16 Burning with Rage

"People who cheat during the exam think that they can gain advantages by using dishonest means. However, their actions will severely ruin the academic atmosphere and examination discipline. This also violates the school rules. If you relied on cheating instead of hard work to get the highest marks in your examinations, you won't be able to stop cheating in the future! An Wen, please think carefully before you answer our questions." The English teacher looked sterner now.

"It won't mean anything even if a student like her scored well in the examinations. I should just tell the principal to expel her according to the school rules!" the headteacher said while waving his hand.

"Sir, I told you that I didn't cheat. How can you simply expel me based on mere assumptions, without any concrete proof?" An Wen asked calmly.

The headteacher was so furious that he smacked the table and stood up. He pointed at the female student and yelled, "How dare you insist that you didn't cheat!"

"Sir, I have nothing to fear because I have never cheated. Are you really going to expel me just because I was too intelligent?" An Wen remained composed when she asked that question.

The headteacher felt as though the nerves on the side of his temples were violently protruding. He was so furious that he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"An Wen, how dare you speak to the headteacher that way?" The mathematics teacher hurriedly came over to mediate the situation upon noticing that the headteacher was seething and had almost reached his breaking point.

"Teacher, I swear that I never cheated. Why don't you find a set of Senior Three science exam papers and let me take the examination again? It would be better if the questions were much harder," An Wen said.

"What did you say?" The headteacher was so shocked that he took a step forward. He was pointing at An Wen, but did not say another word.

The headteacher had never met a student who spoke so boldly.

"I said that the teachers should find a set of Senior Three science exam papers for me so that I can retake the examinations. I'd prefer if the questions were more difficult as well," An Wen repeated herself.

"An Wen…" The English teacher opened her mouth to say something.

An Wen interrupted her and said, "Since all the teachers refuse to believe me, I'm forced to prove my innocence."

"Alright!" The headteacher was so furious he placed a hand on his chest. He turned to An Wen and said, "If you score less than five hundred marks, you'll have to pack your things and go home."

"Sir, what happens if I score more than five hundred marks?" An Wen asked.

"If you manage to score more than five hundred marks, I'll bow and apologize to you in front of every single one of these teachers. Will that be enough for you?"

"Yes, but that's not necessary. After all, a normal person would never believe that I have such an amazing memory. Your actions are excusable."

The teachers were stunned when they heard what An Wen said.

'It's getting hard for me to stop myself from saying mean things,' the headteacher thought.

"Come to my office to retake the examinations tomorrow. You can leave now!" The headteacher's face clearly showed that he believed she was rotten to the core.

"Goodbye, sir. Goodbye, teachers." An Wen politely bowed in front of everyone before she left the office.

An Wen felt that the other people in the school were looking at her strangely as she walked back to the classroom. She heard her fellow classmates discussing her supposed cheating just as she reached the entrance of the classroom.

"It's not surprising that she managed to get the highest marks in the exams despite being absent for so many days. Apparently, she cheated."

"At the time, I secretly admired her when I noticed how quickly she finished the tests. I never would have thought that she knew the questions beforehand."

"Tang Rui and the others work so hard every day, but they lost the first-place ranking to someone who was cheating. I truly feel that this is unfair to them."

"Cheaters like her aren't welcome in the advanced class."

… 

An Wen spent some time listening to the comments before she walked into the classroom. Though the students were lively and excited earlier, they fell completely silent when she entered the room.

This stark contrast… 

Suddenly, a girl screamed. This was extremely unexpected.

"Shi Jing, you begged An Wen to lend you her test papers this morning, but she was too afraid to give them to you. This isn't surprising anymore. I'd feel guilty as well if I copied everything like her."

The girl who piped up was the same girl who had spoken out for Shi Jing in the morning. Her name was Zou Yingying and she was their class representative for mathematics.

...