All Chapters of Framed for an Exam I Never Took: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Jade, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and hand over your ID so we can check in." My best friend Lily Carter's voice snapped me back to reality. I shuddered. I was standing in the lobby of a hotel. Behind the front desk, a clock on the wall showed the date 6th of June.Lily nudged me. "Hello? Your ID!"The slight jolt finally made me realize that I had been reborn.In my last life, the exam center was far from home. Afraid of traffic delays on the college entrance exam day, Lily and I had booked a hotel less than a hundred yards from the venue the night before.After my last paper, the moment I walked out of the exam hall, I was arrested for cheating. And the person who had supplied the answers had been hiding in the very hotel room I'd stayed in."Jade, why are you being so slow today? The receptionist is waiting!" Lily complained, reaching straight into my bag to grab my ID.I grabbed her wrist. "I'm not staying!"Lily frowned. "Jade, what's wrong with you? Do you kno

Chapter 2

"Sorry, everyone. It looks like the circuit breaker tripped. I'll go reset it right now. Please stay calm."Not long after, police sirens wailed outside the cafe. Several officers rushed in and surrounded me. One of them flipped open his badge and said, Jade Cromwell, you run pretty fast. One moment you vanish, the next you're hiding in a cybercafe."I was stunned. "Excuse me. Why are you looking for me?"The officer scoffed. "Quit playing dumb. You were caught cheating on the college entrance exam. We're here to arrest you!"My mind went blank instantly. "Me… cheating?"While I was in a daze, Lily and my childhood friend turned boyfriend, Sean Humphrey, rushed inside. Lily was out of breath as she exclaimed, "Jade would never cheat! You have to trust in her character. Besides, she was already granted early admission. She had no reason to do this."Sean pushed through the crowd and stepped in front of me protectively, "Officer, she wouldn't take that kind of risk. There has to

Chapter 3

At that moment, I felt as if I'd been plunged into icy water. My whole body trembled uncontrollably.The cafe manager pointed at the small red flower pinned to my shirt. "Didn't you just rush in from outside a moment ago? I might not be good with faces, but I remember that red flower on your collar. It's really eye-catching."Agitated, I shouted, "You're lying! I've been sitting at my computer the whole time. I never went anywhere!"The police officer chuckled. "Jade, stop arguing. That flashy little red flower is exactly where you hid your cheating device."As he spoke, he took out a pair of scissors and cut the flower off. He ripped it open, revealing a tiny electronic device hidden inside.My eyes widened in utter shock.In my past life, an identical device had been found in my clothes as well. The sight of it brought me straight back into that past moment.I screamed in terror, "That isn't mine!"At the same time, Lily cried out, "Jade, isn't that the thing?"Sean looked a

Chapter 4

In this life and the last, who was it that determined to nail me to a pillar of shame and put me to death?The knock came again, and the door opened from the outside. My parents' voice slipped through the crack. "Officer, please. Let us see Jade. She must've been framed. Our daughter would never do something like this. If you won't let us see her, we'll hurt ourselves right here!"The officer handling the case sighed. "Jade, come out for a moment."With my hands cuffed, two officers held me on either side and escorted me out of the interrogation room."Jade… Jade…" My parents called my name from a distance.I looked at Mom's disheveled hair and Dad's bloodshot eyes. A sharp ache spread through my chest.They had always said that as educators, upkeeping a neat and presentable appearance was important. So, they never went out without looking put together. This was the first time I had ever seen them this broken.They stared at me with urgency. "Jade, did you do it?"I shook my he

Chapter 5

The entire lobby seemed to freeze at that moment. All eyes turned to me.A police officer was the first to break the silence. "Who's framing you?"I answered calmly, "The person who framed me is right here, among them."As I spoke, my gaze sharpened, sweeping across every person present. Some people avoided my eyes. Some looked back with provocation. My parents were the only ones wearing worried expressions.In my last life, I was taken away in handcuffs the moment I walked out of the exam hall. The only time I saw my parents again was in the courtroom. In just one month, their eyes had sunk deep into their faces, and they had become painfully thin.They held my hands, their gazes steady. "Jade, we know you're a good kid. You'd never cheat. Behave yourself in there. We'll fight for justice for you."The trial was livestreamed nationwide for the entire country to see. The moment my parents spoke, the livestream exploded with hate. Countless people accused them of being public scho

Chapter 6

After all the chaos, it was already dawn.In the hospital room, Lily held my hand. "Jade, I'm one thousand percent sure you'd never cheat. You said earlier that someone framed you. Do you know something?"I shook my head.Sean reached out and patted my head. "Jade, three heads are better than one. Tell us what you noticed. We'll figure it out together."I smiled. "Listening to you two, it sounds like you're absolutely sure I didn't cheat. Do you know something?"Lily immediately looked hurt. "We've been best friends for over ten years. We trust you, of course!""Exacty. With your ability, you could get into any top university in the country. Why would you risk your future?""Why? Do you suspect us?" Lily's eyes filled with tears. "Jade, if you really think Sean and I are behind this, that would break our hearts."I closed my eyes and sighed. "What about me? I once thought we'd be best friends for life, and lovers for life. So why do you two want to destroy me?"Sean jumped to

Chapter 7

"Of course, during that time, this 'me' wasn't idle at all. She slipped past security and brought electronic devices into the exam room. She left behind a water bottle I had drank from and blank sheets of paper I had handled."And after she and her accomplices left the exam hall early, they used a virtual phone number to call the police and report me for cheating. Isn't that right, Sean?"The room was in uproar."What does this have to do with that guy? I don't get it at all.""What kind of nonsense is she talking about? Another her? Does she have a clone?"Sean showed not a trace of panic. "Jade, that's quite a well-structured and very entertaining story. But where's the evidence? Anyone can make things up."Lily was furious. She raised her hand and slapped me across the face. "Jade, all my kindness to you was wasted. How dare you slander me like this?"As her words fell, a police officer pushed through the crowd and raised his badge. "We've found the red flower. The three of y

Chapter 8

Hailey hurriedly explained, "Jade, I didn't mean to hurt you. Those two animals forced me to do it. They even had a group of thugs to assault me."My tears burst out instantly. I couldn't even breathe. This was the one thing I could never understand. Hailey and I were as close as real sisters. That was why I could never figure out why she would help Lily destroy me."They filmed it and threatened me, saying that if I didn't take the exam for you, they'd release the video and ruin me completely." Haily sobbed. "You know what my dad's like. If he found out I was involved in something like that, he'd kill me. Jade, I really had no way out."The officers in the room clenched their fists tightly.Lily, however, looked utterly indifferent. She tapped the table impatiently. "Where's the evidence? Since when did investigations become so emotional? Cry a little, play the victim, and suddenly you can convict innocent people? By that logic, let me just cry too and say they're framing me."

Chapter 9

My despair seemed to please Lily greatly.She burst out laughing. "Jade, don't blame me for being cruel. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too perfect. My parents nag me about you every single day, going on and on about how smart and well-behaved you are, how you're destined for greatness. And I'm just a useless idiot they couldn't even be bothered to look at."A long time ago, I started thinking about how I could drag you off that pedestal and make everyone hate you. I thought and thought, and finally figured it out. I'd let you get caught cheating on the college entrance exam, condemned by the entire country. That way, my parents would never mention you again, and maybe even if they think I'm stupid, at least I wouldn't shame them so badly."Good thing I had a backup plan. Otherwise, the scheme I had planned for three whole years would've gone to waste. Oh, by the way, Hailey, you betrayed me. I'll make sure you pay double."Sean laughed along with her. "Thin

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