…Who was it? Please, the feeling is like someone who’s just about to do something bad, only to have their butt suddenly tapped from behind before they even make a move the shock is real.
It felt as if a chill was about to rise from her gut all the way to the top of her head.
If the voice hadn’t sounded so familiar and hadn’t been laced with any suspicion—Su Wanli might have whipped around and given the owner of that voice a good slap.
To show up behind her at this exact moment without a hint of hesitation, and to address her in the usual way as “Miss Su”…
Tsk, what’s this person doing here, sneaking around in broad daylight? Was she expecting her to make a splash as the school’s top transfer student, so she could effortlessly gain another point or two?
“Why are you staring blankly? I, your Miss, want to go out for a bit. Whatever I plan to do, do I really have to report to you?”
Su Wanli let out a breath, then crossed her arms in front of her chest, turning around quietly.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking why you’re here, Meng Huange?”
Sure enough, standing behind Su Wanli was the very girl whose presence seemed impossible to ignore.
She gave Su Wanli a gentle, radiant smile. The soft, warm sunlight of the morning streamed through her reddish hair, tracing a faint gold along her shoulders.
“Well then.”
Meng Huange tilted her chin thoughtfully, lowering her head just enough to look at Su Wanli with a gentle tilt.
“Of course, it’s because I’m your strategist. Naturally, I want to stick close to the runaway Miss.”
Not in the mood to deal with Meng Huange’s teasing, Su Wanli pressed her palm to her forehead in resignation.
How did things end up like this? She’d only picked Branch Mission B so Meng Huange could focus on the Examination, but barely three minutes after she stepped outside, this girl had followed her out.
She’d already reminded her to take the test seriously, and even promised her an extra Reward if she could deliver satisfactory results. Yet she just wouldn’t let her relax for a moment…
Besides, someone as diligent as her should be obediently sitting in the classroom, shouldn’t she?
“Who told you to come out? Is this something a model student should do? Hurry up and get back in there and finish your test.”
Su Wanli fired off the words fiercely, then waved her hand at Meng Huange, ready to continue her own surveillance after returning to the classroom.
Please, she always calls herself a defender of justice, but since when does a model student sneak out during the Examination to catch others in the act and turn them in to the Teacher?
“…Is that really what a model student should do?”
However, despite Su Wanli’s clear command, Meng Huange didn’t move at all. Instead, she took a light step forward to stand beside Su Wanli, gazing with her at the Class Three, Year Two classroom.
“Miss Su, in your eyes, what exactly do you think I should be doing?”
“Huh? Isn’t it obvious? Of course it’s…
“Solving century-old puzzles in the academic world with a single answer, dazzling everyone in Art Class with one stroke, and achieving perfect scores in every subject—shouldn’t that be what you’re destined for?”
Since she already knew the answer, Meng Huange calmly listed the events of the past few days.
Her gaze seemed to linger casually on the classroom windows, but for some reason, Su Wanli felt as though Meng Huange’s words were binding her soul with invisible threads.
“Miss Su, is that how you see me? As someone who can only do those kinds of things?”
What was this supposed to mean? Wasn’t that who she was?
According to the System, these were all things Meng Huange was meant to experience, and she should be even more impressive than she was now.
Of course, these thoughts weren’t spoken aloud, but Meng Huange seemed to read Su Wanli’s mind effortlessly.
She relaxed her lips, no longer watching the students in the classroom, but instead turned to Su Wanli and gave a gentle nod.
“…Miss Su, though being recognized by you is my honor, perhaps I’m not quite the all-round, flawless model student you imagine.”
“Even someone like me should have a hidden side.”
As Meng Huange spoke, she straightened up and placed her hand on the window of Class Three, Year Two.
“For example, if I made a mistake during the Examination that couldn’t be fixed, and felt so agitated I had to step out for some fresh air—only to see a bunch of despicable students using underhanded tricks to steal points that aren’t theirs, wouldn’t I feel a surge of anger?”
“Hehe, sorry for letting you see this side of me. I just wondered if Miss Su might feel the same way. If not, that’s fine—we can simply take a walk around the school and cool off.”
Meng Huange smiled as she extended her palm to Su Wanli, politely making an invitation.
“But if you feel even a bit dissatisfied and want to cheer yourself up, why not join me in giving them a little lesson?”
Ah, so that’s how it is.
Compared to those students cheating by peeking at their textbooks during the Examination, you’re the more cunning one, aren’t you, Meng Huange?
She pretended not to notice that Su Wanli had seen through her act, but she’d obviously picked up on it, and even used subtle clues to guess exactly what Su Wanli wanted to do.
Even pretending to be reluctantly persuaded, as if she were only going along because she wanted to—it was a masterful performance from someone truly sly.
Looking at Meng Huange’s sparkling eyes, just a hint of wildness flickering in them, Su Wanli could only sigh helplessly.
What was most frustrating was that, even though she’d figured out Meng Huange’s little scheme, she didn’t have any reason to call her out or feel the slightest bit of dislike.
…Oh well, in a sense, the current situation was really thanks to Meng Huange.
Having the elegant protagonist help her with some “dirty work” was only fair, after all.
Since that was the case, there was no need to overthink it. She’d just pass the difficult problem that the System had given her right back to Meng Huange.
Besides, Meng Huange had been checking that Chinese Test Paper for nearly an hour—she should have finished by now and scored high, right?
“Didn’t expect this from you, Meng Huange, your personality is surprisingly encouraging.”
Glancing at her outstretched hand, Su Wanli smirked coldly, shrugged, and slapped it lightly.
“…But you’re right. Even I have to work hard and study before I can get a score I’m satisfied with. Those people just start cheating by pulling out their textbooks? It’s really disgusting.”
Peering through the thin frosted glass, Su Wanli grinned slyly at the classroom of Class Three, Year Two, showing a hint of a wolfish smile.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it big.”
“Meng Huange, let’s catch at least fifty cheaters together and deliver them straight to the Director!”
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