On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

These words seemed to have flipped a switch, and the private room instantly erupted with even more enthusiastic echoes and comparisons.

An aunt with gray hair immediately chimed in, looking at Su Yaxi with the concern typical of an elder, and said with a smile, "Yes, Yaxi, your sister is truly talented! Xiangchuan Medical College, that's a prestigious name! She'll become a top doctor in the future, with high social status and a good income. You can't fall too far behind!"

A man next to her, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking quite cultured, pushed up his glasses and analyzed with an air of importance: "An eight-year combined bachelor's and doctoral program means you get a doctorate in one step! Its value is extraordinary. Yuqing is calm and down-to-earth; she's got the makings of a scholar. Yaxi, you're lively, but you need your sister's composure and perseverance in your studies."

Another slightly plump aunt was more direct, smiling as she said to Lin Shiya, "Shiya, look how promising Yuqing is! You, as her stepmother, are so proud! You should encourage Yaxi to get closer to her older sister in the future, and let her older sister give her some guidance. You become like those you associate with!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" someone immediately chimed in. "We can't waste a top student like you at home! Ya-xi, learn from your sister and ask her how she studies!"

"In today's competitive society, a good diploma is extremely important. With this starting point, Yuqing's future is limitless. Yaxi, your father is right, you really should follow your sister's example!"

These words, one after another, were like dense hailstones, mercilessly pelting Su Yaxi's sensitive, jealous, and repressive heart.

At first, she simply lowered her head indifferently and listened quietly to the chatter of her relatives.

But after being told this so many times, and getting annoyed, the mask of indifference on her face finally shattered instantly, replaced by a sense of humiliation from being forcibly dragged into comparison.

She raised her head and stared intently at the "older sister" sitting quietly opposite her, her eyes filled with resentment—why should she become a negative example to be pointed at and gossiped about because of this outsider!?

As the comparisons deepened, the relatives' words gradually shifted from simply praising Su Yuqing to criticizing her current situation and expressing concern for her future.

Every sentence, such as "You need to work hard, you can't always get scores in the eighties," "If you keep falling behind like this, when will you catch up with your sister?" or "Don't be so playful, learn from your sister, and your grades won't always be so low," felt like a public execution, nailing her to the pillar of shame as "uneducated" and "inferior to her sister."

She felt her face burning, as if everyone's gaze was scrutinizing and critical of her.

But her grades weren't actually bad; she just deliberately controlled her scores on a regular basis. She was also quite intelligent!

If I had known this would happen, I should have taken all the exams seriously and done my best.

She held back because she wanted to preserve room for improvement and praise.

It's not that she's not smart enough or has poor grades!

On the contrary, she was much smarter than most children.

If she can get 80 points, she will never get 81 points.

In this way, if she gets 80 points next time, it will be maintaining her current level, and if she gets 81 points, it will be an improvement.

When I get home, I can receive praise from my parents.

If she gets 100 points on the first test, then getting 99 points on the next test would be a step backward. Instead of praise, she would get questions from her parents about why she lost that point.

She knew all too well the difference between before and after!
This is the reason why she deliberately controls her grades. When she wants her parents to reward her with gifts, food, or money, she will suggest betting on her grades.

Thus, they can easily obtain what they want by leveraging their grades.

Then, subtly drop a few points, keeping the score within a range that wouldn't earn praise but also wouldn't get you criticized.

They will wait until the next time they want praise or a reward before making their move.

However, she never expected that her usual clever designs would become the reason why her unsuspecting relatives thought she was inferior to her sister.

She was naturally furious.

She wanted to jump up on the spot and refute these people's ignorance, but it was clear that her scheming was not suitable to be displayed openly, so at this moment she could only suffer in silence, like a mute eating bitter melon.

The more she listened, the more indignant she became, and the angrier she got, until her knuckles turned white from gripping the phone so tightly!
Visibly, her chest heaved violently, and a strong sense of humiliation and resentment burned through her internal organs like poisonous fire.

The balance she had painstakingly maintained, a balance that always brought her praise, was completely shattered because of her! It even became evidence that she was inferior to others!

She had finally gained complete control over her father and mother, so why did Su Yuqing so easily steal all of her father's attention and praise as soon as she came back?
Is it because she's a bookworm?
These hypocritical relatives, why have they never cared about Su Yuqing like this before!
Now, just because the other party got into a good medical university, they're all coming to put her down and praise Su Yuqing!
What a bunch of opportunistic scoundrels!

Lin Shiya was more composed than her daughter. Even though she was also very unhappy with what she heard, she still maintained her composure!
She pressed down firmly on her daughter's trembling, almost out-of-control hand under the table, maintaining a perfect, gentle smile as she smoothed things over, saying, "Uncles, aunts, and uncles are too kind. Chengfeng, you should say less. Every child has their own strengths; we can't generalize. Our Yaxi is also very talented in the arts, isn't she?"

She tried to save face for her daughter, but her words sounded so weak and powerless amidst the surrounding praise for her genuine medical school diploma.

Deep within her eyes lay a cold calculation and an even deeper loathing for Su Yuqing.

Su Yuqing's existence, and today's scene, have completely shattered the illusion of a perfect family that she had carefully created, and have also caused her daughter to suffer endless grievances.

Su Yuqing clearly felt the increasingly resentful gazes coming from diagonally opposite her, and she subconsciously turned her head to avoid them.

Chen Mo immediately placed his hand under the table, and a warm force instantly flowed from his palm, allowing her to barely stand firm in this invisible storm.

Two venomous gazes met Chen Mo's calm, slightly mocking smile!

This disdainful smile made them uncomfortable, and they instinctively avoided looking at it.

Su Yaxi suddenly lowered her head, no longer looking at anyone, but her tightly bitten lower lip was already bleeding, and her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the turbulent storm raging inside her.

The seemingly well-intentioned but actually hurtful words from her relatives, her father's seemingly fair but actually biased comparisons, and her mother's powerless and feeble attempts to protect her, all fueled a murderous intent within her already extremely resentful heart. (End of Chapter)