In the dormitory, An Ruoxi kept staring at Zuri. "Doesn't she look familiar to you? I think I've seen her somewhere before," she mused, squinting at Zuri's photo.
A roommate chuckled, "Beautiful women tend to have that effect. I heard she's the belle of the Design Department, and apparently, her family is quite wealthy."
An Ruoxi furrowed her brows, still trying to recall where she had seen Zuri before. "I can't shake the feeling that I've seen her somewhere," she muttered.
"Pretty girls often look similar," another roommate chimed in nonchalantly before the group continued their lively debate about who the prettiest girl was.
Unable to pinpoint where she had seen Zuri, An Ruoxi eventually let the thought go and joined in the discussion.
The dorm was filled with laughter, but for the girls who were part of the campus beauty contest, the atmosphere was different. Some were obsessively checking the votes, others were secretly canvassing for more, and then there was Zuri, who seemed to be the only one truly indifferent.
Shen Menglai, lying on the opposite bed, couldn't help but glance at Zuri from time to time. She finally blurted out, "Zuri, your votes have surged, and now you're in second place. At this rate, you might even surpass last year's campus beauty."
Zuri closed her book and looked at Shen Menglai, then casually picked up her phone to check the campus poll. She quickly sent a message to Azura.
Zuri: *[Boost the votes for the first and third place contestants, so they surpass mine.]*
Azura was about to rally her roommates to campaign for more votes when she received Zuri's text.
Azura blinked several times, making sure she hadn't misread it.
Azura: *[Are you sure about this, Zuri?]*
Zuri: *[Absolutely.]*
Realizing Zuri had no interest in the title, Azura sighed. "You really don't care about this at all, do you?"
Azura pulled out her laptop and prepared to tamper with the voting system.
"Aren't you going to campaign? Why are you on your computer?" a roommate asked.
"No need. I'll let things take their course," Azura replied.
The others, seeing her change in attitude, returned to their own tasks.
Azura muttered to herself as she worked, recalling how she once thought Zuri was a kindred spirit in tech mischief. But after Zuri had discovered her little tricks, she had become the go-to person for such tasks.
Despite her grumbling, Azura was meticulous in her work, ensuring the vote manipulation wouldn't be too obvious. It had to look natural, even if it was a bit of a hassle.
As the saying goes: *Fate works in mysterious ways.*
Those who seek, sometimes find nothing. And those who care the least, often receive the most.
This was precisely Zuri's situation.
"What did you say? I'm the new campus beauty?!" Zuri exclaimed, staring at Azura in disbelief.
Azura nodded. "The first-place contestant, Xu Yanrui, was caught cheating—she hired a computer science genius to inflate her votes. But she got reported, and people were so outraged that she was disqualified."
"What about the third place?" Zuri asked.
"Oh, she's a fool," Azura said. "She tried to rig your votes to get you disqualified, but Xu Yanrui caught wind of it and reported her too. Apparently, last year's vicious competition between the two of them led to this. I wanted to boost someone else up the ranks, but the vote difference was too great. It would have been too obvious. So..." Azura batted her eyelashes innocently.
("▔□▔)
Zuri understood all too well, but it was the last thing she wanted to understand.
This was absurd.
And so, Zuri unwittingly became the new campus beauty.
Azura noticed Zuri's displeasure and tried to cheer her up. "Hey, at least you're the new campus beauty! Cheer up!"
"Campus beauty? More like the campus joke," Zuri replied, feeling like she had just been served a steaming pile of trouble.
Late that night, Owen and his entourage discreetly returned to the capital. No media or fans were alerted, as everyone still believed he was abroad shooting a magazine. Little did they know, he had quietly flown back on a private jet.
Isaac glanced at the weary-looking Owen, feeling a pang of concern. According to their original schedule, they were supposed to stay in France for a week. But to be back in time for his sister's birthday, Owen had compressed the trip into four days, working tirelessly to make it back.
"Have you made plans with her?" Isaac asked.
Owen barely lifted his eyelids. "No."
Isaac sighed, feeling his blood pressure rise.
"I've cleared your schedule for tomorrow. I've also booked a table at a private restaurant with good privacy," Isaac added.
"It's all set," Isaac said. "No work for the next three days. You should rest up."
Owen took out his phone, intending to message her, but after checking the time, he hesitated and put it away.
Around noon, Zuri received a message from Owen.
Owen: *[Zuri, today is my birthday.]*
Before Zuri could even type out "Happy Birthday," a second message arrived.
Owen: *[Would you have dinner with me?]*
Zuri stared at the simple request for a long time before finally typing a single word.
Zuri: *[Okay.]*
Seeing her reply, Owen couldn't help but smile. He knew his Zuri could never say no.
That evening, Zuri finished her classes and headed straight for the campus gate, where a black Maybach was already waiting. The driver, seeing Zuri approach, got out and opened the car door.
An Ruoxi and her friends happened to see Zuri getting into the luxury car.
"Isn't that the new campus beauty getting into that Maybach?" one of them remarked.
"Yeah, that's definitely her."
"Is her family that rich? She's getting into a Maybach!"
The girls could only look on in envy as the car slowly drove away.
The car took Zuri to a famous private restaurant on the outskirts of the capital. The place wasn't big, just a small courtyard house with a peaceful atmosphere, and today, it was reserved for a single party.
"The homestyle dishes here are quite good. What would you like to eat?" Owen asked, eagerly handing her the menu.
Zuri noticed there were only two place settings on the table. "Is it just the two of us tonight?" she asked.
Owen looked downcast and murmured, "The others are busy."
He was being a bit deceitful, but he hoped to win some sympathy from Zuri.
Zuri nodded in understanding. "I didn't know it was your birthday today, so I didn't have time to get you a gift," she said, pulling out a small box from her bag. "I picked this up at the mall. I hope you like it."
Owen's face lit up as he took the gift. "I'm sure I'll love it."
Zuri smiled in response.
The two of them continued to chat and laugh, the mood light and easy.
Midway through the meal, Owen noticed a grain of rice stuck at the corner of Zuri's lips. He stood up, leaned over, and gently brushed it away with his fingers.
At that very moment, a paparazzo lurking in the shadows captured the scene.
The paparazzo had heard that the restaurant was reserved for a celebrity, and after staking out all day, he finally saw who it was. When he realized it was Owen, he almost couldn't contain his excitement.
And now, with these intimate photos of Owen and an unknown girl, he knew this was the scoop of a lifetime.