Chapter 178
Eleanor picked up the test paper and looked it over carefully. “Mr. Lee, the rankings are just a rough count for now. Quite a few papers without names weren’t included.”
There had been a machine glitch, tearing off the name section on some of the tests, so you couldn’t tell who they belonged to. But Eleanor was sure Charlotte had written her name on hers.
“So, how can you be certain that this one is Charlotte’s?” she asked.
Ronald immediately spread the leftover papers out on the desk. “The homeroom teachers from the other classes have already confirmed the ones with 77 and 68. That leaves just a 90 and a 48.”
“The ninety is almost definitely from my class’s second top student,” he said, sounding smug. “So that must make the forty-eight Charlotte’s, right? Don’t tell me you’re about to claim the ninety belongs to her.”
He laughed coldly, grinning wider as if he’d already won. But then Charlotte spoke up, her voice calm and clear.
“Yes, that one’s mine.”
The room went silent. Eleanor stared at Charlotte, lost for words. Ronald could barely believe his ears.
Did Charlotte just say the ninety was hers? If that was true, she’d beaten Olivia by a point and would be second place in the entire grade. Was she really going to risk everything, just to avoid getting kicked out, by stealing someone else’s score? Did she even know what a ninety looked like? Had she ever seen one, even once in her life?
“If you get a ninety, I’ll pack my bags and leave Vanguard High myself!” Ronald glared at her, then snapped at someone to go fetch his class’s second top student.
Across the whole school, only this one student could give Olivia any real competition. Losing to him by a single point and coming in second was nothing to be ashamed of. Ronald had even seen the test himself-the answers were near perfect. He felt a swell of pride. His teaching had paid off.
Watching Ronald standing there so sure of himself, Charlotte’s eyes turned cold. He might be leaving, but where he ended up was a different story.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the office door. In came a boy in uniform, head hanging, face pale as paper. His voice quivered. “Mr. Lee, you wanted to see me?”
“Come in, come in!” Ronald’s face lit up as he waved him over. “Back from sick leave and you didn’t come claim your test? Why not?”
The boy’s complexion grew even paler.
“You did great this time. I’m really proud of you.” Ronald patted him on the shoulder, smiling wide. “Now, tell Mr. Baker and Ms Adams, which of these tests is yours?”
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He made a point of glancing at Charlotte, mocking her with his eyes. Today, he
would show her what it felt like to hit rock bottom, to lose all hope.
The boy kept his hands hidden behind his back, his eyes flicking nervously between the two tests on the table. The difference between them was night and day. His eyelids twitched, betraying his anxiety.
“So, which one is yours? Cat got your tongue?” Ronald tapped the ninety, starting to worry that the boys illness had muddled his mind. fake your paper and gorest you’re done here.”
Ronald held out the ninety-point test, looking impatient. He was eager to move on and deal with Charlotte.
But the boy didn’t reach for it. Instead, he stepped back, guilt written all over his face.
Then, voice barely more than a whisper, he admitted, “The forty-eight… that one’s mine.”