It had been seven years since IU last faced a leaked exam.
Everyone still remembered what happened back then.
The university had acted swiftly and ruthlessly. Once they identified the lecturer and students responsible, their qualifications were revoked on the spot. Even worse, the entire faculty—lecturers and administrators alike—were held accountable and dismissed.
That level of punishment had reshaped the university's culture.
From then on, discipline tightened. Standards rose. Both students and faculty became more trustworthy, and IU's reputation only grew stronger.
And now, a chill swept through the lecture hall.
No one dared imagine the storm that would follow if the culprit was found this time.
The previously noisy hall fell into complete silence. Even Professor Lane's face dark with anger and worry, left the lecture hall without another word.
He had worked too hard to secure this position.
If this dragged him down and cost him his job…
It would be over for him.
***
A strange glint flickered in Felicia's eyes, and she swallowed hard without realising it.
Seated at her desk, Rylie was equally stunned. She had never expected the disrupted exam to be caused by a leak of the test papers. Panic surged through her, and she muttered, "It's over… it's over…" as if the world were about to collapse.
Meanwhile, Riley sat calmly, completely unfazed.
Ryleigh couldn't help but stare at her.
If only I were a fool too—carefree, without a single worry…
But Riley was not as calm as she appeared.
Could this really be Class Seven's doing?
Henry knew his way around computers.
Breaking into the system to steal the exam questions wouldn't be difficult for him.
If it really was those brats—
I'll personally knock their heads in.
It wasn't that Riley wanted to suspect them.
It was just that they were far too suspicious.
***
At five o'clock sharp, Professor Lane returned, face still grim, and handed out the new exam papers.
No one dared complain about being hungry or wanting dinner.
Everyone lowered their heads and started writing.
***
Half an hour later, Riley finished.
She set her pen down and rested her head on the desk, falling asleep almost instantly.
Professor Lane passing by shook his head.
Hopeless.
He glanced at Felicia, the other transfer student.
She was still writing, focused and intent.
In contrast, Riley was already asleep.
Once the results are out, even if I offend someone, I'm removing Riley from Class One.
I had made up my mind.
I can't let her ruin my reputation or drag the class down.
As for where she ended up after that—
That's not my problem.
As long as she wasn't in Class One, President Langford could send her anywhere.
***
Rylie glanced at Riley again, still sleeping peacefully.
How nice to be a fool…
But Rylie only allowed herself a few seconds of distraction before snapping back to her paper.
This new exam was brutal.
Even harder than the one in the morning.
And Rylie wasn't the only one struggling.
Almost everyone in the room looked tense.
Including Felicia.
The questions on this paper were completely different from the "materials" her mother had given her.
They were far more complex—so complex that many of the problems felt completely unfamiliar.
She wrote down "Solution:" for several questions—
Then froze.
She had no idea how to continue.
Her heart tightened as she glanced toward Riley—
Only to see her fast asleep.
Relief washed over her instantly.
If even a fool isn't worried… why should I be?
As long as Riley stayed at IU, i wouldn't be expelled either.
Thinking that, Felicia relaxed.
Even for the questions she didn't understand—
She simply wrote "Solution:" and left it at that…