How impressive! Josie was stunned. Never had she expected harsher comments about David than hers.

It seemed Daisy wasn’t afraid of offending David at all. Instantly, Josie had a good impression of Daisy. She pressed her lips to suppress her laughter.

“Did I say anything wrong?” With her hands on her hip, Daisy glared at David, who was lost for words.

David’s chest heaved with emotion. It took him quite a while to get his voice back.

“Professor!” Aiden felt conflicted. He was anxious to figure out the truth of the so-called cheating. At the same time, he agreed with Josie and Daisy.

"They are right. Professor Lawson cares about nothing but academic performance. That is the only way to get his attention. He talks with me about nothing but exams and research," Aiden thought.

In his memory, he had learned nothing from David. He was lost in his thoughts.

This was his second time doubting his choice. ‘Did I choose the right mentor?’ he wondered.

“Cut the crap. I don’t think that Colby could beat Aiden in exams. I need the Academic Affairs Office to do justice to Aiden. Colby must have cheated,” David said.

Josie laughed. “How absurd! Aiden is just fourth in the ranking. What justice? The truth is that he is inferior to Colby."

“Do you also doubt the students ranking second and third? Are you making a fuss just because Aiden ranks fourth? Why is Aiden so important? Because you are powerful and influential?

“With one sentence, you deny others‘ effort. You make others cheaters by blackening their reputation. Why? Why do you think that you have the right to ruin the reputation of a student?”

Her questions, each sharper than the last, rendered the others silent.

Daisy’s eyes turned red. “Josie, those are the questions from my heart. Professor Lawson occupies the best resources of the university, and the other professors, including me, share the rest he doesn’t want.

“We have to make way for him just because his students have good academic performance? How unreasonable! How overbearing!"

“Mr. Shepherd, I would quit if Colby cheated in the exams. If he didn’t, I would allow nobody to blacken his reputation.”

Isaiah had a headache. He now understood that things would become complicated once Josie and David got involved.

‘Since when? The respectable Professor Lawson became unpopular. He was proven to be ridiculous again and again,’ he thought. As the manager of the university, he didn’t have the guts to take sides.

It was impossible for him to dissuade Josie, who seemed unyielding under the support of Delilah. Besides, cheating in the exams was a grave matter at university.

“To blacken his reputation?” David was determined to reclaim his honor by helping Aiden, and he had the confidence to achieve his goal.

“I have a good reason to question Colby, given his past academic records. It is reasonable if I insist that he should retake the exam, isn’t it?” he pressed.

“Well…” Isaiah became hesitant. There was a rule that the student should retake the exam once his academic performance got questioned by the university.

After a sneer, David said, “Don’t you question my authority? Let me tell you, the source of my confidence and authority is my students. My students can stay outstanding. Can you?”

Daisy deeply knitted her eyebrows. To be honest, Colby wasn’t interested in his studies, but his good brain helped him stay at the top of his class.

‘He said that he ranked top this time because he got some helpful documents. It was just a stroke of luck, I think. He didn’t cheat. If he retakes the exams, can he keep his place...’ Daisy thought.

She wasn’t as confident as David. David smirked when the others fell silent. “Why are you silent? Scared?”

“About what?” Colby sounded angry. “I don’t mind retaking the exams, but there are two conditions.”

“Go on,” David glared at Colby.

Colby snorted. “If I beat Aiden again, you should make a public apology to me and shouldn’t question whoever beats your students in exams.”

“Well done,” Josie shouted. “The privileged will be frustrated for sure.”

“They will!” Zoey responded indignantly. “Colby didn’t cheat, but he was made to retake the exams. How outrageous!”

Daisy seemed worried. “Colby…”

“Professor, don’t worry. I will do my best!” Colby seemed to be at ease.

Josie worried about Colby. She didn’t have confidence in him because Aiden was a straight-A student all the time. Aiden had made a blunder in the last exams, but he might not this time.

Colby and Aiden retook the exams in the Academic Affairs Office. The others waited outside.

Josie made a decision when she walked out of the Academic Affairs Office.

She didn’t want a showdown with David so soon because she was a powerless orphan. To beat him, she had better keep a low profile and improve herself.

However, he kept making things difficult for her since her departure from his team. It was time for her to do something.

Josie took out her phone and sent a post which contained a detailed description of her bet with David and her decision to donate her documents to the university.

Before Colby left the Academic Affairs Office, David and his team became the topic of conversation at the university.

[Josie left David’s team one semester ago. It is said that she had been absent from David’s class for one entire semester, but her academic performance still ranks top. Here comes my question: Does she really need David?]

[I have the same doubt. With David’s guidance, Natalie ranked second. Her scores were much lower than Josie’s. So, whose problem? Natalie’s? David’s?]

[I think David isn’t such an outstanding professor as the rumors suggest. His courses are popular, perhaps because of his fame.]

Students were active in sharing their comments online.

[My professor is great, but he isn’t as famous as David. My class began as one of mixed abilities, and my classmates reached the same level after four years. None of us ranked top in the grade, but we stayed around fiftieth place. My professor is fair to every student.]

That may be the truth…