Aria: "My dad got seriously ill and he's in the hospital now. We're out of money..."
Illness?
Diana's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness.
If she remembered correctly, Aria's dad was never sick. He just wanted a new house. They were short on cash, so he set his sights on her.
"How much do you need?" Diana asked.
At the sound of this, a greedy gleam flickered in Aria's eyes. She blurted out, "The hospital said... it'll probably cost around $100,000. Can you help me out?"
$100,000?
In Diana's previous life, she asked for $60,000.
Now she was even more outrageous, asking for so much money straight away. Did she think she was an ATM machine?
Diana was almost amused by her shamelessness.
"You ask for so much straight away. Do you think I'm a cash machine?"
"W... What?!" Aria was stunned.
In the past, whenever she had difficulties, as long as she acted pitiful, Diana would always help her out, didn't she?
Why was she acting like this now?
"If not... $60,000 will do!" Aria grabbed Diana's hand and put on a sincere look. "Diana, you're my only good friend in college. Can you really stand by and watch my dad die?"
"I remember your oldest brother runs a company, right? Why don't you go ask him for help?"
Aria had thought it through, even considering Andrew's money.
Diana sneered and her expression suddenly turned cold. "Let go!"
"L... Let go?"
"Let go of my hand!"
Aria was taken aback by Diana's sudden fierce gaze. Before she could even react, Diana forcefully pulled her hand out of her grasp.
"$60,000? And when do you plan on paying me back, or are you planning on just taking it and never giving it back?" Diana said with a sneer.
"Diana, why are you talking like this? Don't you consider me a friend anymore?" Aria asked, shocked.
"Friend?" Diana flipped her long hair and sneered with her stunning face. "I am the heitress of the Thompson family. What are you, and why would I want to be friends with you?"
Those were the exact words Diana had said when she had first met Aria. Now she was throwing them back in her face.
Aria stood frozen, staring at Diana in disbelief.
After a moment, she snapped out of it. "Diana, how can you say that? Yes, your family is wealthy, but how can you insult me like this? I may be poor, but I have my dignity!"
Dignity? How could she, a shameless leech, claim to have any dignity?
"If you have so much dignity, then return the money you took from me earlier," Diana retorted, clapping her hands. "I won't ask for the small amounts, but the total comes to around $30,000 to $40,000. So, will you pay by cash or card?"
"That was the money you gave me. How can you ask me to pay you back?" Aria's face turned red.
She had already spent all that money. Even the dress she was wearing was bought with the money Diana had given her. She wouldn't be able to stomach it if she had to pay it back.
Diana's gaze turned extremely mocking at once.
She had already expected Aria to react like this, but seeing it firsthand made it even more nauseating.
Seeing Diana's expression, Aria felt a surge of anger.
But the anger quickly gave way to shame.
"If you won't lend me the money, then don't. I'm not begging you for it. Although your family is wealthy, you..." Aria's words trailed off.
"Get lost!" Diana interrupted coldly, spitting out the words.
Aria was muttering to herself when Diana's sudden voice startled her. She instinctively lifted her head and met Diana's deep gaze. It was like looking at a despicable mongrel with a cold and disgusted expression. Aria felt angry, but under Diana's gaze, she couldn't utter a single word.
"Do you really think Maddie considers you a sister, Diana? I'm the only one in this university who considers you a friend. Don't regret it!" Aria managed to muster up the courage to say, but Diana remained unmoved. She just looked at her askance as if she were a clown jumping around.
"Finished?"
"What... what?!" Aria's heart was pounding.
"If you're done, then get lost!"
Aria took a step back, incredulous. How could Diana change so completely in just one summer vacation?! She needed to calm down...
Aria bit her lip and turned around in a hurry, stumbling away. Diana watched her leave with disdain, retracting her gaze. Hmph, she and Maddie were birds of a feather! Thinking of being two-faced and hypocritical!
Diana lazily turned around and took out her phone from her pocket. As she walked, she checked the time. It should be out by now. She swiped her phone screen and went to the university's official website, then refreshed the page. Sure enough, a message popped up on the homepage. After reading the contents, Diana slightly hooked her lips. Good. The game has begun.
Cloud City University had four cafeterias, all of which were decorated like high-end banquet halls. They served a wide variety of dishes, and even offered free desserts. Diana was leading the way, quickly piling her plate with delicious food. Chloe Foster noticed Diana had significantly more food than everyone else and coldly exclaimed, "What a glutton! Why are you eating so much?"
"Mind your own business, it's not like you're paying for it!" Lily interjected. After filling up her plate, Diana headed towards the checkout counter. Instead of paying, she suddenly reached out and pointed at Maddie, who was following closely behind. "We're together," she said with a smile. Maddie was taken aback. Did that mean she had to pay for Diana's meal? The food at the cafeteria wasn't free or cheap, and Maddie had just lost $100,000 recently. She was hoping to make up for it with Diana's treat.
"Diana, you..." Maddie began.
"Maddie, we're such good friends, I don't even have to say thank you," Diana interrupted, looking carefree. Without waiting for Maddie to respond, she picked up her plate and walked away. Maddie was left standing there, in full view of everyone, forced to grit her teeth and pull out her meal card.
Ava was dissatisfied and said, "Look at the way she acts like a big Miss. It's like you're her servant!"
Maddie furrowed her brows, feeling uneasy about Ava's comment. Just then, she saw the price displayed on the screen and took a deep breath. How could Diana eat so much?
The group walked over to their table, all with a sour expression, watching Diana wolf down her food. However, Diana didn't seem to care and quietly ate her meal.
At that moment, Lily scrolled through her phone and exclaimed, "Hey Maddie, someone in the group chat just sent a message saying that they're re-electing the student representative this year!"
"What?!" Maddie was shocked and raised her voice. Diana didn't show much emotion. She had already seen the university's announcement that morning. Everything was going the same way as it did in her past life. However, in her previous life, Maddie had been elected. But this time... no way!
Lily gazed at the message on the phone and said slowly, "The university decided to hold a new election for the student representative to ensure fairness and impartiality. First, they will vote to elect the student with the highest number of votes, and then the professors will examine and evaluate them again."
"It doesn't matter. Even if they do that, Maddie will still be elected," Ava said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, the others immediately showed understanding expressions.
Chloe Foster opened the voting webpage on her phone and said, "Look, Maddie, someone is recommending you on the voting page. You are currently ranked first, with many more votes than the second-place candidate!"
"Well, it's not certain. Maybe there is someone more suitable for the position," Maddie said modestly, although she was actually quite contemptuous inside.
Ha!
So what if there is a new election?
She was confident that with her image and popularity in the university, she would still win!
"Wait a minute! This is Diana!" Chloe scrolled down the voting rankings and unexpectedly saw a familiar face.
Diana was focused on munching on a large chicken leg.
Upon hearing this, she was momentarily bewildered.
She appeared on the voting page?
That's impossible. She hadn't even taken any action, and she wasn't interested in running for student representative anyway.
Diana glanced at the screen and saw a photo of herself sitting in her seat, smiling with her lips pursed. Although it was just a candid shot, the angle and lighting were good, and she looked very beautiful.
Hmm...this paparazzo did a good job of taking the picture. She was quite satisfied.
"Is it really her!?" Ava also saw it.
She couldn't help but say indignantly, "Maddie, you are so good to her usually. Look, as soon as they announced a new election for student representative, she couldn't wait to compete!"