"Exactly! If she doesn't pass the entrance exams, Imperial University won't keep her. She'll be kicked out anyway!"
"I know, right? I just can't stand looking at her. Everyone in Class One is elite—someone who got in through connections should just go to Class Seven!"
"Relax. That idiot can only stay a few more days. Once the results are out, no one can save her. So what if her family's rich?"
The lecture hall buzzed with mockery and disdain, all aimed at Riley.
"Don't take it to heart… just do your best on the exam, okay?"
Riley felt someone tug lightly at her sleeve.
She turned and saw a round-faced girl looking at her with quiet concern.
Her desk mate—Rylie Quinn.
They had only been assigned seats together yesterday.
Rylie's cheeks were flushed as she spoke, clearly shy.
Rylie… Riley… both same pronunciations.
Kind of fate, isn't it?
Riley found herself liking her instantly.
She nodded. "Okay. Let's both do our best."
Truthfully, she didn't care what anyone said.
A "fool" getting into Imperial University—doesn't that piss people off?
And this is just the beginning. There's plenty more to come.
They fell silent after that, though Rylie kept sneaking glances at her.
Riley smiled helplessly. "Rylie, do you have something you want to say?"
Rylie looked startled. "It's already three o'clock, and Professor Lane still hasn't come to hand out the papers. Do you think something happened?"
Riley shrugged. "Maybe they tripped on the way here."
Rylie's mouth twitched. She slumped over her desk, miserable.
"I finally memorized a few of the harder math problems. If they don't give us the test soon, I'm going to forget everything. Ugh… I envy you. You look completely stress-free."
Riley gave her a solemn look. "Don't be sad. Even if you fail, life goes on."
Wow, thanks. That helps so much.
Rylie was on the verge of a breakdown, constantly sipping water and rubbing her hands nervously.
Meanwhile, Riley sat there, calmly reading.
Rylie couldn't help but stare. "Riley, what are you doing?"
"Reading."
Rylie craned her neck to peek—
And froze.
It was real.
Riley was holding a book.
Advanced Mathematics.
Her eyes widened. "Y-you… you can understand that?"
They hadn't even started learning advanced math yet!
Riley flipped a page casually. "It's okay. Not that hard."
Rylie pouted. "If I didn't know your 'condition,' I might've actually believed you."
She turned away, choosing to ignore Riley's "pretending" and went back to stressing out.
Riley sighed softly.
She didn't expect anyone to understand her anyway.
She simply wanted to review what she already knew, completely absorbed in the book.
3:30 p.m.
Still no Professor Lane.
The class representative was just about to go out and check when Professor Lane finally walked in.
The moment they saw his expression—
Serious.
Tense.
Something was wrong.
The entire class fell silent.
After a brief pause, Professor Lane spoke.
"This afternoon's math exam has been postponed to five o'clock. You'll study on your own until then."
The room erupted instantly.
"Why?!"
"What happened?"
Professor Lane's face darkened. "Because of your own doing!"
He took a breath, clearly frustrated.
"The math exam questions have been leaked. We can't rule out cheating, so the other lecturers are preparing a new paper right now. Please remain calm."
The room fell into stunned silence.
The exam…
was leaked?
That was serious.
Who would do something like that?
Unease spread through the class, replacing the earlier arrogance.