"The Imperial Capital Academy Dean!" Father Ming said gravely, his sinister eagle eyes fixed on Mo Qiyu. "My Ming family is considered a reputable figure in Xia Du. We wouldn't stoop to such shameless acts!"
"Is that so?"
Mo Qiyu chuckled lightly. "Then I have a question for Miss Ming."
His gaze casually fell upon Ming Zhirou.
Word by word, clear for all to hear—
"May I ask, Miss Ming, have you ever participated in the Imperial Capital Academy's entrance examination?"
Ming Zhirou's face instantly turned deathly pale.
No!
After witnessing the great effort Ming Xiujin had poured into getting into the Imperial Capital Academy.
Before she had absolute certainty.
How could she possibly have participated in the Imperial Capital Academy's entrance examination?
After all, she was a genius girl with formidable talent and immense potential.
"Rou'er?" Seeing Ming Zhirou's prolonged silence, Mother Ming stepped forward and softly called out amidst the curious gazes of those around them.
In their eyes.
Ming Zhirou must have secretly taken the Imperial Capital Academy's entrance examination, intending to surprise them.
She could have simply admitted it.
If the Imperial Capital Dean didn't believe her, he could have summoned the proctors from that day to testify.
Ming Zhirou's pale little face grew increasingly mortified.
The fingers by her sides clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again.
Her thoughts were in utter disarray.
Yet, she didn't know how to answer or explain...
At this moment, Mo Qiyu's noble and cold face broke into a mocking, sarcastic smile. "As everyone knows, the primary condition for receiving an admission letter from the Imperial Capital Academy is to participate in the Imperial Capital Academy's entrance examination. Only after passing the examination do you have a chance to enroll."
"I'm very curious. Since Miss Ming has never participated in the Imperial Capital Academy's entrance examination, what gave you the audacity to come here and falsely claim association with the Imperial Capital Academy?"
"Hmm?"
As he uttered the last sentence, Mo Qiyu's voice suddenly rose.
The final syllable was deep, cold, and incredibly dangerous!
Ming Zhirou, startled by Mo Qiyu's gaze, stumbled backward.
Fortunately, Ming Xiujin was supporting her, preventing her from falling embarrassingly to the ground.
By now, besides the Ming family—who were blind and willfully ignorant—who else hadn't figured it out?
The students who had been fawning over the Ming family and showering them with compliments now took several steps back in unison, distancing themselves from the Ming family and regarding them with strange looks.
The students from the Yellow Class were even more eager to distance themselves from Ming Xiujin.
"N-no..."
Mother Ming, holding Ming Zhirou's hand, her usually elegant and noble face filled with anxiety, said, "Dean, you must be mistaken. Our Rou'er is a rare cultivation prodigy! Even without participating in the so-called entrance examination, she is more than qualified to enter the Imperial Capital Academy!"
"Mom!"
These words made Ming Xiujin's face instantly change, trying to intervene.
But it was too late.
Hearing Mother Ming's words, the smile on Mo Qiyu's full lips turned dangerously lethal.
He raised his eyebrows slightly.
Slowly, he spread his arms, gesturing for them to look at the thousands of students surrounding the competition grounds.
"You can ask anyone here. Who among these students isn't a cultivation genius?"
In their Imperial Capital Academy, geniuses were by no means scarce.
"Miss Ming Zhirou, what do you think you are in the Imperial Capital Academy? Do you think you are worthy of me disregarding the Imperial Capital Academy's rules and regulations to grant you admission?"
—
The Ming family, who had arrived so resplendently and assertively,
now left in utter shame and humiliation.
They were pointed at and whispered about all the way.
They had become the laughingstock of the Imperial Capital Academy.
Ming Xiujin trembled with rage, his face flushed red, his eyes even bloodshot.
Like an erupting volcano, ready to explode at any moment.
"It must be that bitch Ming Zheng! She deliberately gave us a fake notice, deliberately wanted us to come to the school to embarrass ourselves! Deliberately wanted to ruin the Ming family and ruin everything for Rou'er!"
Ming Xiujin did not feel that the humiliation they just suffered was a result of Ming Zhirou's arrogance.
Instead, he shifted all the blame onto Ming Zheng.
To make matters worse, Father and Mother Ming felt Ming Xiujin's words were perfectly reasonable. They gnashed their teeth in anger, "How can someone with such a malicious heart and strong jealousy be our daughter? I truly regret why we brought that jinx back!"
Ming Zhirou, with reddened eyes, tugged at her parents' hands, then at Ming Xiujin's hand.
She sobbed, "It's all my fault. It's not Sister's fault... It's my fault for staying in the Ming family, for making Sister unhappy... which caused everyone to... suffer Sister's prank with me..."
"What nonsense!" Ming Xiujin roared, grabbing Ming Zhirou's wrist ferociously. "Let's go! We'll go find Ming Zheng right now to settle this!"
—
Ming Zheng was dressed in a simple black casual suit and wore a black hat, concealing most of her features.
However, as she stood at the main entrance of the Imperial Capital Academy.
Her outstanding demeanor still instantly drew the attention of countless people.
Ming Zheng paid no mind.
She took out her phone and called Mo Qiyu, telling him to hurry and pick her up.
The Imperial Capital Academy had strict security, and without a pass, she couldn't get in.
Suddenly, a furious voice boomed,
"Ming Zheng!"
The voice was filled with extreme anger, as if she had encountered her mortal enemy.
Even her name was spoken through gritted teeth.
Ming Zheng lazily lifted her eyelids and looked over.
She saw Ming Xiujin pulling Ming Zhirou, striding quickly towards her.
Behind them followed Father and Mother Ming, their faces ashen.
Looking at Ming Zhirou's pure and sweet face, pale as paper, like a broken doll, full of pain and grievance.
Her pair of red, beautiful eyes shed a few tears of sadness upon seeing her.
Ming Zheng didn't need to guess to know.
The reason this group from the Ming family appeared here was definitely about that admission notice.
And then, they encountered Mo Qiyu.
The outcome was predictable; they were humiliated and made to cry.
However...
Looking at the hateful gazes of the Ming family.
It was clear they were blaming her for the humiliation they suffered today.
What had she done?
It wasn't as if she had told them to run to the Imperial Capital Academy.
Whatever, she was used to it.
This was the inherent nature of the Ming family.
They always needed someone to scapegoat, to bear their wrath.
She used to be that scapegoat.
But now, she wasn't interested and didn't want to be.
Ming Zheng merely glanced at them and then calmly withdrew her gaze.
As if the Ming family were mere strangers.
"Baby, are those crazy dogs from the Ming family biting you again?" Mo Qiyu's agitated voice came from the phone. "My baby, they dare to bite?!"
"Wait for me, I'm coming to back you up!"
After speaking, without waiting for Ming Zheng's reply, he hung up the phone.
Ming Zheng: "..."
She only hoped that this silly person, who desperately wanted to be a cold and domineering CEO, wouldn't come up with an extremely "awkward" and "cringey" way of backing her up!