The misunderstanding

Lù Mei Lì walked into the living room, her backpack slung over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the room with detached interest. Her parents were seated on the couch, her step-sister, Jiā Yì, sitting primily beside them, a smug look on her face.

"Mei Lì, how could you?" her mom spat, her voice venomous. "You're such a disappointment."

Mei Lì raised an eyebrow, her expression bored. "What's new?"

Her dad's face turned red with anger. "You got kicked out of school! Again! What's wrong with you?"

Mei Lì shrugged, examining her nails. "Just peachy."

Jiā Yì chimed in, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Mom, Dad, Mei Lì's just so... uncontrollable. Maybe she needs help?"

Mei Lì's gaze flicked to Jiā Yì, her eyes cold as ice. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

Her parents ignored her, launching into a tirade of criticisms. "You're selfish, Mei Lì. You only think of yourself. You're going to end up like your father, a failure."

Mei Lì's expression didn't change, but her grip on her backpack strap tightened. She'd heard it all before.

"You know why I got kicked out?" she said, her voice flat. "Jiā Yì hacked into my account and posted those embarrassing pics. I defended myself."

Jiā Yì burst into fake tears. "That's not true! Mei Lì's just making up lies because she's jealous of me!"

Their parents comforted Jiā Yì, shooting Mei Lì accusatory looks. "Mei Lì, you need to apologize to your sister."

Mei Lì laughed, a cold, hard sound. "No way. She started it. I'm not apologizing for defending myself."

Her mom's voice rose. "You're impossible! You're never going to amount to anything! You're a waste of space!"

Mei Lì turned to leave, her eyes scanning the room with disdain. "I'm outta here."

As she walked out, her parents' words followed her, like knives thrown in the dark. "You're a failure! You'll never succeed! You're just like your father!"

Mei Lì didn't flinch. She'd built a wall around herself, a fortress of indifference. She didn't care what they thought.

She walked up to her room, locked the door, and pulled out her laptop. Time to dig up some dirt on Jiā Yì. 💡

Mei Lì's fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes scanning the screen with intense focus. She'd prove her innocence, and Jiā Yì would pay for what she did.

An hour later, Mei Lì's phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: "Meet me at the usual place. We need to talk."

Mei Lì's eyes narrowed. Who was this? She typed back: "Who is this?"

The response came: "It's Zhào Xuán. I've heard about your... situation."

Mei Lì's heart skipped a beat. Zhào Xuán was the heir to the Zhào empire. What did he want with her?

She typed: "What do you want?"

The response came: "I'll tell you when we meet. Don't bring anyone."

Mei Lì's eyes narrowed. This was getting interesting.

She stood up, grabbed her backpack, and slipped out of the house. Time to meet the mysterious Zhào Xuán.

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