Mark Me, Okay? - chapter 29

But strangely enough,

From the end of the comprehensive exam until the start of the English test, Wu Zhi showed no unusual behavior—he followed his normal routine:

Classroom,

Cafeteria, restroom, classroom,

And the homeroom teacher’s office.

Director Wen and Director Zhao reviewed the surveillance footage from these two days but found nothing. Wen Lai slumped in his chair,

Rubbing his dry eyes,

The prolonged focus on the screen had taken its toll. He said weakly, “If all else fails, let’s check his phone to see if someone stole the test papers and sent them to him online.”

“We’ve already checked the surveillance in the printing room—no suspicious individuals entered or exited,” Director Zhao frowned, unable to pinpoint where things had gone wrong.

“Classroom… office…”

“Office?”

Director Zhao straightened up and pulled up the footage of Wu Zhi entering Cao Nannan’s office. He zoomed in on Wu Zhi’s expression, his brows knitting into a deep furrow. He replayed the footage repeatedly, comparing Wu Zhi’s demeanor before and after entering the office.

Five minutes later,

He let out a long exhale, a terrible suspicion forming in his mind.

“What’s going on?” Qin Qing walked side by side with Cao Nannan on their way to the exam office. After hesitating, she finally asked.

Cao Nannan was lost in thought and was startled by the sudden question. She blinked blankly before snapping back to reality.

“What do you mean? I don’t know anything.” Cao Nannan suppressed her emotions and forced a smile. She couldn’t let Qin Qing find out—if she did, there would be no chance left between them.

Qin Qing was puzzled but wasn’t one to pry into others’ privacy. Hearing Cao Nannan’s denial, she dropped the subject, only remarking lightly, “That seemed to be one of your students. Something must have happened.”

Cao Nannan nodded, and the two fell into silence as they continued to the exam office.

Yue Qiu had been waiting there for Qin Qing, eager to share what had just happened. But when she saw Qin Qing walking alongside Cao Nannan, her excitement was doused like a bucket of cold water.

Suppressing her emotions, Yue Qiu waited until Qin Qing approached. She glanced at Cao Nannan standing beside Qin Qing and greeted her with deliberate indifference, “Teacher Qin is here.”

Qin Qing nodded slightly. “Teacher Yue is here too.”

Yue Qiu said nothing else, stepping aside to make way.

Only after Cao Nannan left, visibly distraught, did Yue Qiu approach Qin Qing with a stern expression, lightly poking her arm.

Qin Qing, having just submitted the exam papers, chuckled at Yue Qiu’s childish gesture. “Why are you acting like a kid?”

Yue Qiu whispered, “Wu Zhi was taken away by Director Wen and Director Zhao earlier, and then the English test papers were replaced. Don’t you think… since Cao Nannan teaches English, maybe she—”

Before she could finish, Qin Qing pressed a finger to her lips. Qin Qing glanced around and spoke in a hushed but serious tone, “Until the investigation is complete, don’t speculate about this.”

The school was full of gossips, and such conjectures couldn’t afford to come from Yue Qiu, a new teacher.

Yue Qiu froze for a moment. Though she didn’t understand what Qin Qing meant, she instinctively felt it was for her protection. She obediently responded with an “Oh” and followed closely behind Qin Qing like a shadow.

Qin Qing stopped abruptly and shot her a sideways glance: “What are you doing?”

Yue Qiu answered matter-of-factly: “I’m going back to the office with you!”

Qin Qing: “I’m not going to the office.”

Yue Qiu’s eyes widened: “Then where are you going?”

Qin Qing pointed to the restroom ahead.

Yue Qiu flushed with embarrassment: “Well, go then!”

After the exam ended, Luan Li hurried to Qi Xiangxing’s examination room to greet her briefly before rushing to the broadcasting room. She announced over the intercom, calling all student council members at department head level or above to an emergency meeting in the conference room.

Luan Li’s broadcast voice sounded different from her usual tone. While her normal speaking voice was gentle, over the intercom it carried an additional layer of cool detachment.

This aloof quality created an air of distance to others, but to Qi Xiangxing, this version of Luan Li was irresistibly alluring—so much so that—

She wanted to devour Lili whole.

She wanted to tease bespectacled Lili.

“Ah!” Qi Xiangxing rubbed her cheeks, thinking how wicked her thoughts had become.

Luan Li sat expressionless at the head of the table. She rarely appeared this serious; even during regular meetings, she usually maintained a hint of a smile. But now, not only was there no trace of warmth, her demeanor carried an intimidating authority.

“You’ve all heard about today’s incident.” Luan Li rapped her knuckles on the table, and the murmuring department heads immediately fell silent.

Though Luan Li had never lost her temper and always maintained a gentle, polite manner, no one doubted her commanding presence.

“Time is short, so I’ll be brief.” Luan Li organized her thoughts before continuing: “Regarding Wu Zhi’s situation, everyone needs to control the narrative—both classroom discussions and forum moderation. Until school administration issues an official statement, I won’t tolerate any inappropriate remarks.”

The attendees straightened their postures. They understood Luan Li wouldn’t make such demands without good reason. It was highly probable that Wu Zhi had indeed leaked exam papers.

Zeng Yu shifted uncomfortably. He knew Wu Zhi was in the wrong, but having reported a classmate left him conflicted. He’d always considered himself loyal to friends, yet now…

He sighed, consoling himself that this wasn’t ordinary cheating—the offense was far more serious.

“Struggling with it?” Luan Li approached him after the meeting and took a seat beside him.

Zeng Yu wrestled with his thoughts: “No, I just—” He opened his mouth, then nodded heavily instead.

Luan Li didn’t press further, simply patting his shoulder as she said softly, “You did the right thing.” At the very least, he’d stopped Wu Zhi before more damage could be done.

With that, Luan Li stood and left, leaving Zeng Yu sitting motionless. After a long pause, he rose to his feet with renewed determination.

“Luan Li’s here.”

The monitoring room door opened to her knock. Wen Lai looked up and waved her in: “Come take a look at this footage.”

After greeting Director Zhao, Luan Li moved to examine the surveillance screens.

“Look here,” Director Zhao enlarged the screen, pointing at Wu Zhi’s expression at that moment. “Doesn’t this seem a bit dejected?”

Luan Li nodded in agreement.

“And this?” Director Zhao pulled up another image.

Luan Li examined it carefully, furrowing her brow. “A bit… happy?”

Director Wen slammed the table.

Seeing the words “English Office” on the surveillance footage, Luan Li understood. She had initially thought the worst-case scenario was Wu Zhi stealing exam papers from the printing room, but she never imagined the issue originated from the source.

Then, how did Cao Nannan get the exam papers?

Why did she give them to Wu Zhi? Just for this competition?

Luan Li had her suspicions, and so did Directors Wen and Zhao. They exchanged a glance.

“Alright, that’s all for now. You can head back,” Director Zhao nodded to Luan Li. “Isn’t it almost dismissal time?”

Luan Li: “Yes.”

“Old Wen, let’s go home. We’ll deal with this tomorrow,” Director Zhao stood up.

Wen Lai also rose, his face filled with anger, muttering under his breath, “Insane, absolutely insane!”

“You’re back!” Qi Xiangxing stood at the door of Class 4, her backpack straps gripped tightly in both hands. Her eyes lit up when she saw Luan Li descending the stairs, and she hurried forward to meet her.

Luan Li couldn’t resist patting her head. The tension that had been building all afternoon finally eased upon seeing Qi Xiangxing.

Qi Xiangxing’s eyes sparkled. She glanced around, then secretly grabbed Luan Li’s hand and whispered, “How was it handled?”

Luan Li shook her head. “Let’s talk at home.”

Qi Xiangxing blinked, understanding this wasn’t a topic for public discussion, and nodded.

“Holy sh1t? It was really Cao Nannan?” Qi Xiangxing’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Then she—she—what kind of punishment will she get?”

Shocked beyond words, Qi Xiangxing stumbled over her sentences.

Luan Li sighed softly. “I don’t think so.” Judging by the attitudes of Directors Wen and Zhao, it seemed like they had a… resigned acceptance of the situation.

Luan Li thought if Wu Zhi admitted that Cao Nannan gave him the answers, no one could protect her. But if Wu Zhi didn’t mention Cao Nannan, he would likely take the fall alone.

Before she could finish her thoughts, the sweet and soft Qi Xiangxing crashed into her arms. Nestled against Luan Li, Qi Xiangxing murmured, “…Do we have to talk about others right now?”

The milk-scented omega carried her own unique fragrance, mixed with the rum aroma from Luan Li’s mark—sweet yet intoxicating.

For the first time, Luan Li felt a bit drunk.

Her right hand gently caressed the gland on the back of Qi Xiangxing’s neck. At this moment, she could clearly feel Qi Xiangxing’s warmth.

Warm, sweet—her omega.

No one knew who initiated the kiss. By the time they both came to their senses, they were already lost in it. Qi Xiangxing wasn’t sure what had happened either. When she regained awareness, she was already pinned to the bed, being kissed by Luan Li.

Her breath was completely stolen away, the air in her lungs growing thinner. Qi Xiangxing’s consciousness began to blur as her hands instinctively cradled Luan Li’s head, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

Lili…

I really love you so much…

“Don’t cry, Xingxing.” Luan Li released her, warm fingertips gently wiping away the tears at the corners of Qi Xiangxing’s eyes before placing a reverent kiss on her eyelids.

“Xingxing’s eyes are so beautiful.” Luan Li’s voice whispered by Qi Xiangxing’s ear, sending tingling waves that rippled through her.

“Won’t you stop crying now?”