Chapter 5 Celebration Before the Fall

"Same here," I murmured into the wind.

…

Our class booked a large private room for dinner half a month after the exam finally came to a close.

It was supposed to be a graduation gathering, but… Judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, it looked more like an early victory celebration.

Leon stood in the center of the room with a glass of juice raised high, his voice loud enough to nearly drown out the music. "Once the special admissions results are released, our class is going to become the school's biggest legend.

"Then, all those people who only know how to bury themselves in textbooks will finally understand what an information gap really is."

The room immediately erupted into cheers.

Bonnie sat in the middle of the group, surrounded by classmates. "Everyone's worked hard these past few days. From now on, let's all relax and keep our heads down. The manual special review is confidential. You won't be able to see its progress through the normal channels."

Several people immediately bobbed their heads in understanding.

"We totally get it. The more secretive it is, the more legitimate it sounds."

"Bonnie, did your uncle say when the results are coming out?"

Bonnie lowered her head and gently traced the rim of her cup with her fingers. "It should be soon. He said the system was especially strict this year. Any abnormal exam papers would all be sealed first, and only after that would they go to the special panel for manual review."

Her voice was soft, but it settled everyone's nerves. It was as if her words were a reassuring promise instead of something she pulled out of her ass.

The atmosphere in the room quickly became lively again.

Some people discussed which universities they were going to apply to. Some wanted to study in the capital. Others planned to major in finance. Someone even joked that Bonnie was the class's lucky star and deserved the seat of honor at everyone's admission banquet.

Bonnie lowered her head with a bashful smile. "Don't tease me like that. I just hope everything works out for all of you."

I sat quietly in the corner, my eyes falling on my photo gallery. Every piece of evidence I had collected over the past few days was sitting there, biding its time.

Just as the celebration reached its peak, someone suddenly shouted, "Holy crap! Check the trending searches!"

The music was turned down, and more than a dozen phones lit up at the same time.

Leon frowned as he opened the headline. The smile on his face slowly froze. "A notice from the State Board of Examinations…"

He got halfway through before his voice caught in his throat. The person beside him snatched the phone away impatiently and demanded, "Well? Keep reading."

However, that unfortunate soul turned stark white as he read what was written. Soon, the noisy private room fell into a deathly silence, as though an invisible hand had strangled everyone's throats.

I slowly picked up my own phone. The number one trending topic was marked with a glaring "HOT."

"Large Number of Abnormal Exam Papers Discovered in This Year's College Entrance Exam."

I clicked on the link.

The State Board of Examinations had just released an official announcement. It was written in black and white and stamped with a bright red official seal.

"Following technical screening and manual review, multiple exam papers from this year's exam were found to have had the barcode areas on their answer sheets intentionally soaked, stained, or otherwise damaged.

"All affected exam papers have been sealed as evidence. Information relating to the candidates suspected of violating examination regulations has been transferred to the appropriate authorities for further investigation."

The room went completely silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward Bonnie. Her face was as white as paper, but she still forced herself to speak. "Don't panic. This should just be the standard announcement before the special review begins. I told you, didn't I?

"If the system has detected it, that only means that the process has officially started."

Leon latched onto her words like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline. "Exactly. Bonnie's right. Don't scare yourselves."

Still, my phone vibrated almost immediately after. I looked down at the screen and quirked my lips in amusement.

After all, staring back in my face was one newly added post. "Following official verification, all exam papers that were found to be in violation have had their scores invalidated."