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Novel Catalog
Chapter 76: Cheat
Mollie, Cody, and the other judges exchanged surprised glances as they received the new test questions. These were completely different from the ones they had seen earlier that morning.
The contestants had only ten minutes to answer the questions, and when they were done, the results were shocking. Only forty of the participants passed, a low number considering the number of contestants. Among those who advanced was Serina, but Kaitlin was not among them. She had failed.
Furious, Kaitlin ripped the test paper from her bag, crumpling it in her hand. Jenny, trying to console her, said, “It’s just a competition, Kaitlin. Don’t take it so personally.”
“Get lost!” Kaitlin snapped, throwing the crumpled paper onto the ground in a fit of rage.
Jenny walked off in irritation, muttering under her breath, “You failed to cheat and now you’re blaming me?”
The second round of the competition went smoothly. Every time a video played, the teams began jotting down notes, the soft rustle of paper filling the room. When the second round concluded, it was time for a break. Ainsley leaned back in her chair, taking a moment to relax.
“Drink this.” A thermos was placed in front of her.
Ainsley looked up, startled. “What is this?” she asked, her palm gently resting on the thermos.
“Hot water,” Manuel replied with a soft smile.
Ainsley blinked in surprise. She had just been drinking cold beer the night before, and now, here was Manuel, offering her hot water in the middle of a competition. If anyone saw this, it would surely be the talk of the day.
“Mr. Gage, you should go back,” Ainsley said, feeling her face heat up. She pushed the thermos toward him, worried that if someone caught them together, the media would blow things out of proportion.
Manuel, however, remained calm. “Don’t worry. They won’t dare to write anything out of line. Any news about the Gage family is reviewed before it’s published. They’ll be careful.”
Despite his reassurance, Ainsley still wanted him to leave. “Please, just go back to your seat.”
The judges were busy scoring the second round, the atmosphere tense as they discussed their evaluations. Serina nervously waited for the results, her hands slick with sweat. When her team’s score was announced—85 points—she let out a relieved breath. It wasn’t the highest, but it was enough to move them to the next round.
Apart from Serina’s team, another team had also made it to the final round, and the competition had narrowed down to ten contestants.
Kaitlin, seething with anger, glared at Serina and Ainsley. In her mind, it was clear: Ainsley had tampered with the questions to help Serina. Kaitlin was determined to expose Ainsley and her so-called “cheating.”
The third round began. Contestants received essay questions, two in total. Each contestant would take turns discussing their answers on stage, while the others waited backstage with headphones, unable to hear one another’s responses. This setup ensured that no one could cheat by overhearing the answers of those before them.
Serina stepped up to the stage, her nerves evident in the way she nervously pinched her clothes. But once her eyes found Ainsley in the crowd, her nerves settled. The words flowed more easily. One by one, the other contestants also took their turns. Afterward, the judges deliberated briefly and then handed out their scores.
In the end, the results were as follows: the first-place winner was from the Department of Psychology, the second-place winner was from the Department of Commerce, and Serina came in third.
Ainsley smiled and announced the scores. Serina blinked in disbelief as her name was called for third place. She had never imagined she would win an award, let alone place in a competition like this.
But just as Serina was about to step onto the stage to accept her prize, Kaitlin stormed forward, pointing accusingly at Ainsley.
“I want to report it!” Kaitlin shouted. “Ainsley helped Serina cheat! This isn’t fair!”
The accusation rang through the hall, and an uneasy silence settled over the room. Everyone turned to look at Ainsley, who felt a cold chill creep up her spine. Manuel, observing the scene, shot a cold glance at Kaitlin.
Ainsley, unfazed, stood tall. “Kaitlin, if you’re going to make an accusation, you need to show proof.”
Kaitlin, however, was unshaken. “I have proof!” she cried, her voice filled with manic certainty.
Raymond and Cody exchanged wary glances, while Mollie simply stared at Kaitlin with an icy look.
“The test questions for the competition should have been different! But just half an hour before the competition, Ainsley suddenly changed the test papers. It’s so obvious!” Kaitlin ranted. “And look! I found this in Serina’s bag—the original test questions that were changed!” Kaitlin pulled out a piece of paper from Serina’s bag, brandishing it in front of the room.
“Ms. Easton, what do you have to say about this?” Raymond asked, his tone stern.
Raymond had been aware that the test papers had been altered, but he had no idea why or how. He was curious about Ainsley’s explanation.
Everyone in the room turned to Ainsley, who took a deep breath before responding.
“The first test was the one I had originally prepared,” she began, her voice calm but firm. “However, when I arrived this morning, I discovered that the safe had been tampered with, and one of the test papers was missing. To ensure fairness, I quickly prepared a second set of questions, which I used for the competition.”
“But does this mean you helped Serina cheat by changing the test papers after the fact?” Kaitlin interrupted, her voice dripping with accusation.
The crowd murmured, and Ainsley could sense the tension in the air. Some of the other contestants were visibly excited by the scandal, whispering among themselves.
“Ms. Easton, is it true? Did you help Serina cheat?” one of the contestants shouted.
“That’s right!” another added. “How could she not help her close friend?”
The murmurs grew louder, and Kaitlin smiled triumphantly. “Mr. Ford, the integrity of this competition is at stake. How do you plan to deal with Ainsley, who clearly violated the rules?”
Serina, trying to defend Ainsley, stepped forward. “I didn’t cheat! Ainsley would never help me in such a way!”
But Kaitlin, clutching the crumpled test paper, smirked. “Then how do you explain this?” she taunted.
Serina stammered, her face flushing red with embarrassment. “I… I didn’t…!”
Manuel’s gaze turned icy as he glared at Kaitlin, who seemed increasingly pleased with herself.
Mollie, however, stepped forward and asked calmly, “Miss, could I see the test paper?”
Kaitlin hesitated, but then handed it over to Mollie. After a brief inspection, Mollie raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“This is just an ordinary test paper,” Mollie said. “It’s not for the competition today.”
“What?” Kaitlin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… how is that possible?”
Raymond’s expression darkened. “Kaitlin, stop spreading lies.”
The room grew tense as the realization sank in that Kaitlin’s claims had no merit. Her accusations had only served to cast doubt on the integrity of the competition and damage the reputation of the University of Washington.
“Enough!” Ainsley’s voice rang out, cutting through the growing chaos.
Everyone fell silent and turned toward her.
“How did you know this was the original test?” Ainsley demanded, her eyes cold as she locked onto Kaitlin.
Kaitlin faltered, her confidence beginning to crumble. “I… I heard it from someone else,” she stammered.
Serina, now understanding what had happened, added, “Exactly. How did you know it was the original test, Kaitlin?”
The truth was slowly starting to unravel, and Kaitlin found herself cornered by her own lies.
