Mo Li was quite speechless. She only wanted to offer a friendly advice so Wei Lan wouldn't have to waste years studying for pointless degrees. How did she end up earning the girl's ire?
Mo Li glanced at Wei Lan. Despite her age, she was already wearing a corseted dress. It straightened her back. Wei Lan's black hair was tied into a ponytail. It was pulled high and tight.
In the original novel, Wei Lan looked down on Mo Li since they were children. Wei Lan was praised and cherished by everyone due to her talent since she was young. Her friends and families would only have praises for her when she met them. The only person who was not willing to praise her was the people from the Mo Family!
Wei Lan thought the members of the Mo Family were all dumb because they insisted on doting on Li Li when it was clear that Mo Li was not going to get anywhere in her life.
It was not helpful to Wei Lan's ego that Mo Li was prettier than she was. While she had to slave for people's attention with her talent, their focus would always be drawn to Mo Li's good looks instantly.
Mo Li's brash and rude personality didn't help either. Since she was young, Mo Li was a tyrant.
Mo Li disliked Wei Lan because she thought Wei Lan was a stuck-up bitch; and Wei Lan disliked Mo Li because she thought Mo Li was a uncultured bitch.
As Wei Lan began her recital, everyone closed their eyes to enjoy it.
Qiao Qing took a deep breath. She had to admit that Wei Lan was so much better than she was. Qiao Qing studied piano too and she understood Wei Lan's standard could only come from years of practice. I guess this is the difference between biological daughter and adopted daughter. If only my 'parents' would raise me as they raise that bitch, Mo Li, I'll be better than this Wei Lan now!
After Wei Lan ended the performance, everyone clapped. Elder Xiao looked at Wei Lan and praised, "Ol' Wei, you sure are lucky to have such an impressive granddaughter. Unlike my granddaughter, she has gone missing after she joined the police academy."
"Ol' Xiao, you're being humble again. Last I heard, Xiao Miao has already completed her course on investigation and counter-terrorism. At her young age, she is already a 1st level inspector!"
"Even so, that's nothing compared to your Wei Lan."
Elder Wei was satisfied with the praises heaped upon him. After Wei Lan returned to her seat, Mother Wei patted her back fondly, as if telling her that she had done well. Elder Mo offered a quick praise. Everyone knew that Elder Mo didn't often praise people. To get a compliment from him was a big honor already. However, Wei Lan thought that was not enough. She deserved much better than this lukewarm reception from the old coot.
Mother Wei turned to Qiao Qing. With a kind smile and a gentle tone, she began, "I hear Qing Qing didn't do so well in the IMO this time?"
Surprised that she was addressed, Qiao Qing's first reaction was shock and flattered. However, as it clicked in her mind what Mother Wei's intention was, her expression shifted. As Qiao Qing expected, Mother Wei continued, "I guess this is what is expected of the children nowadays. They can't perform well whenever there is even a smidgen of pressure."
"But such is the life of the modern society. The newer generation doesn't have much resistance against pressure." Old Madam He echoed.
Mother Wei chuckled and corrected, "That is not entirely true. Look at our Wei Lan. Other than her usual school work, she has to take a lot of extra-curricular classes. Thankfully she has a good mentality, any other child in her place would suffer from depression already."
Wei Lan smiled sheepishly and said, "I understand that my mother is only doing this for my own good. Besides, I really think studying is my hobby. I am always having fun when I'm studying."
The women were instantly intrigued because getting their precious daughters to be interested in studying was always a big problem in their lives. They all hoped to learn from tricks from Mother Wei.
Instead of offering some advice, Mother Wei suddenly turned to Jiang Yao and uttered in a seemingly even tone, "In my humble opinion, family education is very important to a child's growth. Yao Yao, it is not that I want to criticize you but I know that you grew up with much freedom.. However, you cannot replicate that educational ideology with your children. If you don't change your attitude soon, Li Li is going to end up a failure in her life!"