The surrounding crowd looked at Zuri and her friends with disdain while showing sympathy towards Rhea. However, the two tall figures at the back of the crowd shared a smirk.
Grayson raised an eyebrow, casting a contemptuous glance at Rhea. Her petty tricks could only fool those who came to watch the commotion without thinking.
Grayson checked the time, realizing he needed to leave soon, or he would be late. He glanced at his boss, only to find him completely uninterested in leaving.
Grayson obediently stood by without saying a word. He, too, was curious to see how Miss Zuri would handle this mess.
Nolan's gaze fixed on Zuri's delicate features. Previously, watching her on video hadn't had such a strong impact. Now, seeing her in person, the sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.
Zuri laughed softly, her mocking eyes sweeping around the crowd. Her lips curled up in a sneer, full of ridicule.
"A fool speaking nonsense, and a crowd of fools cheering."
At the back of the crowd, Grayson's usually stoic face cracked, unable to suppress a smile.
This girl had guts!
She unleashed her aura, scolding and despising the crowd. Was she not afraid of being mobbed?
The answer was clearly no.
Most of the onlookers were Windsor Academy students, who, warned by their parents and mindful of Natalie and her friends' fate, could only seethe with anger, grumble behind her back, or curse quietly.
Rhea's heart skipped a beat, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
Was she so enraged that she dared to berate everyone, unafraid of offending them all?
"Zuri, if you don't like me, you can scold me, but these people are innocent. How can you speak to them like that? They have no quarrel with you. Isn't this too much? You weren't like this before. You've changed."
Rhea's words resonated with the crowd.
Suddenly, the onlookers' sympathy for her increased.
"Did I scold them? I was just telling the truth. Your father was kind to me, giving me a bowl of noodles, which I remembered. But the year before last, I almost died saving your father. Did you forget to tell them that?"
"When you and your brother couldn't pay for middle school, didn't I use all my savings to cover your fees? When you and your brother were bullied, didn't I stand up for you, getting injured and nearly dying in the process? When your mother fell ill, didn't I notice in time and save her?"
"A bowl of noodles repaid with two lives, isn't that enough?"
"Do you know why I missed three exams during Windsor Academy's enrollment? Because I wanted to give you a chance. If I had taken all the exams, would you be standing here talking to me now?"
"Rhea, do you need me to continue?"
"People can be shameless, but they can't be without conscience. Feel your conscience—do I owe your family?"
"Hasn't your family sucked enough out of me?"
"I've done everything I could for your family, but what did you do to me? You helped those four ruin my birthday party, spread rumors about my promiscuous lifestyle and abortions, slandering my name in every possible way."
With every word Zuri said, Rhea's face grew paler.
She wanted to interrupt but couldn't find the chance.
"A hundred thousand yuan is simple for me now, but why should I support a bunch of ingrates? Raise you only to have you turn around and bite me?"
Rhea covered her face, crying, "So this is how you see me."
Azura, seeing her still acting like an innocent victim, muttered, "Idiot."
"Is it true or not? See for yourselves."
Zuri toyed with her phone, pressing a button lightly.
The next moment, students' phones all around began to beep.
Farah took out her phone and saw an email with a compressed video.
Many people attended the birthday party, but not everyone had the privilege. Many Windsor Academy students hadn't been there.
They had heard about the event but never seen it themselves. Seeing something firsthand is vastly different from hearing about it.
Rhea also received the email. After seeing the video, her face turned ashen with shock and fear.
She only knew that Saira and the others' plan failed because the Ye and Feng families intervened, and Natalie's family paid a heavy price. But she didn't know about this video.
How could there be a video? Why had no one told her?
Everyone said it was because Natalie and the others' conspiracy was recorded that the truth was revealed.
Why hadn't anyone mentioned this video?
Had she not released it before, waiting here for her all along?
Rhea's mind spun with conspiratorial thoughts.
She didn't realize that since many didn't recognize her, they focused on Manuel in the video and ignored someone irrelevant.
Compared to the audio recording of Natalie and her friends, the video was more explosive and shocking.
Among those most familiar with Rhea at Windsor Academy were Lila and her group, but they hadn't been invited to Zuri's birthday party.
Those who had pitied Rhea now felt betrayed and deeply ashamed.
"Damn, she's just a leech."
"A leech and a vampire. How could such a person stay in our school?"
"Too despicable. I supported her just now. Such people disgust me. I hate ungrateful people the most."
"Disgusting!"
"Kick her out of our school."
"Being poor isn't scary; having a black heart is."
"If what Zuri says is true, this person is terrifying. Stay away. Who knows when she'll stab you. If I were Zuri, I'd do the same."
"How thick-skinned can someone be? Doing such things and still playing innocent, asking Zuri for money."
"A despicable person is invincible. That's what this is."
Facing the mocking, disdainful, and disgusted gazes from all directions, Rhea felt dizzy, her eyes filled with venomous hatred as she looked at Zuri.
Does she really want to ruin me?!
Zuri glanced at her indifferently and turned to Farah, "Whether you give her the hundred thousand yuan is up to you. I won't interfere."
Revealing Rhea's true nature, if Farah still chose to help, it wasn't Zuri's concern, and she wouldn't stop her.
Rhea rushed forward, grabbing Farah's hand, "Please, save my father. I went astray, but my father did nothing wrong."