Mark Me, Okay? - chapter 28

After finishing the math exam in the afternoon,

Qi Xiangxing walked out with her head down, organizing her scratch paper. As she reached the stairwell, she suddenly heard someone speaking behind her.

But she hadn’t been paying close attention—she’d been too focused on reviewing the problems she’d solved.

“Hmph!

Your homeroom teacher is just targeting me because of that bet!”

“What, you’re still seriously reviewing your answers? Do you really think your grades are that good?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, unbelievable. If you’re so amazing, why don’t you go test into Tsinghua or Peking University?”

“Stop pretending to be such a model student. You probably can’t even understand the problems—that’s why you’re putting on this act, right?”

“Qi Xiangxing, you’re ridiculous!”

Qi Xiangxing suddenly heard her name. She looked up in confusion, scanning her surroundings before finally locking eyes with Wu Zhi, who had been following her.

Pausing, she asked blankly, “Were you talking to me?”

Wu Zhi: …

Damn.

So all that effort he’d put into provoking her, and she hadn’t even heard him?

Qi Xiangxing scratched her head and helpfully suggested, “What did you say earlier? I didn’t catch it. Do you want to repeat it?”

Wu Zhi: Screw you!

Her reaction left Wu Zhi both furious and humiliated, but there was nothing he could say. With a dark expression, he stormed off.

Du Ziheng, who had witnessed the entire encounter at the stairwell: …

Heh. Serves you right, idiot.

Du Ziheng walked up to Qi Xiangxing and gave her a thumbs-up. “Class rep, you’re amazing! You shut Wu Zhi down with just a few words!”

Qi Xiangxing was even more confused: ???

“He was trying to show off?”

The smile froze on Du Ziheng’s face. His gaze landed on the scratch paper in Qi Xiangxing’s hands, and he thought bitterly:

Great. The class rep has officially lost it from studying too hard.

The afternoon math exam and the next morning’s comprehensive test passed without incident—likely because Wu Zhi’s attempt to provoke Qi Xiangxing had failed. Even Yue Qiu, who had been monitoring him, was surprised by how well-behaved he was.

But the real trouble came during the final English exam.

Before the test, Zeng Yu went to the attic to find Luan Li. When he saw her, he hesitated, opening and closing his mouth without speaking.

Qi Xiangxing watched him curiously, while Luan Li frowned, sensing something was wrong. “What’s going on?”

Zeng Yu lowered his voice. “The exam’s been leaked.”

Luan Li stood up abruptly, her expression turning cold and serious. “Explain.”

“Wu Zhi somehow got his hands on the English answers,” Zeng Yu said, looking uncomfortable. “He made copies for everyone in our class.” He grew agitated. “He said it was for the sake of our class’s honor—who the hell wants honor earned through cheating?!”

“Are you sure it’s for this afternoon’s test?” Luan Li narrowed her eyes.

“Not sure,” Zeng Yu admitted.

Luan Li asked, “Did you take a photo?”

“Wu Zhi wouldn’t let me. I copied down part of it.”

Qi Xiangxing stared at Luan Li in shock.

Luan Li took the paper and made a few phone calls. Qi Xiangxing listened closely—one of the calls was to Director Wen.

Holy sh1t…

Is this the power of the student council president?

Holy sh1t, my girlfriend is incredible!

The English exam required students to enter the examination hall thirty minutes early. After all students had taken their seats, Yue Qiu did a headcount and was surprised to find Wu Zhi behaving unusually well today—so well that it felt… suspicious.

Wu Zhi sat in his seat, wearing a smug grin he couldn’t suppress no matter how hard he tried.

Yue Qiu frowned slightly, but since Wu Zhi wasn’t making any moves, she couldn’t confront him outright. Still, a sense of foreboding settled in her chest, putting her on guard.

Meanwhile, Qin Qing had been feeling that something was off about Cao Nannan all day—she just couldn’t pinpoint what. Cao Nannan seemed to be avoiding her gaze, looking almost guilty.

Noticing Qin Qing’s probing stare, Cao Nannan turned her head away, pretending not to see.

Qin Qing furrowed her brows, instinctively sensing something strange.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the announcement blared: “This English exam will now use the backup test papers. Repeat: This English exam will now use the backup test papers.”

Yue Qiu and Qin Qing both frowned at the same time. In contrast, Cao Nannan and Wu Zhi instantly paled.

Wu Zhi’s smile vanished—first freezing, then crumbling completely, replaced by sheer terror.

Director Wen and Director Zhao entered the examination hall, nodding at Yue Qiu and Liu Baoshan by the podium before speaking. “Teacher Yue, Teacher Liu, we need to take a student with us.”

Yue Qiu immediately realized this had something to do with Wu Zhi. She nodded, unable to resist glancing at him—only to see his face drained of color, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Wu Zhi from Class Seven, gather your things and come out.”

Director Wen’s cold command hung in the air as he and Director Zhao stepped outside, waiting by the door.

Under the stunned gazes of the entire class, Wu Zhi was escorted away by the two directors.

What… did he do?

That was the question on everyone’s mind. The sharper students quickly connected the dots—the sudden switch in English exam papers must be related to Wu Zhi.

Many in Class Seven felt a chill run down their spines, silently thanking Zeng Yi for warning them not to copy the English answers.

But… where had Wu Zhi even gotten the answers?

A City No. 1 High School had never experienced a test leak before. Since its founding, every principal had prided themselves on the students’ integrity. Yet now, a single black sheep had nearly tarnished the school’s century-old reputation—had they not caught it in time.

And this wasn’t just any exam—it was a city-wide joint assessment. If other schools found out that the top-ranked A City No. 1 High had leaked test questions, the consequences would be disastrous.

What if their previous stellar results had all been achieved through leaks?

What if this leak was orchestrated by the school itself?

What if—

Countless terrifying possibilities crashed over Director Wen Lai like a tidal wave. Clutching his chest, he swallowed two bl00d pressure pills with trembling hands.

“Old Wen, don’t take it so hard,” Director Zhao tried to console him. “We’ll handle this student as necessary. Don’t let it ruin your health.”

Wen Lai slammed his fist on the desk, furious. “How can I not be angry? It was this close—just this damn close—to destroying A City No. 1 High’s hundred-year reputation!”

“Right now, the priority is figuring out where the English exam papers were leaked from,” Director Zhao said, patting his shoulder. “Let’s head to the surveillance room first and see where Wu Zhi got them.”

Tracing Wu Zhi’s whereabouts step by step from the time before the English exam. Though this method is a bit tedious, it remains the most reliable approach.