Chapter 35

Xuejiao frowned, feeling that the other person was being unbearably noisy.

Seeing that Xuejiao didn't respond, Cheng Mingjiao thought she had hit a nerve and began laughing even louder.

"Gu Xuejiao, if you cheat like this, you'll just get exposed eventually! First place? Ha! Try taking the exam again!" Cheng Mingjiao sneered, her tone full of mockery.

She was reveling in her sense of victory. Cheng Mingjiao hated Xuejiao, and nothing made her happier than seeing her embarrassed or humiliated. Exposing what she believed to be Xuejiao's "true self" was like winning the lottery.

Actually, Cheng Mingjiao had never won the lottery, but this happiness felt even better!

Yu Weiwei sat on the other side of the classroom, shrinking into her seat. In the past, when Cheng Mingjiao went after Gu Xuejiao, she would have stood up for Xuejiao. But today, Yu Weiwei hesitated, keeping her head down and feeling ashamed of her own silence.

She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately remained quiet, curling up further in her seat.

Suddenly, a book came flying through the air and landed squarely on Cheng Mingjiao's face, cutting her off mid-laugh.

"Are you an idiot, Cheng Mingjiao?" Yi Tianyu said coldly, his voice full of disdain.

"Yi Tianyu!" Cheng Mingjiao screamed, her face twisting in anger. How dare someone hit her?

"I don't usually hit women, but for you, I'll make an exception. Chu Sheng is first, yeah, but so is Xuejiao. They both got 729 points, and Xuejiao even scored 0.5 higher than Chu Sheng. You're just embarrassing yourself."

Yi Tianyu looked at her with an expression of utter contempt, as if he were staring at a fool.

"No way! You're lying!" Cheng Mingjiao's disbelief was clear.

She couldn't accept that Xuejiao was still first. To her, it was impossible. She was convinced Xuejiao had cheated before and that this exam would reveal her true colors. Yet now, someone was telling her that Xuejiao had once again come out on top?

"No! You're making this up!"

Yi Tianyu gave her a mocking look, his disdain growing even stronger.

The girl sitting in front of Cheng Mingjiao tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "It's true. Gu Xuejiao is tied for first with Chu Sheng..."

It was undeniable. Xuejiao really was first.

"No... no... this can't be! She must have cheated!" Cheng Mingjiao stammered, clinging to her disbelief.

Just then, a commanding voice came from the doorway.

"She didn't cheat!"

The voice belonged to Yin Fang, their strict English teacher. As soon as she stepped into the classroom, carrying a pile of papers, the room went completely silent. Her presence alone demanded respect.

Yin Fang walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor. She exuded authority.

"Gu Xuejiao's results are not the product of cheating," she declared firmly. "Her scores are the result of her hard work and genuine effort!"

Her stern expression softened slightly as she said this, but it quickly turned sharp again as she turned to Cheng Mingjiao.

"Cheng Mingjiao! Instead of doubting others, why don't you work on improving your own grades? Hmm?"

Cheng Mingjiao opened her mouth, trying to defend herself, but Yin Fang didn't give her a chance.

"Do you even know what you scored this time? Eleventh in the class! Cheng Mingjiao, you used to be in the top three, but now you've fallen out of the top ten! What have you been doing this semester?"

Cheng Mingjiao was stunned. She hadn't expected her rank to be so low.

Yin Fang continued, her tone full of disappointment. "Instead of studying, you've been targeting Gu Xuejiao—filing complaints against her, trying to embarrass her, and laughing at her. Where do you get this confidence from? Do you think focusing on her will improve your own grades? Look at her—she's first, and you've dropped to eleventh! What are you so proud of?"

Yin Fang's anger was palpable. She took a deep breath to calm herself before adding, "Cheng Mingjiao, it's time for you to wake up. Senior year is just around the corner, and competition will only get tougher. If you don't shape up, you'll only fall further behind. Focus on your own progress and stop obsessing over others. Now, sit down."

Cheng Mingjiao sat down quietly, her head lowered as if she were reflecting on her actions. However, beneath the surface, her heart burned with hatred.

Gu Xuejiao! she thought bitterly.

Yin Fang turned her attention to the rest of the class, using the moment to scold a few others. Meanwhile, Xuejiao remained focused on the English text in front of her, unfazed by the commotion.

A piece of paper suddenly slid onto her desk.

"Hey, fool, why did you call me back earlier?"

Xuejiao glanced at Yi Tianyu, who was sitting beside her, frowning slightly.

She sighed and replied with a single word: "What?"

Yi Tianyu leaned in closer, scratching his head awkwardly. He scribbled another note: "When we were outside the bulletin board, you called me back to the classroom. Why?"

He pushed the paper toward her, his ears turning red. His gaze was restless, sneaking glances at her while pretending not to.

Xuejiao stared at him in disbelief. Wasn't it obvious? They had gone out together, so naturally, they returned together. What kind of question was this?

She quickly wrote a response and slid the paper back to him: "Don't bother me. Read your book."

Yi Tianyu's jaw dropped in disbelief. He stared at the four words, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Why? Why was she like this?

Before he could react further, a piece of chalk hit him squarely on the forehead.

"Yi Tianyu!" Yin Fang's voice boomed. "Why are you so distracted? Pay attention to your work! Just because you've made some progress doesn't mean you can slack off. You've still got a long way to go!"

Yi Tianyu rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath, "Unbelievable..."

Later that evening at the Yi household, Yi Tianyu handed his report card to his mother without much thought.

"278th place? You passed everything except Chinese! And your math score is so good! Oh my goodness!" Yi's mother screamed in delight.

"Mom! Calm down! Since when did you care so much about grades?" Yi Tianyu said, bewildered.

"I care now because you've done so well!" his mother replied, hugging the report card like it was a trophy.

Yi's father joined them, equally excited. "Our son is on a roll! Keep this up, and you'll make it to a good university!"

Yi Tianyu scratched his head awkwardly, mumbling, "You're overreacting. I'll do even better next time."

Meanwhile, the Cheng family was equally abuzz.

"Mingze, Zizania, how did you both do?" Li Sitong asked eagerly as soon as they arrived home.

"First," Cheng Mingze said casually. Being first was normal for him, so he wasn't surprised.

Li Sitong's phone rang before Xuejiao could answer. The caller ID displayed a name that made her pause.

"Liu Yazhen? Why is she calling so late?"

Cheng Shuo gestured for her to answer, his curiosity piqued. Li Sitong put the call on speaker.

"Li Sitong!" Liu Yazhen's voice screeched from the other end. "What did Gu Xuejiao do to my daughter? Mingjiao came home crying and locked herself in her room!"

Xuejiao stepped forward, her expression calm. "Let me handle it."