Chapter 16: Caught Red-Handed, A Twist of Fate Unveils

As time passed, the classroom gradually emptied, leaving only a handful of students behind.

It wasn't until the last student had exited the classroom that Lan Yuxi finally raised her head. Her beautiful eyes darted around, scanning the room cautiously.

"Phew, that was nerve-wracking," she exhaled softly.

Assured that the classroom was finally empty, Lan Yuxi sat up, sticking out her small tongue as if to indicate relief.

Casually, she picked up her textbook and began fanning herself with it.

The weather was unbearably hot, and sitting with her arms folded on the desk had only intensified her discomfort. Strands of her dark hair stuck to her fair face, clinging to her skin because of the heat.

"No point in trying to cool down now," she mused. "I have to get rid of this note quickly."

In the palm of her hand, Lan Yuxi was holding a folded piece of paper. This wasn't just any piece of paper—it was filled with exam answers she had copied from the office earlier that day.

There were two sets in total. She had already used the first set for her morning exam, and now it was time to destroy the evidence.

With that thought, Lan Yuxi stood up and exited the classroom.

She glanced around cautiously as she headed towards the girls' restroom.

It was fortunate that it was lunchtime. Most of the students had gone home to eat, while the teachers were dining in the school cafeteria. As such, the girls' restroom was empty.

Unlike modern restrooms designed for privacy and cleanliness, this bathroom from 2002 was rather basic, partitioned with white ceramic tiles and equipped with a long drainage gutter at the bottom.

Lan Yuxi walked to the furthest corner of the restroom and stepped on the flush button.

Since it was summer, she was wearing delicate sandals. Her feet were impeccably beautiful—fair, perfectly arched, and even the veins on her feet were visibly graceful.

The sound of rushing water filled the air. Lan Yuxi started to tear up the paper note, preparing to throw the fragments down into the drain.

"Just as I suspected. Our dear class monitor is up to no good," a languid voice murmured into her ear at that moment.

Before she knew it, a hand had seized her slender wrist.

"Ahh!" she gasped.

Already guilty of deceit, and now caught in the act, Lan Yuxi was about to scream.

However, this was the girls' restroom, and Qi Lin couldn't afford to let her cry out and draw attention. That would spell doom for both of them.

"Whimper~"

Qi Lin quickly covered Lan Yuxi's mouth with his other hand, effectively stifling her scream.

[Ding! Class mointor Lan Yuxi has been caught cheating during the exam and is attempting to destroy the evidence. Host, please make the following choice.]

[Option 1: Ignore Lan Yuxi's act of destroying evidence and choose to protect her. Reward: +1 to Lan Yuxi's affection level.]

[Option 2: Take Lan Yuxi to the head teacher and expose her cheating immediately. Reward: Answers to two afternoon exams.]

[Option 3: Lan Yuxi, you wouldn't want everyone to know about your cheating, would you? Reward: A copy of Qi Xueyao's diary.]

At every critical moment, the divine choice system would conveniently appear.

Hearing the options that were almost identical to the ones he'd been presented with before, Qi Lin chuckled.

"Choose Option 3."

Without the need for further contemplation, Qi Lin silently made his choice.

[Ding, successful choice by the host. The reward will be automatically granted upon the completion of the chosen action.]

"Hisss~" Qi Lin suddenly inhaled sharply and pulled back his hand. The audacious young woman had actually bitten him.

"Slap!"

Qi Lin immediately slapped her in return.

"What, were you raised by dogs? Why are you biting people?"

Lan Yuxi's face flushed a deep red almost instantaneously. Her eyes, filled with both shame and anger, glared at Qi Lin. "You pervert, what do you think you're doing?"

Her voice had risen considerably. If anyone were outside the restroom at this point, they would certainly have heard her.

Qi Lin shook his hand dismissively, unbothered by the bite. He simply smiled faintly and said, "Class monitor, you can shout louder if you want. Then, everyone will know that I walked into the women's restroom and about your cheating in the exams."

Whoosh~

At these words, Lan Yuxi's expression subtly shifted.

Now she was sure: Qi Lin indeed knew about her exam cheating.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't cheated. But you have intruded into the women's restroom. I should be the one reporting to the teachers," she retorted, craftily taking advantage of the moment Qi Lin had released her to toss the torn pieces of paper into the toilet.

The bits of paper were washed away, disappearing with the current. Upon witnessing this, Lan Yuxi glanced at Qi Lin, her eyes twinkling with a hint of triumph.

'Nice try. Now that the evidence is gone, what are you going to do? Will the teachers believe their model student and class monitor, or Qi Lin, the infamous rich kid?'

"Ah, you've destroyed the evidence. Feeling invincible, are we?" Qi Lin said with a faint smile.

"Qi Lin, if I were you, I'd leave right now. Considering it's your first offense, I'll let it slide this time," Lan Yuxi reasoned.

Though she desperately wanted to scream and attract attention to catch Qi Lin red-handed, she had to acknowledge that she had cheated. Even with the evidence destroyed, her exam answers would likely draw suspicion when grades were released.

So, instead of forcing a mutually destructive confrontation with Qi Lin, it was better to let him walk away.

"Let you walk away? What if I don't want to let you go?" Qi Lin countered, unfazed by her destruction of the evidence. His eyes narrowed, a trace of menace glinting within them.

"What... what are you trying to do? Come any closer, and I will scream for help," Lan Yuxi warned, taken aback by Qi Lin's sudden assertiveness. She crossed her arms protectively and took a step back.

What perplexed her even more was Qi Lin's audacity. He was clearly the one at a disadvantage here, so why was he speaking in such a confident tone?