Chapter 1

On the bus heading to the college entrance exam venue, the exam supervisor was checking everyone’s photos and names. When he got to the school beauty, Pearl Lowe, she stuck out her tongue mischievously.

“I’m not Pearl. I’m her exam substitute, and I'm not the only one. Everyone on this bus is!”

In my previous life, the moment she said those words, I immediately contacted our homeroom teacher and had the school roster pulled up. That was the only reason everyone made it to the exam hall in time.

However, Pearl was detained by the police for causing trouble. By the time she arrived at the venue, the first subject was already over. She became the only student from the top-ranked class who failed the exam.

At the celebration banquet, my classmates tied me up and dragged me onto the school rooftop. My boyfriend, Landon Dunphy, stood at the front. His eyes were cold and emotionless.

“Pearl was just joking. All you had to do was explain yourself. If you hadn’t contacted the teacher, she wouldn’t have missed the exam. She wouldn’t have drunk herself into despair and fallen from the building either. You should experience her pain too.”

He reached out and pushed me off the edge. I fell from the 30th floor. Every bone in my body shattered.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exam bus. Pearl was once again pouting innocently at the exam supervisor.

I slowly sat back down. This time, I was not taking the exam. I would let the whole class fail together.

Chapter 1

The exam supervisor’s gaze flicked back and forth between the admission ticket and Pearl Lowe’s face, his expression unusually stern. "I’m going to ask you one more time. Is this really you?”

Pearl tipped her head to one side and said in a sweet, syrupy voice, “Oh, come on, sir. Can’t you tell? Whoever edited this photo made me look ugly.”

A few chuckles rippled through the bus. The exam supervisor’s expression darkened instantly, and he reached for his phone to contact the exam committee.

Pearl quickly pressed her palms together and stuck out her tongue. “I’m kidding, sir! Don’t be serious!”

The exam supervisor let out a sigh of relief and shot her an annoyed look before handing back her admission ticket.

“Actually…” The very next second, she dragged out her words and smiled smugly. “It’s not just me. Everyone on this bus is here to take the exam for someone else."

Laughter erupted throughout the bus. My classmates looked at Pearl with indulgent smiles, and not a single person denied it.

The exam supervisor frowned as his eyes landed on me. “You’ve been standing this whole time. Is there something you’d like to say?”

A sharp pain shot through my wrist. Landon Dunphy was gripping it so tightly that it felt like he wanted to crush the bones.

Only then did I finally realize that I had been reborn.

I forced a smile and replied with two simple words, “No, sir.”

Then, I slowly sat back down.

The exam supervisor shook his head and told the driver to pull over before heading toward the inspection team’s vehicle behind us.

Landon leaned closer. His lips nearly brushed my ear. “Pearl’s just trying to help everyone relax before the exam. We all agreed to it, so don’t make trouble.”

After a brief pause, he added, “This time, we’ll protect Pearl no matter what.”

I turned to look at him in shock. The coldness in his eyes was painfully familiar.

Everyone on the bus looked at Pearl with the relief of someone who had regained something precious. However, when they looked at me, their eyes were filled with hostility.

In my previous life, they had worn those same expressions when they pushed me off the building on that rooftop beneath the night sky. After my death, they even gave false statements to the police, claiming I had gotten drunk and accidentally fallen to my death.

I bit my lip and murmured softly, “If we’re delayed and miss the college entrance exam, it’ll affect us for the rest of our lives…”

Several boys burst out laughing, unconcerned.

“Vivian, you’re worrying too much. We’ve already done the math. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“We’re the city’s top honors class. You really think the school won’t wait for us?”

“Come on. We could take an extra year and still crush it. We're just doing this for Pearl!”

Pearl’s cheeks flushed pink, and she could not hide the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“You... You’re all so kind to me. You guys are gonna make me cry!”

Landon leaned even closer and lowered his voice. “Vivian, know your place. We’re classmates. We stand together, no matter what.”

My phone suddenly started ringing in my pocket. It was my homeroom teacher, Ms. Zane.

Chapter 2

The moment I answered the call, a hand reached over and snatched my phone away. Landon frowned as he looked at me. “I’m not giving you another chance to run to the teacher and complain.”

Pearl walked over and hooked her arm around his, looking wronged. “Landon, it’s okay. I’m used to it anyway. Vivian always thought I was a burden because my grades weren’t good enough. It’s only natural that she looks down on me.”

My classmates turned their eyes toward me. Their gazes were filled with anger.

I looked up at Pearl and gave her a stern look.

“If I really looked down on you, then why did I tutor you after school every single day? Why did I stay in the library with you until closing instead of going home on weekends? Why was I happier than you whenever you moved up even one spot on an exam?”

Pearl’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes suddenly turned red.

“Pearl, I’m a dance student. I only need my academic scores to be good enough. You forced me to grind through practice problems until midnight. Wasn’t it just because you wanted to show off how much better you were than me?”

The arm Landon had wrapped around her shoulders tightened. “Vivian, enough. Stop being so aggressive!”

Claire Horton, who sat in the front row, let out a mocking laugh. “When it comes to looks and personality, she loses to Pearl in every way, so, of course, the only thing she has left is studying. She’s just using grades to patch up her pathetic self-esteem.”

Diana Sandler stood up as well and wiped away Pearl’s tears, glaring at me.

“Vivian, someone like you probably wouldn’t understand what friendship means even if you lived your whole life.”

I looked at the way they surrounded Pearl like the closest friends in the world. It seemed they had completely forgotten all the times they had complained to me about her behind her back.

Landon clapped his hands and raised his voice. “All right. I’ve confiscated Vivian’s phone. Let’s just help Pearl relax before the exam. Let's not ruin the mood.”

The exam supervisor got back onto the bus. His expression was darker than ever. “This bus is being temporarily detained. We’ll wait here until your school representative arrives and provides an explanation.”

A few students immediately looked nervous. Landon glanced at his watch. “It’s fine. There’s still an hour before the exam starts. It’s only a 15-minute drive to the exam site. We’ll make it.”

Everyone relaxed when they heard him. They started whispering excitedly, laughing about how easy it was to fool the exam supervisor.

Pearl leaned against Landon’s shoulder with her earbuds in. Their fingers intertwined as they quietly laughed together.

Half an hour later, a cab screeched to a stop beside the bus.

Ms. Zane rushed out, clutching a student roster. Her forehead was covered in sweat.

“This is the class roster we pulled from the school archives. The photos and enrollment records are all here. You can compare them yourselves. Our top honors class absolutely has no hired exam substitutes.”

She then turned to the driver. “Sir, could we keep driving while we verify everything? There are only 30 minutes left before the exam…”

Her voice almost became a plea. “Please. This determines these students’ futures…”

The exam supervisor checked the time, then nodded at the driver. “All right. Start driving first.”

Before he could even finish speaking, Pearl covered her mouth and giggled.

“If you ask me, there’s really no need to check anything. Ms. Zane handled all our documents for us. What exactly do you think you’ll find?”

Ms. Zane froze for a moment. Then, she shouted in disbelief, "Pearl, what are you talking about?!"

She pouted, unwilling to back down. “But it’s true. Weren’t you and Vivian the ones who planned this whole hired exam substitute scheme?”

She pulled out her phone and held it up in front of the exam supervisor. On the screen was a group chat. The name at the top read: [College Entrance Exam Hit Squad.]

Vivian: [Everyone, change your names to match the actual students. Send me your photos and I’ll edit them all together.]

Ms. Zane: [The seating arrangements are out. Check whether there are any students from our school sitting nearby.]

Ms. Zane: [All exam substitutes must familiarize themselves with the assigned student’s answering habits. Adjust the number of wrong answers accordingly.]

The final message was sent at 11:00 pm last night.

Vivian: [Don’t say anything stupid on the bus tomorrow. Anyone who can’t keep their mouth shut better watch themselves.]

Ms. Zane’s mouth fell open. The color drained completely from her face.

Chapter 3

“Everyone stand up. You’ll be questioned one by one!”

The exam supervisor and the inspection team members looked furious.

Ms. Zane’s eyes turned red as she desperately tried to explain, “Officer, this is really a misunderstanding!”

She suddenly spun around. Her voice was sharp enough to cut. “Pearl! And all of you! What exactly are you trying to pull?!”

Pearl shrank back as though she had been frightened, biting her lower lip tightly. “Ms. Zane, you did this just to protect your reputation as a distinguished teacher. That’s unfair to all the other students taking the exam! Even if we're taking the exam for money, we still can’t stand what you did!”

Her words sounded righteous and full of conviction. However, the smug curve at the corner of her lips was almost impossible to hide.

The inspection team’s suspicious gazes swept back and forth between us and the other students.

“Are all of you admitting that you’re taking exams for someone else?”

No one answered.

The students looked at each other, avoiding eye contact. They had been brave enough to go along with the lie, but when it came time to actually say it out loud, no one dared to be the first.

Then, Landon stepped forward. He walked to Pearl’s side, gave her an encouraging look, and nodded toward the inspection team.

“I can testify. This exam substitution scheme was organized by Vivian and Ms. Zane.”

He pulled my phone out of his pocket and showed them the call history.

“Look. She was just on the phone with Ms. Zane on the bus. That’s why the roster arrived so quickly. This was all part of a backup plan they prepared in advance.“

Once someone took the first step, the others quickly followed.

“That’s right. We were all brought here by them.

“The top honors class has always relied on us to maintain its reputation.

“Just start driving already. Who takes the exam doesn’t matter, right?”

Ms. Zane stared at the students who had always been obedient and well-behaved. One by one, they had transformed into experienced con artists who had been lying for years. Her face turned pale, then flushed red. Her chest rose and fell violently.

The college entrance exam bus had stopped by the roadside, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

People pointed at the bus. Their faces filled with excitement over the scandal.

“Exam substitutes? They actually dare to cheat on the college entrance exam?

“And it was organized by a teacher? Tsk. Throwing away their morals just for some meaningless reputation.

“People like this don’t deserve to stand alongside hardworking students!”

Insults came from every direction. Ms. Zane had never been cursed like this in her entire life. She crouched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, repeating her explanation helplessly,

“I didn’t... I really didn’t... They really are the students..."

I took a deep breath when I saw Ms. Zane was close to collapsing from anger and despair. Then, I raised my head and pointed at the screenshot in the inspection team’s hand.

“Miss, chat records can be fabricated. You can check the image layers and editing traces. That will tell you whether it’s real or fake! Besides…”

I paused for a moment, then spoke calmly.

“If we were really organizing an exam substitution scheme, wouldn’t we do everything possible to hide our identities? Would we really be stupid enough to openly change our profile pictures and usernames to our real ones?”

The inspection team members leaned closer to examine the screenshot. Sure enough, they noticed the subtle layering between the profile pictures and the backgrounds.

Just as the exam supervisor’s suspicious gaze shifted toward Pearl, a flash of viciousness crossed her eyes. She suddenly shouted, “Those are flaws she intentionally left behind! She prepared excuses in advance in case she was exposed!”

As though she had finally made up her mind, she forced each word out through clenched teeth, “Since that’s the case, I don’t want to cover for you anymore.

“I have evidence. They already installed signal transmitters on the rooftops of nearby buildings around the exam site. They're used to send answers to the exam substitutes inside the exam rooms. Go check it out. You’ll bust them for sure!”

Chapter 4

The expressions of the inspection team’s members changed instantly. Signal transmitters? This was no childish prank. If it was true, it pointed to a large-scale, organized exam fraud.

Once exposed, it would become the biggest scandal of this year’s college entrance exam.

The exam supervisor immediately called the police and requested that the special police unit conduct a thorough search of the buildings surrounding the exam site.

Ms. Zane suddenly grabbed my arm. She looked as though she had suffered a devastating blow, swaying as though she could collapse at any moment. Yet she stared at me desperately. I understood the plea in her eyes.

I stepped in front of the inspection team’s supervisor. I did my best to keep my voice steady.

“Sir, we really aren’t using exam substitutes. We’re willing to cooperate with the investigation. However, I do have one request.

“No matter what happens, please let the bus continue to the exam site first. Once we arrive, the school can provide all the necessary records to verify our identities. If this turns out to be a misunderstanding, everyone will still be able to make it into the exam hall before the exam begins.”

The moment the police became involved, some of my classmates finally started to panic.

They immediately nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! Let’s head to the exam site first.”

“Please, if we don’t leave now, we’re really going to be late.”

Whether it was because of my calm reasoning or because everyone’s sudden change in attitude seemed suspicious, the exam supervisor’s expression grew complicated.

After reporting the situation to his superiors, he finally nodded at the driver.

“Drive to the venue immediately!”

The bus started moving again.

Gone were the laughter and chatter from before. The entire bus had fallen into a deathly silence.

Those who had eagerly testified against us earlier did not dare say another word. Some kept checking their watches. Some pressed themselves against the windows to see how far we had gone. Others clasped their hands together, whispering prayers under their breath.

Only Pearl remained completely at ease. She swung her legs casually and hummed a cheerful tune.

Landon took one of her earbuds out. “Pearl, don’t you think things have gotten a little out of hand?”

She tilted her head and blinked at him with wide, doe-like eyes. “Landon, are you blaming me?”

He forced a smile and gently ruffled her hair. “No. I’m just worried this might affect your exam.”

“Oh, stop worrying!” She narrowed her eyes and nuzzled against him playfully. “I promise. Once we get to the exam venue, I’ll tell everyone it was just a joke.”

Then, she rose to her feet and smiled brightly at everyone on the bus. “Come on! Let’s sing something and relax before the exam…”

No one responded. Her singing floated awkwardly through the silent bus for only a few seconds before she stopped. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes as she pouted and sat back down.

The moment the bus came to a stop outside the exam venue, a group of heavily armed special police officers rushed aboard. The sudden development caught everyone completely off guard. Panic instantly spread through the bus.

Pearl calmly smoothed out her skirt and put on a sweet smile. “Oh, officers, there’s no need to be so nervous. Nobody cheated or used exam substitutes. We were just joking around!

“There’s really no need to make such a big deal out of this. Why don’t you escort us into the exam hall instead—”

“Sit down!” Before she could finish speaking, one of the officers roughly shoved her back into her seat.

“Everyone! Put your hands on the seat in front of you. No one leaves their seat. No talking. Hand over your phones immediately and wait for inspection!”

Pearl’s expression changed. “Hey! I already told you it was just a joke! What are you even investigating?”

The officer shot her an annoyed look. His expression was grim. “The inspection team reported that you’re suspected of participating in large-scale organized exam fraud. Cooperate with the investigation. Say one more word and we’ll continue this conversation at the police station.”

Pearl immediately went pale and did not dare utter another word. The bus remained parked outside the exam venue, but not a single student got off.

Parents who had been waiting outside stretched their necks anxiously, trying to see what was happening.

They were blocked by the security personnel. Hence, they could not get any information.

The students’ phones began ringing one after another. The officers expressionlessly held down the power buttons and shut them off.

When the officers finally got off the bus carrying a bag filled with confiscated phones, the sound of the exam bell rang across the campus. The college entrance exam had officially begun.