Chapter 349
His eyes stayed on her for another moment before shifting away. “So you achieved the highest math score. All our teachers took this math test. Every one of them agreed the paper was challenging. We expected students to underperform—but your results far surpassed everyone else’s.”
“And it wasn’t just math. Other subjects were equally difficult. The highest total score still belongs to that top student from the Ivy League-affiliated school—698 points. Meaning, Alarieka, your total score ranked second, just four points below theirs.”
After hearing this, Alarieka smiled coolly. “You’re suggesting I had prior access to the test papers and answers. That I cheated to get these scores. Correct?”
He paused, then gave a heavy nod. “Mhm.”
Alarieka inclined her head. “So even as your school’s highest scorer, you won’t admit me?”
Immediately shaking his head, the gray-shirted teacher clarified: “Of course not! We lack concrete evidence of cheating. But your results are… statistically anomalous. We’re not accusing you—no need for such strong wording. We simply plan to give you additional problems today. Solve them, and the principal along with all the teachers will approve your enrollment.”
“All right?” he added.
Truthfully, being suspected is unpleasant for any innocent person—something nobody welcomes. Alarieka was no exception. Although the teacher in the gray shirt spoke nicely, Alarieka knew it was just polite talk. These teachers surely suspected her of cheating in their hearts; that’s why they made such a big fuss coming here. But then again, if she herself encountered a student who suddenly popped up claiming to take first place, wanting to enter the school, and inexplicably scoring second in the joint mock exam, she would definitely be suspicious too. Because overall, the whole incident seemed like it was carefully orchestrated by her. Such suspicions from the school principal and teachers were quite reasonable.
Plus, what the teacher in the gray shirt said wasn’t offensive, and with the National College Entrance Examination approaching, Alarieka herself wanted to enter the school quickly to ensure she could take the exam smoothly. So she happily agreed to the principal and teachers’ proposal.
Hearing her agreement, the teacher in the gray shirt immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out a few sheets of paper from somewhere and placed them on the table in front of Alarieka.
“Here are some questions from our subject teachers. They’re all original, so you won’t find them in workbooks or past papers. Only our teachers know the answers. Take your time, no limit. We’ll grade them after class and decide if you can join the school based on your score.”
Alarieka said, “Okay.”
The gray-shirted teacher let out an “uh,” surprised by how cooperative she was. Before Alarieka arrived, he’d braced for arguments about the cheating accusations. They had zero proof she cheated. The principal proctored the whole exam and found nothing. Accusing students without evidence could ruin his teaching career. He’d prepared defenses and planned to drag the principal into it if needed—after all, she came to see the principal, not him. He never expected her to be so agreeable—no questions, no anger over the baseless suspicion. What a relief.
Once Alarieka took the test papers, he quickly excused himself for class. The other teachers were just spectators. This school had a poor intake—under five percent made top universities. Their best student was paid to attend. Most kids goofed off for three years, only studying seriously as the National College Entrance Examination neared. Teachers expected little from these students. When they heard some braggart claiming she’d top the school wanted to transfer in, every subject teacher rushed to grade Alarieka’s papers. The results stunned them.
Chapter 350