Chapter 37: Recording Exposure
Chapter 37
On the day when the grades were announced, the sun was shining brightly.
As soon as the grades were posted on the bulletin board, Zhao Yi grabbed Ren Ran and they ran towards the bulletin board.
By the time they arrived, the area in front of the bulletin board was already crowded with people.
Ren Ran and Kong Lian arrived one after the other, and as soon as they did, everyone automatically made way for them.
Ren Ran and Kong Lian exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
"If I lose, I'll fulfill my promise," Ren Ran said with a smile.
"Of course. You should do the same," Kong Lian replied.
"Naturally."
The two of them walked forward together, their eyes fixed on the leftmost position of the first row.
First place, Lv Boyi.
Second place, Ren Ran.
Third place, Kong Lian.
...
After seeing the results, Zhao Yi jumped up excitedly. "Ah, Ren Ran, you won! You won!"
"You're amazing!"
"I didn't expect Ren Ran to win."
"They said Kong Lian was really good before, but it seems like she's not at the same level."
"We can go to Mingshan Island for a trip. I wonder if it's this week or next week."
Kong Lian stepped forward and gracefully said to Ren Ran, "Congratulations."
"Congratulations to you too," Ren Ran replied politely.
Both of them were courteous and there was no arguing or insults. They even had smiles on their faces. However, the people around them somehow felt a spark igniting around them, crackling in the air.
A discordant voice sounded.
"How is this possible? With Ren Ran's level, how could she get second place?" Ji Qing said and then covered her mouth. Immediately, she looked apologetically at Ren Ran. "Sorry, I'm just surprised because your ranking is not usually that high. I was really amazed."
This time, before Zhao Yi could retort, Ren Ran spoke up first. "What level do you think I have? The level that crushes you every time? Or the level that consistently stays in the top ten?"
The last sentence successfully reminded everyone of their memories, preventing them from being led astray.
"Ren Ran has always been in the top ten, so it's normal for her to climb higher now."
"Absolutely. Are people not allowed to improve?"
"Oh my, just now when I heard her, I almost thought Ren Ran was one of the top hundred contestants. Someone who can't even get into the top ten, actually mocking those who are close to the top ten. This world has become so restless." Someone spoke loudly, pretending to be indignant.
Faced with the condemnation from those around her, Hu Xiyue's face turned pale. She pushed through the crowd and hastily left.
Ren Ran looked at Kong Lian and asked, "On behalf of our classmates, when should we fulfill our promise?"
The other students immediately quieted down and pricked up their ears to listen.
Facing the expectant gazes of everyone, Kong Lian smiled and said, "Why wait? Let's do it this weekend."
The senior students cheered.
Kong Lian continued with another big announcement, "I will charter a cruise ship and take us directly to Mingshan Island. For the two days of the weekend, I will book the entire Mingshan Island exclusively for our grade. You can spend as much as you want on the island, and I'll cover all the expenses."
Her words were filled with a sense of grandeur, and the surrounding students were filled with enthusiasm.
Students from other grades were envious, some even shedding tears.
Wow, this woman is trying to bankrupt herself.
Chartering Mingshan Island, that's really something. Taking over all the expenses on the island, without having to worry about the costs. It starts with millions.
She had planned to make me suffer a crushing defeat, forcing me to spend millions and resort to extreme measures, but her malicious intentions were even worse than murder.
Ren Ran raised her hands and applauded repeatedly, looking at Kong Lian. "Miss Kong, you are so impressive. Let's applaud your audacity."
Zhao Yi also joined in the applause, and others followed suit, even whistling with joy.
Those who had wanted to mock Kong Lian for not being worthy of the principal's attention were now too afraid to speak. After all, words can be soft while actions can be harsh.
Amidst the joy of everyone preparing to depart for the vacation resort on Ming Mountain Island, a silent anonymous post appeared on the school's online forum. It exposed Ren Ran's cheating and included recorded evidence.
Since it was late at night, not many people noticed it initially.
When Ren Ran arrived at school, the post hadn't gained much traction. It wasn't until after the first class ended, with a scream that it exploded completely.
"What the hell!"
Someone in the class exclaimed.
"Ding Chong, what's wrong?"
Ding Chong looked at Ren Ran with a complex expression, then glanced sympathetically at Kong Lian. "You guys should check the school forum for yourselves."
His words piqued the curiosity of many, and they took out their hidden phones to log into the school forum.
"Oh my god!"
"What the hell!"
Accompanied by successive cries of surprise, even the students who were immersed in their studies couldn't resist their curiosity and gathered around the classmates with phones to see what was happening.
Someone played the recording from the exposé post, the audio of Ren Ran's deal with Teacher Lin Wenshan.
"Damn, this is explosive."
"OMG, I never expected something like this behind the competition."
"This is so despicable."
"To win, they're willing to do anything."
"No wonder Ren Ran made such a huge improvement. Turns out, she cheated."
"Setting aside the cheater, Kong Lian should be in second place."
"Kong Lian is amazing. She just arrived and hasn't even adapted to the environment yet, but she can already rank second. Once she adapts to our school's pace, she'll definitely reach the top."
"I never thought Ren Ran was this kind of person. To win, she's truly unscrupulous, so low and despicable."
...
Various insults and malicious comments flooded Ren Ran's ears.
Zhao Yi and Guo Tongwen couldn't believe it, but the voices in the audio were undoubtedly Ren Ran's and Teacher Lin's.
"Ren Ran, what... what's going on?" Zhao Yi asked.
Deep down, she didn't want to believe that Ren Ran was capable of such actions.
"Do you believe me?" Ren Ran asked in return.
Before Zhao Yi could answer, Guo Tongwen spoke first. "I believe you."
Ren Ran was surprised once again. This person managed to astonish her once more.
Guo Tongwen deliberately spoke loudly, saying, "There must be someone framing you. The recording doesn't necessarily represent the truth. Who knows if it was edited maliciously? Who knows if someone imitated Ren Ran's voice and created a fake recording? Nowadays, with technology so advanced, creating such audio is not difficult at all. As long as you have money and find skilled technicians, it can be done in minutes."
Zhao Yi chimed in, "Yes, that's right! Who can guarantee that this audio is real? I believe in Ren Ran."
She turned her head to look at the others in the class and continued, "We have been with Ren Ran for over two years. Don't you all know what kind of person she is?"
Kong Lian noticed that the expressions on many people's faces changed, with furrowed brows.
She signaled to Tan Jia, who immediately spoke up, "You can know someone's face but not their heart. Who knows if she's that kind of person?"
Guo Tongwen glared fiercely at her and said, "Tan Jia, don't force me to reveal that matter."
Tan Jia's face turned pale, and she was so frightened that she closed her mouth.