The news of Lin Xiaoxiao topping the exam rankings was met with waves of skepticism—even Lu Yuanda found it hard to believe.

After quietly listening to the murmurs of the crowd, he squeezed his way out and hurried back to his office to call Zhou Huai'an. He also warned him that many candidates were questioning Lin Xiaoxiao's results, and that they should be prepared.

After all, Lin Xiaoxiao was from Longbei City, and plenty of people knew her. They were well aware of what she used to be like—how could she suddenly score so high? It was only natural for doubts to arise.

Zhou Huai'an had always thought Lin Xiaoxiao's own score estimate was overly optimistic. He never imagined the real result would be even higher. For a moment, he too was stunned—how had she done it? And as for the doubts, they were inevitable.

While everyone was shocked by Lin Xiaoxiao's score, Lin Xiaoxiao herself took the news calmly. It was about what she'd expected. She figured she'd probably lost points on the essay and classical Chinese sections, and maybe a couple multiple-choice questions in politics. The rest, she was sure, were perfect.

Zhou Zhennan was astounded. He made Zhou Huai'an repeat the score three times before finally turning to Lin Xiaoxiao with a proud smile. "Xiaoxiao, you are truly outstanding. I believe that, barring any issues, you will be the top scorer in the province for science."

Scoring perfect marks in all three science subjects was exceptionally rare. Lin Xiaoxiao didn't bother with false modesty. "I studied very hard. I filled several notebooks with practice problems. And Dad, your tutoring was great—that's why I didn't lose any points in politics."

Zhou Zhennan still found it incredible. "You're definitely getting into university, Xiaoxiao. But a score like this will attract a lot of suspicion. You need to be mentally prepared for that."

Lin Xiaoxiao had already considered it. "I'm not afraid. I earned this. Let them doubt. If anyone questions whether I really earned my score, they can make a new test—I'll take it right in front of them."

If she had cheated, she would have been nervous. But the knowledge was in her own head. What did she have to fear?

Zhou Zhennan smiled. "Good. As long as you're prepared, that's what matters. Don't let it upset you later."

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't worried. It was normal for people to be jealous of exceptional success. She'd likely face many more situations like this in the future.

The next day, news of Lin Xiaoxiao's top ranking in the province was not only printed in the newspapers, but also broadcast repeatedly over the radio.

In Xiaoyaoyao Village, Xiao Yan had begun to resign herself to her fate. She couldn't leave the village, and she hadn't been able to take the exam. But when she heard Lin Xiaoxiao's name coming from the loudspeaker at the village entrance, her resentment flared up again.

She had almost given up, but now she couldn't accept it. How could Lin Xiaoxiao score so high?

She was only a junior high graduate, and no one had ever seen her study. There was no way she got 485 on her own.

It must be because of Zhou Huai'an's biological father. He must have connections—he probably got her the test answers.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Anyone else could have succeeded—but not Lin Xiaoxiao. She couldn't stand the thought of Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Huai'an living happily together.

Without a second thought, she went and wrote a letter to the Education Bureau and higher authorities, accusing Lin Xiaoxiao of cheating. She claimed Zhou Zhennan had used his connections to get the test questions for Lin Xiaoxiao. After all, Lin Xiaoxiao was only a junior high graduate with consistently poor grades—how else could she have scored 485?

Xiao Yan wasn't the only one who wrote a letter. Cheng Mingyue did too. She saw that Lin Xiaoxiao had taken first place, while her own son, Lin Dalong, had failed with a measly 120 points—not even enough for technical school.

Lin Dalong refused to believe it. Lin Hongyan was also in denial. "How is that possible? There's no way Lin Xiaoxiao scored that high. She must have cheated."

Lin Dalong had at least a little sense. "How could she have cheated? She had the highest score in the entire city."

Lin Hongyan still wouldn't believe it. "She still couldn't have gotten that many points! Her grades in junior high were terrible. She didn't like studying—all she cared about was dating. She must have known the test questions in advance. Mom, we should report her. If she's like this now, just imagine how arrogant she'll be after university!"

Cheng Mingyue thought about Lin Xiaoxiao's defiant attitude and felt her daughter had a point. She didn't bother with an anonymous report—instead, she proudly claimed to be "disavowing her own kin" as she accused Lin Xiaoxiao of having prior access to the exam questions, which was how she achieved such a high score.

After all, she knew her daughter better than anyone. She even got statements from Lin Xiaoxiao's homeroom teachers over the years, along with her annual report cards—all proof that an average student like Lin Xiaoxiao could never have scored 485 on her own.

While Lin Xiaoxiao and her family were preparing for their move to Beijing, they heard about the accusations—including the real-name report from Cheng Mingyue.

And it wasn't just one or two people complaining—many had filed reports. Numerous candidates were questioning the fairness and integrity of the exam.

Li Yunlan was furious when she heard. "Our Xiaoxiao took that test herself! How can they not believe it? If they did poorly, that's their problem. Are they really going to blame Xiaoxiao for being too smart? What kind of people are they?"

Lin Xiaoxiao had expected some skepticism, but not on this scale. Had she really provoked such public outrage? Was it so hard to accept that someone else could excel?

She smiled and tried to calm Li Yunlan. "It's fine. If they're not convinced, I'll take the test again. The officials won't just take their word for it. I'm willing to cooperate with any investigation."

Li Yunlan still found the whole thing disgusting. "These people are despicable. How can they act like this? Just because they failed, they have to report someone else? And your own mother filed a real-name report! Shouldn't she be proud to have such an accomplished daughter?"

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't bothered by Cheng Mingyue's actions. Go ahead, she thought. Make this as ugly as possible. That'll make it easier for me to deal with you later without holding back.

The Education Bureau took the matter seriously. The Provincial Education Department sent personnel that very day, and the following morning, they arrived with officials from the Municipal Education Bureau to investigate Lin Xiaoxiao.

Her results were outstanding—first in the entire province. None of them wanted it to be a fraud, especially since she'd outscored the top candidate from the neighboring province by five points. It was a tremendous honor.

Lin Xiaoxiao and her family had been ready to leave, but now they had to postpone their trip due to the investigation.

The investigation team consisted of four people. Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao's advanced pregnancy, they were very polite. After greeting Zhou Zhennan and Li Yunlan, they began their questioning in a gentle tone.

"Comrade Xiaoxiao, there's no need to be nervous. We're just here to ask a few routine questions. We still believe our exam process is rigorous, and the results are genuine."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. "I'm not nervous. Please, go ahead."

The interviewer pulled out some transcripts. "These are your grades from junior high. Most are around sixty, with quite a few failures. Are these accurate?"

Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at them. They were indeed the original host's results—she hadn't realized they were that bad. She nodded. "They're real. But there's a reason for that."

"What reason? Would you mind explaining?"