With Chi Xu's efficient actions, he went to the classrooms to arrange the exam situation and then asked friends in each class to spread the news about the note incident, emphasizing the "generous reward".
The news spread one by one.
"Zhou Xiangmeng, I'm going home. Remember to close the gate before you leave." Her roommate reminded her and dragged the suitcase away.
Zhou Xiangmeng responded perfunctorily, her eyes fixed on the phone as she typed messages to her friend.
[Friend: I heard from my friend in the Student Union that a lot of information has reached Chi Xu, and he's sorting out what's useful.]
[Friend: Does the matter of Jiang Yuan cheating have anything to do with you?]
Zhou Xiangmeng sneered, with a flash of disdain in her eyes.
[Sun Chaser: Of course it has nothing to do with me. I just kindly reminded the teacher.]
The palm holding the phone was slightly sweaty, sticky and uncomfortable.
Who would have thought such a coincidence would happen? It was like having a pillow handed to her when she was sleepy.
There were no surveillance cameras in the classroom, but there was a note, which happened to be at Jiang Yuan's feet.
Thinking of Jiang Yuan's humiliation of her on the rooftop some time ago, Zhou Xiangmeng made up her mind and falsely accused Jiang Yuan without hesitation. She had evidence and just slightly guided the teacher, and the invigilator believed her without suspicion.
After all, it was just bad luck for Jiang Yuan.
[Friend: It seems that because of this incident, Chi Xu and Jiang Yuan are together.]
Zhou Xiangmeng almost fainted. Every word her friend sent was familiar, but when combined, she could hardly make out their meaning and couldn't understand what it meant.
Did she give Jiang Yuan this opportunity?
[Sun Chaser: Are you sure about this?]
[Friend: Absolutely. Xiangmeng, I think Chi Xu is not that great. You shouldn't fix your heart on him.]
She didn't see the words her friend sent later. She propped her hands on the table and got up unsteadily.
With a "pop", the phone was thrown on the table.
There was a knock on the dormitory door. Zhou Xiangmeng thought it was her roommate who had just left and shouted impatiently, "Don't you have the key?"
"It's me, Jiang Yuan." The calm and cold voice came through the dormitory door, like a faint coolness floating in.
It was like a bucket of cold water poured on her head. Zhou Xiangmeng came to her senses with a start. She looked at the continuous knocking on the door suspiciously, as if Jiang Yuan would keep knocking if she didn't open it.
"I know you're inside. Open the door and let's have a good talk." The extremely cold voice came in again.
Zhou Xiangmeng tightened her grip on the phone she had just thrown down, and her thoughts raced in her mind.
What did she come for? Did she want to persuade her to explain the misunderstanding to the teacher, or was she here to show off that she was already with Chi Xu?
Or maybe she had found evidence that the note wasn't hers and was telling her not to have unrealistic fantasies.
No matter what the situation was, it wasn't what she wanted to see.
Zhou Xiangmeng took a deep breath, put on her slippers and opened the door. She was a bit taller than Jiang Yuan, so she slightly raised her chin and stared down at Jiang Yuan.
She had the initiative, so what did she have to be afraid of? Zhou Xiangmeng sneered and asked, "What do you want?"
Jiang Yuan seemed not to care about her extremely cold attitude. She pointed inside and smiled, "Can we go in and talk?"
"Whatever." Zhou Xiangmeng turned around, leaned against the desk obliquely, propped her hands on it, and sized her up casually.
Jiang Yuan closed the door and got straight to the point, "Why did you frame me for cheating in the exam that day?"
"I didn't frame you. I was just stating the facts." Zhou Xiangmeng lowered her eyes, despising her in her heart. Did she really think she would admit it? She was daydreaming.
"If the note wasn't yours, could it be someone else's? Don't you wonder why the note appeared at your feet instead of someone else's?"
She might as well have directly mocked Jiang Yuan for cheating.
Jiang Yuan smiled sweetly and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. She wasn't angry at Zhou Xiangmeng's sarcasm. "Yes, I'm also wondering why the note appeared at my feet. Zhou Xiangmeng, could you describe in detail how you saw it at that time?"
Zhou Xiangmeng was silent for a while. She scrutinized Jiang Yuan sharply, trying to figure out what she was up to.
After a long time, she spoke, avoiding the key point. "I saw it, that's all. Maybe you were so scared and guilty that the note fell to the ground without you even noticing."
"Oh, really?" Jiang Yuan slightly curled her lips and continued calmly, "If it was really me, how could I come to you to verify?"
Zhou Xiangmeng was even more confused about what Jiang Yuan was up to by coming to find her. Was she trying to gather information? But she would never admit that she just saw the note at Jiang Yuan's feet and that was all.
"I don't know what you're up to." Zhou Xiangmeng said impatiently, her tone annoyed.
"Was the note already at my feet when you saw it?" Jiang Yuan asked again.
Zhou Xiangmeng was cautious and changed the topic. "What do you want to say?"
"You hate me, don't you, Zhou Xiangmeng?" Jiang Yuan said softly and looked at her pretendingly.
"I don't..." Zhou Xiangmeng was about to refute when Jiang Yuan interrupted her.
"Most of the classmates in the class know that you hate me."
So, there was no need to refute.
"Yes, I do hate you." Zhou Xiangmeng was too lazy to pretend anymore. The disdain in her eyes became more obvious. "I hated you the first time I saw you."
"You hate me, so when you saw the note at my feet in the exam, you directly framed me and tried to pin the crime of cheating on me."
"And you, Zhou Xiangmeng, just saw the note at my feet. You didn't see anything else."
Jiang Yuan's voice was soft and gentle, but every word seemed to carry a thousand - jin weight, hitting Zhou Xiangmeng directly.
Zhou Xiangmeng was flustered for a moment, but quickly recovered and pretended to be calm. "I don't understand what you're talking about. Hating you doesn't mean I have to smear you. I still have my own exam to take."
Jiang Yuan twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at Zhou Xiangmeng deeply. "I really don't understand. What's the benefit for you to do this? Lies will be exposed one day. Although you won't be in trouble, it will affect the attitude of the surrounding classmates towards you. We have to spend four years together."
"What right do you have to lecture me? I don't care. Why should I care about those illusory classmates' feelings?"
"Are you admitting that you did this on purpose?" Jiang Yuan suddenly changed the subject and made it clear.
Zhou Xiangmeng's face changed slightly. She was a bit flustered but still insisted stubbornly. "You don't have any evidence. How can you prove that I did it on purpose?"
"Are you saying that you just happened to see the note and happened to be overflowing with a sense of justice, so you told the invigilator?" Jiang Yuan nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
"What do you see?" Zhou Xiangmeng tightly grasped the table. A flash of inspiration passed through her mind. She quickly caught it. "Have you found out whose note it is?"
"Yes, we have. Zhou Xiangmeng, I advise you to admit your mistake quickly, so as to avoid the teacher's investigation."
The time on the recorder in her pocket was ticking away unhurriedly.