Villain Strategy Rules [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 52

Congratulations, host. The darkening value has dropped to 20%. The mission is nearing completion!

It seemed Qin Nanxi was truly willing to forgive her past mistakes and had sincerely accepted her now.

Wen Zhixu couldn’t help but smile and said, “The alumni will visit tomorrow. This reward is something you earned yourself. Let’s study together from now on. I want to go to the same school as you. Is that okay?”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

–

The next day, during the big break, it was time for the second-year students to receive their awards. In the auditorium, Wen Zhixu looked knowingly at Qin Nanxi, while Tang Mo was visibly upset—because, because they had slept in the same bed last night, which meant she had lost the bet!

Ah, the original wager had been a car—the reward her second sister had finally given her for improving in the monthly exams!

Wen Zhixu whispered, “Nanxi, look, the alumni are coming up.”

“Mhm.” Qin Nanxi nodded. “Let’s stay quiet for now.”

As the alumni took the stage, the auditorium fell silent. The alumni first delivered a speech, then proceeded to announce the winners.

But just as Qin Nanxi’s name was called, the auditorium doors swung open. Song Shuya led someone inside, and they strode straight to the stage. With righteous indignation, she declared, “I want to report that someone cheated in this exam.”

Wen Zhixu’s heart tightened. What was going on? Could it be Qin Nanxi? In the original story, it had been Sun Li and her group who made the accusation, but Sun Li had already been expelled. Why was this happening again?

Could it be that the predetermined plot could never be changed, that even if alterations were made along the way, the outcome remained inevitable? The person behind Song Shuya was none other than Qin Nanxi’s mother. How had they ended up together?

Qin Nanxi recognized the woman—her mother. She let out a self-deprecating laugh. How absurd. Her own mother had teamed up with an outsider to bring her down. Though she had only lived with her for a year, that year had been so unbearable she hadn’t even had the courage to process her memories. She should have been a bright, happy girl, but fate had been cruel.

Whispers spread through the crowd as people speculated about who had cheated. Given the timing of the accusation, it had to be one of the top three. And who was that woman’s mother? Could a mother really be so selfless?

The alumni’s expression darkened with anger, but she maintained her composure and asked politely, “Miss, who exactly are you accusing?”

Song Shuya stepped forward, took the microphone, and scanned the audience before solemnly announcing, “I accuse Qin Nanxi of cheating in this exam. This is her mother—she has evidence.”

Qin’s mother took the microphone. “Yes, I can testify. My daughter made a mistake. She coveted this scholarship, but we must have a conscience. I couldn’t bear it either. I just hope my daughter will realize her wrongdoing and turn back.”

The day before, Qin’s mother had been abandoned by the bridge. At that moment, Song Shuya happened to be returning to school and overheard her cursing Qin Nanxi. She struck up a conversation.

After learning the whole story, Song Shuya agreed to help Qin’s mother ruin Qin Nanxi. But the real reason was simpler—she had placed fourth in the exam, her best result in recent times. Yet she was still one spot short. If she could just push one person down, she could secure her place and finish university without worry.

That way, no one would find out her family had gone bankrupt, and she wouldn’t have to drop out.

The auditorium fell dead silent—before erupting into chaos.

“What? Qin Nanxi? How could she possibly cheat?”

“No way, did Qin Nanxi rely on cheating to get first place every time?”

“Impossible! Qin Nanxi is so smart—there’s no way she cheated.”

“Why not? Otherwise, how could she juggle part-time jobs and still score like a machine?”

“…”

“Quiet, quiet!” The principal quickly intervened, then apologized to the alumni representative. “This commendation ceremony will be postponed for now. Everyone, please return to your classrooms. If there are disputes, we will investigate and announce the results later.”

Seeing the students gradually leaving, Song Shuya nudged Qin Nanxi’s mother, who immediately burst into tears. “Please, help my daughter turn back from this wrong path! I can’t let her steal another child’s future. I beg you! I don’t want my child to be a thief.”

The students were ushered out of the auditorium by the principal. Wen Zhixu and Qin Nanxi moved to the front row. Wen Zhixu held Qin Nanxi’s hand and asked softly, “Nanxi, do you need me to help you this time?”

“Qingyue… let me handle this myself.” Qin Nanxi’s voice was hoarse as she spoke slowly, tears already streaming down her face. She stepped forward, one step at a time, pushing her mother behind Song Shuya. Tilting her head, she asked coldly, “What do you want?”

For a moment, Qin’s mother was overwhelmed by her daughter’s presence. When had she grown so old? When had she lost control over her own child? Trembling, she whispered, “I just don’t want you to become a thief. This doesn’t belong to you.”

“Oh?” Qin Nanxi let out a light laugh. “Proof? Show me proof.”

The alumni representative seemed stunned by the sudden drama. Just as she was about to speak, she caught a sharp gaze from the audience. Following it, she saw Wen Zhixu slightly nod before stepping down from the stage.

Song Shuya’s breathing was ragged. She was jealous—no, she hated Qin Nanxi. Why was someone so perfect? Qin Nanxi should have stayed at the bottom of society. She didn’t deserve success. And what was she, Song Shuya, lacking? She was just as good!

“Qin Nanxi, if you cheated, just admit it. Don’t cling to glory that isn’t yours.”

“Is that so?” Qin Nanxi smiled. “Then show me the evidence. That’s all I ask.”

The principal, after instructing the homeroom teacher to confiscate any recording phones, snapped, “Everyone, return to your classrooms! The teachers will investigate. Without proof, accusations mean nothing.”

The alumni representative sat beside Wen Zhixu, who murmured, “Pass a message to Chairman Jiang for me. I don’t want today’s incident spreading. Also, look into Song Shuya.”

“Understood, Miss Wen.” The woman nodded. “I’ll take my leave now. Contact me anytime if you need anything.”

Wen Zhixu replied, “Mm.”

The alumni representative exchanged a few words with the principal, who apologized for the lack of control. The ceremony had been recorded, originally intended for an evening broadcast. Now, with this scandal, she had to find some excuse to bury the incident.

“Who says I don’t have proof?” Qin’s mother pulled a letter from her pocket. “See for yourselves who wrote this. She gave it to me just days ago.”

Qin Nanxi took the envelope and laughed. The handwriting was identical to hers—but she hadn’t written it. Not that anyone would believe her now.

Song Shuya fanned the flames from the sidelines, displaying the letter’s contents on the large screen. “I know Qin Nanxi has always had excellent grades—she could easily rank top three without cheating. But she was afraid, and I believe she knew about the alumni sponsorship in advance. Principal, we all study hard—why should we lose to a cheater? Moreover, I found traces of cheating on the wall near her exam seat. Everyone can go see for themselves.”

This was Song Shuya’s best opportunity. She had originally planned to expose Qin Nanxi during the exam, but if she had done so then, Qin Nanxi could have easily refuted the accusations on the spot. The marks on the wall were made by Song Shuya herself the previous night. Now that her mother had arrived, she had the strongest possible backing.

“How childish,” Wen Zhixu muttered. Having lived an extra lifetime, she saw right through Song Shuya’s flimsy scheme. Though she wanted to step in and help Qin Nanxi, the latter had insisted on handling this herself.

Tang Mo asked, “Where did they even get all this evidence?”

“Simple,” Wen Zhixu replied. “Don’t you have notes with your handwriting lying around at home? They just had to imitate it.”

Tang Mo: “I get that, but how is it so convincing?”

Wen Zhixu: “My guess is her younger sister. She’s been teaching her sister since childhood—their handwriting must share similarities. Mimicking it would be effortless.”

Tang Mo had an epiphany: “Ah, that makes sense.”

“How ridiculous,” Qin Nanxi said, taking the letter. “You claim this is my handwriting? Then why wouldn’t I just text you instead of sending a letter? And if similar handwriting proves authorship, then by your logic, every ancient artifact we’ve replicated must have been forged by us too?”

Turning to Song Shuya, she demanded, “You accuse me of cheating and claim there are marks on my desk. How would you even know that?”

Qin Nanxi was aware of the marks on the wall—she had been waiting for this day.

The principal frowned. “Every classroom has surveillance. We’ll review the footage to determine the truth, not take anyone’s word for it.”

“The cameras are broken,” Song Shuya interjected. “They’ve been malfunctioning for a while. The teacher told me not to mention it until after the exams. Besides, we have more than just evidence—we have witnesses. Her deskmate saw her cheating firsthand.”

She pressed on, “Principal, you say we lack proof, but what about her? Can she prove she didn’t cheat? Good grades or not, cheating is cheating and shouldn’t be excused.”

Though the principal knew the sponsorship came from an alumna, it was orchestrated by Madam Jiang—and Qin Nanxi shared a personal connection with her only daughter. Anyone could see who the award was meant for. Without Qin Nanxi, this sponsorship wouldn’t exist. But she couldn’t reveal the truth; she could only protect Qin Nanxi discreetly.

“Regardless, until this matter is settled, no rumors are to spread. If I hear any gossip, I’ll involve the police,” the principal warned.

Teacher Zhang added sternly, “Everyone return to your seats and await the investigation results.”

Qin’s mother tried to speak, but Qin Nanxi held her back and asked Song Shuya, “What did she promise you to make you go this far?”

“Don’t make baseless accusations,” Song Shuya retorted. “I’ve never even met your mother. As class monitor, I’m just ensuring fairness for all students.”

Qin Nanxi laughed, “And what about you? Aren’t you the same? Do you really think someone with my grades needs to cheat? What an idiot.”

“How would I know?” Song Shuya feigned ignorance. “Maybe you’re worried that spending too much time with Jiang Qingyue has affected your grades, but you still don’t want to miss out on this scholarship opportunity.”

“Song Shuya,” Wen Zhixu stepped forward, sneering, “I heard your family went bankrupt. And I also heard you ranked fourth this time.”

Song Shuya’s face turned ashen, but she stubbornly retorted, “So what? At least I don’t cheat.”

Qin Nanxi grabbed Wen Zhixu’s arm and turned to leave, throwing back one last remark, “I’ll be waiting for this so-called evidence of yours.”