Watching Lily take such a false oath, even Claire clenched her fists, barely restraining the urge to slap her.
The instructor was trapped in a dilemma, uncertain whose story to believe.
I simply smiled and pulled up the video recording on my phone.

It was recorded that from the moment I’d returned to the dorm last night until this morning, I never once offered my leftovers to my roommate. But the footage clearly showed Lily creeping out of bed at midnight, scavenging my leftover food, and draining my drink.
The instructor’s face flushed with anger. Lily gaped, shock plastered across her features.
“You... Why were you recording? How?” she stammered.
I shrugged. “I set up a camera on my desk to monitor my study habits. Didn’t expect it would catch a thief.”
Though honestly, “thief” wasn’t quite accurate. Lily was just being “resourceful”, right? Hating waste and all.
“Outrageous!” The instructor slammed the table. “Lily, taking someone’s food without permission is theft. You will take responsibility for your actions. For disrupting class discipline, you will write a 3,000-word self-criticism report!”

Lily paled, her eyes darting venomous glares between Claire and me. The twisted, resentful look on her face screamed that this wasn’t over. Well, neither did my revenge end.
Back in the dorm that evening, I replayed my plan.
In the past, Lily had built her “rich girl” persona by “recycling” our unwanted clothes, bags, and shoes—mostly designer items I’d left behind. This time, living off-campus, I had left her nothing to scavenge. Her little act couldn’t survive without props.
I needed to rip off her mask faster.

The day finally arrived when Noah came to deliver my favorite ice cream.
Last time, Lily had timed her approach perfectly to “accidentally” lick his cone.
This time, I didn’t play along. When Noah met me, ice cream in hand, I immediately steered him toward the cafeteria. No chance for her staged encounter this time.
Still, I spotted her trailing us. We settled at a cafeteria table, finished our ice cream, then ordered a full spread of dishes.
Lily sat nearby, pretending nonchalance while choosing a seat deliberately close to Noah.
The contrast between our feast and her sparse meal was stark; envy practically radiated off her.
Noah finally caught her staring. “Excuse me,” he said, turning slightly towards her. “Would you mind turning around? It’s rude to stare and it’s ruining our meal.”
Lily stiffened, snapping back, “You ordered all that -- can you even finish it? Such a waste of food is shameful!”
I met Noah’s eyes and gave a slight nod. He grinned. “You’re concerned about waste? Why don’t you join us then? Help us eat it?”
A flash of greed lit up Lily’s eyes, but she struck a haughty pose.
“No, thank you. We country kids may be poor, but we have our pride”
Noah laughed out loud.
“Relax, I was joking. Who invited you? But since you brought it up -- you called us shameful for potential waste. If we do finish every single dish on this table, will you apologize?”
Challenge accepted. Noah and I dug in. Plate after plate was cleared until not a single grain of rice or drop of sauce remained. Lily stared, mouth agape.
Noah gestured towards the empty dishes. “You owe us an apology.”
Furious, Lily slammed down her half-eaten meal, ditching her tray, and stormed towards the exit.
“Hey!” I called out loudly. “Wasting food is shameful, remember? That tray is practically untouched! Don’t the cafeteria workers deserve respect?” My voice carried.
Heads turned as cafeteria staff approached Lily’s table.
Seeing the destroyed remains, a worker held up her bread roll, riddled with dozens of chopstick holes. “If you won’t eat it, fine! But poking it full of holes like it’s been machine-gunned? This is pure spite!”
The cafeteria erupted in laughter. Humiliated, Lily fled.
A satisfied smirk touched my lips. The plan worked. Her carefully cultivated image as the “frugal scholarship student” was obliterated overnight.
As expected, the instructor publicly reprimanded her. What’s worse, her scholarship application was denied specifically for documented food waste -- disastrous timing with the Dean witnessing the spectacle during an inspection.
With the scholarship gone and a disciplinary mark on her record, Lily was cornered.
Back in the dorm later, her face contorted with rage. She lunged at me.
“You vicious bitch! You cost me my scholarship! You’re pure evil!”
Spittle flew from her lips as she theatrically threw herself to the ground, wailing.
“You mock me for being poor! You humiliate me publicly! Now you ruin my education! How can I pay tuition?!”
Her cries drew a crowd, but this time, no one rushed to her defense. The cafeteria incident had exposed her. Voices chimed in, sharp and mocking:
“Poor? Then why wreck perfectly good food?”
“The ‘machine-gunned’ bread roll? Yeah, everyone knows.”
“Real struggling students don’t pull stunts like yours. Shameless.”
The shock on Lily’s face was almost comical. I leaned down, offering a hand, my voice deceptively gentle. “Get up. The floor’s dirty.”
She slapped my hand away violently. “Don’t pretend to be kind, you rich snob! How could Noah choose a slut like you?!”
The force knocked me off balance. Classmates surged forward -- some helping me up, others shouting Lily down, a few already recording her violent outburst to report her bullying.
Right then, Noah arrived. Taking in the scene, he didn’t hesitate. He struck Lily’s cheek with a sharp crack.
Lily clutched her face, tears welling. “How dare you hit me!”
“You assaulted my girlfriend,” Noah stated coldly. “You’re lucky that’s all it is.”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Enraged and utterly deflated, Lily fled the scene. Shortly after, she made arrangements to move out.
Noah warned me to stay far away. “She’s dangerous,” he insisted. I reassured him -- after this, I’d never let Lily near me again.
In this life, she hadn’t gained a single advantage from me. I thought we were done. But I’d underestimated her vindictiveness.