Face-off

"Cheating? That's definitely possible!"

"Cheating is the only way to explain how Ye Qing came first!"

"No wonder! I knew there was no way that kid could pull it off!"

Ye Qing looked toward the voice and found Young Master Zhang Qiang staring back at him with an innocent expression.

Of course, he hadn't shouted the accusation himself. One of his lackeys behind him had done it for him.

Seeing that smug, obnoxious look, Ye Qing ignored him. Resorting to tricks like this only proved he was nothing more than a clown.

Still, Ye Qing understood how these people felt. Nobody would believe that someone who came dead last year after year could turn things around so completely. It plainly defied common sense.

"Copying? Cheating?"

The accusation also alerted the administrators on the stage. The vice principal motioned for everyone to quiet down. He had heard about Ye Qing's grades, too. After considering it for a moment, he looked at Ye Qing below the stage and asked, "Did you cheat? If you did, admitting it now will get you a lighter punishment."

Zhao Xinran's delicate brows drew together slightly. Although she disliked hearing others question her student like this, she had only just taken up her position and really didn't know them well yet.

"No, sir!"

Ye Qing looked straight ahead and answered without hesitation.

The vice principal nodded, then turned to the teachers and school administrators. "Who supervised Ye Qing's exam room? Come up and give us your assessment. Also, quickly review the surveillance footage from that room!"

At the vice principal's request, the invigilator walked onto the stage. He first recalled Ye Qing's behavior during the exam. Apart from the slightly suspicious place where Ye Qing had left his paper at the end, he couldn't find anything wrong.

But then he saw Young Master Zhang Qiang giving him a meaningful look. He thought of the boy's background, and of his own chance to be promoted to director this year!

"Although I didn't find any concrete evidence that Ye Qing cheated, there were indeed some irregularities in his behavior."

The invigilator's statement sent the entire sports field into an uproar, with everyone offering their own opinion.

"How could this happen?"

Although Ye Qing's classmates also thought it was impossible for him to come first, this affected their choice of dorm rooms. If Ye Qing's and Wang Yao's scores were genuine, their class might well have the highest average!

By then, the review of the surveillance footage had also produced a conclusion. During the exam, Ye Qing had made eye contact with Wang Yao, Huo Mengyao, and others, so the possibility of cheating couldn't be ruled out.

After hearing both teachers' assessments, Young Master Zhang Qiang smiled smugly and gave Ye Qing the middle finger.

With those two affirmative assessments, boos instantly swept across the sports field. If Ye Qing couldn't clear his name, it was easy to imagine how much contempt he would face in the days ahead.

Ye Qing wasn't intimidated in the slightest by Young Master Zhang Qiang's provocation. Given the same choice again, he still wouldn't stand by while a thug like this bullied boys and harassed girls. What he hadn't witnessed before was another matter, but if he encountered it, he would never let it slide.

Knowing things were about to escalate, Zhao Xinran walked over to Ye Qing, looked into his eyes, and asked quietly, "Tell me the truth. Did you earn this score through your own ability?"

Catching her fragrance, Ye Qing met her gaze and answered firmly, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good."

Zhao Xinran nodded, knowing what she needed to do next.

After a moment's thought, the vice principal quieted the crowd and said, "Ye Qing, after discussing it, the school has decided to have you retake the exam. I hope you can understand that your teachers have your best interests at heart."

"Wait!"

Before Ye Qing could answer, Zhao Xinran stepped forward and challenged the assembled administrators. "Since the school hasn't found any concrete evidence that Ye Qing cheated, what grounds do you have to make him alone retake the exam?

"Have you already decided in your minds that he cheated? Or have Ye Qing's previous grades led you to make a mistaken, subjective judgment?

"I believe the school is not only insulting Ye Qing's character, but also denying both my ability and Teacher Liu's ability to teach and guide our students!"

Listening to Zhao Xinran's forceful, righteous words, Ye Qing couldn't help taking another few looks at his new homeroom teacher, who positively brimmed with a sense of justice.

"She's right! We believe Ye Qing!"

Wang Yao chose that moment to stir up their class, loudly backing Zhao Xinran's position!

"Exactly! Why can't struggling students like us get full marks? This is discrimination!"

"Discrimination! Do bad grades mean we don't have human rights?"

Seeing the situation begin to spiral out of control, the vice principal hurried to soothe them. "You've misunderstood! You've misunderstood!"

At the same time, he thought that Zhao Xinran really was no pushover. But both her parents were big shots in the Ministry of Education, so a minor school administrator like him truly couldn't afford to offend her.

Just as he was struggling with what to do, his son, Young Master Zhang Qiang, suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "If Ye Qing really has the ability, then let the principal set a few questions. I'm willing to answer them here alongside Ye Qing. That will show whether he cheated!"

"He's so cool!"

"Just look at Young Master Zhang Qiang! They're both human, so how can Ye Qing be so far beneath him?"

Hearing all this praise, Young Master Zhang Qiang lifted his chin and smiled confidently.

His classmates immediately chimed in. "Yes, Young Master Zhang Qiang is right! If he didn't cheat, let them compete right here. If Ye Qing beats Young Master Zhang Qiang, we won't have another word to say!"

The vice principal glanced at his son, considered it for a moment, and decided. "All right! I'll set three questions here, and you'll both answer them. Ye Qing, do you agree?"

Noticing that every eye was focused on him, Ye Qing knew Young Master Zhang Qiang was taking revenge on him. But he wasn't afraid. Who could possibly know more about Pokémon than he did?

He was confident that if he claimed to be second best, nobody would dare claim to be first!

"I object!"

At that moment, Wang Yao, who hadn't spoken for some time, loudly protested, his face and neck flushed red. "Everyone knows Young Master Zhang Qiang is the vice principal's son! If you set the questions, you might choose only ones he knows. That wouldn't be fair!

"I suggest letting our new teacher, Zhao Xinran, set the questions. First, she doesn't know either Ye Qing or Young Master Zhang Qiang, so she won't know how much either of them knows. That's what I'd call fair and impartial!"

After Wang Yao finished, everyone thought it over and realized he was right. Setting questions for your own son was obviously unfair to Ye Qing!

"Wang Yao is right! We agree!"

Hearing everyone's agreement, Zhao Xinran lifted her pretty face and spoke at just the right moment. "I'm willing to set the questions."

Ye Qing couldn't help giving Wang Yao another few looks. He hadn't expected the guy to come through so brilliantly at a critical moment!

The vice principal coughed awkwardly to draw everyone's attention, then said, "Then let's invite Teacher Zhao Xinran up to set the questions."

The vice principal wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Thank goodness the principal hasn't been around lately. These students are ruthless. They've actually backed me into a corner in front of everyone.

"That teacher's pretty, huh?"

"Damn, I could come first too with a homeroom teacher like that!"

As Zhao Xinran stepped onto the stage, the students below began talking among themselves.

Zhao Xinran took a deep breath. Looking out over the dense crowd, she addressed Ye Qing and Young Master Zhang Qiang. "Are you both ready? My questions will be extremely difficult, so it's perfectly normal if you can't answer them. If you both answer correctly, whoever answers faster will win."

"We're ready."

Young Master Zhang Qiang and Ye Qing exchanged a glance and answered together.