Seranthalia was clearly misled by Lhoraine’s absurd remarks and the instigating chatter between Chica and Marian. These conversations had completely convinced her that Xanthia was merely Dionysius’s so-called "adopted sister."

  However, when Seranthalia first learned that the "country bumpkin" was named Xanthia, she did momentarily wonder if the girl could actually be the Papadopoulos familia’s eldest daughter.

  Yet that specution didn’t linger. She dismissed it outright before delving any deeper.

  Firstly, Seranthalia had never heard of any other eldest daughter in the Papadopoulos familia’s third generation besides Susan. The Papadopoulos lineage was famously abundant with sons.

  Sure, gossip occasionally mentioned a few illegitimate daughters, but that was hardly credible.

  Secondly, what kind of Papadopoulos familia heiress would debase herself by dressing like Xanthia? Did she suffer from some kind of debilitating illness?

  Ironically, if Xanthia were still the original owner of her body, that wouldn’t be far from the truth. After all, her severe clinical depression had been professionally diagnosed, and it manifested in her cssification as "frail and sickly." The term "sickly" implied more than one ailment.

  But that was the old Xanthia. By diligently completing the system’s tasks and grinding "Happy Points," she successfully erased those negative attributes, transforming into the positive "healthy." Now, she even possessed impressive traits like "robust" and "light as a feather," all achievements she had fought hard for.

  Miss Seranthalia, though a well-mannered and dutiful young dy of high society, had her own blind spots. She embodied the "let them eat cake" mentality to a degree.

  To her, the Papadopoulos familia heiress was synonymous with the heirs of international conglomerates someone whose every action reflected the company’s reputation. An heiress could never afford to tarnish her familia’s name.

  In Seranthalia’s mind, Susan’s impeccable image was the ideal representation of the Papadopoulos familia heiress—polished, dignified, and in perfect alignment with her worldview.

  However, as a first-year student at the Foreign Language High School, Seranthalia had never interacted closely with her second-year senior, Susan.

  Susan’s demeanor was simply too aloof, and she wasn’t fond of socializing. Unless one made an effort, like Andrew, who pursued Susan with single-minded determination, it was nearly impossible to approach her.

  Seranthalia, for her part, had a perfectly ordinary orientation. She admired the much-uded Papadopoulos familia heiress from afar but felt no need to actively seek her out. After all, she was a woman in her own right, wasn’t she?

  For Seranthalia, who often embodied the spirit of “Why not eat meat porridge?” the notion that Xanthia might one day be confirmed as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Papadopoulos familia was nothing short of a worldview-shattering possibility.

  Seranthalia usually interacted exclusively with the daughters of prominent familias. She had a sharp instinct for recognizing the “aura of kindred spirits” that people from her social circle carried. And Xanthia? She unmistakably cked that aura. In Seranthalia’s eyes, Xanthia was far too self-absorbed, too untamed, and entirely too uncouth. None of these qualities were fitting for the demeanor of an heiress.

  Just earlier, when Dionysius had gone to personally greet Xanthia, Seranthalia’s heart churned with resentment. At the same time, she carefully scrutinized their facial features. She thought that even a trace of resembnce in their features might alleviate her bitterness and improve her mood slightly.

  But as, they didn’t look alike—not even a little.

  If Xanthia were to stand beside Papadopoulos Susan someday, both dressed in simirly styled outfits, Seranthalia might have immediately abandoned her doubts. But as long as Xanthia continued to don her current "system-provided basic gear," even a six or seven out of ten resembnce to Susan wouldn’t be enough to confirm her identity.

  The truth was that the current Xanthia had a considerable gap from her future self. Her behavior and mannerisms were still far removed from those of an heiress, and it was only natural for others to misjudge her identity.

  Such misunderstandings, however, were a goldmine of benefits for Xanthia. The system’s notifications of pain points converted into gold coins were music to her ears, and she relished the sound.

  As a result, Xanthia increasingly saw Dionysius as an invaluable asset—not any less effective than directly farming pain points from others. She even regretted that Dionysius wasn’t more of a heartbreaker. If only there were more girls like Seranthalia around, it would have been perfect.

  Apart from Dionysius, both Santos and Dematero had come over to greet Xanthia as well, causing yet another wave of astonishment among the guests.

  For students from First High School, the scene wasn’t entirely unexpected. They were familiar with Xanthia’s reputation. She wasn’t just considered famous but had also earned widespread admiration for her tenacity during the school’s athletic meet, where she won the gold medal in the 3000-meter run. Her unyielding determination had left a sting impression.

  “Poor but steadfast, with aspirations that reach her goals”—this phrase perfectly encapsuted her character.

  Today, her signature impoverished style of dress once again matched everyone’s preconceptions. She had firmly established herself as an inspirational beauty from humble beginnings, radiating positivity and leaving a deep impression on all who encountered her.

  However, the students from Foreign Language High School were completely floored. Some couldn’t help but inquire about Xanthia’s background from First High School students. Upon hearing her story, their astonishment turned into a fervent discussion:

  “It makes sense for Dionysius to personally greet her. That aligns with his ‘humble and approachable’ persona. But Santos—the famously arrogant and self-absorbed Santos—being so proactive? That’s shocking!”

  “I’ll say this much: First High School’s ‘school flower’ completely overshadowed our familia’s young miss. It’s incredible. Maybe this is what true charisma looks like.”

  “Damn, I’ve learned my lesson. Never judge a person by the cost of their clothes again. It’s way too easy to make wrong assumptions. Despite her aura of poverty, after hearing her story, I can’t help but admire her.”

  “Now I get why Dionysius values this girl so much. Her outer appearance or clothes don’t matter—her greatest beauty lies in her indomitable spirit. A girl with such formidable inner strength has a limitless future.”

  “Miss Seranthalia’s loss isn’t unjust at all. Dionysius has seen countless exquisite flowers from greenhouses, but resilient wild grass like Xanthia is rare and precious. Everything of value is treasured for its rarity.”

  “It’s obvious. For scions like Dionysius and Santos, the more a girl embodies the ‘Cinderel’ archetype, the more appealing she becomes.”

  “Even for someone like me, the more I look at Xanthia, the more I find her beauty captivating. Combine that with her inner strength, and she becomes utterly mesmerizing.”

  ...

  The boys from the Foreign Language High School quickly switched allegiances.

  Among them were some bolder boys, as well as others who simply followed suit, actively approaching Xanthia to introduce themselves. They hoped to increase their presence in front of this exempry girl from First High School, wanting to leave a good impression.

  Of course, there were also some boys who thought Xanthia looked somewhat familiar, as if they had seen her somewhere before, but they couldn’t quite pce where.

  These boys were mostly first-year students, the same grade as Dionysius. Perhaps they had seen Susan's grace in the campus before, but they never connected her with the current Xanthia.

  After hearing the revetions about Xanthia from the boys at First High School, their thoughts quickly became swayed.

  The image of Xanthia as a poor but inspirational girl indeed earned the respect of many of the boys.

  Especially the ones from wealthier familias, since they were friends with Dionysius. They certainly wouldn’t act like they were “cssist,” at least not in public.

  After all, everyone knew that Dionysius never judged his friends based on their backgrounds or wealth.

  If you, as his friend, were to look down on poor people in front of him, wouldn’t that be an insult to him?

  Alternatively, if you were bold and unique like Santos, you’d ignore whether someone was rich or poor and simply value their talent or whether they matched your temperament.

  It was clear that Xanthia had caught Santos’s attention, primarily because of her singing ability and talent.

  Santos had always wanted to form a band, but he was missing a lead vocalist who could impress him. After hearing Xanthia’s covers, he was convinced that this girl was destined to be the lead singer of his band!

  So, he was determined to make an impression in front of Xanthia, hoping for the chance to colborate someday.

  Santos's lead in switching allegiances, along with the boys who followed suit, had certainly broken another girl’s heart.

  She was Andrea Tan, a friend that Seranthalia had brought along.

  At that moment, Andrea found herself in a state of existential confusion...

  She even felt a bit schadenfreude, because, based on what Seranthalia had told her about Dionysius, she always felt that Dionysius secretly harbored feelings for her, and had been pursuing her, though she hadn’t agreed yet. It was the cssic "still testing" situation.

  Girls often mix a little vanity into their conversations, so even if they liked a boy, when talking to friends, they would sometimes reverse the order of events.

  But now, seeing the situation unfold, Andrea realized things weren’t quite what she had imagined. Luckily, she hadn’t naively gone to Dionysius to “report” it—if she had, the one to be embarrassed would’ve been her!

  Dionysius didn’t even try to hide it. Just how much did he care about this "little sister" of his? He was so openly biased to this degree!

  Beyond schadenfreude, Andrea also felt sorry for Seranthalia. She decided that when she went back, she would advise Seranthalia to distance herself from Dionysius, to just remain ordinary friends—that would be the best.

  What Andrea didn’t know was that this was exactly what Dionysius hoped for, and Seranthalia would never listen to her. After all, she had worked so hard to get close to Dionysius. Would she just throw it all away now?

  What truly bothered Andrea was—why were the boys there turning their backs so quickly?

  Wasn’t it embarrassing for me and Seranthalia?

  How low was their emotional intelligence? Dionysius's differential treatment was one thing, but why couldn’t they at least consider our feelings?

  What a bunch of dimwits!

  Wouldn’t it be better to isote that “Xanthia” and give her the cold shoulder?

  Instead, they were fawning over her!

  Andrea’s earlier pn to ride the boys’ momentum to put Xanthia in her pce had completely colpsed before she could even act.

  Now, she regretted coming with Seranthalia to this so-called private birthday party. It was nothing like the high-end party she had imagined. Some of the people there weren’t even in her circle, which made her feel quite out of pce.

  She thought the boys fawning over Xanthia were just trying to show that they were "down-to-earth" and "humble," like Dionysius, by using her to boost their pce.

  After putting on an act and collecting their achievements, they would naturally blend in with the boys from more ordinary backgrounds.

  Xanthia’s presence had, unexpectedly, made two completely different social circles appear to merge, at least on the surface. This was probably the "fate's" influence at work.

  After welcoming Xanthia and her group, Dionysius casually went over to greet Seranthalia, just like nothing had happened.

  In his eyes, Seranthalia was also a person of talent, genuine kindness and beauty, and if he could bring such a "warrior" under his wing, it would be quite a satisfying achievement.

  Unlike Andrea, who was on the verge of losing her composure, Seranthalia, though clearly upset, did not act out of line.

  She was a well-mannered, composed young dy, always graceful in her actions. Even when filled with negative emotions from Dionysius’s differential treatment, she forced herself to keep it all in check.

  This forced restraint only increased her inner pain, because sometimes, releasing negative emotions could actually alleviate the pain.

  “Seranthalia, welcome!” Dionysius greeted with a smile.

  Before she could say anything, Rommel interjected, “Dionysius! How can you still smile? If you have any tact, apologize to Seranthalia right now!”

  Dionysius frowned. “Apologize? What did I do wrong? Why should I apologize?”

  Rommel was shocked. “Damn, Dionysius, you’re really a blockhead. Considering your retionship with Seranthalia, you didn’t greet her first, but went to welcome some stranger. You really don’t treat your old friends as friends!”

  Seranthalia finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. She snapped at Rommel, “Enough!”

  Then she turned to Dionysius and softened her tone. “Dionysius, can we talk privately for a moment?”

  Having just been told to shut up by her, Rommel immediately shifted his focus, now eagerly encouraging Dionysius to speak with Seranthalia privately. He was pushing for Dionysius not to turn down her request.

  Dionysius gnced at his watch and replied indifferently, “Alright, but not for too long.”

  The two then headed to a secluded balcony.

  Seranthalia, no longer her usual composed self, quickly asked, “Dionysius, what exactly is your retionship with this ‘Xanthia’?”

  Dionysius calmly expined, “She’s just my little sister.”

  Just as Santos had asked him this same question before, he was always open and honest with his recognized friends, with nothing to hide.

  However, when it came to Xanthia’s friends and cssmates, he wouldn’t meddle in their affairs.

  ShoujoDirector