The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 3

It was actually Ye Yizhou, who had been silent on the podium all along!

For a moment, everyone was astonished: Professor Ye was indeed impressive, but he was merely a professor hired by the school. How dare he now show such disregard for the dean? Was he tired of his job?

They couldn’t help but glance at the dean standing nearby and noticed his facial muscles twitching slightly, clearly in a foul mood.

Seeing the situation take an unexpected turn, Yu Ruan was stunned.

He knew all too well that his luck was never great, and he often ended up dragging down those who tried to help him. Now that Ye Yizhou had stepped forward to stand by his side, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

What if Ye Yizhou ended up infected by his bad luck too?

He immediately said, “Professor Ye, you don’t need to worry about me! I deserve this punishment. Ji Huai has already been very lenient, and I’m truly grateful to him!”

If Ye Yizhou heard this, surely he would back off, right?

Yu Ruan thought hopefully.

However, in the eyes of the others, the young man appeared to be holding back tears, seemingly utterly heartbroken. His body trembled, unsteady and on the verge of collapse, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.

His thick eyelashes, like fragile butterfly wings, drooped under the weight of his distress. Biting his lip, his face pale, he reluctantly praised Ji Huai for his kindness.

Instantly, everyone’s hearts clenched in sympathy.

He really looked so pitiful.

Ye Yizhou’s expression turned serious as he said to Yu Ruan, “I believe you’re not the type to cheat.”

Yu Ruan: “?”

He looked around in confusion, only to find some people showing sympathy, others with tears in their eyes, all wearing expressions that seemed to say, “Don’t be afraid, speak up, we support you.”

This starkly contrasted with the dean’s face, which had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Something seemed off?

Ji Huai’s eyes darkened. “Professor Ye, I know you’re very fond of Yu Ruan. However, this incident was witnessed by He Xin, and the proctor is also aware of it.”

“I understand you might find it hard to accept at first, which is why you’re saying this,” he continued. “But He Xin has no grudge against Yu Ruan and has no reason to frame him deliberately. Now that Yu Ruan has admitted his mistake promptly, it must be because he doesn’t want to let you down. Please don’t pressure him further it will only make him feel worse.”

After saying this, he gave Yu Ruan a slight smile. “Yu Ruan, I completely understand how you feel. I’m sure the teacher will understand too.”

Yu Ruan opened his mouth, glanced at Ji Huai’s face, then at Ye Yizhou’s expression, and wisely swallowed the “yes” that was on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing his hesitant expression, everyone immediately understood the situation clearly.

There was definitely more to this story!

Having been ignored for quite some time, the dean finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Professor Ye, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

The dean knew that Professor Ye was an elite hired by the school from the Capital Star, and his background was somewhat mysterious. But before Ye’s arrival, another influential figure from the Capital Star, the eldest son of the Li family, had also subtly instructed him to follow the agreed-upon outcome and expel Yu Ruan.

Caught between two powerful figures he couldn’t afford to offend, the dean felt it was safer to comply with the Li family’s wishes. After all, they were a prominent noble family from the Imperial Star, capable of crushing him with a single finger.

“I heard the surveillance in the examination room where the incident occurred was broken?”

The dean immediately turned pale with shock.

In this grand interstellar era, technology had advanced by leaps and bounds, undergoing countless revolutions. However, Conan Star was a resource planet, with its main industries centered around agricultural products and relatively low-end processing. Both its technology and economy lagged far behind.

As a result, such an unimaginable incident could only occur at Xinle Academy.

For such a crucial college entrance exam, the surveillance cameras responsible for monitoring the examination hall had actually malfunctioned!

At this thought, another layer of sweat broke out on the dean’s forehead: if the representatives from Nebula University found out, they would surely face severe consequences. The exam quota that Xinle Academy had painstakingly secured would likely go to waste.

This matter absolutely must not be leaked!

The dean’s expression shifted. “Professor Ye, even you must be careful with your words. Our school’s surveillance recordings are perfectly preserved, and the equipment is functioning without any issues. Yu Ruan did cheat this was the conclusion reached by the school after reviewing the footage and holding discussions!”

“Is that so?”

“Of course it is!” the dean declared emphatically. “As an educator, I must lead by example. How could I lie and deceive? A person who lies is unworthy of being a teacher!” Ji Huai chimed in proactively, “Professor Ye, you’re new to the school, so you might not be familiar with the dean. But he truly never lies and is an excellent teacher. Moreover, the school has the surveillance footage as evidence.”

Ye Yizhou let out a noncommittal “Oh,” his tone slightly rising.

“Then, may we take a look at the footage?”

As soon as he spoke, the two people present froze instantly.

For a moment, the classroom fell into dead silence.

Yu Ruan was utterly bewildered. He glanced anxiously at Ye Yizhou and realized he had no intention of backing down, which filled him with worry:

Being humiliated by the protagonist was the cannon fodder’s destined role in the plot. Anyone who tried to interfere would inevitably be relegated to cannon fodder status as well. Although Professor Ye had the looks of a protagonist’s love interest, Ji Huai already had his fated partner!

In other words, if things continued like this, Ye Yizhou, who lacked protagonist status, was bound to become cannon fodder!

Yu Ruan couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Professor Ye, I understand your kindness, but you really don’t have to do this.”

Before he could finish, Ji Huai interrupted him, “Actually, the footage was urgently sent to the representatives from Nebula University right after the exam. But I can vouch with my credibility that He Xin would never intentionally lie to a teacher. Because I also saw it, the cheat note was indeed thrown by Yu Ruan.”

“Credibility?” Ye Yizhou asked him. “Using your credibility?”

“Yes.”

Hearing this, Ye Yizhou let out a soft chuckle.

At some point, a silver chip had appeared between his fingers. Twirling it in his slender hand, Ye Yizhou said calmly, “Actually, before coming to the school today, I happened to obtain a copy of the footage from the Nebula University representatives.”

“As this is your first time securing this qualification, there might be some things you’re unaware of. For their entrance exams, Nebula University never uses the surveillance equipment of the host school. To prevent cheating, they only trust the invigilation drones they bring from their own institution.”

“These drones have been specially treated so that no candidate can detect their presence. Aside from those responsible for monitoring, no one can track their traces, let alone hack them that’s simply absurd.”

The two individuals’ faces instantly turned ashen.

Upon hearing Ye Yizhou’s explanation, the students in the classroom collectively gasped in awe. Someone whispered excitedly, “As expected of the Empire’s strongest institution! This technology sounds incredibly advanced!”

Ye Yizhou merely smiled without responding. He casually tapped his wrist and inserted a chip. Soon, the antiquated-looking wristwatch transformed, projecting a holographic display on the screen behind him.

Only then did Yu Ruan realize that the wristwatch Ye Yizhou wore was actually the symbol of this interstellar era, a light-brain!

He had long heard of this revolutionary device, but unfortunately, his character was a poor cannon fodder from a backward region, with no chance to witness such expensive high-tech marvels of the interstellar age. Even after transmigrating for so many years, he had never had the opportunity to examine one up close.

After processing this revelation, the students in the class immediately regarded the mysterious Professor Ye with newfound respect.

It was said that every light-brain was extremely rare and exorbitantly priced. They had initially assumed Professor Ye was just an ordinary resident from the capital planet, but now it appeared his background was far more significant than they had imagined.

Perhaps he was even more influential than Young Master Li himself!

The fact that someone of such stature showed special favor toward Yu Ruan instantly sparked waves of envy among the students.

The screen behind Ye Yizhou shifted, soon replaying the scene from the examination hall.

Starcloud University took every test seriously. To prevent tampering with results, all written sections were completed with pen and paper. This way, any secondary alterations would immediately expose potential cheaters.

Amid the soft rustling of students writing, one corner stood out glaringly. A boy wearing the uniform of Xinle Academy secretly tossed a paper ball forward, which landed near the feet of the person accused of cheating. Unaware, the accused continued answering questions earnestly.

A breeze swept through, causing the paper ball to roll toward another person’s feet and stop. Coincidentally, the invigilator happened to be passing by that desk, picked up the paper ball out of curiosity, and immediately turned stern, sharply questioning everyone in the examination hall.

Realizing the trouble he had caused, the boy who threw the paper ball froze in panic. He frantically raised his hand and proactively reported the “crime” to the teacher. What followed was the sequence of events everyone already knew.

Witnessing this, the entire class was stunned.

The person who had thrown the paper ball and reported the “culprit” to the teacher was none other than He Xin! This entire incident had been a scenario orchestrated by He Xin himself?!

The students’ gazes toward He Xin instantly shifted 180 degrees.

Yu Ruan had never wronged him in any way, yet He Xin had resorted to such malicious tactics! And he even tried to pin the blame on Yu Ruan, forcing him to bear the disgrace??

How could someone be so despicable?!

As for He Xin himself, his face cycled through shades of green and white. Gnashing his teeth in fury, he could only glare hatefully at Ye Yizhou, who had revealed the recording, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment.

“You see, that’s how it happened,” Ye Yizhou said with a light laugh. “Student Ji Huai, it seems your credibility isn’t all that reliable, is it?”

Ji Huai’s expression was equally grim.

He never expected that a lie that had already been accepted as fact could be exposed and so easily, at that, right to his face.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel regret and shot a resentful glare at He Xin, who had proposed the plan in the first place.

If it weren’t for He Xin saying that if they took the exam fairly, his results might not be able to surpass Yu Ruan’s, and he might miss the chance to attend Nebula University, he would never have agreed to this plan to frame Yu Ruan.

Now that their crime had been exposed on the spot, even if He Xin was the one exposed, it was highly likely that he would be implicated as well.

What if because of this, he couldn’t go to Nebula University anymore? What should he do?!

Ji Huai’s face darkened, and he pouted unhappily, remaining silent.

Meanwhile, the face of the dean beside him had turned the color of liver.

He never imagined that Ye Yizhou would bring out such a “big gift.” And judging by his casual tone, Nebula University seemed like nothing special in his eyes. Perhaps his true identity was far more formidable than Li Hong’s.

Recalling how he had just shown such an attitude to such a person, he regretted it so much his intestines were turning green.

Wiping his sweat, he quickly made up his mind.

Pretending as if nothing had happened, the dean gave Ye Yizhou an ingratiating smile. “I never expected Professor Ye to have the recording as well. It seems we might have misjudged the situation. The one who cheated probably wasn’t Student Yu Ruan, but the one who threw the paper ball!”

Ye Yizhou raised an eyebrow, ignoring him, and instead gave Yu Ruan a slight smile.

Yu Ruan looked back at him blankly, still not fully grasping what had just happened.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go notify the principal right away. This must be dealt with strictly!”

With a light and dismissive tone, the dean brushed aside his earlier confident assertions and glared fiercely at He Xin. “At such a young age, you’ve already learned to frame others. I don’t think you need to continue studying at this school! You’ve brought shame on the entire school!”

He Xin abruptly stood up, indignant. “I didn’t cheat! It was Yu Ruan who cheated! Ye Yizhou is trying to protect Yu Ruan, so he brought out a fake recording. You’ve all been fooled by him!”

He turned to Ji Huai, asking expectantly, “Ji Huai, isn’t that right? We were in the same exam hall, you must have seen it too, right? How could I possibly cheat? I have no conflict of interest with him. Hurry up and back me up!”

However, the person he called upon only lowered his eyelashes dejectedly. His dark lashes trembled as he choked out, “Professor Ye, I’m sorry. I was blinded by He Xin and misunderstood Student Yu Ruan. I never thought the truth would be like this. I’m truly, truly very sorry!”

He Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

In an instant, his face turned ashen, and he slumped back into his chair, dazed.

It was only then that Yu Ruan belatedly realized what was happening.

What was going on?

Wasn’t he supposed to be the one being slapped in the face by the protagonist? How did it turn into the protagonist getting slapped in the face by him instead???

Something about this plot seemed off, didn’t it???

The shock came too suddenly. He couldn’t feel even a hint of joy from it; instead, he felt a bit panicked. He couldn’t shake the feeling that behind this plot twist, an even bigger storm was brewing.

He looked at Ye Yizhou, wanting to speak but hesitating, desperately wishing to persuade the other not to speak up for him anymore, lest it bring trouble in the future. Yet the words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

If he said it now, would it hurt Professor Ye’s feelings? QAQ

Yu Ruan hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding to wait until the matter was resolved before secretly seeking the other out for a heart-to-heart talk, intending to explain things tactfully to Ye Yizhou.

Seeing the anxious, misty eyes of the person before him, Ye Yizhou smiled with satisfaction and said to the dean, “I hope the school will handle this matter seriously, allowing Ji Huai to clear Yu Ruan’s name. Moreover…”

His tone was elegant, like the deep resonance of a cello, but the words he spoke were merciless: “I believe the nomination for Xingyun University also needs to be reconsidered.”

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