Soon after, the awards and interviews began.
“Yun Qing, congratulations on becoming the top scorer in A City’s college entrance exam!”
“Thank you, everyone. It’s an honor to be a guest on ‘Exam Star’.”
…
“Yun Qing, do you have anything to say to students who didn’t do as well? We heard Xu Yiran’s actual score was far below her estimate.”
“Effort and reward are proportional. If your results aren’t what you hoped for, the only solution is to keep working and accumulating knowledge. I suggest Xu Yiran consider repeating the year.”
“Yun Qing, with your score, have you decided which university to attend? Huaxing, Jingda, or maybe the local Minghua University? That’s Xu Yiran’s dream school.”
“I’m leaning toward Huaxing’s security studies program. My father is an architectural designer, and I want to protect his work from being stolen.”
“As for the Minghua University motto Xu Yiran mentioned—‘Act with integrity, achieve with diligence’—I agree. You have to be honest with yourself before you can face life with courage.”
“My father taught me to be independent, not to just use whatever others hand me. From a pen to a university, I want to make my own choices. I considered following others to Minghua, but overall, Huaxing fits me best.”
“And most importantly, don’t ever plot to hurt others. Everything you do in life is like a giant boomerang. The knife you throw might one day come flying back and hit you right between the eyes.”
When I finished, I deliberately left my phone behind.
On its screen, a video looped, showing Lin Chen stealing Aunt Li’s red envelope and my father’s design draft.
Suddenly, the room was in an uproar.
The livestream hadn’t ended.
Some people recognized Lin Chen on the screen.
Even a fashion editor dug up the story of him taking Xu Yiran to Chanel to buy that infamous bag.
Meanwhile, reporters interviewed our classmates, digging into what happened at the post-exam celebration.
The headlines were brutal:
“Failed Exam Candidate Obsessed with Minghua University, Addicted to Fakes, Turns Out to Be a Thief.”
Minghua University quickly expelled Lin Chen to distance themselves—what top school would want a student who violated the school motto so blatantly?
Chapter 13
*