In the examination hall, Xie Qingtao was caught cheating.
But there wasn’t a single word written on her test paper.
Strangely, a densely filled-out test paper had appeared on her desk.
The hot summer breeze blew into the classroom, making everyone especially irritable.
In the simple classroom, the teacher’s sharp gaze fixed on the students below as they answered their papers.
Xie Qingtao, having finished her paper, rested her chin on her hand, her head nodding as she dozed off.
“Screech—” The piercing sound of a metal chair scraping across the floor stirred quite a commotion in the classroom.
The drowsiness in Xie Qingtao’s mind vanished in an instant. She had just lifted her eyelids when—
“Te… Teacher, I want to report… report Xie Qingtao for cheating. She threatened me to help her cheat.”
A trembling female voice exploded like a thunderclap in the classroom.
Everyone who had been dozing off instantly woke up.
Xie Qingtao looked up at Liu Yunyun, her pupils contracting. The drowsy Gossip System in her mind suddenly perked up.
The female invigilator on the podium wore a grave expression. She walked down and stood before Liu Yunyun, questioning her seriously:
“Classmate, are you sure what you’re saying is true?”
Liu Yunyun clenched the faded hem of her clothes, slightly lowering her gaze to hide the jealousy and hatred in her eyes. She glanced back at Xie Qingtao, who was sitting diagonally behind her, and trembled, pretending to be frightened as she said:
“Teacher, every word I’ve said is absolutely true. If there’s even a hint of falsehood, I’m willing to be expelled from the school.”
The people around gasped in shock.
This oath was particularly vicious.
It was important to know that in this era, only a portion of people could attend school, let alone high school.
The college entrance exam was scheduled for next week, and today’s test was a mock exam for all middle schools in the county. Half of the students in this classroom weren’t even from this school.
Liu Yunyun’s words had stirred up quite a few people.
In an instant, everyone—whether they knew Xie Qingtao or not—turned to look at her.
The female invigilator, who hadn’t known Xie Qingtao before, now knew exactly who she was.
The Gossip System in Xie Qingtao’s mind was busy spilling the beans.
【Host, there’s a crumpled paper ball under your feet. The female lead threw it there.】
［I know.］
The Gossip System sensed Xie Qingtao’s irregular heartbeat and tried to comfort her:
【Host, don’t be afraid. Do you need me to…】
［No need!］
Xie Qingtao wiped the lazy expression off her face and scanned the people around her. Some had already begun to trust Liu Yunyun’s story because of her oath.
Everyone around her looked at her with disdainful, icy glares.
After all, no one would joke about their own future.
Liu Yunyun had used this exact trick in her previous life, and it had worked back then.
From the Gossip System, Xie Qingtao had learned that their world was actually a book.
And she was the antagonist, the foil to Liu Yunyun.
Suppressing the panic in her heart, Xie Qingtao looked up and met Liu Yunyun’s gaze directly, saying calmly:
“Liu Yunyun, you say I forced you to help me cheat? Where’s the evidence?”
Liu Yunyun caught a glimpse of the crumpled paper ball under Xie Qingtao’s desk out of the corner of her eye, feeling a bit more at ease. Still pretending to be afraid, she avoided meeting Xie Qingtao’s cold gaze:
“Last night, you came to me and threatened me to help you cheat. The evidence is the paper ball under your desk. I… I reported you today because I realized I couldn’t go on like this. I wanted to set you on the right path.”
Liu Yunyun spoke with righteous indignation.
Xie Qingtao was so angry she almost laughed. If she didn’t know this was just the first step of Liu Yunyun dragging her down, she would have believed Liu Yunyun’s nonsense.
The female invigilator immediately found the paper ball under Xie Qingtao’s desk and was about to open it.
“Ding ling ling~”
The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. Outside the classroom, some examinees gradually emerged, turning their gazes toward the commotion.
Upon seeing the contents of the paper, the female invigilator’s expression changed drastically, her eyes filled with disdain and disgust. She spoke sternly to Xie Qingtao:
“Student Xie Qingtao, please come with me.”
Xie Qingtao didn’t move, staring fixedly at Liu Yunyun.
She knew full well that once she followed this female invigilator, the accusation of cheating would be confirmed. Even if she was framed, it would be treated as fact.
Xie Qingtao observed that while only half the people had believed Liu Yunyun earlier, now everyone in the classroom believed her words—including this female invigilator.
They all stared straight at Xie Qingtao with expressions that seemed to say, “You’re the scum of society.”
Those who knew Xie Qingtao even had a glint of schadenfreude in their eyes.
The disgust and contempt in the eyes of those who didn’t know her were even more palpable.
From an angle unseen by others, Liu Yunyun’s lips curled slightly, and a flicker of smugness and malice occasionally flashed in her eyes.
Xie Qingtao watched, her heart boiling with anger that suppressed her panic.
Liu Yunyun’s goal was to ruin her reputation.
No, she absolutely could not walk the same path as her previous life.
Seeing Xie Qingtao uncooperative, the female invigilator felt her authority as a teacher was being challenged. Instantly, her face turned ashen.
She stepped forward, closing in on Xie Qingtao, her thick, large hand about to clamp down on Xie Qingtao’s slender shoulder.
With a sharp glint in her eyes, Xie Qingtao quickly stood up, dodged, and struck first—slapping Liu Yunyun swiftly, accurately, and fiercely.
Liu Yunyun’s sallow, gaunt face immediately swelled up.
The classroom fell silent for a moment. The female invigilator’s face flushed with anger, while the onlookers stared wide-eyed, like chickens with their necks wrung.
Liu Yunyun’s face was red and swollen, looking utterly disheveled.
Liu Yunyun stood there on the verge of tears, the provocation gone from her eyes, replaced by disbelief as she stared at Xie Qingtao.
“Xie Qingtao, don’t get too arrogant. You thief, stealing my grades since we were kids is one thing, but you still refuse to repent.”
Xie Qingtao hadn’t expected Liu Yunyun to be so shameless.
Thief?
Who was the real thief?
The thought of Liu Yunyun later using the Comparison Group System to steal her family’s fortune made Xie Qingtao’s blood boil.
Upon hearing Liu Yunyun’s words, the female invigilator joined others in surrounding Xie Qingtao.
Xie Qingtao grabbed Liu Yunyun as a shield. Watching Liu Yunyun’s act, she felt nauseated and slapped her several times with all her strength, saying as she struck:
“Steal your grades? Are your consistently failing grades even worth my effort? And why would I need your help to cheat? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten who my twin brother is! My twin brother is…”
Before Xie Qingtao could finish, a clear, crisp voice rang out.
“I am Taotao’s biological brother, the genuine kind.”
Xie Qingtao stopped her actions, turning around in pleasant surprise, tears rolling down her eyes:
“Third Brother…” How did you get here?
What’s going on? Third Brother wasn’t supposed to take this exam.
Xie Qingxiao strode over, pulling Xie Qingtao behind him with a pained expression, his sharp gaze fixed directly on the people around them.
Those who had just been looking at Xie Qingtao with disgust froze, their eyes darting between Xie Qingxiao and Xie Qingtao.
When Liu Yunyun saw Xie Qingxiao’s handsome yet aloof face, her heart tightened, and she couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on him.
But upon seeing Xie Qingtao so thoroughly protected by Xie Qingxiao, feelings of jealousy and resentment boiled within her mind.