Shi Li certainly couldn't admit it. "Uncle Feng, I don't know what counts as bullying. If saying that a physics score of only 8 points drags down the class average, and that you could get more than 8 points by carelessly stepping on the answer sheet on the ground, is considered bullying, then I have nothing more to say."
"But let me state here that I'm not singling out Liang Rongrong. I hold this view for anyone who scores 8 points."
[Of course I'm singling her out]
[I must be out of my mind to target all poor performers]
[What others score has nothing to do with me]
Being chased home and told her grades were poor, especially in front of Uncle Feng, made Liang Rongrong feel extremely wronged.
Tears streamed down her face, making her look utterly pitiful.
Seeing Liang Rongrong cry, Feng's Father immediately thought of his own lost love, feeling as if his heart was being stabbed.
"Rongrong, please don't cry."
"Shi Li, what does it matter to you what grades our Rongrong gets?"
Shi Li and Eldest Aunt seemed to have hearts of stone, showing no sympathy for the crying girl.
"Since Uncle Feng asks, I'll have to explain in detail."
"Her scoring 8 points doesn't concern me, that's her own business. But how dare someone who only scored 8 points participate in the Four Holy Grails physics competition, taking the place of students with excellent grades?"
"If she could achieve good results in the competition after taking someone else's hard-earned opportunity, that would be fair enough. After all, you have the privilege to do so, and if the school allows you to use your privilege, that's their prerogative."
"But I just want to ask, how dare someone who can only score 8 points participate in a physics competition? The humiliation is self-inflicted. You can use your privilege to snatch other people's spots and score embarrassing grades, so why can't I mock you? Isn't this situation of your own making?"
Shi Li couldn't say she was angry because Liang Rongrong had taken Shen Qinglin's spot. He was just an ordinary student without connections, and given the vast difference in social status, Feng Yunhe's father didn't even consider him worth noticing.
Besides, what right did Shi Li have to be angry on behalf of the main character?
"As for how it concerns me, Uncle Feng, don't you know that I'm another participant in the competition?"
"My score is the highest in the first-year physics group. As long as my partner isn't too hopeless, I can lead us to win the team prize. But 8 points is beyond what I can carry, and your Rongrong's 8 points affects my chance of winning the team prize."
Shi Li's voice grew stronger as she spoke.
Eldest Aunt finally understood the cause and effect from her niece's words.
She could understand children who performed poorly, thinking that if they didn't like studying, what could be done?
She could also understand those who used their privilege. Being surrounded by powerful people, it was inevitable that they would use some special treatment.
However, even when using privilege, people usually never did things that would squeeze out others' spots. Firstly, such actions were too malicious and would have consequences in the future.
Secondly, such behavior was likely to offend people. If someone reported it later, it would be troublesome.
Everyone would rather put in more effort to expand the original quota and then insert their own children.
Eldest Aunt couldn't understand letting a poor performer replace an excellent student in a high-level competition.
She now looked at Feng's Father as if he were an idiot.
Feng's Father was rendered speechless by Shi Li's words. Put that way, it did seem like Rongrong had brought this upon herself, scoring low and affecting others' chances of winning prizes.
Feng's Father softened his previously agitated expression, "Shi Li..."
Liang Rongrong, who had been quietly crying, suddenly burst into tears, interrupting what Feng's Father was about to say, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I know my grades are poor, I didn't want to participate in the competition..."
Her crying caused her fair face to turn largely flushed. As she cried, her sobs nearly made her faint.
Feng's Father was frightened by Liang Rongrong's state. He gently patted his adopted daughter's back, helping her catch her breath, "Rongrong, are you alright? It's all my fault. Dad misunderstood your intentions and made this decision without consulting you. It's all my fault."
"Dad meant well, it's my fault for not being good enough."
"No, it's all Dad's fault..."
Shi Li and Eldest Aunt were completely ignored, watching the father-daughter moment unfold before them. They exchanged glances, sharing an expression of utter disbelief.
[I don't deserve this. Why am I forced to witness such an eye-searing scene?]
Unfortunately, there were no classmates around to share in her breakdown.
Shi Li typed a line on her phone and showed it to Eldest Aunt.
[I'm about to vomit from disgust. Should we leave first?]
Eldest Aunt took the phone with a blank expression and typed back.
[The show isn't over yet. If you want to leave, go ahead.]
If Eldest Aunt wasn't leaving, Shi Li certainly couldn't go.
For the first time, she realized that watching drama unfold could also be a distressing activity.
Liang Rongrong had limited stamina and couldn't hold out for long.
Before Liang Rongrong could faint, Shi Li pinched her philtrum, "Wait a moment before you pass out. Let me ask you one thing: do you know who sent those thugs to warn me?"
"That really wasn't me."
Shi Li's lips curled into a smile. She only said it wasn't her, but didn't say she didn't know.
Now that was interesting.
This meant Liang Rongrong knew who it was.
But she couldn't say, or at least couldn't say it now.
Shi Li didn't pursue the matter further. She clearly wouldn't get an answer now.
"Aunt, let's go home for dinner. Miss Liang isn't feeling well, we shouldn't impose on their household any longer."
After leaving the Feng family villa, Eldest Aunt asked Shi Li, somewhat puzzled, "Child, why didn't you get to the bottom of it?"
"We'll find out who that person is eventually."
Moreover, while interacting with Liang Rongrong, Shi Li keenly sensed that she was different from the female lead in the original novel.
The female lead in the original story was a self-reliant and strong girl. Although they shared the same delicate, fragile white flower image, this Liang Rongrong gave Shi Li a sense of incongruity.
She even seemed different from the Liang Rongrong Shi Li knew in her previous life.
In her past life, although Shi Li had distanced herself from the main plot and tried to stay away from the female lead, they still had some interactions as they attended the same school.
The Liang Rongrong she knew in her previous life was more similar to the character in the original novel.
This Liang Rongrong struck Shi Li as somewhat strange.
"The behavior of the Feng family's adopted daughter inexplicably reminds me of someone."
Watching the deep father-daughter bond between those two made her recall Feng's Mother's college roommate.
Originally, Feng's Father and Feng's Mother were a couple, but later, for some unknown reason, Feng's Father broke up with Feng's Mother and got together with Feng's Mother's roommate instead.
Shi Li's Eldest Aunt strongly disapproved of her good friend's college roommate, feeling that this girl was very calculating.
How could any normal person get together with their roommate's ex-boyfriend? Had all the men in the world died out?
Feng Zhimin and Xuezhen's roommate had an on-again, off-again relationship during college, often causing many tragicomic situations due to their romantic affairs.
After graduating from university, Shi Li's Eldest Aunt went abroad for further studies, almost losing contact with those back home.
When Eldest Aunt returned to China, she heard that her close friend Lai Xuezhen had married Feng Zhimin.
This was very confusing to her, and she asked her friend why she would marry Feng Zhimin, wasn't he with your college roommate?
Her friend told her that they had broken up long ago, and Zhimin said that after breaking up with me, he realized I was the one he loved most and couldn't forget.
Even though it had been nearly twenty years, Eldest Aunt still remembered these words clearly.
She couldn't help it; thinking about it made her sick all over again.
Eldest Aunt had many words of advice she wanted to give her friend, such as "Have you forgotten the vows of eternal love they performed in front of you?"
But seeing her love-struck friend, she silently swallowed her words.
However, she ultimately didn't want her friend to be deceived, so Eldest Aunt helped her friend investigate the whereabouts of the college roommate, in case Feng Zhimin was still entangled with that woman while her friend remained in the dark.
Eldest Aunt used connections from both her maiden family and her husband's family, but they couldn't find that person. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
After having her own children, with both family and career keeping her busy, Eldest Aunt stopped pursuing the search and forgot about this person.
Who could have imagined that because of this adopted daughter of the Feng family, she would be reminded of long-buried events from the past.
"Who is it?"
