Chapter 39: Proctor Luo Hua

Translator: Tuiwen  Editor: Tuiwen

The first test was for classic Chinese.

When Lin Xin got her hands on her test paper, she lightly browsed through the questions. And then she paused.

The multiple-choice questions were the same as those in the reviewer Yao Tang had made her answer a few days ago. The only difference was the order with which they were written.

Everyone knew that this was the crucial part of the Chinese exams, since it could make or break a student’s total score.

Lin Xin proceeded to read all the multiple-choice questions and found that she had already encountered more than half of them.

The same could not be said for the reading and composition section, however, so she could safely infer that Yao Tang hadn’t somehow swiped the real exam papers for their regular reviews.

In any case, Lin Xin got to the task at hand and began filling out her answer sheet. Thanks to her stored knowledge, she only had to read the questions once or twice before jotting down the correct answers.

Yao Tang, on the other hand, was already scribbling on her answer sheet, but not before frowning at the questionnaire for a few seconds.

And as for Meng Yang and his friends, they were utterly clueless. Their only saving grace was a few measly points for writing proper Chinese.

Luo Hua kept pacing around the classroom, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s as he observed each of the students.

Whenever one of them made a rather conspicuous move, he would immediately rush over and inspect the unfortunate soul’s desk.

He had yet to catch somebody cheating, but that didn’t stop him from issuing a warning every so often.

Two and a half hours passed by quickly, and the bell rang.

Lin Xin handed her paper in and made a beeline for Yao Tang’s seat.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, Yao Tang leaned forward and pressed her index finger against Lin Xin’s lips. “Shh.”

Yao Tang’s dark eyes gleamed in the mid-morning light, a silent message lurking in their depths.

Dazed, Lin Xin could only stare.

Yao Tang snaked linked their arms together and said, “Let’s go eat.”

“Damn it all to hell!” Meng Yang approached from behind them and cursed under his breath. “I couldn’t even take out my cheat sheets!”

Yao Tang raised an eyebrow at him and said nothing.

“Let’s compare answers for the multiple-choice part,” Song Lang suggested.

The boys had all agreed to memorize their answers for this very purpose, and promptly enumerated the items to each other.

“How come we didn’t get the same answers?” Song Lang exclaimed, looking just as dejected as Chu Yao and Xiao Pang felt.

Meng Yang stared at his feet and took a deep breath.

It was over. They were all probably going to fail the multiple-choice section.

A few students from Class 1 happened to pass by them then. They gave Yao Tang snide looks and giggled among themselves.

Meng Yang scowled, his eyes burning with anger. His first instinct was to pull those nasty students back and dare them into a fight, but he held back when he saw Yao Tang and Lin Xin walk away as though nothing had happened. He had no choice but to swallow his rage for now.

Yao Tang was ambling in her usual lazy manner, her black cap in place, her hands in her pockets. She kept her cold gaze forward and made no eye contact with anyone.

“Don’t mind them,” Lin Xin said softly beside her. “Just do your best, and you’re all set.”

But Meng Yang was having none of the pep talk. “Yeah, right. I practiced on a set of questions last night and ended up with a passing score. Those idiots from Class 1 are definitely going to eat their words once the results come out.”

Lin Xin smiled indulgently. “Exactly. I know we can do this.”

Meng Yang scoffed in response, even his lips twisted in a bitter sneer.

…

For the next three tests, Lin Xin came to the same realization as soon as she received the questionnaires. These were all in Yao Tang’s reviewers! Still, she calmed her thundering heart and took care in answering the questions.

As the students submitted their papers one by one, Luo Hua took the time to look over their answer sheets. Most of them had only filled out the multiple-choice section and left the rest blank.

He couldn’t help the sly grin that crept into his mouth. He was going to win the bet for sure!

…

Later, when they gathered together for an evening self-study session, Yao Tang placed a cup of milk tea and a piece of strawberry mille-feuille on Lin Xin’s table.

“Lin Xin went to the toilet just now,” Shen Huan said.

Yao Tang nodded and walked back to her desk, where Song Lang and Meng Yang were chatting.

The moment she slid into her seat, Meng Yang turned to her. Though his voice was lowered, it did nothing to mask his agitation.

“Sister Tang, Song Lang said that the exam papers are already being checked and graded as we speak. The student council has even volunteered help, saying that they want the results out by tomorrow morning!”

In an ordinary exam setting, the results would have been expected a few days later after the test itself. In this case, they should come out the following Thursday or Friday.

Luo Hua had probably pulled some strings to speed up the grading of papers. The vicious old fart wasn’t even willing to grant Class 12 a bit of respite.

Class 12’s historical average was just around 200 points, while Class 1’s average had never been below 600 points. The disparity was painfully clear, and so was the road to complete humiliation.

Meng Yang was beside himself with fury.

After all, he was the reason why the bet had taken place.

Beside him, Yao Tang flipped through an English textbook and replied with a casual, “Hmm.”

Meng Yang couldn’t help but frown at her nonchalance. “Sister Tang! Did you hear what I said? Tomorrow—the results are coming out tomorrow!”

“I heard you,” Yao Tang said in the same dead tone. Then she looked up and flashed him a wicked smile. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it, though.”

Meng Yang’s lips twitched. “Sister Tang, are you for real?”

“Sister Tang,” Song Lang whined. “After tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll be able to come to school anymore. I won’t have the face to show anyone at all.”

A smirk broke out on Yao Tang’s pretty face as she perched her chin on one hand while she grabbed her cup of milk tea with the other.

She looked decidedly villainous as she took a dainty sip.

A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes, but it was gone in the next second.

Meng Yang saw it, though, and a sudden thought occurred to him—could it be that all this time, Yao Tang was not a dumb student, but an academic achiever instead?