Chapter 2

Just like in the previous lifetime, Ian retrieved a pair of glasses and put them on once the exam started.

He even kept using a ruler to reflect sunlight onto my desk, trying to lure me into glancing his way.

I decided to cooperate and looked over at him a few times.

Of course, I was only checking whether he was properly copying my answers.

Watching Ian fill in his answer sheet in perfect sync with my pacing, I almost laughed out loud right there in the exam hall.

'Well done, Keith. Without you, how could I ever get into Alpheno College? Shirley promised to spend the whole night with me tonight. Should I go home and get changed?'

While fantasizing about Shirley, Ian set down his pen.

After making sure I was still writing my essay, he immediately stood up and turned in his paper early.

Before leaving, he even shot me a smug grin.

Alright. It was my turn to actually answer the questions.

I naturally took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes before quietly erasing every answer on my answer sheet.

Since the exam paper was exactly the same as it had been in my previous life, thirty minutes was more than enough time for me to rewrite everything from scratch.

But there was one thing I still couldn't understand. How had Ian managed to finish the essay before me and make it identical to mine?

During the exam, Ian had written the essay first. He then used the projection feed from the glasses to fill in the remaining questions.

That was why he could hand in his paper early while still turning in answers identical to mine.

I slowly clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. The overwhelming rage nearly drowned my senses.

It had to be Shirley. Shirley must've stolen the essay topics I predicted and given them to Ian in advance.

When the final bell rang, I handed in my answer sheet and exam paper before leaving the hall with the rest of the crowd.

Not far away, Ian stared at me maliciously.

'Keith's mom works as a designer or something, right? She raised such a dumb son. I'm better than him in every way. It's only natural Shirley fell for me instead.'

I casually walked past Ian and greeted him with a smile.

"Ian, you turned in your paper really early. Feeling confident?"

Ian pretended to look troubled and shrugged. "Not at all. I couldn't understand most of it, so I just came out early.

"I'm not like you. You're the smart one. You're definitely getting into Alpheno College, aren't you?"

I had never once told anyone that Alpheno College was my first choice for college. It seemed Shirley had told him that too.

I smiled at Ian and said softly, "It's alright. If not this year, there's always next year.

"Oh, right. The school I'm applying to is Callisto College, not Alpheno College."

Every exam afterward went smoothly.

For every single paper, I specially prepared a unique version just for Ian.

Yet Ian never noticed a thing. He copied answer after answer onto his sheets.

When the final bell rang, I set down my pen and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Today, just like last time, Shirley was waiting for me outside the exam hall. Ian, who had once again turned in his paper early, was standing beside her.

The moment Shirley saw me, she smiled and waved enthusiastically.

"Keith! Over here!"

I grinned and jogged toward her.

Right in front of Ian's murderous stare, I grabbed Shirley and kissed her hard on the cheek.

"Shirley, I guessed the questions right! I really guessed them right!"

'This is great! Hahaha! I knew Keith would be lucky.'

"That's amazing, Keith! I knew you could do it!"

While offering fake congratulations, Shirley casually removed the glasses from my face.

I looked at her in confusion as she smiled and put my repaired glasses back on me. "This frame looked a little crooked. Since returns are still accepted today, I'll swap them out. I already fixed your old pair for you."

After stuffing the glasses with the camera into her bag, Shirley seemed visibly relaxed.

'Now everything's foolproof. Even if Keith figures it out, he won't have any evidence.'

Ian suddenly stepped closer with a victorious grin on his face.

"Keith, are you and Shirley really getting engaged? Man, you're so lucky!

"Shirley's gorgeous and smart. I'm honestly jealous."

'Bet you didn't know Shirley's already slept with me. She's completely obsessed with me.'

Thinking about their nights together, Ian stared at Shirley intensely. Shirley looked back at him just as passionately.

'Ian's definitely going to be rough tonight, especially with that position from last time.'

As if I didn't even exist, the two of them exchanged heated looks while filling their minds with filthy thoughts.

In my previous life, after I was accused of cheating, every school blacklisted me. Not a single high school was willing to accept me for another year of study.

Meanwhile, Ian transformed overnight into the top SAT scorer in the state and was showered with praise.

Countless reporters traveled from other cities just to interview the handsome young prodigy.

One day, Ian showed up in his school uniform and looked into a camera with tears in his eyes.

"Keith, we were classmates. I really didn't want to see you ruin yourself like this.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Yours was just a little bigger than most. Although your grades were fake all along, if you're willing to work hard and apologize to me, I'll forgive you.

"I know you're watching this interview. Please stop hiding. Come out and admit your mistakes."