Within a few days, the rumor about "Rong Xingyu cheating" spread throughout Qibao Dwith School and it was getting worse by the hour.
But Rong Xingyu had no idea.
He never cared much about gossip and as for Qian Zhijun who usually paid attention to school rumors, he had been floating in a daze ever since the exam results came out, too giddy to notice anything.
Rong Xingyu sat by the window while looking at the message that had just popped up on his phone.
[ Dr. Ding: Congratulations on getting first place. ]
Aside from Qian Zhijun, Dr. Ding was the first person to congratulate him.
Rong Xingyu tried to hold back his smile together but the corners of his mouth still lifted and a small playful grin appeared on his face.
He squinted his eyes slightly and typed back carefully.
[ Rong Xingyu: Thank you, Dr. Ding. ]
Almost instantly, a red envelope popped up in the chat.
On the cover were six large words: "A Reward for First Place."
Rong Xingyu instinctively shook his head, then quickly typed, knowing Dr. Ding couldn’t see the gesture: "No need, no need!"
A moment later, another message came, it was a screenshot and a voice message.
The screenshot showed Dr. Ding sending a similar red envelope to someone else. On it were the same words: "Exam Reward."
Rong Xingyu bit his lip, he brought the phone closer to his ear and tapped to play the voice message.
Dr. Ding’s voice was deep and smooth, carrying a soft warmth and a trace of laughter.
"Every other student gets one. Of course, my Yuyu should have one too."
Rong Xingyu’s ears turned red instantly. His head felt dizzy as he typed back, "I don’t need to compare myself with others..."
Another message appeared.
[ Dr. Ding: Even if no one else gets one, I still want to give my little Yuyu a reward. ]
"..."
Rong Xingyu covered his burning face, his heart beating faster than he wanted to admit.
Rong Xingyu’s face was burning red as he quickly exited WeChat and flipped his phone face down on the desk.
He began fanning himself furiously with both hands.
Why was it so hot today?!
Qian Zhijun who was sitting beside him glanced out the window at the gloomy overcast sky and silently thought, ...Huh?
Just as the heat finally faded from Rong Xingyu’s cheeks, someone came to the classroom and told him to go to the disciplinary office immediately.
The messenger was a student from another class. He looked at Rong Xingyu with an odd expression, one that made Rong Xingyu a little confused.
Still, he stood up with Qian Zhijun and went.
Before they even reached the office, they could already see a crowd of students gathered outside the door.
When the students spotted Rong Xingyu approaching, they automatically moved aside, opening a path for him.
But the way they looked at him was strange filled with contempt, anger, and even a trace of schadenfreude.
As soon as Rong Xingyu stepped into the office, everyone inside turned to stare at him at once.
He blinked his eyes, bewildered. There was the strict-looking discipline director, a man in a sharp business suit who looked like some kind of professional elite and even Rong Zhihao, the so-called model student, standing there with slightly red eyes.
Rong Xingyu thought to himself, ...Why are they all looking at me like that?
He soon found out why.
"Xingyu didn’t cheat! Who said that?! That’s slander! That’s defamation!"
Qian Zhijun jumped up immediately, furious. If the person accusing Rong Xingyu hadn’t been the discipline director, he probably would’ve rushed forward and punched him right then.
"I didn’t cheat."
Rong Xingyu met the director’s gaze directly. His back was straight, his expression calm and his eyes were clear. His voice was steady and quiet, without a single trace of guilt.
But as soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out among the students outside the office.
"Who would believe that? Last time, he was at the bottom of the class!"
"Is this fair to the rest of us?"
"We demand an explanation from the school!"
"Cheaters should be punished! Kick him out from the school!"
The discipline director coughed loudly several times and only then did the crowd outside reluctantly quiet down.
Still, the looks they gave Rong Xingyu were full of hostility, it’s like they couldn’t wait to see him thrown out immediately.
"There should be cameras in the exam rooms, right?" Rong Xingyu said calmly. "You can use them to prove I’m innocent."
He really didn’t want to waste time arguing. He’d rather be working on a few more problems instead.
So, he offered the suggestion himself.
The discipline director’s face was dark as he said, "The surveillance system in the exam rooms was upgraded recently and the recordings from the days of the monthly exams were lost."
Rong Xingyu frowned slightly.
The director continued, "This morning, the office received a petition signed by many students accusing you of cheating. We called you here to settle this matter once and for all. We hope you’ll cooperate with the teachers to prove yourself and give your classmates an explanation."
Rong Xingyu nodded without hesitation. "Alright."
"This is Mr. Rong’s assistant," the director said while gesturing to the well-dressed man standing nearby.
The young man in the suit gave Rong Xingyu a polite smile. "Hello, Student Rong. Mr. Rong has an important meeting this afternoon, so he couldn’t come to the school in person."
Big brother is really busy... Rong Xingyu thought, feeling a slight twinge of disappointment, though he quickly hid it with a polite smile of his own.
The school’s chosen method to prove whether or not he had cheated was to bring in teachers from each subject to make new questions on the spot, which Rong Xingyu would have to complete under supervision. The teachers would then grade them immediately.
Rong Xingyu thought silently, ...Looks like I’ll be stuck here for a while.