Chapter 71: The Homeroom Teacher Deals With Chloe York
The bell for the end of class rang. The homeroom teacher gathered her books and papers and left the classroom, and the students all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh my god, that was suffocating. The teacher had a sour look on her face the entire class, like someone owed her money!"
"Tell me about it. I didn’t even dare to make eye contact with her. I was afraid she’d yell at me if I did."
The students’ chatter was loud, but Chloe York was completely unaffected. She took out a new practice test and started working on it, marking up the questions.
Two months had passed in the blink of an eye. She had to use the time she had now to do as many practice problems as possible and solidify her knowledge.
Brooke York glanced at Chloe York, then stood up and left the classroom.
Clara Bell watched Brooke York leave and was about to follow, but Brooke didn’t let her.
Arriving at the homeroom teacher’s office, Brooke York knocked on the door. "Teacher!"
Seeing Brooke York, the homeroom teacher grew irritated. She was already annoyed enough about the situation with Chloe York, and now with Brooke York’s test scores dropping so much, she had absolutely no desire to speak with either of them.
"What is it?"
Brooke York could hear the impatience in the teacher’s voice. She knew the teacher was lumping her in with Chloe York because they shared the same surname, transferring her resentment for Chloe onto her.
’A surge of resentment toward the teacher flared up inside her. This has nothing to do with me! Besides, I hate Chloe York, too!’
However, her plan required the homeroom teacher’s involvement, so she pretended not to notice the hostile tone. Smiling, she walked up to the teacher’s desk and glanced around the office. None of the other teachers were there, which made things convenient for her.
"Teacher, I know what’s bothering you. It’s about Chloe York making you apologize in front of the whole school, isn’t it?"
The homeroom teacher’s expression changed at her words. After all, she found the whole affair rather humiliating, so she couldn’t stand hearing it mentioned.
For Brooke to bring it up so bluntly made her even more impatient. Her gaze on Brooke York was tinged with annoyance. "This is none of your business. You should focus on your own studies. Your grades have dropped a lot this time."
"Teacher, I have a way for you to get out of that apology."
Brooke York’s words made the homeroom teacher, who was in the middle of preparing a lesson, freeze.
It took her a moment to process what she had just heard. Her face instantly darkened, because she felt that Brooke York was mocking her.
"Brooke York, I am a teacher, *your* homeroom teacher. What do you mean by saying that? If you have this kind of time, you should be studying to bring your grades up. That way, people won’t say that the real heiress is worse than the fake one!"
The homeroom teacher was just as blunt. Brooke York hadn’t shown her any courtesy, so why should she show Brooke any?
The teacher’s sudden outburst made Brooke York’s face turn ashen. She had come here with good intentions to offer the teacher a solution, only to be scolded. Worse, she was being compared to Chloe York and told she was inferior.
Brooke York wanted to explode and storm out. She had just turned to leave but forced herself to swallow her anger. ’I have to deal with Chloe York first,’ she thought. ’Then I’ll take care of this teacher.’
Turning back to face the teacher, she said, "Teacher, I really do have a way. I just think Chloe York has gone too far, defying you like this. I’m on your side. You should believe me, shouldn’t you? After all, Chloe York stole my identity for so many years. How could I possibly be on her side?"
Brooke York’s tone was sincere. Hearing her words, the homeroom teacher calmed down a bit. ’That’s right,’ she thought. ’Brooke and Chloe are the real and fake heiresses. Chloe York occupied Brooke York’s identity for so many years; Brooke must harbor a great deal of resentment toward her.’
"What’s the plan?"
Hearing this, Brooke York knew the teacher was willing to cooperate. She cautiously glanced around, confirming there were no other teachers in the office, then lowered her voice. "Teacher, for Chloe York to score eighty points in every subject... that’s just not realistic. She must have cheated. And to help someone cheat so flawlessly, without anyone noticing? Only someone in a higher position than you could pull that off."
"And whoever helped her would only do so if Chloe York had helped them first. Only then would they take such a risk for her."
Brooke York didn’t name anyone, but the homeroom teacher immediately understood her implication and knew who she was talking about.
’Among the people Chloe York has helped recently, isn’t the principal the only one with a higher position than me?’
"What you’re saying is a definite possibility. Chloe York saved the principal’s child, so it’s possible he helped her fake her scores," the homeroom teacher said, nodding in agreement.
’How could I not have thought of that? And connecting that to what the principal said... he was just pressuring me to apologize. He’s on Chloe York’s side, trying to get me to apologize quickly so everything can go back to normal.’
"Exactly, Teacher! Think about it. Your bet with Chloe York was about the second mock exam scores. If she scored above fifty in every subject, you’d have to apologize. She did all this just to make you apologize, so she cashed in a favor to get the principal to help her cheat, raising her score from one point to eighty!"
"Now that her goal is achieved and you’ve apologized, she won’t care what she gets on the actual college entrance exam. It won’t affect anyone else’s results anyway."
The more the homeroom teacher listened to Brooke York, the more plausible it seemed. The principal couldn’t fake the results of the college entrance exam because it wasn’t held at their school, and the proctors weren’t from their school either.
But this second mock exam was held at the school, proctored by the school’s own teachers. Maybe the principal had the proctors help her. If that were the case, who would ever know?
’It’s our school’s own mock exam. As long as it doesn’t step on anyone else’s toes, it won’t be a huge problem.’
"Alright, Brooke. I understand. Thank you for the tip."
The homeroom teacher’s thanks were sincere. If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have thought of this and would have had to go through with that humiliating apology.
"You don’t have to thank me, Teacher. I was just pointing out the facts," Brooke York said sensibly. In her heart, she had already convinced herself this was the truth.
Because no matter how she thought about it, this was the only possible explanation for Chloe York’s scores skyrocketing so dramatically.
"Okay, you can go back to class now. And study hard. I’ll be waiting for you to become the top scorer on the college entrance exam and bring honor to our class and to me." The homeroom teacher stood up and patted Brooke York’s shoulder, her gesture showing a newfound sense of regard.
"Don’t worry, Teacher. I will!"
Leaving the office, Brooke York’s mood wasn’t just good; it was fantastic. If the homeroom teacher was now in the same boat as her, dealing with Chloe York would be as easy as crushing an ant.
And after Brooke York left the office, the homeroom teacher didn’t go back to her lesson planning. Instead, she sat there, thinking about the matter.
Back in the classroom, Chloe York had no idea that someone had already devised a plan against her. She was completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge.