After hearing Shi Li's inner thoughts, everyone simultaneously had the same idea.
Vicious female antagonist? What kind of vicious female antagonist could be as beautiful as her?
What kind of misunderstanding did you have about yourself?
What did you just say about stepping on someone? Who were you planning to step on?
What kind of person could make even the usually easygoing you want to bully them?
Then, following Shi Li's gaze, everyone saw Liang Rongrong with her reddened eyes.
They all assumed Shi Li wanted to give Liang Rongrong a hard time because of a man, not considering that Shi Li might be standing up for a friend.
Everyone knew about the drama between Shi Li and Liang Rongrong.
Mainly because they had all heard the rumors about Liang Rongrong and Feng Yunhe.
The gossip was outrageous: the two of them riding in the same car home, Liang Rongrong constantly clinging to Feng Yunhe and calling him "big brother," her clothes smelling of his cologne...
All of this was enough to drive Feng Yunhe's fangirls crazy.
If Shi Li liked Feng Yunhe, it was only natural for her to dislike Liang Rongrong.
Wei Yi exchanged a glance with her deskmate Xue Xuejia, and they both had the same thought: should they give Shi Li an opportunity to step on Liang Rongrong?
Xue Xuejia raised her fist in a "let's do it" gesture.
"Lili, how many points did you get on the physics test this time?"
"Did you forget? The teacher announced in class that Lili was the only one who got a perfect score in both sections of the competition."
Wei Yi and Xue Xuejia tag-teamed, not even giving Shi Li a chance to speak.
Xue Xuejia might look like a cute girl, but she delivered the most lethal blow.
She called out to Liang Rongrong, "You're Rongrong, right? I heard your physics grades were excellent. Lili participated in the physics competition too, but how come I didn't see you on stage receiving an award? How did you do this time?"
How did she do? The infamous eight points, that's how.
With physics, either you know it or you don't.
The eight points she got were from choosing B for all the multiple-choice questions.
It might seem like a dumb move, but at least it guaranteed her eight points.
Xue Xuejia's words became increasingly biting.
Shi Li's inner thoughts went from "Sis, can I borrow your mouth for a second?"
to "Damn, sis, tone it down! You're acting more like the vicious female antagonist than me. Being hated by the female lead never ends well!"
Shi Li leaned in to look at Liang Rongrong's score, letting out a meaningful "Oh."
She didn't comment further on Liang Rongrong's score, only saying, "You should really find a tutor and take some extra classes. Getting only eight points and daring to represent the school in a physics competition? You're ruining our chances at the team award."
As she was turning to leave, Shi Li tossed back one last remark, "Even if you just stepped on the answer sheet, you'd score more than eight points."
Liang Rongrong stood there, stunned. She couldn't understand why that girl was being so cruel.
After saying such hurtful words, Shi Li felt a surge of satisfaction course through her body.
She tossed her trophy at her feet and slumped into a chair, thinking to herself, "Being the vicious female antagonist feels so good!"
The classmates learned about the whole situation from Xue Xuejia and Wei Yi.
Shi Li's best friend, Shi Qiuyu, came over to console her, "Actually, Feng Yunhe isn't all that great. There are plenty of good guys in the world. If he doesn't work out, we'll find someone else. What's your type? I'll help you look."
Shi Li's inner voice came out with an exaggerated accent, "Oh, my dear friend, he may be ordinary, but you'll like him too in the future."
Shi Qiuyu looked up and met the gazes of her classmates, their eyes seeming to say, "So you're blind to his faults too."
Would she really like Feng Yunhe in the future? Shi Qiuyu felt a vague sense of worry about this.
To be fair, Feng Yunhe was outstanding in both looks and family background, with admirers as numerous as fish crossing a river.
But Shi Qiuyu just couldn't stand him, finding Feng Yunhe arrogant, conceited, and particularly blind.
Shi Li was so beautiful that even she, another girl, found her attractive. Yet Feng Yunhe remained unmoved, always wearing that cold, expressionless face.
Knowing that she would like Feng Yunhe in the future, Shi Qiuyu's entire demeanor turned melancholic.
After school, Shi Qiuyu insisted on going home with Shi Li, "It's been so long since I've been to your place. Uncle and Auntie must miss me."
Shi Li replied, "Uncle and Auntie are away on a business trip."
Shi Li's parents were abroad negotiating a deal and hadn't returned home yet.
Shi Qiuyu persisted, "Then the housekeeper must miss me."
Alright then, it wasn't the first time Shi Qiuyu had stayed over anyway.
Shi Qiuyu and Gao Yun had their own guest rooms at Shi Li's house, each decorated to their individual tastes.
That night, instead of sleeping in the guest room, Shi Qiuyu stayed in Shi Li's room.
As Shi Li was drifting off to sleep, Shi Qiuyu suddenly spoke up, "Lili, what do you think my future partner will be like?"
Shi Li, feeling drowsy, casually replied, "Six feet tall, six-pack abs, handsome..."
Shi Qiuyu thought to herself: That sounds like Feng Yunhe, but also not quite.
This answer didn't satisfy Shi Qiuyu; she needed a more precise response.
Seeing that Shi Li was clearly about to fall asleep, she remembered hearing once that people tend to tell the truth when they're on the verge of sleeping.
So Shi Qiuyu leaned close to Shi Li's ear and whispered very softly, "Lili, do you think my future boyfriend will be Feng Yunhe?"
Shi Li, who had been struggling against sleep, suddenly opened her eyes wide, "So you already like him now."
Caught off guard by Shi Li's sudden alertness, Shi Qiuyu froze.
But she instinctively tried to explain, "I don't like him, I really don't. How could I like the guy you're interested in?"
Shi Li patted her shoulder sympathetically, thinking to herself, "So that's why she never dated anyone later on, because she still had feelings for Feng Yunhe."
Shi Qiuyu's thoughts raced: What? This is absurd. I'm going to remain single forever?
This is... well, okay, maybe it's not quite as terrifying as dating Feng Yunhe. But it's close.
