chapter 70
Beside her came Sun Qiaoqiao’s startled voice.
“Already up to second place!”
She was scrolling through the school forum, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Qingning, you’re only about a hundred votes away from overtaking first place!”
Chu Xu leaned over. “Let me see.”
As soon as he saw the ranking on the forum, he grinned with glee.
“Looks like Duan Yuxuan’s throne as number one won’t last much longer.”
But only a moment later, his smile froze.
He suddenly snatched the phone from her hand, startling Sun Qiaoqiao.
“What’s wrong, Brother Chu?” she asked in confusion.
Without answering, he tapped into one of the forum’s trending posts, his expression turning unusually serious.
A few seconds later—
He couldn’t help but curse.
“Damn.”
He rapped his knuckles on the desk, his voice tight with urgency.
“Boss Ning, wake up! Something big just happened!”
Sun Qiaoqiao, puzzled, took her phone back. When she saw the post, her eyes widened in shock.
Who did this?
She hurriedly patted Gu Qingning’s shoulder.
“Qingning, wake up—you need to see what’s on the forum!”
Gu Qingning lifted her head, her dark eyes half-lidded, her tone lazy.
“Hmm?”
Sun Qiaoqiao handed her the phone, sighing helplessly.
“Just look for yourself.”
Gu Qingning lowered her gaze. The title of the post immediately caught her eye—
‘First High’s Genius Gu Qingning Is Just a Fraud — Her Grade-Skip Was Rigged!’
“Gu Qingning’s brother is the youngest professor at A University, and also a genius violinist. Before Gu Qingning took the grade-skip exam, the siblings were seen entering and leaving the principal’s office—suspected of bribery.”
Below the post was a video clip—
The very same moment when she and Gu Zhao had stood outside the principal’s office that day.
Gu Qingning glanced at the poster’s account, her thick lashes lowered slightly, a faint chill in her expression.
So someone doesn’t want me to study in peace, huh? Just itching to stir up trouble.
Chu Xu fumed.
“Boss Ning, this is definitely someone targeting you on purpose.”
“Boss!”
The voice came before the person did.
Zheng Bin came rushing into the classroom, straight to Gu Qingning’s desk.
He was panting. “Boss, are you okay?”
Chu Xu gave him a look. “You’ve seen it too?”
Zheng Bin nodded, casting an uneasy glance at Gu Qingning.
“I’d say the whole school knows by now.”
All three of them looked at her. Gu Qingning handed the phone back to Sun Qiaoqiao, her expression unreadable.
“What are you all staring at me for?”
Chu Xu tried to reassure her.
“Boss Ning, don’t mind all that garbage online. We trust you—”
Before he could finish, the class bell rang.
Zheng Bin said quickly as he walked out, “Boss, I gotta go. Don’t let those posts get to you, alright?”
Students began filing into the classroom one by one.
Sun Qiaoqiao groaned, rubbing her temples.
“Ugh, great, math again. My head’s already hurting.”
As soon as she finished complaining, Teacher Feng Mei walked in.
She slammed a stack of papers onto the podium, her face dark.
“Some students don’t pay attention in class, and even get others to do their homework. This kind of attitude toward learning is utterly disgraceful!”
The class looked around at each other, confused.
Sure, not everyone excelled in math, but none of them were reckless enough to have someone else do their work. If Old Xu found out, they’d be in serious trouble.
Feng Mei’s gaze landed on Gu Qingning. Seeing how calm she was made her even angrier.
Her face darkened. She called out sharply, “Gu Qingning!”
Instantly, all eyes turned toward her.
Gu Qingning raised her head, her tone flat.
“Yes, teacher?”
Feng Mei grabbed the top paper from the pile and demanded coldly,
“This test wasn’t written by you. Did you have someone else do it?”
Gu Qingning didn’t deny it. She answered plainly,
“It wasn’t written by me.”
Like a predator catching its prey, a sly glint flashed in Feng Mei’s eyes.
She slapped the paper onto the desk, her tone harsh.
“Stand up!”
Gu Qingning stood, hands casually in her pockets, exuding a quiet, cool defiance.
Feng Mei descended from the podium, her voice sharp.
“Gu Qingning, a so-called grade-skipping genius like you—getting someone else to write your test? Do you think that’s acceptable?”
Her tone grew more sarcastic by the second.
“Or maybe the test was too hard for you, and you couldn’t do it yourself?”
Gu Qingning’s eyes narrowed slightly, the corner of her lips curving with a trace of edge.
“Teacher, if you’ve got something to say, just say it directly.”
Feng Mei frowned. “What kind of attitude is that?”
“Am I wrong?” Feng Mei sneered. “If you needed help for a simple test like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if you cheated on your grade-skip exam too.”
The class collectively gasped, tension thick in the air.
Although the rumor had already spread through the forum, no one had dared to bring it up in person—until now.
By calling her out publicly, Feng Mei was openly humiliating Gu Qingning.
But even as she became the center of gossip, Gu Qingning remained calm and composed.
She leaned slightly closer to Feng Mei, her voice so low only the two of them could hear.
“Deliberately picking on students and spreading baseless rumors—doesn’t sound like something a good teacher should do.”
Having been called out so bluntly, Feng Mei’s face turned an ugly shade.
She pointed toward the door, her voice trembling with fury.
“Get out! Don’t bother coming to the next class either!”
Gu Qingning gave a faint, cool smile.
“Thanks for the day off, teacher.”
She slung her bag over one shoulder and sauntered out of the classroom at an unhurried pace.
Feng Mei’s chest heaved in anger as she barked,
“What are you all staring at? Focus on the lesson!”
Chu Xu shot her a look, losing all mood to study.
After walking a short distance down the corridor, Gu Qingning ran into Teacher Xu An.
Seeing her bag, Xu An looked surprised.
“Gu, why aren’t you in class?”
Gu Qingning raised an eyebrow, her tone calm.
“The teacher gave me the day off.”
“Day off?” Xu An blinked, dumbfounded.
“I thought your class right now was math. Did… did Teacher Feng say something to you?”
They shared the same office, and he knew Feng Mei’s personality well—two-faced, sycophantic to superiors, condescending to others, and fond of gossip.
Gu Qingning’s lips curved slightly. Her tone was light.
“She said since someone else did yesterday’s test for me, maybe I even cheated on my grade-skip exam.”
Xu An’s face darkened.
That woman really didn’t think before she spoke.
The grade-skip exam had been supervised by the principal, the department heads, and several teachers. How could Gu Qingning have cheated?
He asked carefully, “You’ve seen the post on the forum?”
Gu Qingning nodded.
Xu An said, “Good. Since you know, I might have a way to fix this.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“The post is spreading fast,” he explained. “Even if the school makes an official statement, people will still gossip. The only way to silence them is with your own strength.”
“There’s an upcoming academic exchange—jointly hosted by top domestic and international schools. Only senior students can attend, and there are only four available spots.”
