The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25

How was this possible?

Shang Shaotan stared fixedly at the digits on the exam paper, desperately searching for any sign of a forged correction. But no matter how long he stared, he found nothing; the score had been written in a single, fluid stroke with no room for tampering.

Ms. He Yue was waiting to hear Ning Xiao’s failure, only to see Shang Shaotan freeze like a statue. Her first thought was that the score must be so catastrophically low that it had left him speechless.

“Go on, Shaotan. Read it out,” He Yue said, casting a meaningful glance toward Ning Xiao. “There’s no need to worry about bruising her ego.”

Hearing this, Shang Shaotan snapped out of his trance, his expression turning incredibly sour. If he read this aloud, Ning Xiao’s ego certainly wouldn’t be the one taking a hit—his own pride, however, was another matter entirely. He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Suspicious, He Yue walked over and snatched the paper from his hand. She looked down and began to read: “Ning Xiao.”

Then she stopped dead. Her eyes widened, and her lips began to tremble. How could this be? How could Ning Xiao possibly produce a result like this?!

Seeing the visible shock on both their faces, the students below began to whisper, everyone speculating wildly about what the score could be.

Yun Can’er turned back to look at Ning Xiao, her eyes full of worry. Ning Xiao merely gave her a playful wink, stood up with a flourish, and strode to the lectern. She snatched her paper back and said, “Since you’re both struggling to find the words, I’ll just announce it myself.”

Every eye in the room was glued to the paper in her hand. Ning Xiao scanned the score and raised an eyebrow. Not bad at all.

“Ning Xiao: 148.”

She put on a look of mock distress. “And here I was hoping for a perfect score. Let’s see. Ah, I lost two marks on the essay. What a shame!”

Ignoring the collective uproar that followed her dramatic sigh, she tucked the paper under her arm and sauntered back to her seat.

Yuan Wei watched her return, his excitement palpable. “Blimey! My goddess is brilliant!”

Ning Xiao offered him a brilliant smile. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Oh… er, you’re welcome,” Yuan Wei stammered, feeling utterly dazed.

Watching the interaction from the front, Shang Shaotan felt a surge of irrational fury. He was about to speak when He Yue shrieked, “Impossible! Ning Xiao, you must have cheated!”

Ning Xiao’s previous scores rarely even touched 90. How could she suddenly produce a near-perfect score after only two days of effort? She must have used some underhanded tactic!

The classroom fell silent as everyone looked at Ning Xiao. She let out a cold, dismissive snort, her eyes full of contempt. “Ms. He, you specifically requested a transfer to my exam hall just to keep an eye on me. You spent the entire time hovering around my desk. If I managed to cheat right under your nose, there is only one possible explanation…”

“What explanation?” Yuan Wei blurted out.

Ning Xiao chuckled, her eyes shimmering. “Why, that Ms. He helped me, of course! She must have requested Hall Nine specifically to provide me with cover. Don’t you agree, Ms. He?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” He Yue barked. How could she ever help Ning Xiao? She wanted nothing more than to see her fail and be kicked out of Class One!

Ning Xiao gave a helpless shrug. “Well, if you didn’t help me, and it was impossible for me to cheat in front of you, then there’s no issue with the score. You can’t just slander my reputation without a shred of evidence, Ms. He. I believe I could sue you for defamation for that.”

He Yue’s lips trembled, but before she could speak, Ning Xiao added with a half-smile, “Things have been rather quiet at the Ning family lately. Our legal team hasn’t had a good project in ages. Are you perhaps volunteering to give them a bit of practice? It’s rare to see such a self-sacrificing ‘saint’ these days!”

The naked threat drained the blood from He Yue’s face. She instinctively looked to Shang Shaotan for support, but he ignored her completely. He had no intention of helping her and simply walked back to his seat.

He Yue’s facial muscles twitched. “I  apologize, Ning Xiao. I shouldn’t have made such accusations without proof. You didn’t cheat.”

Ning Xiao nodded with satisfaction. “I accept your apology.”

The farce ended there. As a veteran teacher, He Yue managed to compose herself once she saw Ning Xiao wasn’t going to push further. She handed out the remaining papers and began the lesson.

Everything seemed to return to normal, with the students settling back into their studies—except for Shang Shaotan. In all his years, he had never been humiliated like this. He could accept being outscored by Yun Can’er, but being surpassed by Ning Xiao was intolerable!

She’s just a ghost from goodness-knows-where, he thought. Does she think occupying Ning Xiao’s body makes her the real thing?

The real Ning Xiao was incapable of scoring above 100 in Chinese. The real Ning Xiao would never embarrass him like this, let alone become best friends and eat lunch every day with Yun Can’er the girl he had confessed to! He felt a desperate urge to have the original Ning Xiao back. He was sick of his life spinning out of his control.

After class, the news of Ning Xiao’s score spread like wildfire. Many students privately suspected foul play, but once the “original” Class One students repeated Ning Xiao’s logic about the legal team, the rumours died down instantly. No one wanted to risk being sued over a bit of gossip.

Naturally, Wu Qing, Xu Yiyi, and Zhen Meng heard the news as well. They huddled together during the break to dissect the situation.

“Knowing Xiao Xiao, she wouldn’t cheat,” Wu Qing said. “But how on earth did she get such a high score?”

Xu Yiyi shook her head. “I haven’t a clue.”

Zhen Meng’s eyes twinkled with a knowing smile. “Actually, I have a theory.”

“Spit it out!” the other two urged.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s for Yun Can’er,” Zhen Meng explained. “Think about it. Can’er is a top student; she’s bound for a top-tier university. If Xiao Xiao doesn’t work hard to get into the same school, how is she supposed to woo her properly?”

Wu Qing nodded. “That makes sense. I never expected her crush on Can’er to have such a positive influence. It’s much better than that nonsense with Shang Shaotan.”

“Exactly,” Xu Yiyi added. “Xiao Xiao used to place in the top ten back in primary school. Her grades only went downhill once she met Shang Shaotan!”

While “top ten in primary school” wasn’t exactly a high-level academic achievement, the three friends were so loyal they genuinely believed it proved she was a dormant genius.

“If she’s this motivated before they’re even together, she might become a business tycoon just to impress her. Imagine having a tycoon for a best friend! I’m so excited!” Xu Yiyi squealed.

That afternoon, the results for English and Biology came out. Everyone Shang Shaotan included, was all ears.

The English teacher beamed. “One of our students has achieved a truly extraordinary result.”

“Is it Ning Xiao, Miss?” Yuan Wei asked eagerly. “What did she get?”

“It is indeed Ning Xiao,” the teacher smiled. “She achieved a perfect score of 150!”

The class erupted in gasps. Shang Shaotan nearly ground his teeth to dust. He’d scored 146 four marks lower than her. If he hadn’t been distracted during the listening section and lost two marks on the essay, he might have tied.

Ning Xiao, however, remained calm. The “original” Ning Xiao had been raised with bilingual education; English was her strongest subject, though she’d usually coasted around 120. Closing the gap to 150 wasn’t a huge leap with her current focus.

In Biology, the teacher called out the scores while the rep handed out the papers.

“Ning Xiao: 100.” The teacher paused. “Excellent work. Keep it up.”

“Good grief! Another perfect score!” someone whispered.

“That’s three subjects where she’s beaten Yun Can’er and Shang Shaotan. She might actually take the top spot in the whole year!”

Invisible to others, Shang Shaotan’s fists were clenched under his desk, his veins bulging with fury.

Support The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration]