Zuri glanced at the opulent hotel. "Yes, this is my first time dining here."
Hearing this, Shi Feifei's smile grew even more smug. She knew this poor girl had never been to such a place before. She could hardly wait to see her embarrassment when it came time to pay the bill. The mere thought of Zuri's impending humiliation brought Shi Feifei immense joy.
The dishes were served quickly, much faster than Shi Feifei had anticipated. Esme noticed something strange—people who had arrived before them hadn't been served yet, but their table was already filled with food.
"Our dishes seem to be arriving faster than at other tables," Esme whispered.
"Maybe several tables ordered the same things, so they prepared them together," Shen Menglai suggested.
But it soon became clear that wasn't the case. Their dishes kept coming, almost without pause, as if the entire kitchen was focused on serving just their table.
The people around them noticed and began to grumble.
"Waiter, what's going on? We got here before them, so why are they being served first?"
Other diners joined in the complaints.
"Exactly!"
"Are we being ignored here?"
"I'm a VIP at this hotel—I should have priority!"
Zuri and her three companions watched the scene unfold with surprise.
The waiter, unsure of how to respond, hesitated until the restaurant manager approached. Smiling, he explained to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient. This guest is a V-Diamond member at our hotel, which entitles her to top priority. If anyone feels the service is slow, I encourage you to upgrade to V-Diamond status for the same benefits."
With that explanation, the room fell silent. The Haotian Hotel was a super five-star establishment, and becoming a V-Diamond member was extremely difficult, let alone maintaining that status, which required significant yearly expenses—not something just anyone could afford.
After the commotion subsided, the manager turned to Zuri's table and offered, "Ladies, if you find the main dining area too noisy, you're welcome to move to a private room."
Shi Feifei, intent on making Zuri lose face publicly, refused. "No, we'll stay here," she said, waving him off.
The manager, however, didn't leave. His gaze shifted to Zuri, and seeing her shake her head, he smiled and took his leave. "I wish you all an enjoyable meal. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything."
After he left, Shen Menglai looked at Shi Feifei in amazement. "Feifei, you're a V-Diamond member here? That's impressive."
Shi Feifei, who had managed to book the restaurant through a friend's connections, smiled proudly. "It's nothing special. Next time, I'll take you all somewhere even nicer."
Turning to Zuri, she added, "Zuri, now that you're in the capital, you should get out and see the world. It would be embarrassing to go back home and have nothing to talk about."
Zuri smiled and replied softly, "Thank you for the advice."
Shi Feifei, noticing Zuri didn't retort, felt a surge of satisfaction. This poor girl must be intimidated by her V-Diamond status.
"Let's not just sit here—dig in! The seafood won't taste as good if it gets cold," Shi Feifei said, playing the role of hostess as she spun the lazy Susan to place the king crab in front of Zuri. "This is king crab. You've probably never had it before—eat up."
Zuri didn't hesitate; she picked up a crab leg, skillfully extracted the meat, and began eating slowly. Meanwhile, Esme and Shen Menglai found the food tasteless as they glanced at the costly dishes before them, their hearts sinking.
This wasn't just eating; it was like consuming money.
Noticing their discomfort, Zuri placed a piece of crab meat into Esme's bowl and said gently, "Don't overthink it. The money's spent, and it's even worse if you don't eat."
Her words snapped Esme and Shen Menglai back to reality. Zuri was right—since they were going to spend the money anyway, they might as well not let the food go to waste.
Determined, the two began eating with a vengeance, shoveling food into their mouths as if trying to eat their money's worth. Shi Feifei watched them, her brow furrowing in disdain. If it weren't for her desire to isolate Zuri and make her feel ashamed, she wouldn't have bothered associating with these two country bumpkins.
When the desserts were served, Shi Feifei didn't touch them, and neither did Esme and Shen Menglai, who were too full to eat another bite. Despite their efforts, several dishes remained untouched.
"Everyone full?" Shi Feifei asked with a smile, barely containing her excitement. "Waiter, the bill, please!"
The waiter approached with a smile. "This meal is complimentary, no need to pay."
Everyone was stunned.
Esme and Shen Menglai breathed a sigh of relief, their gazes instinctively turning to Shi Feifei.
"Feifei, is your V-Diamond status that good? It even covers the bill?" Esme asked, still a bit confused.
Shi Feifei assumed as much and replied with a proud smile, "Of course. That's the benefit of being a V-Diamond member!"
She then turned to the waiter and said smugly, "Even though we don't have to pay, bring the bill over anyway. I want to see how much this meal cost."
Hearing this, Shen Menglai realized what Shi Feifei was up to. She wanted to speak up on Zuri's behalf but was too scared of upsetting Shi Feifei and ending up paying herself. So, she stayed silent, while the naive Esme remained oblivious.
The waiter quickly returned with the bill. "Today's meal totals 78,565 yuan."
Esme nearly dropped her jaw in shock.
Shen Menglai felt a wave of relief that she hadn't spoken up for Zuri.
Satisfied with the amount, Shi Feifei smiled and said to Zuri, "That's 78,000 yuan, so if we split it, each of us owes 19,641 yuan. I'll cover Menglai and Esme's share. You can pay for yourself."
"I'll even round it down for you—just give me 19,600 yuan. How about that? Am I being generous as a classmate?" Shi Feifei taunted.
Zuri ignored her and addressed the waiter, "Could you please ask your manager to come over?"
The waiter left, and the restaurant manager quickly arrived at Zuri's side. "Miss Zuri, how may I assist you?"
"This meal won't be complimentary—we'll pay for it."
"Very well, no problem."
Esme and Shen Menglai watched in confusion.
Then they heard Zuri say calmly, "The total is 78,565 yuan. I'll pay 19,600 yuan. The remaining 58,965 yuan will be covered by this lady. You can ask her for the money."
Zuri pointed at the dumbfounded Shi Feifei.
The manager turned to Shi Feifei.
Shi Feifei blurted out, "But I'm a V-Diamond member here! Why should I listen to her? The complimentary meal was for me, not her."
The manager smiled politely and said, "I'm sorry, but Miss Zuri is our Supreme VIP customer, so the complimentary meal was for her. As for you, my apologies, but I must have overlooked you—we don't have you listed as a V-Diamond member."
The atmosphere at the table instantly became awkward.