Emily Cooper frowned. The friendship between the two of them in the past made her feel awkward about falling out completely, but she still replied with a blank expression, “This is between you two. It’s none of my business.”

As for Emily Cooper’s obviously cold attitude, Jessica Brooks didn’t care at all. Instead, she put her arm around Emily Cooper’s shoulder and said, “Come on, what kind of friendship do we have? I’m only looking out for you. Being with him is like a flower stuck in a pile of cow dung. You have the looks, the figure, and your family is wealthy. You should find a man who’s your equal to marry. How could you let someone like that get off so easy?”

“I know what I’m doing, but thanks for your concern. Sorry, I’m a bit hungry, I’ll go get something to eat.” Emily Cooper actually hadn’t planned on eating, but right now she found Jessica Brooks unbearably annoying and just wanted to get away from her.

At this moment, David Clark had already returned, holding a tray in each hand. He greeted Emily Cooper, “I brought you some food, no need to go.”

Looking at the tray piled high with food like a small mountain, Emily Cooper frowned repeatedly and said, “Can you really eat all this?”

“What’s the problem if I can’t? Didn’t Robert Miller say he’s treating us? Even if we can’t finish, it’s not our money.” David Clark said as he sat back down in his original seat.

Jessica Brooks’s eyes lit up at the sight of the food in front of David Clark. She curled her lips in disdain and said, “Exactly! If there’s a freebie, you have to take it. If you don’t, you’re an idiot.”

“Fangrui, you heard her. If you don’t eat now, you’ll be an idiot. To make sure we’re not idiots, we have to take advantage of this.” With that, he broke open a huge clam and started eating with gusto.

Emily Cooper frowned again. She had planned to ignore David Clark, but seeing Jessica Brooks’s sharp and mean expression, she suddenly found David Clark much more likable by comparison. So she sat down and picked up a big prawn.

Her eating style was nothing like David Clark’s wolfing down. She gently peeled off the shrimp shell, and only when she was left with the tender shrimp meat did she bring it to her mouth. Her small mouth opened slightly, she first bit off a tiny piece with her teeth, then slowly put the rest in her mouth and chewed delicately.

“How is it? Tastes good, right? You can really taste the ‘freebie’ in this food—it’s especially delicious.” David Clark said as he ate.

Emily Cooper nodded and said, “Not bad! The shrimp is pretty fresh.”

Watching the two of them eat heartily, Jessica Brooks suddenly realized she was being a fool. She hadn’t tried most of the food here, and she’d planned to have a good meal. But she’d been too quick to mock David Clark earlier, and now she’d shot herself in the foot. She wanted to eat but felt too embarrassed, so she could only sneakily swallow her saliva.

Chapter 13: From Sparrow to Phoenix

“Hello, classmates!” A crisp female voice drew everyone’s attention, and they all looked toward the source.

A yellow trench coat just past the hips, a matching belt at the waist, cropped leather pants, and a pair of long black leather boots that nearly reached the knees—her outfit was eye-catching. Even though it was winter, her clothes showed off her graceful figure perfectly, looking both fashionable and not the least bit ostentatious.

Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, cut with exquisite precision. Her eyes were bright as jewels, her nose small and slightly upturned, her lips a bit thin, and her oval face matched perfectly with her clothes and hair.

This woman looked about twenty-three or twenty-four. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she said, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me none of you recognize me?” As she spoke, her face was full of expression, perfectly matching her words and making her look quite aggrieved.

“You are…” As the former class monitor, Matthew Reed looked at the woman but just couldn’t recall her as one of his classmates.

The others felt the same. Emily Cooper was outstanding, so everyone here remembered her. But back then, Emily Cooper was the undisputed star of the class—there was definitely no other girl who could compare to her.

“Class Monitor Cui, you’re too forgetful. I’m Yvonne Foster!”

“Yvonne Foster!” All the classmates called out in unison, including Emily Cooper and Robert Miller.

“I’m Yvonne Foster, really! I came all this way to attend the reunion, and none of you even remember me. That really hurts my feelings.” Yvonne Foster pouted and playfully winked at everyone.

Back in middle school, Yvonne Foster had been the most unremarkable little girl—short, with frizzy yellow hair. Her face shape was the same as now, but her features were all bunched together, and she hardly dared to speak to anyone. Now, not only was she beautiful, but also stylish and radiant. No matter how you looked at it, she was nothing like the old Yvonne Foster.

Emily Cooper was actually no less attractive than Yvonne Foster, but everyone had already prepared themselves to see Emily Cooper, so her beauty didn’t come as a surprise. But seeing Yvonne Foster was different. Her transformation from sparrow to phoenix not only shocked them, but also left them puzzled. The women, in particular, wanted to learn her secrets, hoping they too could transform from sparrows into golden phoenixes.