The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Zane was also curious to know who this so-called victim of Annalise's bullying was.

So, he sat down beside Annalise.

Just as expected, the "victim" made her grand entrance.

Yelena appeared on camera with flawless makeup, tears streaming down her face as she recounted her supposed suffering.

"I went to the same school as Annalise from elementary to high school," she began, sniffling.

"My parents were always healthy, kind, and most importantly, they loved me dearly. However, Annalise's parents divorced when she was very young. So, she developed psychological issues. She couldn't stand seeing me being loved by my parents, so she became jealous and started bullying me.

"Maybe she thought I was too resilient. No matter how much she tried to insult me, I never gave in. That's when she started teaming up with delinquents to harass me. Sometimes, they even got physical."

As Yelena sobbed pitifully, netizens were quick to take her side.

"Annalise is so cruel, yet she still managed to marry such a good man?"

"Well, rotten people attract rotten people. If Annalise is awful and Mr. Huxham still loves her, maybe there's something wrong with him too."

"Exactly. That's why we should boycott Huxham Corporation. We must let them understand that marrying the wrong woman has consequences!"

Some netizens also made crude and vicious comments.

But among the sea of outrage, some more rational netizens began digging into my academic history.

They found that I had been ranked first in my elementary and middle school When I took mock SATS, placed first in the entire city. And for the actual SATs? I was the top scorer in the entire state.

Everyone fell silent.

How could a student with such exceptional grades have the time to mess around outside? Could I somehow spare the effort to bully other students? Was this a joke?

Seeing the shift in public opinion, Yelena started to panic. "So you're saying that just because someone has good grades, they can't be a bad person? Does that mean students with lower grades deserve to be bullied?"

Sensing that the skepticism was turning toward them, the netizens quickly clarified.

"If Annalise was just an average high-achieving student who was naturally gifted, barely studied, and spent all her time playing around, we might believe it.

"However, do you even understand what it means to be ranked first in the entire state? We're talking about the number one student among hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of test-takers.

"And among those students, there are always elite scholars and people who are already incredibly talented. And those students? They're also extremely hardworking.

"To maintain her position as the topnoveldrama

scorer among them, Annalise

would've had to dedicate every waking moment to studying. Otherwise, are you expecting us to believe she's so naturally gifted that she didn't need to study at all, yet still outperformed everyone else?"

Yelena didn't know if the netizens were speaking the truth and could only remain silent.

Just then, one of my former classmates stepped forward to defend me.

"First of all, we are Annalise's schoolmates. We are now working, not dead and gone. Did you say

Annalise bullied you? Don't forget that we all saw exactly what you did back then."