Before they even reached the private room, they could already hear lively chatter and laughter spilling out from inside.

  The moment the door opened, everyone inside turned their heads and instinctively rose from their seats.

  "Grace bought each of us a brand-new laptop!"

  Harry announced loudly the second he walked in, barely able to contain his excitement.

  Grace followed closely behind the two men, stepping into the room to see the mix of surprise and delight on everyone's faces.

  She took the initiative to greet them. "Hello, seniors! Finally meeting in person!"

  The team originally consisted of eight people: one woman and seven men.

  Some had heard Grace's name before, but most were seeing her in person for the first time.

  Their expressions varied—some were reserved, some curious, and a few couldn't hide their admiration.

  "You're just as beautiful as the rumors say."

  The speaker was Kevin, a senior from the Computer Science department.

  His words snapped everyone back to reality, and they all nodded in agreement.

  Grace smiled gently, sensing that people were still a bit nervous—probably due to her role as their investor.

  "Everyone, please sit down. Let's order first."

  With a warm and approachable demeanor, Grace scanned the QR code with her phone and handed it to Richard, who was sitting closest. "Take turns ordering. One meat dish and one vegetable dish per person. No holding back."

  Richard pushed the phone back toward her. "Maybe you should order. We're fine with anything."

  Grace shot him a look. "Senior Richard, we're the most familiar with each other here. If you insist on being polite, what about everyone else? You have to set an example!"

  Richard smiled sheepishly. Grace took the phone and handed it to Harry instead. "Senior Harry, you go first."

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  Harry, being the easygoing type, grinned widely and accepted the phone. "Alright, I'll order. I won't stand on ceremony with you."

  "Please don't. Today is all about eating well, drinking well, and getting to know each other. Team building is going to be a regular thing from now on."

  Grace's manner was completely relaxed. In just a few sentences, she gave everyone the impression that she was easy to get along with, which unconsciously put them more at ease.

  Harry ordered Crispy Skin Pigeon and Boiled Shredded Tofu with Ham, then passed the phone to the next person.

  With someone taking the lead, the others shed their reservations and ordered their dishes. Finally, the phone made its way back to Grace.

  She glanced through the selections. Everyone had indeed followed her instructions, ordering one meat and one vegetable dish each—sixteen dishes in total.

  But even with the meat dishes, everyone had instinctively chosen relatively cheaper options. The menu had a section called "Premium Selection," featuring dishes priced per person, along with famous global delicacies made with expensive ingredients and intricate techniques—the most costly items on the menu.

  No one had ordered from that section.

  Grace promptly added Braised Pork Meatballs in Clear Soup, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Abalone with Rice (Supreme Grade), and Lobster Three Ways based on the number of people present.

  She also ordered a case of beer and two bottles of Vodka before finalizing the order.

  "Has everyone looked over the draft contract?"

  Grace put down her phone and asked casually, her gaze sweeping across the group.

  Everyone nodded in response. Richard spoke up, "We don't have any objections to the contract's content, but there are a few clauses we're not entirely clear on."

  He took out the contract he'd brought along and pointed to a section marked with a highlighter. "This clause here—'Party A will provide free accommodation for Party B.' What does that mean?"

  Grace blinked at the clause, then looked at Richard with slight confusion. "Isn't it self-explanatory?"

  "You're going to rent an apartment for us?"

  Grace nodded, her eyes scanning their stunned faces. "Aside from the two math majors, aren't the rest of you about to graduate and start internships? Will you still be able to stay in the dorms then?"

  "We can rent our own places."

  The others nodded in agreement. Kevin looked at Grace seriously. "We're already incredibly grateful that you're willing to invest in this project. Right now, we don't even know if it will succeed. We can't accept additional help from you—we can handle our own living expenses."

  Harry added bluntly, "Besides, you're being way too kind. What kind of investor writes clauses like this into their own contract? You don't seem like a capitalist at all."

  "But I am!"

  Grace smiled wryly, looking at them. "You say you can handle your own living arrangements. How exactly? Right now, with dormitory housing, you're already stretching your daily budgets thin. Once you leave the dorms and have to rent apartments, do you have any idea how expensive rent is in Aethelburg?"

  "Forget about the city center. Out in the suburbs, twenty cents might get you a single room, but you probably won't all find places in the same area. You'd end up scattered across eight different locations in Aethelburg. Just meeting up would take two hours on the tube. See? We're back to what I said about time costs."

  She turned to Richard. "Senior, with my investment, how soon can we conduct the first test?"

  "If we push hard, maybe five months..." Richard answered without much thought—they'd estimated this timeline before.

  Grace nodded. "And if everyone lives together, with no worries about daily life, could that timeline be shortened?"

  "Definitely," Richard replied.

  Grace raised an eyebrow. "Exactly. I've said it before—the earlier the product is completed, the sooner we can enter the market and start turning a profit. Upfront investment is necessary. Stop worrying about money. With me here, that's the least of your concerns. I'm not going to let my team run around scrambling for cash every day."

  "Pour yourselves into the project. Let me see results—that's the greatest return you can give me."

  At this point, Grace laughed helplessly at herself. "Don't think I'm doing this out of kindness. I'm an investor. I don't make losing bets. Since I've put money into this, I'll do everything I can to make your project succeed. Every decision I make is carefully considered."

  Amelia, the only woman on the team, finally spoke up. "Grace has made her point. Let's stop overthinking this. I think she's right. If we can shorten the project timeline, we're effectively reducing costs too. And with complete focus on the project, we can probably increase our chances of success."

  With even the sole female member voicing agreement, the guys had no reason to dwell on it further. They all nodded.

  Just then, the first dishes arrived. Grace smoothly changed the subject and urged everyone, "Let's eat something first to line our stomachs. We'll drink a bit later. This is my first time at this restaurant—I'm not sure how the food is."