When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of an agitated crowd.
Under pressure, Principal Wang of the village school was the first to speak.
“Everyone, calm down. Calm down.”
Only then did the crowd notice the arrival of the group, and the noise gradually subsided.
Seeing this, Principal Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were still willing to listen.
He glanced at the three production team leaders, but they all avoided his gaze. He immediately understood.
Then he looked toward the deputy secretary from the commune. The deputy secretary nodded slightly at him.
Principal Wang understood that he was expected to do the talking.
After the crowd had completely quieted down, he finally spoke.
“I know everyone has many questions. Today, together with the three production team leaders and Deputy Secretary An from the commune, we’ve come here specifically to answer them.”
Pausing, he met the various expressions before him, some calm, some curious, some angry, and some guilty.
He continued, “We’re all here now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at each other, and many people seemed eager to speak.
Before long, a female Educated Youth who was known for being outspoken asked, “Principal Wang, have the exam scores been checked properly? Was the grading really fair?”
Principal Wang replied, “We’ve checked them. The scores posted here are genuine and reliable.”
“Then why are there so many zero scores? I think I should have scored higher. I suspect there was something wrong with the grading,” another man in his twenties immediately asked.
His words caused the crowd to stir once again.
Unmoved, Principal Wang replied, “There is nothing wrong with the grading. As for where the problem lies, all of you should know it very well yourselves.”
Seeing the situation, Lin Baiyu immediately formed a conclusion.
The exam questions had definitely been leaked, and someone had cheated.
But if there had been cheating, why did the others still receive scores? Shouldn’t the exam have been retaken?
Standing not far from Lin Baiyu, Xie Qingyuan heard the noisy chatter around him, but he distinctly caught Lin Baiyu’s thoughts once again.
He looked at her and saw only a calm expression tinged with shared indignation like everyone else.
Xie Qingyuan thought to himself that if he couldn’t hear her thoughts, he would never have imagined that beneath her serious and meticulous nature lay such calm intelligence.
His curiosity about her only deepened.
While the two of them were distracted, everyone else remained deeply unsettled.
At that moment, Zheng Peizhen spoke.
“Since you’re so certain that this examination was completely fair, then please make the examination papers public.”
As soon as she said this, everyone’s attention shifted to her.
Zheng Peizhen’s expression was resolute. Although she had not passed, she still ranked among the top candidates.
When she had first seen the results, she had found them hard to believe. It had felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.
To be more precise, it wasn’t that Zheng Peizhen refused to believe the results, but that she was unwilling to accept that so many people in such a remote place could surpass her.
While everyone had been discussing the results earlier, she had still been wallowing in disappointment. Only now had she finally regained her composure.
After all, she considered herself someone who could accept defeat, but she had to see the examination papers with her own eyes before she could truly be convinced.
Only then did Lin Baiyu notice her.
Something had felt off when she first saw the rankings, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Now, seeing Zheng Peizhen, she suddenly understood.
Her results were wrong.
Or rather, she had performed at her normal level. That clearly contradicted the original story, which stated that Zheng Peizhen had done poorly because she had felt unwell during the examination.
“Energy fluctuation detected. Host may begin a melon eating task.”
As the system’s notification sounded, Lin Baiyu knew her guess had been correct.
There was definitely something going on.
When they heard Zheng Peizhen’s request, Principal Wang and Deputy Secretary An exchanged a glance and agreed.
Deputy Secretary An spoke for the first time.
“I understand everyone’s feelings. But please trust us. This examination was conducted according to principles of fairness and justice.”
Looking at the crowd with their differing expressions, he continued, “As the saying goes, hearing is false, seeing is believing. Once you see the results for yourselves, I’m sure you’ll all be convinced.”
Then, Deputy Secretary An instructed Principal Wang to lead everyone to the village school’s office.
The crowd followed behind.
Principal Wang took out the examination papers and spread them out one by one.
“Now, anyone whose score is listed on the board and who has doubts about their results may come up and inspect their papers in turn,” he announced.
Hearing this, Zheng Peizhen and the others who had spoken up earlier stepped forward first.
Everyone watched as their expressions constantly changed.
There was shock, admiration, disbelief, envy, and jealousy, yet not one person raised any objections.
Afterward, more people went up to inspect their papers one after another, and surprisingly, the results were all the same.
No one had any complaints.
Lin Baiyu and Xie Qingyuan also followed the crowd to take a look, and both found themselves developing a little more appreciation for each other.
Though they had both applied for elementary school teacher positions, each found the other’s handwriting elegant and orderly, while their wording and phrasing were equally precise and pleasing.
No wonder they both felt favorably toward one another.
Although those whose scores were listed had no objections, the people who had received zero marks remained dissatisfied.
After everyone with scores had finished looking at their papers, those who had been given zero could no longer sit still.
Aunt Wang’s son, Wang Baocai, could no longer hold himself back.
“Principal Wang, where are our examination papers?” he asked.
The others who had received zero scores all turned their eyes toward Principal Wang.
Hearing Wang Baocai’s question, Principal Wang brought out another stack of papers and placed them before the crowd.
“These are the examination papers belonging to all of you who didn’t receive scores.”
He pointed casually at the pile scattered across the table.
Because the papers had been tossed down carelessly, they spread out, allowing everyone present to catch glimpses of the answers.
Though the handwriting varied, those standing nearby quickly noticed something strange.
“Oh! How… how come all the answers seem exactly the same?”
Exactly the same?
Everyone immediately crowded forward to see what was happening.
Seeing the scene unfold, Deputy Secretary An, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke.
“Although we didn’t want to believe it either, this is the truth. As for why some people wrote so many answers and still received zero scores, this itself is the answer.”
He looked directly at those who had been loudly accusing them of corruption.
Seeing those people lower their heads and avoid everyone’s gaze, too ashamed to argue any further, the crowd instantly understood.
Someone had leaked the answers.
And these people who had received zero marks had cheated.