Sebastian got up to pay the bill when they were almost done eating. As they were about to leave, they ran into Hank, Yasmine, Willow, and Theodore, who were entering the restaurant.

Only Tina was absent. It wasn’t surprising that she wasn’t there. With her status, Tina never frequented restaurants of such quality.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dr. Young’s three prized students!” Hank was the first to speak. His teasing tone and sarcastic gaze made them feel uncomfortable. However, Miranda and her friends ignored him.

Hank’s smile faltered, but he continued, “What a coincidence to run into you all here. Why isn’t Dr. Young with you? Can’t she afford to treat her students to such a high-end restaurant? Conversely, all our expenses today will be reimbursed by Dr. Xander. The faculty clearly values us more. Most of this year’s research funding went to our research group.”

He heaved a huge sigh. “It’s such a pity. You all worked hard to become postgraduate students, only to end up with a supervisor with no influence. What kind of future could you possibly have? What a shame!”

Hank kept running his mouth while Yasmine and Willow stood by, watching coldly. Only Theodore tried to stop him from speaking, but Hank shoved him aside. “Stay away from me, you country bumpkin. I don’t want your smell rubbing off on me!”

Theodore froze as a flicker of hurt and insecurity appeared in his eyes. Nonetheless, he still tried to intervene. “We’re all classmates. There’s no need to make things so ugly.”

“Shut up! No one asked for your opinion!”

“Why can’t I speak? I have a mouth, and I will use it as I like!” Theodore retorted angrily, but he wasn’t good at arguing.

Hank sneered, “Oh, the country bumpkin’s got some nerve! Do you even know who you’re talking to? Are you trying to make your life difficult?”

Theodore lowered his head when he remembered Joll’s advice. He mentioned that people like them who came from poor families would face unfair treatment. They could only endure it until they were strong enough for justice to favor them.

But Theodore couldn’t help but question… Was justice at that point even considered justice anymore?

“That’s enough. Let’s not say more,” Yasmine suddenly spoke up.

Willow chimed in as well, “Yeah, Dr. Xander and Joli told us that we should get along well.”

She deliberately mentioned Joli’s name to remind Hank not to push too far. Theodore was under Joli’s protection. It would be hard to explain later if they bullied him too harshly.

Hank finally came to his senses, his temper dissipating instantly. “Alright, fine. I wasn’t really trying to mess with him. It’s just that he’s too stubborn and doesn’t know who he should side with. It was his fault for sticking up for outsiders!”

Hank’s gaze turned back to Miranda and the others. “Speaking of which, why don’t you think about joining our team?”

Miranda let out a cold laugh. “Sorry, we’re not interested.”

Hank nodded. “Even though you guys are not quite on our level, our group is pretty inclusive—”

Miranda interrupted him, “I’m sorry, I think you misunderstood me. What I meant was that we aren't interested in joining a team that’s below us.”

“You!”

“What kind of groundbreaking results could come from a research group that spends its funding on wining and dining students? I’ve said it before, corruption in leadership has a trickle-down effect. It seems that the culture in your team reflects that.”

Sebastian chimed in, “What’s more, your actions clearly violate the regulations.”

Madison pulled out her phone and said, “I’ll record a video as evidence. Repeat what you said earlier. Who’s treating you guys to dinner? Dr. Xander, right? If I wasn’t mistaken, you mentioned something about reimbursement earlier…”