After the scores for the biology competition came out, the news that Yun Xi had won first place quickly spread throughout their high school.
Coupled with the entertaining Q&A session that they'd watched during the competition, everyone was very impressed with their female classmate.
Especially since all the high school students knew about the situation concerning Zhou Chengzhe's challenge. It must have felt gratifying seeing him humiliate himself during the competition.
The rumors circulating throughout their high school began to change, and the topic of discussion wasn't Yun Xi.
On the contrary,everyone started discussing the self-important, brazen, and conceited Zhou Chengzhe.
Even if they had been purposely slacking off for his sake, so what? They had been doing so in an unobtrusive manner, but the petty Zhou Chengzhe was so full of himself that he had regarded what they had done as shameful.
He'd self-righteously stirred up so much drama, but, in the end, wasn't he the one who'd gotten slapped in the face through his own shenanigans?
Rumors were basically all smoke and mirrors. Everyone knew that their credibility wasn't high and that it was all speculation and nothing too serious.
But Zhou Chengzhe just had to confirm this rumor himself, and he'd even dug a hole for himself to jump in. How stupid!
At the same time, under Zhao Yumo's instructions another wave of rumors began to spread throughout the grade. Feeding on the clamor surrounding the competition, it immediately spread.
"Everyone is spreading the word that Li Sinuo was the one who started the rumors that your grades weren't actually as good as theirs and they were purposely slacking off out of pity for you. Just think about it, you ranked third place in this grade-level competition, and if the top three contestants started fighting among themselves, who would benefit the most? Wouldn't that person be Li Sinuo? What a brilliant way to kill three birds with one stone!"
When Zhou Chengzhe's deskmate, Xu Guanlin, told him about this rumor, the realization immediately dawned upon Zhou Chengzhe. He began to wonder if he had actually been manipulated by that b*tch Li Sinuo.
Moreover, to think that he had actually believed that they had suffered the same hardships. How ironic!
Upon thinking about how it was because of this that he had irrationally provoked those two gods of plague, causing him to lose the full scholarship to study abroad, Zhou Chengzhe was overcome with rage.
That b*tch! It was all because of her that he was so pathetic now.
B*tch!
The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. Taking advantage of the break after the second period, Zhou Chengzhe arranged to meet up with Li Sinuo at the top of the academic building.
Upon seeing the two of them leaving at the same time, Yun Xi patted Zhao Yumo on the shoulder, and, making tacit eye contact, the two of them quietly followed.
As soon as they reached the door of the roof, Yun Xi and Zhao Yumo heard Zhou Chengzhe's angry interrogation from the rooftop outside.
"Li Sinuo, don't think that I don't know that you were instigating discord behind the scenes. You've caused me to lose the full scholarship to study abroad. I won't let this matter go unsettled."
As the main character in the gossip, how could Li Sinuo not have heard the rumors that were spreading so rapidly?
But before she could react and come up with a response, the rumors had already spread throughout the entire grade.
Whoever spread it did it so secretly that no one would have noticed. It must have been that little b*tch Yun Xi.
It must have been Yun Xi who had deliberately framed her.
"Zhou Chengzhe, how can you believe whatever outsiders say? Are you that stupid? It's obvious that someone is trying to stir up trouble between us."
"Li Sinuo, you were the first to start all the trouble. They are simply giving you a taste of your own medicine. I'm not going to let it go this time."
"What do you want? Isn't this all because you aren't as capable as them? If you were really all that mighty would you have been played for a fool during that round of Q&A?"
Even now, Li Sinuo couldn't help but try to continue to pull Yun Xi into the water as well.
"You yourself probably don't even realize what you did. All your questions repeated in the frequency of right, wrong, right, wrong. Yun Xi kept your score at 60 points. She was just playing you like a monkey. Only you would be foolish enough to be unable to tell."
Li Sinuo was also infuriated. So what if she'd started the rumor? Where was the evidence?
Even if their homeroom teacher investigated the matter, she wouldn't admit that she'd done it. Since there's no evidence, she could say whatever she wanted.
She wasn't afraid!
"..." Zhou Chengzhe had already realized that he had been played by Yun Xi.
But the contest was over, so if he sought her out, others would only say that he was unreasonably stirring up trouble, and regard him with even more contempt.