When the name of who had come in first place was read out, the whole class buzzed in an uproar.
Almost everyone turned their heads in disbelief and stared at Yun Xi, sitting isolated in the last row at a single table.
None of them believed it and thought it was impossible.
The one who had the strongest reaction was Liang Xinyi.
When she heard that Yun Xi had taken first place, she exploded.
"Teacher! Did you make a mistake? I know her best. Her grades in the countryside were worse than mine. How could she be the first in the class after she's come to Jingdu? She must have cheated."
"Liang Xinyi, you are Yun Xi's cousin. Isn't this too cruel for you to slander her like this?"
Teacher Xu really disliked this mean-spirited female student, especially because she was Yun Xi's relative.
He had never seen anyone slander their own relative like this. How had their parents educated their children?
He felt that it was going to be necessary to call the parents in for the parent meeting next Monday.
"You slandered her in class and encouraged everyone in class to ostracize her. Isn't that why she's sitting at the back? Then tell me, how could she cheat when she's all by herself?"
Liang Xinyi glanced at the table that was at a distance from all the rest of them and shot daggers at Yun Xi as she said resentfully, "Who knows? Maybe she cheated by copying the answers from a cheat sheet?"
"Then you mean that the proctor for every subject was blind, right? I'm standing here, and I can see every little movement clearly. Wouldn't I know whether or not she'd cheated?"
"I..." Liang Xinyi suddenly had nothing to say after being so publicly rebuked by her homeroom teacher like this.
She felt extremely dissatisfied and envious.
No matter what, she couldn't believe that Yun Xi, that wretched girl, could get first place. She'd obviously cheated.
"Let me tell you now that your grades were second to last in the class. You all are now in the last semester. You must know what you should and should not do. You must devote all your time and energy to your studies, instead of paying attention to idiotic things that distract you from your studies."
Liang Xinyi was ashamed and embarrassed when the teacher announced her results in front of the class.
Yun Xi had gotten first place in the class, and she'd gotten second-to-last place. How could this be possible?
The examination had indeed been very difficult, but she'd copied the answers from her classmate who'd been sitting at the same table, so why was her score still second to last?
She suddenly turned her head to look at Yao Bingbing, who was sitting next to her. However, Yao Bingbing's attention was on Yun Xi. From the admiring look in her eyes, Liang Xinyi immediately understood what had happened.
She'd been played by Yao Bingbing. She'd dug her own grave.
The second-to-last score in the class immediately attracted the attention of the entire class.
Everyone stared at Liang Xinyi, who'd declared that Yun Xi was a scourge and that getting close to her would bring bad luck. Liang Xinyi had been the one behind all the slander.
Not only were her grades horrible, but she'd used such an underhanded tactic to hoodwink the entire class.
For the moment, all her classmates stared at Liang Xinyi with contempt and loathing in their expressions.
Liang Xinyi was disheartened by her classmates' reactions. The more smug she'd been when she slandered Yun Xi, the more awkward and embarrassing it was for her now.
"If everyone feels that Yun Xi might have cheated, you might as well take a look at her essay. I gave her full marks for her essay, and I also let the other teachers read it. Everyone agreed that she deserved a full mark. I've made a few copies and will post them on the blackboard afterward. You can all take a look and study it."
Sitting in the last row, Yun Xi's mind was on what gifts to bring to the Chen family's house the next time she went there.
Only when the teacher called her name did she snap back to reality. When she snapped back to reality, she noticed the whole class staring at her.
Among all the stares, the vehement glare Liang Xinyi was giving her was especially eye-catching.
"Now, the class leader will come up to get the list of the grade ranks of the whole class and the whole grade, and then post it on the small blackboard after class so everyone can see the gaps between himself and the person above him."
The class leader Li Sinuo turned his head back to the front of the classroom and stood up. Suppressing his envious gaze, he took the ranking list from their homeroom teacher.
...