she's leading those two spineless followers to isolate you."

  Grace smiled without saying a word, but Scarlett listened with great interest and couldn't help but ask, "Did Grace change dorms because she was being ostracized?"

  "Yes, you're her new roommate, right? Then you should get along well with Grace; she's a very nice person."

  Being praised like this to her face made Grace a little embarrassed.

  Scarlett looked at Grace with a sympathetic expression. How could anyone bear to bully such a beautiful roommate?

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  "By the way, Grace, Eric came looking for you downstairs at our girls' dormitory again yesterday. Candy even pretended to come downstairs to see him on your behalf."

  "She even changed into a new dress. Don't be too obvious about your intentions."

  "Exactly. After you and Eric broke up, you gave her a chance. She's openly started to pursue Eric."

  "But Eric ignored her. He left as soon as he heard you moved out. Candy was left standing there, it was hilarious."

  The group told Grace what happened last night. Grace didn't react much, but Scarlett was completely stunned.

  Just then, Candy suddenly walked in from the door, accompanied by Sofia and Anne.

  Several girls rolled their eyes at them, then said to Grace, "Grace, you guys eat, we'll go sit down."

  Clearly, although Grace was the one ostracized in the previous dormitory, in the entire East District girls' dormitory, Candy was the most disliked person.

  Candy naturally saw Grace as well, her face immediately darkening, and she muttered under her breath, "Bad luck!"

  Grace didn't even glance at her. Just then, the proprietress brought out the dishes, and she quickly urged Scarlett to eat while they were hot.

  The two ordered "Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs," "Lotus Root Stir-fry," and "Golden Broth Fish." The pork ribs were fried to a golden crisp, the lotus root stir-fry was light and refreshing, and the tangy aroma of the golden broth fish filled the air.

  Scarlett was amazed at first bite, because all the dishes are super delicious, and the flavors were particularly simple and pure.

  "Delicious! Grace, you really didn't lie to me!" Scarlett nodded as she ate, her eyes shining.

  Grace smiled and encouraged her to eat more if she liked it, as she herself was also very nostalgic for the taste of this restaurant.

  Unaffected by Candy's influence, Grace had a hearty appetite, and the two girls finished all three dishes.

  Scarlett was thoroughly satisfied. Despite her usual strict diet and figure, she ate two bowls of rice. Afterwards, she slumped over, looking exhausted, and said, "No, tonight I can only eat leafy greens."

  Grace was also quite full. Seeing that it was still early, she suggested the two of them go for a walk; they needed to buy some things after moving to their new dorm.

  After paying the bill, Grace said goodbye to the other girls and was about to leave with Scarlett when, as they passed Candy's table, she deliberately stuck out a leg, blocking her way.

  Immediately following, Candy said in a sarcastic tone, "What? Dumped by Eric and can't afford fancy restaurants anymore, so you're eating at hole-in-the-wall eateries now? Your spending habits have really downgraded a bit!"

  Grace's expression darkened slightly. She turned to look at her and sneered, "How can you be so shameless as to even insult yourself? Aren't you sitting here right now? If you look down on hole-in-the-wall eateries so much, why don't you take them to a Michelin-starred restaurant? Is it because they don't like it?"

  As she spoke, Grace's gaze swept over Sofia and Anne, and she scoffed, "That's right, those two haven't seen much..." "A worldly follower like me can be won over with a few small favors; a fancy meal is not necessary."

  Exposure of her true intentions made Candy's eyes redden with anger: "Grace, you were dumped by Eric yourself, so don't take it out on us."

  As she spoke, she raised her chin with feigned smugness, deliberately raising her voice: "But it's normal that you don't like me, after all, Eric and I spent quite a while downstairs last night and talked a lot."

  She thought mentioning Eric would break Grace's defenses, but little did she know that Grace only felt a surge of revulsion upon hearing that name.

  Grace nodded. "That's great! If you two can really stay together forever, I'm willing to pay for your burial together when you both die. After all, you love each other, and you're doing a service to the people."

  Then she shook her head. "But thinking about it, that's unlikely. I told you before, he doesn't like you. Once someone has tasted good food, who wants to go back to eating shit?"

  With that, Grace pulled Scarlett towards the door. Before Candy could retract her outstretched foot, Scarlett stepped on it. Candy screamed and quickly pulled her foot back.

  Looking down, she saw a heavy gray shoe print on her white sneakers.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see it," Scarlett said innocently to Candy.

  Candy, having been both scolded and humiliated, instantly lost her temper. She stood up and instinctively grabbed Grace's wrist, screaming angrily, "Grace, stop right there! Explain yourself!"

  And with this single action, the diamond bracelet on Grace's wrist, worth nearly a hundred Dollars, snapped into several pieces.