Reborn Rich: Prices Dropped, My Savings Didn't

Cecilia Sterling gave a wry smile. This new roommate, Blair, certainly didn’t seem easy to get along with.

At least, based on their first meeting, she was far more distant and aloof than Estelle Goodman had been when they first met.

But then the two of them noticed that the dorm, which had been empty over the National Day holiday, was now spotless. Even their own desks showed signs of having been wiped down.

They usually hired someone from a campus cleaners group to clean the dorm, but this time, it was clearly the work of their new roommate.

Before they could even express their shock, Blair Golding had returned. She stood at the door and suddenly spoke up. "I’m the one who removed the lock on the door. If you need me to pay for it, you can give me a bill. Or I can buy a new one to replace it. I moved in yesterday afternoon, and the professor only gave me the key to the mechanical lock. I didn’t know you’d added an extra one."

"It’s fine," Cecilia said. "If you were able to remove it, it proves the lock wasn’t very useful anyway."

Estelle Goodman nodded in agreement. Then, they heard Blair Golding add, "I wiped your desks without asking. If you mind, I’ll be more careful next time."

"Not at all, not at all! We were just about to look for someone from the campus cleaners group to clean up. We didn’t expect you to have cleaned the whole dorm so thoroughly by yourself. Thank you for your hard work."

Seemingly intimidated by the efficient, somewhat forceful nature ingrained in Blair Golding, Estelle Goodman’s speech became uncharacteristically cautious.

Then she quickly added, "We usually pay someone to clean the dorm. Since you did all this, we should pay you. We can’t let you do all that work for nothing."

Cecilia could tell that while Estelle’s words were sincere, there was still a hint of formal politeness to them.

Blair Golding, however, wasn’t polite in the slightest. "Sure. I’ll take care of cleaning the dorm from now on. Just pay me whatever you’d pay a professional cleaner."

Such a straightforward and unabashed personality truly stunned Estelle Goodman, who was used to the world of pretense and pleasantries common in high society.

’She agreed just like that?’

’Cecilia, on the other hand, saw nothing wrong with it. The dorm had three residents now, after all. If they kept hiring an outside cleaner, would the three of them have to take turns paying? And would Blair Golding even be willing to do that?’

’It was better to discuss and resolve internal matters among the three of them first. If Blair Golding was willing to earn the money, Cecilia had no objection.’

The two of them exchanged WhatsApp details with Blair Golding. Estelle Goodman transferred the payment for the cleaning to her: two cents.

"Should we start a group chat?" Estelle Goodman asked tentatively, subconsciously glancing at Blair Golding for her reaction.

She thought it would be more convenient for the three of them to communicate about dorm matters in a group.

Cecilia also looked at Blair Golding. Clearly, both of them felt the new roommate’s opinion was the most important.

Blair Golding was using an old, heavily worn phone with a cracked screen that she hadn’t bothered to replace. Yet she held it openly, showing not the slightest hint of insecurity.

She looked at them with that same unabashed expression and said, "A group chat is fine, but I probably won’t say much in it. Judging by your clothes and expenses, you’re both from wealthy families. I’m short on cash, so if you have any dorm activities, want to buy anything, or order takeout or bubble tea, just leave me out of it."

"I know this might make you uncomfortable, but I absolutely don’t have a grudge against the rich, and this isn’t personal. I’m just objectively informing you that my financial situation doesn’t allow me to keep up with you. It’s better to be clear about this once and for all than to have to turn you down again and again. This way, I’m actually being more polite. I also hope you can treat me with the same politeness and respect."

Blair Golding’s sudden, long speech might have seemed odd, but it was actually driven by a defensiveness she herself wasn’t even aware of.

Subconsciously, she had no intention of becoming friends with her two new roommates. She felt they weren’t the same kind of people and hoped they could avoid interfering in each other’s lives.

’With such a strong need for personal boundaries, Cecilia had reason to suspect that her inability to fit in might be why she had switched dorms.’

Estelle Goodman was a straightforward person herself, but right now, she opened her mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say.

’Cecilia didn’t rush to give her opinion. If this was the dynamic Blair Golding wanted, she was willing to respect it. She just wondered how long such an arrangement could last.’

’Knowing Estelle Goodman, she was currently too taken aback by Blair Golding’s novel personality and way of doing things to react properly. But once she processed it, she definitely wouldn’t be able to stand it.’

And just as Cecilia had thought, by the end of the very first day, Estelle Goodman was already annoyed to her wit’s end just from watching someone come and go in their dorm without saying more than a word to them.

She kept feeling like there was a "stranger" in the dorm, which made her extremely uncomfortable. She even found herself subconsciously lowering her voice when talking to Cecilia. The days when they could chat freely and laugh loudly in their room might be gone for good.

"Why do I feel so miserable?"

While Blair Golding was out, Estelle Goodman began pacing back and forth in the dorm, her tone impatient. "At first, I was actually pretty happy. I was thinking, our new roommate is tall and gorgeous, and a totally different type from us. The ’most beautiful dorm at Lorcain Tech’ would be even more unstoppable, right? Adding another great beauty to the mix... I just never expected her to have a personality like this."

Cecilia watched her with an amused look in her eyes. "I knew you wouldn’t be able to stand it."

"You can stand it? From now on, we’ll have to wear headphones just to watch our shows!"

"I’m okay with it for now, I guess," Cecilia said honestly.

Estelle Goodman shook her head. "No way. It’s only the first day and I’m about to explode. I have to... I have to talk to her."

Just as she said that, Blair Golding returned. As usual, she went back to her spot without a word, then took out a leather bag that looked like a gym bag and started packing things into it.

Once she had everything ready, she slung the bag over her shoulder, changed into a pair of sneakers, tied the laces tightly, and got up to leave again.

Estelle Goodman suddenly stepped forward, blocking Blair Golding’s path. "Blair, I think we need to talk."

There was no displeasure on Blair Golding’s face. She simply glanced at the time on her sports watch and nodded. "Okay. I have an extra ten minutes. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don’t think this is the right way to handle your relationship with your roommates. We’re going to be living together day in and day out for the next two or three years." No longer as cautious as she had been at first, Estelle Goodman spoke her mind directly. "Cecilia and I only just became roommates a little over a month ago, but now we’re best friends who can talk about anything. We hope you’ll try to be friends with us, too. At least don’t cut off the possibility from the very beginning. We haven’t even gotten to know each other yet."

Cecilia stepped forward as well. For Estelle’s sake, she also said to Blair Golding, "We can see you’re a very direct person. To be honest, so are we. As long as we’re open with each other, I think we can become friends. Like Estelle said, you should get to know someone before you jump to conclusions, right?"

Blair Golding seemed surprised that they would say all this to her. Estelle Goodman, in particular, had a simplicity and sincerity that was incredibly infectious.

Blair Golding looked at the two of them, her expression unreadable. Finally, she gave a slight nod. "You want to get to know me, is that it? Fine. Both of you, get changed. You’re coming with me!"