Debate

What was Lily like?

If you asked the students of Guangwen Hall, whether they were in the first, second, or third year, they all knew.

There was no other way to describe her—stupid, timid, yet pretending to be virtuous and gentle.

Her appearance wasn't particularly striking, nor was her demeanor outstanding. She had no special talents, and she was a lovesick fool, infatuated with Duke Ding, known throughout Dingjing.

So, if you asked who the most outstanding girl in Guangwen Hall was, it would naturally be Ye Amy. And if you asked who the most despicable girl was, it would naturally be Lily.

Though both were from the Ye family, their images were completely different. But everyone was used to seeing Lily as a maid-like figure beside Ye Amy. When Lily suddenly seemed different, people felt uncomfortable.

Yi Pailan nudged Ye Amy. "Amy, is your sister sick in the head? Today she seems like a completely different person."

Ye Amy looked at Lily, feeling puzzled. It seemed that after falling into the water and waking up, Lily's personality had changed a lot.

Was it because of the shock from Duke Ding's incident? Just as she was about to speak, her friend Jiang Caixuan chimed in, "Lily, I heard you fell into the water. Are you feeling better now?"

This statement, so bluntly put, was truly embarrassing.

If it had been the usual Lily, she would have looked helplessly at Ye Amy, seeking her help.

But today, she just glanced at Jiang Caixuan indifferently and said calmly, "I'm better, thank you for your concern."

Jiang Caixuan was taken aback, and so was everyone else in the classroom.

Perhaps they hadn't expected Lily to respond so nonchalantly.

Feeling irritated by Lily's attitude, Jiang Caixuan immediately said, "If you're better, shouldn't your first priority be to apologize to Duke Ding instead of coming to the academy? Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"

Lily took a deep breath. Neither the boys nor the girls around her had any intention of speaking up for her. She had never had any friends.

Watching Lily make a fool of herself was perhaps the only entertainment these noble children had at the academy.

After glancing at the various expressions on everyone's faces and seeing the schadenfreude in Ye Cindy's eyes, Lily was about to speak when Ye Amy interjected,

"Duke Ding is broad-minded and won't blame Fifth Sister for such trivial matters. Fifth Sister came to the academy because she is eager to learn, which is a good thing."

"What good thing?" A boy nearby couldn't help but laugh.

He had secretly admired Ye Amy for a long time and always looked down on Lily, thinking that having such a sister was a tragedy for Ye Amy.

He said, "Eager to learn, Ye Amy, if you want to help your sister, you don't need to use such an excuse. Eager to learn... How can someone who can't even read the first-year texts say they are eager to learn? That's too funny! Besides..."

He maliciously sized up Lily and continued, "Who knows if she fell into the water on purpose? In plays, isn't it always like this—falling into the water, being rescued by a hero, and then offering oneself in gratitude... But, guess she got the ending wrong!"

After saying this, he found it amusing and burst out laughing.

As the leader of these boys, his words made the surrounding boys burst into laughter. The noble girls around Ye Amy also found it funny. For a moment, mocking voices surrounded Lily, their gazes filled with malice.

Words were the sharpest weapons. In her past life, such scenes had occurred countless times. She was used to being belittled, insulted, and mocked, and she didn't want to actively break these fixed concepts.

In the end, Ye Amy and Ye Cindy became friends with these noble children, while she drifted further away from this circle.

She once thought this was the greatest misfortune, but compared to the tragedies later in her past life, these were nothing.

These boys and girls hadn't even reached the age of her Qing and Xu Yi. They became enemies due to provocations. Were these really her enemies?

Of course not. Some of these noble children were even on the same side.

But because of the emperor's deliberate balancing and provocation, these families were in a subtle opposition, their connections not tight, even harboring some grudges.

There was no need to turn allies into enemies. As a queen in her past life, Lily learned a lot. Don't make enemies out of momentary anger; it was not worth it.

"Cai Lin, how can you talk about Fifth Sister like that?" After everyone had laughed enough, Ye Amy finally spoke up. "Fifth Sister is not that kind of person."

"Cai Lin," Lily interrupted Ye Amy, her tone flat without any fluctuations. "Who told you I fell into the water because I admired Duke Ding?"

Saying this so blatantly should have been disgusting, but Lily's calmness and indifferent tone made everyone pause.

Cai Lin was the little tyrant here. Usually, Lily wouldn't dare to say much to him. When did she ever use such an interrogative tone?

Moreover, her tone unconsciously carried a hint of commanding inquiry. Cai Lin himself didn't know why, but he didn't curse out loud. Instead, he said, "Isn't it?"

"So that's how it is…" Lily muttered to herself, then suddenly smiled slightly, looking at Ye Amy and Ye Cindy.

"Elder Sister, Second Sister, if others don't know, it's fine. But don't you know? Why don't you defend your younger sister a bit?"

Ye Amy and Ye Cindy both froze, suddenly remembering their mother's instructions before leaving—don't say the wrong thing about Lily falling into the water.

Ye Cindy, being more considerate of the bigger picture than Ye Amy, immediately said, "Yes, don't talk nonsense.

I was with Fifth Sister at the time. I saw it with my own eyes—she accidentally slipped into the water. It just happened that Duke Ding arrived at that moment. It has nothing to do with admiration."

With Ye Cindy's firm statement, although the crowd didn't believe her, they weren't as serious as before. Then Lily spoke, "Not seeing it with one's own eyes and making wild guesses, Guangwen Hall not only teaches lessons but also cultivates morality.

Moreover, admiration is originally a beautiful word. Why is it spoken of so disdainfully? If I, Lily, admire someone, I will do so with dignity. Duke Ding is of royal blood; how could I dare to think of him? You are all mistaken."

In this world, changing impressions quickly is hard. Moreover, her previous infatuation with Xu Yuanhao was known to everyone. Now saying she doesn't love him, no one would believe it.

But in any case, drawing a clear line was necessary.

Before her words faded, a voice of admiration rang out, "A great sense of dignified admiration!"