Hexia knew that her words might be misunderstood, but she said them anyway.
"Yes, ever since the mishap in my family a few years ago, I've indeed been living in straitened circumstances, which is why I had to find a temporary job after graduation..."
When you think about how most people are enjoying their holidays, some students may have to start working in society, which is a reflection of the disparities in the world.
"However, the nature of the work isn't as odd as everyone thinks; it is merely working in a café." The girl pondered for a moment, then decided to pull out her personal terminal and bring up a photo to explain.
In a world of glazed colors, the ground reflected the azure of the sky, with Hexia and a few companions standing under a blue pillar, Deklabi's eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting against Hexia, Belfeng holding a water gun idly, while Huale held a serving tray in front of him.
The photo's taken by Vurowus, and it seemed to be the day Hexia finished her internship when they had a small celebration.
"You started working so early? That must not have been easy."
As the child of an ordinary Federal family, working during the holidays wasn't particularly rare, but considering the appearance and demeanor of the girl before them, it was hard to imagine her doing such work. Shouldn't she be sitting in a fancy restaurant or bar, waiting for people to hand money directly to her?
Most people are vulgar and would immediately think of such things.
After explaining the reason, the atmosphere in the suite changed once again. Everyone began to understand the farce, but Lina still didn't give up.
"How is that possible, to earn so much money from a part-time job? She's just a..." Her voice suddenly stopped as a hand reached from behind, covering Lina's mouth directly.
Clara tried her best to prevent the struggling Lina from speaking out, which was her showing the last bit of classmate sentiment. Otherwise, if Lina uttered anything distasteful, the situation would be irrevocable today. She knew Yilin's family situation very well; if Lina didn't know when to stop, the young miss would get serious.
"Alright, Lina, you should stop talking," Clara shook her head.
Then she turned to the others and said, "I'm sorry, there's something I never told everyone before, but I've known Hexia for a long time. We were not only middle school classmates but also elementary schoolmates."
"I can clearly and assuredly say that Hexia is a very nice and sincere person, who would not do the demeaning things Lina talked about. In fact, I have actually encountered Hexia on my way home from work, and I know she has indeed been working during this period."
"Not many here are familiar with Topstar Tower, but since I often browse on Star Web, I happen to know some things about it. It's a very formal and regular place; also a direct asset of the Federal Government, it is not as trivial and chaotic as everyone thinks. If you had visited, you'd know how high its security level is."
"As for whether Hexia can afford to wear nice clothes or not, I don't think that should be our place to doubt. Hexia's elder sister was once a student of Saint Ingo Academy, ranked number one in the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, not only that but she also won the first place in the Winter Festival Gala that year, and ascended to Sequence 5 at only 18 years old. Her achievements are beyond what most of us can imagine. It's only because of some changes over the years that she ended up studying at our academy."
"Stop looking at others with your narrow perspective. It's boring and demeaning." She let go of Lina, who now looked utterly incredulous.
After explaining to the middle school classmates, Clara turned back around and went to Yilin and the others.
"I'm sorry I never told everyone about Hexia's circumstances before; I see now that perhaps I should have told you sooner." She shook her head, then opened the door and walked out.
Outside the door, a group of elementary school classmates were waiting in the hallway. When Nokai saw Clara come out, he approached her.
"That's it, it's over? Geez, I thought there would be a fight. We were all prepared for it," he said.
"There's probably no need for a fight now; you all can go in," Clara thought for a moment and said.
"That's true," then Nokai opened the suite's door, and a crowd streamed in.
"Hey, you're Jones, right? I heard Clara talking about you earlier, said you're the boss of the boys in class, and the class monitor too."
"Uh, yeah, that's right." Jones slowly nodded.
"I'm Nokai, also a classmate from Tilan Elementary. I think our sitting together today must be some kind of fate, don't you think?"
"Ah, haha, indeed it seems like fate." Jones couldn't grasp Nokai's intentions and could only agree for the time being.
"How about we drink a few more together today? Actually, I have a lot to talk to you about too, like how Tilan has been doing in the class over these three years, if there have been some unpleasant moments."
"Is that so..." Reflecting on the past three years, although he was not familiar with Hexia, Jones seemed to recall that he had never troubled or bullied her and began to feel more at ease.
The two sat at a corner of the dining table, drinking and chatting, while the other classmates slowly dispersed back to their rooms on the third floor.
All the way, Yilin held Hexia's hand, while Cindy and a few others still talked about Lina's defeated look just now, which seemed especially gratifying.
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore, or Tilan won't be able to hold her head up." Yilin whispered a reminder.
"Fine, we won't speak about it in front of Tilan today, she's always been thin-skinned." Cindy said with a giggle as she and her companions walked away to the other side of the table.
Now, the main course in the suite was slowly being served, and the party continued. However, many of the topics still revolved around the events that had just unfolded.
"I think that Lina will definitely regret bullying Tilan in the future."
"It's a pity I didn't take the chance to slap her amidst the chaos."
"No worries, life and society will always find a way to slap those like her. She actually thinks she can get far by relying on such small cleverness and tricks. If that were effective, why would so many people throughout history tirelessly develop technology and rally in politics?"
"It just goes to show, it's all cheap tactics unfit for daylight and unable to withstand any real test."
"But there will always be many fools like that; after all, the world in a fool's eyes is just that narrow, like mosquitoes in a well."
"No matter how shrewd a mosquito is, it's still a mosquito, but the clumsy frog, although it may get injured many times, will see a vast world once it leaps out."
"That's the idea, isn't it?"
"You're suddenly getting philosophical today, hehehe~"
"It's a rare gathering, and I'm with everyone again. Usually, no one listens when I say these things."
"Well, those who think a lot are always a bit more solitary."
"So, would you prefer the loneliness that comes with being smart, or the joy of being a fool?"
"Can I choose neither? What I actually want is..."
"The happiness named wisdom."
```