Chapter 2The AA System: Split to the Death

After that day, Zara acted like nothing happened.

Laney just came back with food, and Zara suddenly got up from her bed, sitting opposite her with an empty bowl.

"Wow, braised pork today, and my favorite hand-torn cabbage! Laney, you're the best!"

Zara reached out with her chopsticks to take some food.

But having seen her true colors, we were disgusted.

Laney blocked her: "Zara, I only bought enough for myself. You... should go buy your own."

Zara frowned: "Laney, you make it sound like I'm intentionally mooching. I just didn't have time to get food. What's wrong with roommates helping each other out? Be careful, being so stingy will make people talk."

Laney, thin-skinned, flushed red:

"How did you not have time? You're always the first back to the dorm after class..."

"What do you mean?" Zara slammed her chopsticks down. "Are you looking down on me?"

"I didn't mean that..."

Just then, I walked in. Zara sought me out to judge:

"Jay, look at Laney. I just didn't have time to get food and asked for a few bites, but she's so petty. So small-minded."

I glanced at the teary-eyed Laney, then at the self-righteous Zara, and said:

"You seemed to be like this last year too. Did you not have time every noon for a whole year? Would you live on dew if you didn't have roommates?"

Zara's face turned ugly:

"Busy people like me are naturally different from idle students like you."

Zara loved to show off outside, winning the favor of many teachers and students, and even became the student council president.

But who would have guessed she was like this in the dorm?

"How about this? I bought two portions of food. I'll sell you one."

I handed her the spicy hot pot (Malatang) in my hand:

"$18."

"That's more like it."

Zara's face instantly cleared up. Taking the food, she glared at Laney: "Look at Jay. With your mindset, you won't achieve anything after graduation. You look so poor."

Laney cried.

I comforted her on WeChat, telling her to ignore Zara.

However, Zara finished eating, took a nap, and still hadn't paid me the $18.

In the evening, Laney asked me guiltily:

"Jay, does she not want to pay you? If I knew, I would have just given her some food, so you wouldn't have wasted a portion."

I said it was Zara's problem, not hers.

And Zara might not always get away with it.

Finally, at 12 o'clock, the system settlement sound rang in our minds.

[1. Utilities split evenly, Zara deducted $0.50 less.]

[2. $18 for spicy hot pot transferred from Zara's account to Jay's account.]

Zara bolted upright, screeching:

"Jay gave me that food! Why deduct $18?!"

I reminded her timely: "I remember saying I was selling it to you."

Zara gritted her teeth and lied: "You're lying! You clearly said you were giving it to me!"

Laney said quietly: "Jay made it very clear, she sold it to you."

"Shut up! I didn't agree!"

Layla roared with her bad temper:

"Doesn't matter what you say. The system has judged the nature of the transaction. Arguing is useless. If you have objections, take it up with the State."

Zara was furious, cursing:

"Fine! You guys are ganging up on me!"

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

She actually appealed the charge, but it was rejected.

She spent the whole night cursing and kicking furniture, making noise to show her dissatisfaction.

If she's unhappy, no one else can be happy.

Even with earplugs, we couldn't block out the noise completely.

The next day, Laney, Layla, and I all had dark circles under our eyes.