The curtain rose once more on the stage.

A pale, haggard girl in a worn school uniform, looking delicate, half-knelt in a filthy ‘restroom,’ scrubbing the stained toilets repeatedly with a toilet brush.

Seeing this, Mingxi raised her eyebrows.

Beside her, Fu Yifan instantly turned red with anger, his face flushed like an inflated red balloon about to burst.

Mingxi lifted her hand and pressed the furious young man back into his seat, stopping him from moving.

"Why are you so angry? If she wants to act, let her act."

Mingxi even pulled out a packet of melon seeds and put them in his hand. "Crack some seeds and watch the show."

As the protagonist of this ‘performance,’ Mingxi immediately understood what kind of play this was.

Assam’s off-stage tactics were indeed quite unsettling.

Mingxi’s indifferent attitude not only calmed the enraged Fu Yifan but also left Assam, who had meticulously planned this, feeling a bit... flat.

On the stage, besides the ‘girl’ diligently scrubbing the toilet, three more female students appeared.

They surrounded the girl, kicked her down, and forcibly pushed her head into a filthy bucket of water...

"Wuwuwu..."

The girl’s desperate and painful cries echoed through the theater.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

"Good! Excellent acting!"

Assam clapped, his face showing exaggerated satisfaction.

"Assam! What the hell do you mean?!"

Fu Yifan finally couldn’t hold back, springing up from his seat and pointing at Assam, cursing loudly.

This bastard actually brought Mingxi’s pre-awakening experiences onto the stage, and that actress made Xiao Xi look like a weak, useless idiot!

Cry your ass off!

Even Shao Dingding, the shy girl, exploded!

She also stood up, her delicate face flushed crimson with extreme anger, her eyes practically spitting fire!

"Bastard! Despicable!"

She yelled in rage, her voice sharp, drawing more attention.

The two of them, like the Humph and Ha Generals, stood on either side, their faces ashen, their fists clenching with audible cracks. If not for the inappropriate setting, Mingxi had no doubt they would have charged Assam.

They knew Mingxi’s past, the difficult years when she had to work three jobs a day for survival, tuition, and Granny Ruan’s medical expenses!

Assam’s actions were no different from publicly tearing open her wound and pouring salt into it!

"Why is this young man so angry? Could it be..."

Assam deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience, finally settling on Mingxi, a cruel grin spreading across his lips.

"...this scene bothered someone?"

Boom—!

The entire venue instantly erupted! A wave of shock and uproar, even greater than before, swept through the theater!

"Is this acting out Mingxi?"

"It’s Mingxi before she awakened. I heard she had a terrible childhood—a missing father, an abandoning mother, a sick grandmother, and a broken self." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Is Assam deliberately exposing her old wounds? That’s a bit despicable, isn’t it?"

"Isn't that what he's best at, these underhanded tactics? As far as I know, this is already considered a relatively mild method; there are countless worse ones."

"This is mild? Then what are the not-so-mild ones like?!"

The whispers grew louder and louder.

Many people’s eyes darted back and forth between Assam and Mingxi, showing surprise, disdain, pity, and scorn.

They hadn't expected Assam to use such a vile and despicable method to expose a young girl’s past wounds, especially those involving personal dignity and the humiliation of menial labor!

This had completely surpassed the scope of competitive psychological warfare; it was blatant character assassination!

The spotlight, like a searing branding iron, was fixed on Hua Ruyu, who was pale and trembling, and also on Mingxi, who was at the center of the storm.

Hua Ruyu was at a loss, kneeling on the ground, shivering, her eyes filled with tears of humiliation and terror.

Meanwhile, Mingxi, below the stage, remained composed, her noble and dignified aura naturally exuding, her eyes holding nothing but tranquility.

Two similar faces, gazing at each other from the stage and below.

Yet, they represented two completely different destinies.

The atmosphere in the entire venue was extremely oppressive, and all eyes were focused on Mingxi, awaiting her reaction.

To say Mingxi was unaffected would be impossible.

The original owner’s tragic past was maliciously distorted and brought onto the stage, to be gawked at and ridiculed.

As the direct beneficiary of this body, she wasn’t made of mud.

How could she not be angry!

But anger aside, her rationality wouldn’t allow her to lose control.

After a brief moment of anger, she quickly regained absolute clarity and calm.

In her eyes was a bottomless cold pool, freezing all turbulent emotions beneath the ice.

She slowly, and very steadily, stood up.

Under the spotlight, her posture was as straight as a pine tree.

"Thank you to this actress for her passionate performance, although your portrayal bears no resemblance to me at that time."

The original owner was weak, but never soft.

She was able to bravely support herself and her grandmother’s life at a young age, facing life’s hardships and fatigue with positivity and courage. How could she have been so unwilling to be humiliated?

And how could she have been someone who only cried when bullied?

Her expression turned cold as she looked at Assam, who was smiling maliciously:

"Also, my alma mater is excellent, and no one ever bullied me. You can act whatever you want, but using my past to tarnish my alma mater and my schoolmates is not allowed!"

Her voice was not loud, but it was like ice beads dropping, clear and distinct, cutting through the clamor and suppressed murmurs of the entire venue:

"My past shaped my present.

What it taught me was never shame, but the resilience to stand tall in any mire.

This resilience will not waver because of others’ contempt, nor will it become humble or embarrassed because of anyone’s performance or humiliation.

It is the most precious experience in my life, and I will forever be grateful for that period."

Her voice was not loud, yet every word was like a hammer, striking at everyone’s heart.

Having said that, she no longer looked at Assam’s instantly ashen and ugly face, nor did she need to wait for anyone’s reaction.

She gave a slight nod to Shao Dingding and the others, her voice returning to its usual coolness: "Let's go!

Some people, we’ll see on the field tomorrow."

She turned and left the venue, her steps steady, her back as straight as a javelin.

That spine seemed to bear all the weight of the past, yet it did not bend an inch.

Her departure silently declared that any attempt to break her with humiliation was a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) low-class tactic, like mud that could be washed away at any time.

Mingxi's calm demeanor completely turned Assam's meticulously planned underhanded tactic into a farce.

The smile on his face completely vanished, replaced by sullen anger.

The next day.

Doubles Match Group C1: Assam Grove vs. Mingxi.

The atmosphere was like a volcano about to erupt.

On the command platform, the girl and Assam, who resembled a giant human bear, stood on opposite sides.

Assam grinned, his smile carrying undisguised brutality.

"Match start!"