Chapter 1

"Zayne Watson, I've already called your parents. They're on their way here."

The discipline teacher, Wallace Stone, stood at the front of the classroom, while a circle of students gathered around to watch the drama unfold.

"This cheating scandal is extremely serious," he continued coldly. "If your parents don't show up, we'll proceed directly with expulsion. Once that goes on your record, you can forget about ever turning your life around!"

I stood in the middle of the crowd, wearing a cold expression.

In my previous life, it was right here that I had been branded a cheater.

From that moment on, my life was ruined. I fell straight into the abyss.

Right beside me stood the so-called victim, the Watson family's real son, Flynn Watson.

His eyes were slightly red, and his lips were pressed tightly together, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"Mr. Stone, everyone, please don't blame Zayne," Flynn said softly. "This is all my fault. I didn't cover my paper properly. I shouldn't have scored so well…"

He lowered his head, looking deeply remorseful.

"If I had scored badly or intentionally answered a few questions wrong, Zayne wouldn't have felt pressured to take this kind of shortcut just to beat me."

Mr. Stone grew even more furious upon hearing that. "Flynn, you're just too considerate of your brother! How could this possibly be your fault? He's the one with a crooked mind. You earned first place with your own ability. Why should you give that up for him?"

Flynn shook his head helplessly and glanced around at the others.

"You don't understand," he muttered. "Zayne has actually been under a lot of pressure at home. He just wants to stay in the Watson family. Ever since I came back, he's been really anxious. He's afraid our parents only value me and not him, so he wanted to prove himself with a good score…"

He paused for a moment, as if gathering the courage to say the rest.

"I gave him the answers voluntarily this time. A few days ago, Zayne lost his temper at home and cornered me in an alley to threaten me. He said he'd trained in martial arts and warned me that if things got physical, he wouldn't be responsible for what happened.

"He told me that if I didn't help him secure the recommendation spot, he'd make sure I could never survive in the Watson family. That's why I deliberately let him see my paper. I don't blame Zayne, really. After all, we're brothers."

The classroom instantly erupted.

"What? He cornered Flynn in an alley and threatened him? He was even going to hit him? What a thug!"

"I knew something was off! Flynn always had bruises on him. That means Zayne's been bullying him this whole time!"

"That's disgusting! He already stole Flynn's place in the family for years, and now he's trying to steal his future too?"

A boy who was usually close to Flynn suddenly shot to his feet and pointed straight at me. "Zayne, do you have any shame at all? Flynn's been nothing but loyal to you, and this is how you treat him?"

"Get out of our class! We don't want trash like you here!"

"Yeah! Get out! Get out of Class Two!"

"Cheating scum!"

"Violent psycho!"

The insults surged toward me like a tidal wave.

In my previous life, rage had gotten the better of me. I rushed forward and grabbed Flynn by the collar, perfectly confirming their claims that I was a violent thug.

But this time, I wouldn't make the same mistake.

My sharp gaze swept across the classroom before finally landing on Flynn, who was still pretending to be pitiful.

"Flynn, that's quite a story you've spun," I said coldly. "You claim I cornered you, threatened you, and forced you to help me cheat. Where's your evidence?"

Flynn's eyes flickered. He took a small step back, as if afraid I might suddenly attack him, and quickly hid behind Mr. Stone.

"Zayne, don't be angry," he said nervously. "I really didn't want to say anything. Everyone kept pressing me, so I had no choice… I didn't want you to get expelled."

"Enough!" Mr. Stone barked.

"Zayne, even now you refuse to admit your mistake and continue to intimidate the victim. With an attitude like that, you're beyond saving. When your parents arrive, I will tell them everything you've done in front of the entire class."

Right then, the classroom door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man's voice came from the doorway, trembling with suppressed anger.

"There's no need to wait. We already heard everything."