Chapter 2 A Trap Signed Willingly

I couldn't stop myself from chortling.

So that was it.

Bonnie had never been a good student, but she couldn't accept repeating her senior year alone. She likely came up with this idiotic scheme to drag the entire class down with her.

However, she was also rightfully afraid of being held responsible if something went wrong. So, she'd used CipherAI to generate this half-baked confidentiality agreement, hoping everyone would voluntarily sign away any liability.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and sign it already!" Leon strode over and slapped a hand down on my desk.

True to my dull persona, it took my brain an extra second to catch up. So, I waited a few moments before saying, "This disclaimer…"

Leon frowned. "What about it?"

"Nothing. It just looks like it was written by AI," I replied blandly.

Bonnie's face turned pale for a split second. She quickly lowered her eyes, her voice shaking as she murmured, "I wrote it myself. I was worried I wouldn't express things clearly enough, so I asked AI to polish the wording a little. Ondine, don't overthink it."

Leon immediately shot me a glare. "Are you done with your questions? Bonnie stayed up all night for everyone's sake, and you're nitpicking her wording?"

I nodded. "Oh, okay. I'll sign it."

Leon snatched the form from my hand. "Smart choice."

After every signed agreement had been collected, Bonnie hugged the document folder to her chest and gave one last reminder. "Don't forget, guys. Activate your answer sheets immediately after you get them."

She got a chorus of agreement in return.

At that moment, every pair of eyes in the classroom sparkled with hope. They were acting as though Bonnie had already placed acceptance letters from prestigious universities right into their hands.

I watched them listlessly from my seat in the back row before lowering my gaze to the study tablet on my desk. A tiny red indicator blinked in the corner of the screen.

"Recording Wrong Answer Explanations… Automatically Synced to Cloud."

Everything that had just happened in the classroom had been recorded and uploaded.

…

The next morning, the entrance to the examination center was packed with people. Parents stood beneath umbrellas while teachers held up signs. The loudspeakers boomed overhead, repeatedly reminding candidates to enter the venue early.

I stood at the very back of the crowd, so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open.

Bonnie had arrived early, and there were two cases of bottled water right next to her. Each bottle was decorated with a light blue sticky note, on which she had written neatly, "Hope everything goes exactly as planned!"

The entire class became deeply touched by her gesture when they gathered around her and saw the bottles.

"Bonnie, how sweet of you."

"You're still thinking about us even on the day of the exam. I'm seriously going to cry."

"We'll definitely make it into the special review pool with your help."

Bonnie lowered her head shyly. "I was just worried everyone would be nervous. Don't drink too much water beforehand. Use it to sprinkle some water onto your answer sheets once the exam starts."

As she spoke, she lowered her voice even further. "Remember to wet the edges around the barcode too. The scanner has to fail on the first attempt before it'll send the paper for manual review."

"What if the proctor notices?" someone asked nervously.

Leon immediately glared at the speaker. "Your palms get sweaty, don't you? It's scorching outside. A little moisture on the edge of an answer sheet is completely normal."

Bonnie gently tugged at his sleeve to calm him down. "Leon, don't be so harsh. I understand why everyone's anxious. This was always going to be risky."

Her eyes reddened again. "If you decide not to do it… That's okay, too. I won't blame anyone."

Several classmates instantly became agitated.

"Bonnie, don't say that. We're definitely doing it!"

"You've already handed us this opportunity. We'd be idiots not to take it."

"Exactly. Anyone who doesn't do it will regret it for the rest of their lives."