Chapter 34 - Rumors and Rebuttals
On the day the midterm examinations finally drew to a close, Lin Murun spent a quiet afternoon sifting through his mountain of reference books. Tucked between thick volumes of history and politics, he found the set of practice problems from the High School Affiliated to A-University that he had borrowed from Si Bin weeks prior.
"I’m sorry, I completely forgot to return these to you sooner," Lin Murun said when he found Si Bin later that afternoon. To soften the apology, he had stopped by a nearby cafe to purchase a hot latte as a small peace offering.
"It’s no trouble. I wasn't planning on touching those for a while anyway," Si Bin replied, accepting the book and the warm cup. His eyes lingered on the brand logo printed on the sleeve. "Did you get this from the shop across from the Xingyue Music Shop?"
"Yes," Lin Murun nodded. "Li Menglai mentioned that you used to frequent that place during the summer break. I wasn't sure what your preference was, so I took a gamble on a latte."
A flicker of tension crossed Si Bin’s features, his posture stiffening almost imperceptibly. He asked tentatively, "How did she know I went there often?"
"She used to study there quite a bit herself. Apparently, she ran into you a few times by chance." Lin Murun kept his expression neutral. He was well aware of the awkwardness that had plagued Li Menglai for half a semester after her failed confession to Si Bin, and he chose to omit the fact that her "studying" had often been a pretext to catch a glimpse of him.
"I see. Thanks." Si Bin let out a quiet breath of relief, his tone returning to its usual easy cadence. "Their coffee is actually quite good. You should try it sometime."
"I will," Lin Murun promised. Looking at the exercise book in Si Bin’s hand, he recalled the minor stir caused by the geography quiz earlier in the term. "Teacher Xia actually used a few questions from that book for our last pop quiz."
Si Bin flipped the book open with one hand. "The exact same questions?"
"Word for word," Lin Murun explained. "Though it was only for one of the bonus multiple-choice questions that went beyond the standard curriculum."
Si Bin nodded thoughtfully before sliding the book into his bag. With the debt settled and the coffee delivered, Lin Murun glanced toward the school gates where his cousin was waiting. "I should head out. Lin Qingqing is waiting for me. See you Monday."
"Are you in a rush to get home?" Si Bin checked his watch. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come over and see Xiao Bai."
Lin Murun’s expression clouded with a hint of regret. "I don't think I can today."
"Next time, then," Si Bin said quickly, catching the fatigue in the other boy's eyes. "You’ve had a long week of exams. You must be exhausted."
"I'm alright, but Qingqing has been standing out there for a while," Lin Murun explained. "It wouldn't be right to keep her waiting any longer."
"Go on, then." Si Bin waved him off. "Get home safely."
Lin Murun offered a quick wave in return and jogged down the stairs. Si Bin remained where he was, watching the slender silhouette disappear around the corner of the building. He lifted the cup and took a sip of the latte. It was sweeter than the bitter Americanos he usually favored, rich with the scent of steamed milk, but he found himself drinking it steadily until the cup was empty.
At the school gate, Lin Qingqing was pacing back and forth. The biting autumn wind had turned the tip of Lin Murun’s straight nose a faint shade of red by the time he reached her.
"Where is your scarf?" she asked immediately, her brow furrowed.
"I left it at home," he admitted.
Qingqing sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Look at you. If you can't even take care of yourself, how are you going to expect a future boyfriend to do it for you?" She froze the moment the words left her mouth, her eyes widening.
Lin Murun let out a soft laugh. "So, you aren't angry anymore?"
Ever since Lin Murun had come out to her, Qingqing had claimed to be understanding, yet a palpable wall had risen between them. She had struggled to reconcile her image of her perfect cousin with the reality of his orientation, resulting in several days of icy silence. It was only after the pressure of the midterms lifted that she had finally reached out.
"I wasn't angry," she muttered, rubbing her nose. "I was just... stuck. I couldn't wrap my head around it."
"And now?"
"I've unstuck myself," she said, her voice softening as they walked. "I’m sorry, Ge. It’s your life and your choice. I shouldn't have thrown a tantrum over something that makes you who you are."
"It’s okay," Lin Murun reassured her. "If our positions were reversed, I might have needed time to process it too."
Qingqing kicked a stray pebble. "You see people confessing to the same gender on the school Confession Wall all the time, but most of us just assume they’re joking or looking for attention."
"Maybe some of them are serious," Lin Murun mused.
"I guess I just never expected it to be someone so close to me," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But whatever happens, I’m on your side. I know you’re always sensible, but I can’t help worrying."
"Thank you, Qingqing."
"Ugh! Stop!" Her face flushed crimson as she gripped her backpack straps and sprinted ahead. "Don't get all sentimental on me! It’s embarrassing! You’re making my skin crawl with all this 'thank you' business!"
"I really do appreciate the understanding," he called out, a genuine smile gracing his lips.
"Eww!" She made a face and turned back toward him. "I’m going to the milk tea shop. Are you coming?"
"Sure."
"But no milk tea for you," she added bossily. "Only fruit tea. You need the vitamins."
"Understood," he replied with a mock-serious nod.
Because the midterms were part of a three-school joint exam that factored into the City-Level Merit Student evaluations, the papers had been sent away to be scanned and graded by an external digital system. This ensured total anonymity and fairness, but it also made the waiting period agonizing. For the next few days, the students of Class 2 watched their homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, like hawks every time she entered the room.
"Since when did you all care so much about your grades?" Ms. Li teased, though her expression remained guarded. "The grading was very strict this time. Don't set your expectations too high."
"Just give it to us straight," Li Xi groaned, slumped over her desk. "Let me die a quick death."
By Wednesday, the rankings were finally posted. To no one's surprise, Lin Murun’s name sat firmly at the top of the grade.
"Oh, come on! I’m so jealous I could turn green!" Yu Qianyi wailed.
"Your rank is so stable it’s scary," Li Xi added, looking at the sheet. "You’re like Si Bin 2.0."
"It might not be that way next time," Lin Murun said, looking up from a fresh stack of exercises.
"What do you mean?" Li Xi started to ask, but Ms. Li walked in, cutting her off.
"Lin Murun did exceptionally well," the teacher announced, her voice rising to address the class. "Most of you showed significant progress, proving that hard work does pay off." She glanced toward the window where Jiang Yuxi sat in silence. "However, some of you need to reflect on your attitude. Regardless of the score, an exam is a tool for self-assessment. The goal is to master the knowledge, not just chase a number."
A few students stole glances at Jiang Yuxi. He remained motionless, his face a mask of indifference, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he had essentially forfeited his ranking by skipping the later exams.
The praise for Lin Murun continued in hushed whispers throughout the morning. "He’s so talented," one girl whispered. "And he plays the violin so well."
Her desk mate turned around with a smirk. "Wow, that’s a change of heart. Weren't you the one saying he was just a 'fake-aloof' try-hard a few weeks ago?"
The girl shushed him, blushing. "I’ve seen the light! Can't a girl change her mind?"
That evening, Lin Murun stopped by Si Bin’s apartment to drop off some new toys for the kittens. "I hope they like these," he said, tossing a small plush mouse toward Xiao Bai.
The kitten, unfamiliar with the toy, puffed out its fur and scrambled under the sofa, refusing to come out no matter how much they coaxed it. Si Bin sighed, physically shifting the heavy furniture to scoop the trembling ball of fur into his arms.
"You little coward," Si Bin murmured, rubbing the kitten’s head with a soft chuckle. Xiao Bai let out a pathetic meow. Da Bai, however, was far more adventurous, batting at every toy Lin Murun had brought until the living room was a chaotic mess of feathers and bells.
Once the cats had exhausted themselves, Lin Murun stood to leave. "I'll head back now."
"I'll walk you," Si Bin said, reaching for his shoes at the entryway.
"There's no need. It’s a short walk."
"I need to head out to buy a pack of cigarettes anyway," Si Bin countered.
Lin Murun paused. "Do you smoke often?"
"Occasionally." Si Bin noticed the cats watching them and added, "I always wait outside until the smell fades so I don't bother them."
Lin Murun shook his head. "That’s not what I meant. It’s bad for your health. You should try to quit if you can."
Si Bin’s hands stilled on his laces. He looked up, a slow, genuine smile spreading across his face. "Okay. I'll try."
As they passed the school gates, they spotted a lone figure standing in the shadows. It was Jiang Yuxi, staring blankly at the darkened campus.
"The gates are about to lock," Lin Murun whispered. "What is he still doing here?"
Si Bin spared him a cursory glance. "Probably waiting for someone."
Jiang Yuxi noticed them then. He flinched, his eyes darting between the two of them before he ducked his head and hurried away into the night. The interaction was bizarre, but neither Lin Murun nor Si Bin gave it much thought at the time.
The following morning, however, the atmosphere in the classroom had shifted. When Lin Murun walked in, he was met with a barrage of stares—some worried, some probing, and others filled with unmistakable schadenfreude.
Li Menglai hurried to his desk, her voice a frantic whisper. "What is going on? The midterm papers weren't even graded by our own teachers. How could anyone possibly claim you cheated?"
Lin Murun froze, his hand still on his bag. "Cheated? What are you talking about?"
Realizing he was truly in the dark, Li Menglai pulled him out into the hallway. "You haven't seen the post on the Confession Wall?"
"I don't check it."
She unlocked her phone and thrust it toward him. "Someone sent an anonymous tip. They’re claiming your entire academic record since transferring is a fraud."
The post featured a series of screenshots with the sender’s identity heavily blurred. The first part was a long-form essay questioning how a transfer student could immediately unseat the top-ranked students, comparing Lin Murun’s scores to Si Bin’s with cynical skepticism.
The second image was a high-definition photo of the geography bonus question from the earlier quiz. The third was a side-by-side comparison of that same question found in the A-University Affiliated High School workbook, proving Lin Murun had seen the material beforehand.
Lin Murun didn't need to see the rest. He scrolled through the comments, seeing the student body divided. Some defended him, citing the strictness of the joint exam, while others pointed to the "ironclad proof" of the geography question as evidence of a pattern of dishonesty.
"I didn't cheat," Lin Murun said, handing the phone back.
"I know you didn't," Li Menglai said firmly. "You’re too smart to need to."
"Thank you."
"But people are talking," she worried. "And that geography question... how did they even get a photo of that? Who is doing this?"
"I have a good idea," Lin Murun replied, his voice cold. Only he, Teacher Xia, and Jiang Yuxi had known about the overlap in the geography questions. He remembered Jiang Yuxi’s shifty behavior the night before and felt a dull thud of disappointment. "The geography thing was a coincidence that I already cleared with Teacher Xia. It has nothing to do with the midterms."
"You need to clear this up before it gets out of hand," she urged.
"I will. When the time is right."
By noon, the rumor had reached a fever pitch. Students from other grades were even loitering outside Class 2 to catch a glimpse of the "disgraced scholar."
"What are you looking at?" Shen Hao barked, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "You want a photo? It’ll cost you. Get lost!" He slammed the door shut, leaving the onlookers stunned. "Don't mind them," he told Lin Murun. "Some people just want to believe the worst because they’re too lazy to work as hard as you do."
"Thanks, Shen Hao."
At lunch, the cafeteria was a minefield of gossip. Lin Murun and Zhou Xuan had barely sat down when they heard a group of girls at the next table whispering loudly.
"I really thought he was a god like Si Bin," one girl sneered. "Turns out he’s just a fraud who cheats his way to the top."
"Shut up!" another girl snapped. Lin Murun recognized her—she was the freshman he had shared a table with on the morning of the exams. "You don't have any proof. So what if he saw a question in a practice book? That happens to everyone!"
"Why are you so desperate to defend him?" the first girl mocked. "Does he even know you exist?"
Zhou Xuan tugged at Lin Murun’s sleeve. "Let’s just go. It’s not worth it."
Lin Murun shook his head. He stood up and walked over to the table. "Actually, I do know."
The girls jumped, turning to face him with wide eyes.
"And I also know that spreading baseless rumors is incredibly rude," Lin Murun said calmly. "You mentioned I cheat to get first place. Do you have any evidence beyond a single question from a non-graded quiz?"
The cafeteria went silent as people leaned in to listen. The girl who had been mocking him turned bright red, looking to her friends for support, but they suddenly found their trays very interesting. "What about the geography question then? It was an advanced problem!"
"It was a coincidence," Lin Murun replied. "I explained it to the teacher, and he agreed it wasn't malpractice. Tell me, when you were in first grade, did you ever do a simple addition problem in your homework?"
The girl blinked, confused. "Don't change the subject!"
"I’m not. If that same addition problem appeared on your monthly test, did you sit there and count on your fingers, or did you tell the teacher you couldn't answer it because you’d seen it before?"
A wave of laughter rippled through the cafeteria. The girls gathered their things in a huff and fled the scene.
"I didn't know you had that in you," Zhou Xuan whispered as they left the cafeteria to find a quieter place to eat.
"If they’re going to step on my head, I have to push back," Lin Murun said.
Before they could reach the exit, the freshman girl caught up to them. "Senior! Do you remember me?"
"I do," Lin Murun smiled. "Thank you for standing up for me, but you shouldn't get involved in these things."
"It’s fine! You stood up for me before, didn't you? I know you’re honest."
Just then, Lin Murun’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from Yu Qianyi.
"Lin Murun, where are you? Director Tang wants to see you in his office. Right now."
