A Real Heiress Quits (GL) - Chapter 14

Hou Cheng knew that this test was too difficult.

He had used a monthly exam paper from a top-tier senior high school class; it would be a miracle if they scored well. His goal was simply to knock these lawless little brats down a peg. It was normal for no one to pass; if one or two managed to scrape by, it would be a stroke of pure luck.

However, Hou Cheng never expected that the highest score would belong to the girl who usually sat at the bottom of the rankings. Did she cheat? That was a joke—who could you cheat off of to get first place?

The teacher’s voice trailed off. Even he seemed unsure of what to say.

The classroom was deathly silent, save for the nervous sound of pages turning. No one understood why “Old Hou” was silent; was he gathering strength for a massive blow-up? Even if they were to get scolded, they would be scolded together. Thinking this way made it slightly less terrifying.

Ying Hua winked at Jin Xue. “Hey, why do you think Old Hou stopped talking?” Usually, at a time like this, shouldn’t he be delivering a harsh lecture, grinding the students into the dirt, and then praising the first-place student to rub it in?

Jin Xue replied, “How should I know?”

Ying Hua leaned closer. “Who do you think got first this time?”

“Who else could it be? Either Brother Shu or the Sister-in-law.” As he spoke, Jin Xue couldn’t help but steal a glance at Yu Xinyue.

The girl was still looking down at her book, appearing obedient and cute. As if finding the sunlight too bright, she pursed her lips and blocked the side of her face with her small hand. Then, she scratched her soft, pink cheek.

Damn, that’s too cute. Jin Xue felt his heart melt.

Ying Hua hesitated for a moment. “Why did you speak up for Yu Xinyue just now? Aren’t you afraid Brother Shu will come after you?”

Jin Xue remained silent, glancing sideways at Shu Ziyu. The boy’s eyes were terrifyingly red, his expression vicious, as if he wanted to kill someone. Jin Xue felt a bit of fear but forced himself to stay calm. “I didn’t think that much about it.”

Ying Hua sighed. “I think you’ve been blinded by beauty.” He said regretfully, “How come I never noticed she was so good-looking before? Just think, if I had started pursuing her back then, how great would that be?” He imagined the bullied little girl falling hopelessly in love with him.

Jin Xue felt like a knife had been jabbed into his heart. He had already been rejected twice. “Keep dreaming.”

“Pah! Show your Brother Ying some respect!”

Old Hou withdrew his gaze and spoke slowly. “The person in first place is…”

Yin Jianghan nervously curled her fingers, though she maintained a calm facade. The exam had been too hard; she wasn’t sure what score she had achieved. But if only one person had passed, it surely couldn’t be anyone else. She had studied with foreign tutors since she was a child and had always been the English class representative. In this subject, she had immense confidence.

That bumpkin must be at the bottom. She didn’t even write the essay; she probably got a zero. Can you even get ten points by guessing on the multiple-choice? Yin Jianghan thought mockingly.

“Yu Xinyue.”

“What?!” Yin Jianghan couldn’t help but shout out. “Teacher, you must have seen it wrong!”

“I’ve looked at it many times.” Hou Cheng’s expression was complex. “Moreover, she didn’t write a single word for the essay. What is wrong with the rest of you? Look at her—she made so much progress over a single summer break! And you? A bunch of arrogant kids who only know how to play, play, play!”

Yin Jianghan’s mouth hung open. “Impossible! She must have cheated!” Otherwise, how could she have surpassed her? That bumpkin’s English was always a total mess—how could she take first place?

“Can you cheat your way into first place?” Hou Cheng looked at his class representative, his gaze tinged with disappointment. Weren’t these two girls sisters? Why wasn’t Yin Jianghan defending her sister, but instead was the first to jump up and accuse her of cheating?

Hou Cheng had expected someone to question Yu Xinyue, but he hadn’t expected that person to be Yin Jianghan. He used to think Yin Jianghan was a sensible, well-behaved, high-achieving student, but now he found himself reassessing her.

However, there was one thing to clear up first. “Yu Xinyue, tell us, how did you do these problems?”

The girl stood up straight, her small hand clutching her pen, fine beads of sweat appearing on the tip of her delicate nose. She looked like a nervous little animal.

“Teacher, I self-studied English over the summer…” She paused. “The articles in the exam… I happened to have memorized them.”

The entire class stood dumbfounded, their mouths agape. Even Hou Cheng was startled. “Mem… memorized them?”

Yu Xinyue nodded and began to recite the reading comprehension passage. Her pronunciation was perfect, her tone clear, and she didn’t miss a single word.

A few minutes later, the classroom was pin-drop silent. It had never been this quiet even during a lecture. Hou Cheng stared with wide eyes, comparing her words to the exam paper, only to find that she hadn’t gotten a single word wrong.

He showed a look of relief and immense admiration for the girl. This proved that the child simply hadn’t focused on her studies before; once she put in the effort, her grades would soar.

After finishing her recitation, the girl bit her lip, her watery eyes looking down slightly. On the surface, she appeared neither humble nor arrogant, but her clenched fingers betrayed her nervousness and fear. “T-teacher, may I sit down?”

Hou Cheng nodded with a smile, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. “Sit down.” He scanned the room. “See how hard she worked over the summer? Do none of you feel ashamed?” His gaze lingered on Yin Jianghan, and he sighed inwardly. “From now on, you should all learn from Classmate Yu Xinyue. Understood?”

“Under—stood—!”

Yin Jianghan lowered her head, gripping her test paper tightly. The bright red 58 stung her heart. A corner of the paper was crumpled into a ball.

How is it possible? How is it possible? Didn’t that person spend every day messing around with her music? When did she study English? Why… why did she have to steal her spotlight? The grandmother, the uncle, the family fortune… was she going to steal the affection of the teachers and classmates too?

That person is so detestable! Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Before they knew it, the bell rang for the end of class. Shu Ziyu shot a glance at the girl and walked out of the classroom. With the teacher present, it wasn’t convenient to act, but he would corner her outside the villa.

Yu Xinyue, you’d better never come out! he thought viciously.

“Hanhan.”

Yin Jianghan, who had been dazed throughout the rest of the period, looked up to meet the face she hated most. Yu Xinyue was smiling brightly, saying warmly, “Let’s go back together!”

“When did you self-study English?” Yin Jianghan suppressed her rage with effort.

Yu Xinyue thought seriously for a moment. “At night, I guess. When I couldn’t sleep, I would memorize books. You always said my English grades were bad; I wanted to catch up to you so I wouldn’t embarrass Grandma and Uncle.”

The classroom was almost empty, with only a few people left packing their bags. Yin Jianghan felt a surge of anger at that innocent expression and grabbed the girl’s collar. The small figure was quickly pulled down into a slouch. “Hanhan?” The soft voice was still innocent, her large eyes wide and appearing a bit confused.

“Why… why did you have to shove your way into our family?” Yin Jianghan hissed hysterically. “We were happy! Me, Uncle, and Grandma—we were happy! Why did you have to wedge yourself in and steal my things? Why did you have to come back?!”

Yu Xinyue froze for half a second, then suddenly broke into a laugh.

In Jianghan’s words implied that she deserved to stay in the countryside to suffer, starving and cold for the rest of her life, while In Jianghan stayed in the Yin house living in luxury. It seemed she had forgotten who had actually stolen from whom.

The remaining classmates, seeing some drama to enjoy, leaned in and pricked up their ears. Yu Xinyue moved closer, whispering into Yin Jianghan’s ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

“Hanhan, are you jealous of me?”

“Don’t be angry. The things you mentioned… I don’t care about a single one of them.”