"My business doesn't concern you."
"Besides, you should be happy that people are talking about me. You can't wait for the Ye family to break off the engagement, can you? All so you can fulfill Tang Yiyi's wishes, right?"
Zhang Meiyu never expected Tang Xiaomin to think so little of her.
"I didn't mean it like that..."
She wanted to explain something, but the words wouldn't come out.
Tang Xiaomin sneered.
"Heh, stop being so fake. It's disgusting."
Tang Xiaomin left.
Zhang Meiyu's good intentions were misunderstood by Tang Xiaomin, who then slandered her with cruel words.
This feeling was truly unbearable.
At this point, why would she still consider ruining her marriage? She was genuinely looking out for Tang Xiaomin.
Zhang Meiyu recalled her past interactions with Tang Xiaomin. She had never shown her a kind face, only disgust. She had wished Tang Xiaomin would die so she wouldn't be a burden anymore.
But one day, she was suddenly told that the belief she held so dear was nothing but a joke.
When she finally came to her senses, she realized she had done so many, many, many wrong things.
She wouldn't have been so sharp-tongued even to a stranger.
Yet, she had shown her own daughter the most vicious side of herself.
Even if she apologized to Tang Xiaomin now, with Tang Xiaomin's personality, she probably wouldn't forgive her.
Zhang Meiyu felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Master Xiangshan was already in prison; she couldn't even find him to cause trouble.
Zhang Meiyu then remembered Xue Yi, the mistress. In hindsight, Xue Yi had instigated her many times to target Tang Xiaomin.
People always liked to find excuses for their mistakes, and coupled with Zhang Meiyu's intense hatred for Xue Yi,
At this moment, Xue Yi's mistakes were magnified more than tenfold. Zhang Meiyu was furious and finally couldn't take it anymore.
Zhang Meiyu returned to her room and had her subordinates inquire about Xue Yi's whereabouts.
She was determined to teach that bitch a lesson!
The next day, Tang Xiaomin received a call from her homeroom teacher.
"Student Tang Xiaomin, you haven't come to school since you registered. What's going on?"
What was going on? That university was an elite institution, admitting only students with excellent grades or those with family backgrounds like hers.
Whether or not she attended classes was not something the teacher could control.
This homeroom teacher was a decent person, so Tang Xiaomin didn't retort.
"Teacher, I'm currently interning at Ye's Group. I won't be coming to school regularly, only for exams."
This...
The imposing presence of Ye's Group made the teacher hesitant to say anything further.
"Well, the school will be holding an anniversary celebration soon. The school requires each class to present a performance. After unanimous nomination by the students, this task has been assigned to you. Please prepare your performance, and come for rehearsal in three days."
"What? Why me?"
"Student Tang Xiaomin, this was the result of a vote by all the classmates. As a member of our class, you have a responsibility to contribute to the collective. Please prepare your performance, okay?"
...
Tang Xiaomin was at home, but trouble found her at school.
It was just a performance; she wasn't afraid. Singing a song or something would suffice.
Three days later, the homeroom teacher personally called Tang Xiaomin to urge her to attend the rehearsal.
Tang Xiaomin had no choice but to send Ye Fengxing a text message to ask for leave.
[I'm taking a day off to go to school.]
[To do what?]
What else would one do at school? Wasn't that a stupid question?
[To attend class.]
[Agreed.]
Tang Xiaomin was a bit hesitant to go to the company. Ye Fengxing often visited her office for no reason, and her colleagues had started whispering and gossiping, which was creating a bad impression.
However, Tang Xiaomin couldn't say anything.
Besides, she found that there was really nothing for her to do at work. She had been idle for days after a few days of going in.
Tang Xiaomin arrived at Modu University and attended a few classes perfunctorily.
Her homeroom teacher even came personally to remind her.
"You need to go to the main auditorium for rehearsal this afternoon. You absolutely must be there."
"Oh, I know."
...
"Is that Tang Xiaomin? She's quite pretty."
"You can't judge a book by its cover. I heard that after she was brought back to the Tang family, she started snatching things from Tang Yiyi at home. They say she took over her room and even her car."
"What? Really? That's terrifying."
"Haven't you heard? She danced with Tang Yiyi's fiancé at a banquet, trying to steal even the man."
"I heard she has mental problems. She's crazy."
...
The upper-class society was a small circle, and everyone knew each other to some extent.
Tang Xiaomin's affairs had spread throughout the school, with all sorts of rumors circulating.
In this lifetime, she hadn't even come to school, yet her gossip was rampant. It was clear that Tang Yiyi hadn't been idle at school either.
Tang Xiaomin couldn't be bothered to explain anything. Explaining was like admitting guilt, and admitting guilt was like being guilty. Those people would only think that way.
One day, when the sun shines in, everyone will understand who is innocent.
And she was that light.
In the school's main auditorium, despite it being only a rehearsal, many people had gathered, all there to watch the spectacle.
As soon as Tang Xiaomin walked in, she heard a few male students shouting.
"Yiyi!"
"Goddess!"
"Yiyi!"
"Goddess!"
...
Tang Yiyi was chosen as the campus belle by the male students, and she always put on a delicate act, winning the hearts of many male classmates.
She had many supporters, and these male students doted on Tang Yiyi madly.
Tang Xiaomin even overheard Tang Yiyi boasting about these male students.
She said that as long as she was beautiful enough, they would be willing to lick her shoes.
Tang Yiyi was performing a piano and vocal piece on stage, singing a song by her second brother, Tang Ye.
Tang Ye, at 24, had chosen to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. With his handsome looks and talent, he had achieved great success and fame.
"Did you hear? Tang Yiyi will be inviting her second brother, Tang Ye, to perform with her that day. We'll get to hear Tang Ye sing live!"
"I'm so excited! To see my idol up close, it's wonderful."
"Yes, thanks to Tang Yiyi. I didn't expect her to actually invite her second brother. She's fulfilling everyone's wishes."
"She's worthy of being the campus belle. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also so kind."
"Yes, if Yiyi were to debut, she would surely be as successful as her second brother."
...
Tang Yiyi had been raised in the Tang family since childhood, and the Tang family's nurturing was naturally abundant.
After the song ended, everyone in the auditorium erupted in cheers, reaching a crescendo as if it were a concert. This showed how popular Tang Yiyi was at the school.
In her previous life, Tang Xiaomin had handled all the household chores and had very little time to come to school. She had mostly self-studied at home.
Although she had achieved good grades in the end, the Tang family only rejoiced for Tang Yiyi, never even inquiring about her results.
Tang Xiaomin walked up to the student council president.
"I'm from Class Nine, Year One. I'm here for rehearsal."