"Ye Xiao really is pitiable," one student remarked. "She was brought into a wealthy family but ended up in the countryside, living a life even worse than Bai Yingying's, who was raised by impoverished parents."
"Bai Yingying's parents are truly heartless," another student chimed in. "They had such a capable child and just abandoned her in the countryside without a care—inhuman, really."
"Looking at it this way, Ye Xiao has suffered much more than Bai Yingying," a third student concluded.
"If it were me, I wouldn't consider them my birth parents either."
Bai Yingying's face turned ugly as she listened to these discussions. She had clearly underestimated this country bumpkin, Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao winked at Bai Yingying, thinking, "Acting the White Lotus? I can do that too."
That morning, Ye Xiao followed other students from Yun City Middle School to the designated competition venue.
