Chapter 183 : Past and Present

In high school, Lu Yunyao often hung out with Ding Yiyi.

However, they were not equals, to be precise, Lu Yunyao was more like Ding Yiyi’s follower.

Ding Yiyi came from a wealthy family and frequently ordered Lu Yunyao around, giving her some pocket money in return.

But Ding Yiyi had a bad temper and sometimes took her frustrations out on Lu Yunyao, belittling her in front of many people and even mocking her openly.

“Oh, so you all are here,” Ding Yiyi walked in, dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, casually swinging her sunglasses.

“You’re late, drink three cups as punishment,” a boy teased.

Ding Yiyi often went to bars, so three drinks were nothing for her.

She immediately opened a bottle of beer, poured three cups, and downed them in quick succession, even showing off the empty cups.

“Yiyi is so bold!”

Ding Yiyi entered the private room and placed her expensive designer handbag on the table, making it very noticeable.

Everyone could see it as soon as they looked up.

“Isn’t this Qianqian? Oh, I forgot, now I should call you Yunyao?”

Lu Yunyao pressed her lips together. “Yeah, I changed my name.”

Ding Yiyi pretended to cover her mouth in surprise. “I thought things like that only happened in novels! Yunyao, it’s been a long time; let’s have a drink!”

Lu Yunyao waved her hand. “No, I can’t drink, my health isn’t good.”

“Just one drink, it’s fine. You’re not still holding a grudge against me, are you?”

As soon as Ding Yiyi said this, the room fell silent.

Everyone remembered how Ding Yiyi had acted like a spoiled princess, and they had all seen how Lu Yunyao was treated like a punching bag.

When Ding Yiyi pointed east, Lu Yunyao wouldn’t dare go west.

Once, when Lu Yunyao accidentally stepped on Ding Yiyi’s shoes, she was publicly humiliated and scolded.

“You poor little thing, do you know how much these shoes cost? Even if you sold your whole family, you couldn’t afford them.”

“These are brand new shoes; how unlucky! Just seeing your poor face makes me want to vomit!”

Ding Yiyi spat her gum onto Lu Yunyao’s pants. “Get out and stand for half an hour, or pay for my shoes!”

Nervously, Lu Yunyao whispered, “How much do the shoes cost?”

Ding Yiyi arrogantly replied, “Thirty thousand! Can you afford that? If not, clean them up! Use your clothes!”

Being scolded in front of so many people, Lu Yunyao felt a deep sense of shame and humiliation.

But she couldn’t afford thirty thousand…

So, she squatted down and used the sleeve of her school uniform to clean the dirt off Ding Yiyi’s shoes, little by little.

Then, she stood outside in the pouring rain for half an hour.

She had her period that day, and the cold rain almost made her faint.

Reflecting on the past, Lu Yunyao felt a bit down.

Meanwhile, the others in the private room tried to lighten the mood.

“Let’s not dwell on the past, it’s not easy for everyone to gather like this. Here, I’ll toast to everyone,” Ding Yiyi said.

But she wouldn’t let it go, shaking her wine glass. “No, I’m only drinking toasts from Lu Yunyao today.”

“Yunyao, you wouldn’t deny me this, would you?”

Li Siyu felt a surge of anger seeing her good friend being bullied. “Enough, Ding Yiyi! Yunyao said she doesn’t drink, why are you forcing her? Do you still see her as your punching bag?”

“Don’t twist my words, I never said that,” Ding Yiyi shot back, glaring at Li Siyu.

This woman had always protected Lu Yunyao in the past.

Plus, Li Siyu came from a good family and knew self-defense, so Ding Yiyi generally didn’t want to confront her.

“I’m just catching up with Yunyao, why are you so anxious? By the way, Yunyao, are you still secretly learning to dance outside the window?”

Ding Yiyi, who had a decent appearance, still had a few admirers in class.

As soon as she said this, a few boys snickered.

Ding Yiyi was a dance major, and Lu Yunyao had accompanied her to the training base, helping her with chores.

That was when Lu Yunyao had secretly learned to dance by watching from outside.

Later, when a teacher discovered her talent, she praised her in front of everyone and even wanted her to take classes for free.

But out of jealousy, Ding Yiyi had kicked Lu Yunyao out.

Since then, Lu Yunyao could no longer get close to that dance base and lost the chance to continue learning dance.

This incident remained a lifelong regret for Lu Yunyao.

“That necklace doesn’t come cheap, does it? And your outfit should be worth a few thousand, right?”

“Yunyao, did you bring all your most valuable clothes and accessories? Afraid others will look down on you?”

Ding Yiyi’s face was filled with mockery.

In her eyes, Lu Yunyao was nothing more than a girl from a poor family who had been accepted into a middle-class one.

How wealthy could she really be?

Lu Yunyao’s outfit was clearly not something she usually wore; it must have been prepared specifically for this gathering!

It might even be rented.

Ding Yiyi often did this sort of thing; no one knew better than her.

“How much do you think your necklace and diamond hairpin cost to rent for a day? If they break, can you afford to pay for them?”

Suddenly, Lu Yunyao, who had been silent, smiled.

Her calm smile infuriated Ding Yiyi.

Why did Lu Yunyao look down on her? It should be the other way around! Lu Yunyao deserved to be trampled underfoot!

“What are you laughing at?” Ding Yiyi demanded.

“I’m laughing at your narrow-mindedness. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known these things could be rented. It seems like you do this often,” Lu Yunyao replied.

Her smile was one of relief and disdain.

In the past, she had been too afraid to stand up to Ding Yiyi, worried that one mistake would get her expelled.

So she had silently remained Ding Yiyi’s follower and punching bag.

But now she suddenly realized that Ding Yiyi was really not that impressive.

Lu Yunyao stood up, supporting herself on the table. Although her eyesight was unclear, it didn’t diminish the radiance shining from her delicate face.

She had been insecure and timid before, but now she felt confident and brave.

She looked like a princess born to be the center of attention, making it hard for anyone to look away!

“Ding Yiyi, you can’t even recognize the jewelry and clothes I’m wearing now.”

Ding Yiyi’s expression darkened. “Who knows what cheap knockoffs you’re wearing?”

“If you don’t recognize them, why not just look it up?”

With how advanced photo recognition technology is now, isn’t it easy to find out what I’m wearing and what jewelry I have?

Students in the room pulled out their phones to secretly search for the price of Lu Yunyao’s outfit.

When the prices popped up, everyone was shocked.

Ding Yiyi was still trying to save face. “I refuse to believe your outfit is more expensive than mine.”

Someone quietly tugged at her sleeve. “Yiyi, just stop.”

“Why can’t I speak?”

“Just take a look for yourself.”

That person handed their phone to Ding Yiyi.

As she saw the brand and prices on the screen, her eyes widened in disbelief.