"I'm sorry, Tang Lele, I am already in love with another woman." With a gentle expression on his face, Meng Fan casually rejected Tang Lele's confession.

Tang Lele's face instantly became rigid and embarrassed. The gift box she held in mid-air suddenly felt heavy.

Looking at the handsome boy in front of her, she wondered, why did this happen?

Meng Fan was her direct senior, always caring for her with such attentiveness. Today, taking advantage of the dance held by the school, she finally mustered the courage to confess her feelings to him bravely, but she did not expect such an outcome.

Her hands dropped, she lowered her head, her face turned a little pale.

"So that's it. Sorry to have bothered you, senior."

With a saddened look on her face, Tang Lele turned around to leave, but to her surprise, Meng Fan suddenly held her arm.

"Lele, don't you want to know who the woman I love is?"

Tang Lele opened her mouth, and bitterly answered: "Who... who is it?"

"Ah, here she comes."

Tang Lele glanced across from the corner of her eyes, following the direction of Meng Fan's gaze. She saw a group of people walking towards them. At the front was a woman with a tall figure and an aloof demeanor, looking like a princess from a castle - Tang Qianqian.

Her so-called elder sister!

And the school beauty of the Saint Si Academy. She was the one who commanded everyone's affection. Those following her were all her minions.

Tang Qianqian walked over, naturally looping her arm in Meng Fan's. Looking at Tang Lele, she lifted her delicate chin, her eyes revealing a sense of triumph.

"I'm sorry, Lele. The person Meng Fan likes is me."

Tang Lele looked at the two of them calmly, without uttering a word. After a long while, she softly responded, "Oh!"

Tang Xianxian observed that Tang Lele showed no signs of anger or envy and felt slightly aggrieved. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Lele, do you know when we started dating?"

Tang Lele remained silent.

Tang Xianxian, feeling victorious, lifted the corners of her lips into a smile and said, "That was yesterday."

The hands of Tang Lele, which were holding the gift box, trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes, turned around, and began to walk away.

"Wait a moment." Tang Xianxian quickly blocked her path, deliberately showing worry and remorse on her face.

"Lele, you're not angry, are you? Meng Fan and I are truly in love. You..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Meng Fan interrupted. "Xianxian, what are you talking about? Lele wouldn't be upset. She should be happy for us. She's such a gentle and kind-hearted girl. She surely would."

Tang Lele stared straight forward, biting her lips and her eyelashes trembling.

"That's right." Xianxian shyly smiled at Meng Fan, "Lele is so kind. I'm sure she will bless us. Isn't that right, Lele?"

Tang Lele looked up, her eyes meeting Tang Xianxian's in a dead silence.

And as for Tang Xianxian, her expression became increasingly triumphant.

Tang Xianxian's sidekick, Bai Xinyue, chimed in. She walked up to Tang Lele with a hostile expression.

She crossed her arms over her chest and sneered at Tang Lele, "Tsk tsk, and to consider Tang Lele as kind-hearted? This low-grade wretch, daring to confess to Meng Fan even though Xianxian and him are together, is utterly shameless."

Tang Xianxian feigned innocence as if defending Tang Lele and admonished, "Xinyue, don't speak like that. After all, Lele is my sister."

Bai Xinyue scoffed. "Xianxian, you are just too kind. How the hell can she be called your sister? You are the young mistress of the Tang family, while she is nothing but a bastard the Tang family adopted, born of an unknown father and mother. Xianxian, you are so nice to treat her like a sister. But this lowly woman may not know how to return the favor. Now, she even dares to covet your Meng Fan."

Tang Xianxian, with her acting skills first-rate, had her eyes turn red in an instant. "Lele, is what Xinyue said true? Are you really trying to steal Meng Fan from me?"

Upon hearing these words, all the students watching the drama unfold in the dance hall cast disdainful glances at Tang Lele.

Tang Lele took a sweeping look around the room, finding the opulent dance hall unexpectedly disgusting.

When she spotted a uniformed waiter passing by her, she stopped him.

She put the gift box in her hand onto the waiter's empty tray and said to him, "This is trash. Please throw it in any bin you find."

"Yes."

Meng Fan's face suddenly turned green. "Tang Lele you… "

Tang Lele gave Meng Fan a smile, her cherry lips parting to quietly say a few words.

Those on the outskirts of the crowd didn't catch her words clearly, but Tang Xianxian and Meng Fan heard them plainly.

What Tang Lele said was, "I will definitely bless you guys. After all, a bitch and a dog make a perfect pair, till the end of time!"

Meng Fan and Tang Xianxian's face twisted in anger instantaneously.

Tang Xianxian pushed Tang Lele hard on the shoulder and cursed, "Tang Lele, are you looking for death?!"

Tang Lele retorted with a sarcastic laugh, "Dear sister, calm down, there are so many people watching. Aren't you trying to maintain the image of a fragile, delicate and nationally beloved sister?"

"You..." Tang Xianxian's face turned green with rage.

Bai Xinyue said, “Xinxin, revenge doesn’t need to be taken right away. After we go back, we'll settle scores with her slowly.”

Tang Xinxin swallowed down her anger. At this time, the first dance of the ball was about to commence.

Tang Xinxin, as if waiting for the perfect opportunity, suddenly raised her voice to all the people in the dance hall and said, “Everyone, it's almost time for the dance. My sister, however, still lacks a dance partner. Which brother, senior or junior, would like to be my sister's dance partner?"

Tang Lele raised her eyebrows and glanced at Tang Xinxin.

Tang Xinxin flashed her a gentle smile, but her eyes glistened with malice.

"Sister, I’m sorry. I realized you probably don't have a dance partner tonight. So, would you let your big sister get you one?”

After that, she continued to address the people around her, "My sister's background might be ordinary; she’s only an adopted girl in my family. But since she came to my family, she has received specialized training in high society etiquette. So gentlemen, rest assured, my sister is a terrific dancer. Who would like to be her dance partner?"

With these few sentences, she informed everyone both about Tang Lele's lowly origin and lifted the moral image of the Tang family, making people sigh at the Tang's kindness.

Therefore, all the rich and noble young masters at this ball were reluctant to dance with Tang Lele. To them, Tang Lele was practically dirt, totally unworthy of their company.

Seeing that no one answered, Tang Xinxin sighed regrettably, "Ah, Lele, what can we do? It seems that no one wants to dance the first dance with you." Her exterior expressed disappointment, but inwardly she was delighted.

Tang Lele, without any expression, replied indifferently, "Thank you for your concern. I already have a dance partner.”

"Oh? Is that so? Let him come out then. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Exactly," Bai Xinyue said, "I wonder if your dance partner is the school hunk?”

A burst of laughter erupted from everyone, resounding with unbridled mockery.

Tang Lele felt like an ugly duckling stripped of its feathers, subject to ridicule and humiliation.

She looked at the sparkling crystal chandelier overhead and suddenly remembered the horror film she had watched the night before.

The ghost in it was terrifying.

Yet thinking about it now, what was there to fear? What was even scarier than any ghost were these shining, beautiful "people" in front of her now!