Chapter 103: Curtain Rises
At this moment, Hong Yi’s mood could be described as utterly rotten.
Ever since he enrolled at Mingde High, he had met Yan Zhengqing and was fortunate enough to become one of Yan Zhengqing’s loyal followers. Since then, things had gone smoothly for him.
Some people might look down on him, but Hong Yi knew in his heart that as long as Yan Zhengqing said a word, his family would gain enormous benefits.
If that’s the case, why not take advantage of it?
He had plenty of pocket money, nobody in the class dared to mess with him, his father no longer criticized him for poor grades and lack of prospects, and his mother didn’t need to complain every day about his father having another woman. He also didn’t need to prove himself against other children outside.
He followed Yan Zhengqing around, indulging in food, drink, and fun—living more freely than ever before.
He attended dinners his father had never taken him to.
He rode in races he had never experienced before.
And because he knew all of this was thanks to Yan Zhengqing, he worked even harder to maintain this comfortable life.
His brain was not particularly bright; his class and grade rankings were near the bottom.
But from his middle school experience, he knew that normally, with grades like his, the homeroom teacher wouldn’t show any displeasure.
Now, the situation was different. Shen Mingzhe treated him kindly, never got angry, never pressured him to study harder, and even helped cover for him…
All because he was Yan Zhengqing’s follower.
He certainly wanted to please Yan Zhengqing, but if it were a different homeroom teacher, he wouldn’t necessarily receive the same care.
That’s why he had to defend Shen Mingzhe—to make sure Shen Mingzhe stayed in Class 12.
Last time, they had underestimated things. They had also heard how Class 3 had responded.
Unexpectedly, those guys in Class 3 reacted so quickly, immediately finding a way to cover up the issue and turning it into something all the teachers admired.
They inquired and found out that the idea came from Class 3’s class president.
Hong Yi vaguely remembered the class president from when he followed Yan Zhengqing to Class 3 before, but his memory was fuzzy and he hadn’t paid much attention.
Since last time’s “small prank” failed, this time they would make it bigger, making it impossible for Class 3 to cover up the news, letting everyone know.
Hong Yi didn’t know whether Class 3 had actually cheated, but the truth didn’t matter. Once the rumor spread, people would gossip, and their goal would be achieved.
The plan to post on the forum and confession wall had failed, so they would have to do it in person.
Yang Xiao wasn’t very enthusiastic about this. He didn’t want to expose himself in front of others and thought they could first spread the rumor within Class 12 before letting it spread further.
Du Xianhui disagreed. Class 12’s average score was lower than Class 3’s, so if the rumor came from them, people would just think Class 12 was jealous.
Only by confronting Class 3 students directly, putting them on the spot and making them flustered and unable to explain, would people believe “Class 3 must have really cheated.”
Yang Xiao opposed, Hong Yi and Du Xianhui agreed, Cui Loulan didn’t care either way. With Yan Zhengqing saying, “If you want to do it, just do it,” the plan was set.
Hong Yi picked the right moment—on the way back from the cafeteria at lunch.
By now, students had eaten and had some free time during the midday break. Stirring things up would surely attract attention.
The four of them looked left and right in the cafeteria, ready to pick a suitable target from Class 3.
At this moment, they realized they didn’t know many Class 3 students. But that didn’t matter. Hong Yi searched a few rounds and spotted a “familiar face.”
He nudged Cui Loulan with his elbow and whispered, “Look at that girl over there—isn’t she the one who bullied our sister last time?”
“Sister” referred to Lin Xiaoxue. Yan Zhengqing had practically won Lin Xiaoxue’s heart by now, and they often joked around calling her that.
Although Lin Xiaoxue would shyly tell Yan Zhengqing, “How can you let them call me that?” she never asked them to stop.
Hong Yi and the others assumed she accepted the nickname and continued using it.
Cui Loulan looked and nodded. “Yeah, that girl. I think her name also had ‘Xue’ in it.”
“Perfect. She wasn’t taught a lesson last time in Class 3,” Hong Yi decided.
He saw Xie Xiangxue sitting alone, eating and scrolling her phone. He didn’t know if her friends hadn’t come or if she was just alone. Either way, it was a perfect opportunity.
But he wouldn’t cause a scene in the cafeteria—after all, there were staff on the second floor.
When Xie Xiangxue finished eating and got up to leave, Hong Yi was the first to follow. Cui Loulan and Du Xianhui were right behind, while Yang Xiao lagged behind, unenthusiastic.
On the way from the cafeteria to the classroom building, Hong Yi shouted, “Hey, you up front, stop!”
Xie Xiangxue kept walking forward. Surprisingly, a few nearby students turned their heads.
“Not calling you!” Hong Yi glared impatiently at them and raised his voice. “I’m talking to you! The one still running!”
Xie Xiangxue didn’t stop, continuing forward.
Cui Loulan rushed over, grabbed Xie Xiangxue’s shoulder, and pulled her back. “Are you deaf?!”
Amid the shocked gasps of nearby students, Xie Xiangxue turned, let out a painful cry like a fallen flower, and fell to the ground.
A small white Bluetooth earphone fell out, clearly visible to nearby students.
Immediately, a righteous girl rushed over, shoved Cui Loulan aside, hands on her hips: “What are you doing? Can’t you call someone properly? She’s wearing earphones; how is she supposed to hear you?”
Cui Loulan muttered guiltily, “I didn’t see that.”
The girl glared at him, helped Xie Xiangxue up, and picked up her earphones.
Xie Xiangxue looked dazed: “Th-thank you…”
Then she looked at Cui Loulan and the others surrounding her, hesitating: “You are…”
“We are—” Cui Loulan was interrupted by Hong Yi: “Who we are doesn’t matter!”
Although they had met briefly before, it had been so long that Xie Xiangxue seemed not to remember him and Cui Loulan. That actually made things easier for them.
Hong Yi stepped in front of Xie Xiangxue, intending to use his height to look down at her, only to realize that at 1.74 meters, he was about the same height as her, which embarrassed him.
He said dryly, “You’re from Class 3, right?”
“Yes. What about it?” Xie Xiangxue asked, confused.
Hong Yi sneered. “Oh, so your class cheated on the midterm?”
Nearby students, observing, were immediately drawn to this, whispering among themselves. Even the girl shielding Xie Xiangxue looked puzzled.
Xie Xiangxue’s voice turned more confused. “Cheated? What do you mean?”
“You guys cheated on the recent midterm!” Hong Yi emphasized the word cheated.
“Other people studied seriously for the exam, and you just copied the answers? How shameless is that?” He spat on the ground.
The surrounding students began quietly discussing which Class 3 students and midterm scores were involved.
However, contrary to Hong Yi’s expectations, Xie Xiangxue didn’t panic, fluster, or protest.
Instead, she burst out laughing, bright and relaxed. “Who told you that?”
“Just one midterm, and your whole class cheated? You actually believe such a rumor?”
“Wait a moment,” Xie Xiangxue suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked at Hong Yi seriously. “I remember now! You’re from Class 12!”
“Although your class scored last in the average this time, it’s not right to accuse others of cheating just because you can’t do as well… don’t you think that’s wrong?”
