Thegirl was very beautiful. Just by looking at the length of her legsyou could tell she must be tall. She wore a white lace camisoleunder a large triangular, diagonal‑lapel black top, paired with a camelcolored scarf, and a slim skirt with an excellent drape—altogether givingoff a very artistic vibe.
"Brothers, come, let me introduce youThis is my new girlfriend, her name is Indie Taylor. She's alsofrom our school, majoring in art."
Just then, Jace came outof the bathroom.
Jace was also quite handsome—about 1.85 meterstall—with rather long bangs that gave him a mysterious, slightly androgynair.
"Indie, these are my good brothers in the dorm:Grayson, Miles, and Tyler."
"Hello!" Indie didn't look veryenthusiastic, but she still greeted Grayson and the others with a polite, moderate attitudeneither cold nor warm.
"By the way, Grayson, I heardyou broke up with Sienna?" Jace sighed, then suddenly smiled and pGrayson on the back. "But donbe too down about it. When Indie and I came over today, we already arranged that later our dorm brothers and the girls from Indie's dorm will get together—a little dorm social. I'm telling you, the girls in Indie's dorm are all very pretty. You guys just do your best later, haha!"
"Wow, really?" At once, Miles and Tyler couldn't hide their excitement.
Since Indie was from the art department, the quality of the girls in her dorm must be especially high.
But after calming down, both Miles and Tyler thought to themselves: they were ordinary university students from ordinary families, not handsome, unable even to attract ordinary girls—how could they possibly get lucky with art‑major girls?
"Okay, I've already booked the place—Bar Nineteen. Let's get ready and head over right now. Indie, have your dorm beauties already set off?"
Indie nodded. "Lila just texted me; they're about to arrive at the bar."
At this, Sierra glanced at Grayson and the others. "By the way, you three should change your clothes, too—put on your best outfits. Jace and I will wait for you outside."
"Brothers, hurry up!" Jace winked and led Indie out first.
They waited at the dormitory's front gate.
Indie frowned. "Jace, the three guys in your dorm are too ordinary—just average boys. Except Grayson looks okay, but his clothes are too shabby. The other two are just plain faces. My dorm sisters definitely won't be impressed. And the stuff I saw on their desk is also very ordinary—no money, no taste. I can't believe you praised them so much in front of me."
"These guys have great character," Jace said. "Especially Grayson—you don't know how good he was to that Sienna. For her sake, he once did odd jobs outside and used the money he earned to buy Sienna a new phone."
"So stupid—he still got dumped, didn't he?" Indie curled her lips.
Then she added, "And so what? Lila's makeup alone is over three thousand dollars. Plus, Lila's mouth is really sharp—if she looks down on your dorm guys, I'm afraid they'll lose face. And your dorm guys aren't even on the same level as my sisters in the first place."
"Then what should we do?" Hearing this from his girlfriend, Jace felt she had a point. Although he had worried day and night about his brothers' love lives, if they ended up being looked down on, that wasn't what he wanted to see. "But now it's all been said—we can't just let it go. They'll definitely overthink it."
"Sigh, let it be this once. If it really doesn't work out, don't let them meet again," Indie said helplessly.
Just then, Miles, Tyler, and Grayson came out.
Miles and Tyler had changed into their best clothes; Tyler was even wearing the thousand‑dollar Rick Owens shoes he normally couldn't bear to put on. Only Grayson remained in his original outfit.
"Grayson, why didn't you change clothes?" Indie asked.
"What I'm wearing now is already my best."
Indie had no reply. She sighed inwardly, hoping Lila would be kind and not make fun of him.
Inside Bar Nineteen.
Several girls sat around a table, chattering away. Each was eye-catching—not only tall and slender, but also well-dressed, clearly attractive to men. Especially the one in the middle, whose eyes curved like lively autumn waters. With every smile or frown, she could intoxicate people. Her graceful figure made onlookers linger.
"Lila, you looked upset this morning when you got back. What happened? Tell us."
One of the girls beside the centerpiece asked.
"At first I was unhappy, but thinking it over now, I can only laugh," Lila said.
"What? Lila, hurry up and tell us."
"Yeah, yeah, spill it."
The girls, truly fond of gossip, were instantly curious.
"Actually it was simple. This morning I was eating at Dicos [a fast‑food chain]. A boy sat next to me, studying and reading. Even though he was badly dressed, he was serious; at first I admired him. But later I went to the restroom. Guess what happened when I came back?"
"What?" The girls' eyes grew even wider.
"That boy had taken my seat—and was eating the leftovers on my plate, drinking my remaining drink—gobbling it down like a wolf! I was stunned!"
Lila recounted, patting her chest as though still frightened.
"No way—people like that exist?"
"I know—he must have no money for a meal, thinking after Lila left he could feast on leftovers!"
"Wow, there are guys like that nowadays? How embarrassing!"
"Anyway, if it were me, I'd be too ashamed."
"Such a loser of a guy."
… The girls jabbered on.
"Let's not talk about that. Let's chat about something fun." Lila smiled and said, "I just texted Indie that we've arrived. Jace's three dorm guys are on their way too, hehe."
"I heard they're from the School of Management! Boys studying management must be handsome."
"Studying management—they'll be CEOs in the future, haha. I must find one to be my boyfriend."
"I hear management majors are all second‑generation rich. I wonder if my makeup is too much."
As they spoke, the girls took out their compacts, scrutinizing themselves for perfection.
At that moment, Grayson and the others also entered.
"Let's go over there," Jace said with a smile.
Miles and Tyler were both excited and nervous.
"Lila, Avery, Maya, here we come!" Indie greeted her sisters warmly.
"Sierra, Jace!" The girls responded enthusiastically when they saw Indie and company approaching.
However, the moment Lila and the others saw Miles and Tyler, their earlier excitement turned to indifference. These two guys were so ordinary—completely uninteresting to them.
"What were you just laughing about over there? I saw you smiling from afar," Indie said.
Indie understood: only she and her boyfriend Jace really knew both sides, so she and Jace needed to steer the atmosphere.
Seeing Lila and her friends growing cold, Indie realized that Lila, Avery, and Maya were clearly unimpressed by Grayson and the others. She needed to change the subject to lift spirits.
"Is there anything fun to share? Let's all have a good time," Indie continued.
"Nothing much—just Lila's story about encountering that boy at Dicos. Hey Lila, Indie hasn't heard it yet. Tell her again," Avery said.
Lila repeated her tale of the boy stealing her food, and everyone laughed for a while.
"Everyone, please sit. Miles, you sit next to Maya. Tyler, you sit next to Avery," Indie said.
She had arranged it on purpose. Among her sisters, Lila was the prettiest and most demanding of guys. And among Jace's roommates, though all were plainly dressed, Grayson was the best‑looking. So Indie secretly seated Grayson next to Lila, hoping to manage Lila's mood. After all, if she'd placed Tyler or Miles by Lila, Lila might have been even more miffed. Of course, Indie also knew that even moving Grayson next to Lila might not help—Lila would still reject him, given his dowdy attire. But when you must choose a general from squires, you just can't conjure a tall, rich, handsome guy out of thin air.
"Why are there only two guys?" Lila asked.
"Oh, Grayson went to the restroom. He'll be here soon," Jace said. "Let's order some food first. You girls chat—anything you like. Haha, we're all young."
So Maya chatted with Miles, and Tyler with Avery, exchanging small talk. Maya and Avery weren't eager to talk, but they had to be polite to Jace and Sierra. And Miles and Tyler—though usually chatty jokers—became tongue‑tied and awkward in front of pretty girls, stumbling over their words.
They fumbled along in conversation.
Lila took no interest in Miles or Tyler, and was completely uninterested in the chat. All her attention remained fixed on the absent Grayson. Seeing Miles and Tyler had already chilled her hopeful mood considerably. Now she only hoped that Grayson was a management‑school genius and bona fide second‑generation rich—here to inherit the family business—a real high‑roller management major.
"Lila, what are you doing? Why do you keep staring at the restroom direction?" Avery teased.
"No need to say—obviously I'm waiting for that Grayson guy," Maya laughed.
To be honest, these two were also quite eager for Grayson. Though he wasn't seated next to them, Miles and Tyler's disappointing presence made them pin all hopes on Grayson being a tall, rich, handsome catch.
"Hey, Grayson! Over here!" Just then, Grayson emerged from the restroom. Seeing him, Jace stood up at once, waving him over.