Jiang Li skipped through those comments and called Zhao Lang back.
The call was quickly connected, and Zhao Lang's voice came through from the other end—
"Did someone tamper with it?"
He got straight to the point.
Jiang Li laughed, "What's the matter? Are you surprised that I scored four hundred points?"
"Quite unexpected, actually." Zhao Lang pondered, "Logically, you should have full marks in every subject."
"You have that much confidence in me?"
"Of course, hasn't the college entrance exam always been a piece of cake for you?"
"You're overestimating me, but..." Jiang Li squinted her eyes, "Something's definitely off here."
Zhao Lang's voice deepened.
"There's a piece of news I've been meaning to tell you, a cousin of Mrs. Rong is the second-in-command at the examination bureau. I wonder if they're linked to this incident."
"I've already arranged for someone to investigate. I believe we'll have results soon."
The news from Zhao Lang made Jiang Li even more certain of her suspicions.
In the past couple of days, while waiting for the results, she even did a divination for herself.
The hexagrams indicated she was being troubled by a villain.
Now, this villain seemed quite apparent.
But speculation wasn't enough; evidence was needed.
Thinking of this, Jiang Li silently opened a chat window with a certain person...
The next day, she dressed herself up grandly as if nothing had happened and went to attend the banquet.
The gathering was originally organized to celebrate her being on the honor roll.
But within these few days, her exam scores had spread far and wide, Qi Tianyu, and the others were more busy comforting her than thinking about having a meal.
So Jiang Li took the initiative to suggest it herself.
And she even set the dining location at a very popular internet-famous restaurant, without even clearing the place.
By the time she arrived, everyone else was already there, except Jiang Yan and Bai Lu, who were preparing for the premiere of "Doomsday Beehive."
Upon seeing her, Qi Tianyu immediately stood up eagerly, offering to carry her bags and pour her tea.
"Sister Li, it must have been hard for you, traveling such a long way, and it's so hot, have some lemon water to cool down, and there's a towel to wipe your sweat."
Shang Shuyue couldn't help herself.
She had even skipped the premiere to come here.
After all, her sister's future was much more important than working as an assistant in a frustrating job.
"Lili, what's going on with your exam results? Didn't you compare answers with me after the exam? You should definitely have six hundred points, how come—"
Qi Tianyu gave a heavy cough.
Although he wasn't very familiar with Shang Shuyue before, because of Jiang Li and since both were top students, they naturally started chatting after meeting.
At this moment, he kept giving Shang Shuyue winks, seemingly blaming her for bringing up the wrong topic.
Shang Shuyue directly ignored his small gestures.
"What are you doing? Of course, we need to clarify this. Lili isn't the kind of person to be pretentious."
Shu Yan nodded, "You hit the nail on the head. Honestly, I'm pretty curious too."
After all, they all recognized Jiang Li's excellence.
Jiang Li calmly sat down and took a sip of lemon water before speaking, "There might be some misunderstanding in between. I've filed a second appeal, and I believe the truth will come out after some time."
Rong Kexi looked at the news on Weibo about Jiang Li's first public appearance after the college entrance exams, her eyes tightly fixed on her radiant face.
This woman, with such disappointing results, how can she still smile and go to parties?
Doesn't she care at all?
The reactions from netizens were similar to hers, scolding Jiang Li for being hypocritical—
Portraying herself as a top student while performing poorly and showing indifference after failing.
Rong Kexi pondered that the intensity of this public opinion might not be strong enough, it needed a stronger dose.
After all, just failing an exam wasn't enough to make the Gu Family abandon her.
Unless her character is also questionable....
While considering this, her room door was pushed open.
Rong Kexi impatiently said, "Come in."
The door opened, revealing Rong Ya's face.
Rong Kexi became even more impatient.
"What are you doing in my room?"
Rong Ya's gaze swept over her urgently closed computer screen, and she said blandly, "Grandma asked if you'd like to go to the south with her to escape the heat."
Rong Kexi snorted coldly.
"Going to that villa again, right? The mosquitoes are numerous and the place is remote. Only you would want to go, I'm not going."
"But Uncle has been traveling frequently, and Aunt is still in the hospital, neither of them can make it, Grandma specifically asked you to go."
Rong Kexi stood up directly.
"I already said I'm not going; don't you understand plain language? Get out and don't bother me."
Rong Ya said nothing, her face expressionless as she closed the door and left.
Rong Kexi muttered a couple more complaints before reopening her computer.
Soon, another scandal broke out.
It was alleged that during the exam, Jiang Li had given several students a hard time, almost preventing them from finishing their test.
These individuals came forward to testify against Jiang Li, sparking immediate outrage.
Netizens demanded to sue Jiang Li, as this could be considered ruining others' futures.
The situation escalated, even alarming the authorities.
Rong Kexi enjoyed the benefits of the situation, feeling quite pleased with herself.
Especially when Zhao Lang unfollowed Jiang Li unilaterally, she became even more confident.
Thus, she proactively sent an invitation to Zhao Lang.
But before receiving any reply, Rong Junsheng returned from his business trip, entering with a stern face and demanding her to accompany the Old Madam to the south.
Rong Kexi naturally protested.
"I don't want to go; I have things to do in the Capital!"
"What matters?" Rong Junsheng said coldly, "I've already bought your ticket, you're leaving today!"
Rong Kexi flared up at this, slamming her bowl on the table.
"Why?! Why don't you ask about my opinion?"
She was about to throw things in anger, but before she could, "smack," Rong Junsheng's slap landed.
Rong Kexi clutched her face, looking at him in disbelief.
"You actually hit me?"
Rong Junsheng's expression darkened further.
"Not enough of it, don't think I don't know the mess you've stirred!"
Rong Kexi gritted her teeth stubbornly, "What did I do? Dare to hit me, I'll complain to Grandma!"
Saying this, she turned to run away.
However, Rong Junsheng's words froze her in place.
"Shi Lihong already told me, were you at his place half a month ago?"
Shi Lihong was her cousin's name.
Instantly, Rong Kexi's face turned pale.
Quickly adjusting her thoughts, she turned back and said, "Yeah, so what, I went to hang with my cousin!"
Rong Junsheng sneered, "Is that so? You haven't contacted your cousin for half a year, you yourself said you don't get along, so why suddenly visit her?"
Rong Junsheng walked up with a cold expression.
"Rong Kexi, I warned you not to pull any more tricks. If you affect my career, don't blame me for disregarding our father-daughter bond...."
Upstairs, Rong Ya silently witnessed this scene, quietly dialing a number—