Chapter 157: She Knows Nothing
Willow Summers was disgusted. "You really are despicable and shameless. Starting to sling mud already? How low can you get?"
Beverly Lynch gestured toward Pauline Shaw with her chin. "Aren’t you going to do something about this?"
’If he were someone I brought, I’d kick him out and cut all ties with him immediately.’
’I invited you as a guest, not to come here and act like a total jerk.’
Pauline Shaw hesitated for a moment before turning to the man. "Vice Class President, it’s not right for you to say that. Jay isn’t that kind of person."
The man looked indignant, but out of respect for Pauline Shaw, he held his tongue.
Beverly Lynch said, "That’s it? He should at least apologize for making baseless accusations."
Pauline Shaw felt Beverly was going too far. "Beverly Lynch, what does this have to do with you? We’re just old classmates joking around. Are you deliberately trying to stir up trouble? Do you want Jay’s relationship with her old classmates to turn sour?"
Beverly Lynch was stunned. "I’m deliberately stirring up trouble?"
"Aren’t you?" Pauline Shaw retorted sarcastically. "Don’t tell me you’ve actually had a crush on Jay all this time?"
Several of the old classmates showed expressions of disbelief. Everyone knew that back in the day, Beverly Lynch, Pauline Shaw, and Jane Lancaster were like fire and water.
"Oh, come on. No wonder she was acting so self-righteous. Turns out she was just trying to drive a wedge between us classmates."
"So manipulative. Everyone knows Pauline is Jane’s best friend."
"We’re all here to support Jane. What are they here for? To cause trouble, I guess!"
The comments made Beverly Lynch take two steps back. She looked at the group with a complicated expression, saying nothing.
Willow Summers couldn’t stand it any longer. Just as she was about to speak, an excited voice cried out, "Jane Lancaster really is cheating!"
It was the vice class president from before. He was visibly agitated, clearly gloating over her misfortune.
"I told you Jane Lancaster was cheating, and you didn’t believe me! See? Now she’s about to be caught in the act."
On stage, Jane Lancaster answered fifty questions in a row correctly at an unbelievable speed. In just a few minutes, the initial cheers had turned into murmurs of doubt.
Seeing that the time was right, Ian Lane nodded at Mia Lanley, who then stepped forward.
"Jane Lancaster, I never would have expected this. I could understand if you just wanted to gain everyone’s approval, but to not even try to hide it... are you treating us all like fools?"
Her face was a mask of righteous indignation, mixed with deep disappointment.
The crowd was in an uproar. ’So Jane Lancaster really did cheat? Oh my god, this is going to be good.’
The vice class president tried to look regretful. "She was in too much of a hurry. She didn’t even know to pretend to think for a moment."
Pauline Shaw’s head buzzed; she felt embarrassed on Jane Lancaster’s behalf. "How could she do this?"
Willow Summers was furious. This had happened several times now, and Pauline Shaw had shown no intention of defending Jane Lancaster. Was this what she called a best friend?
"Aren’t you her best friend? How can you not trust her character?"
The vice class president said, "We want to believe her, too, but facts speak louder than words. We can’t just ignore the truth."
"Nothing’s been proven yet," Beverly Lynch said, watching the events on stage unfold. She suddenly broke into a smile. "Be careful what you say now. You’re going to have to eat those words later, and it’s going to hurt."
She was starting to understand the meaning behind Jane Lancaster’s earlier inner thoughts.
"Oh, so you even know you’re supposed to pretend? That must mean you have plenty of experience with cheating. But don’t project your own pathetic methods onto Jane Lancaster. She doesn’t need them."
After saying this, she turned her gaze to Jane Lancaster on stage, her eyes bright and focused, unable to suppress the smile playing on her lips.
Pauline Shaw watched her profile, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. Wasn’t Beverly Lynch’s trust in Jane Lancaster a little... off?
’Does she know Jane Lancaster as well as I do? How ridiculous!’
’Instead of just talking about trust here, I should go up and help.’ With that thought, she jumped onto the stage.
When Sean Grant saw Mia Lanley jump on stage to question Jane, his eyes darkened.
He knew better than anyone that the questions Luna Morgan had passed to him were still in his hand; he hadn’t managed to get them to Jane.
At the same time, however, he couldn’t believe Jane Lancaster was actually that brilliant. After all, the questions Ian Lane and the others had prepared covered a wide range of topics, going far beyond just ancient paintings and fine arts.
They were more like the challenge questions from The Tower of Wit—testing encyclopedic knowledge from obscure angles. Even he didn’t know the answers to many of them.
Jane Lancaster was answering without a moment’s hesitation. It looked fake, as if she were too eager to prove herself.
’Could Adrian Lancaster have leaked the questions?’ His gaze shifted toward Adrian Lancaster.
Jasper Sterling had been watching Sean Grant closely, blocking any chance for him to cause trouble. "Mr. Grant, how about we make a bet? I bet she didn’t cheat."
Sean Grant smiled and asked humbly, "Why is President Sterling so certain?"
He silently added Jasper Sterling to his list of suspects.
’If Jane Lancaster hadn’t already gotten the answers beforehand, why would she have refused my kind offer?’
Jasper Sterling looked at him for two seconds, then withdrew his gaze with a smile.
’This man is truly arrogant. He appears gentle and low-key, but deep down, he’s incredibly proud and conceited.’
’A person like that must be extraordinarily cunning, skilled at playing others like a fiddle. He’s not just a winery owner who loves wine and making friends, as he appears to be.’
Jane Lancaster looked at Mia Lanley. "Did you come up here on your own, or did someone put you up to this?"
Mia Lanley was surprised she could remain so calm. "Don’t change the subject. Are you afraid to admit it?"
"This was supposed to be just for fun. It’s not right for you to make a scene, is it?" Jane Lancaster said.
"That’s right, it’s just for fun. There’s no need to take it so seriously," Pauline Shaw quickly chimed in.
Alvin Lancaster also hurried onto the stage to ask Mia Lanley to step down. "Teacher Langley is just joking with everyone."
This only made Mia Lanley more certain. ’Is Jane Lancaster trying to pass this off as entertainment because she’s afraid of being exposed?’
’In that case, there’s no way I’m leaving this stage!’
"It’s not that I want to cause trouble! As a teacher, I cannot condone my students cheating! You may have gotten away with it this time, but what about the future? Are you going to cheat on every exam?"
Jane Lancaster turned to glance at Alvin Lancaster.
’See that? See what kind of person you begged for help? All that money went down the drain, didn’t it? You would’ve been better off just giving it to me.’
Alvin Lancaster looked embarrassed. He really had tried his best to placate Mia Lanley, but she’d suddenly gone berserk and refused to be led off the stage.
"Do you have any proof?" Mama Knight couldn’t hold back any longer. Even though it wasn’t her place to speak, these people were going too far.
At this, Mia Lanley became smug. She had been staring at Jane Lancaster the entire time, just waiting for this moment.
"Of course I have proof. Jane Lancaster, do you dare show us what’s in your pocket?"
All eyes fell on Jane Lancaster’s slightly bulging pocket, which had the distinct shape of folded paper.
"Wait!" Luna Morgan shot to her feet.
She never expected that her momentary act of kindness would cause Jane Lancaster so much trouble.
She bit her lower lip, having resolved to confess. "Actually, I’m the one who put it in her pocket! She doesn’t know anything about it!"
Jane Lancaster gave her a strange look.
’What is she thinking? Admitting it now won’t even clear my name.’