The next day.
Yu He changed into Kaiwei's school uniform. Her tall figure made the standard light gray uniform look like high fashion.
Especially the pair of long, straight, white legs under the pleated skirt, which completely overshadowed Ye Zisu beside her.
The two rode to school in the same car. After getting out, Ye Zisu subtly distanced herself from Yu He, not wanting to be a foil.
But after only a few steps, they saw a large banner at the school gate.
"Warmly celebrate Ye family's second daughter, Yu He, for scoring full marks in four subjects."
Several women in uniform stood at the school gate, smiling and handing out small gifts to every student who came to school.
"To congratulate the Ye family's second young lady on her perfect score in four subjects, the school cafeteria is free today, courtesy of the Ye family."
The leader was Xiao Cui, a servant of the Ye family.
Yu He: "..."
This kind of ostentatious and vulgar behavior was indeed the mark of a nouveau riche.
Seeing Ye Jianming being so high-profile and showy, Ye Zisu surprisingly did not feel jealous. Instead, she felt a little happy.
She walked back to Yu He and said in an experienced tone:
"This is your first time seeing such a scene, isn't it? In a while, Dad will have you give a speech in front of the reporters. You can think about what to say beforehand, so you don't get nervous and can't speak clearly."
Every year on her birthday, the Ye family would host a banquet, so she was already adept at handling such occasions.
As for Yu He, who grew up in a remote mountain village, she probably hadn't seen as many people as the entire grade at Kaiwei. She was bound to freeze up and embarrass herself.
"If you don't know what to say, you can say this... Hey, where are you going? The open classroom is this way."
As she spoke, she realized Yu He wasn't listening at all and was walking towards the faculty building.
Ye Zisu caught up to Yu He and grabbed her, "Don't wander around. This is a school, and that's the faculty building. It's not like in the mountains where you can go anywhere."
Her voice was not quiet, attracting the laughter of several passing students.
"Haha, a bumpkin in the Grand View Garden."
"Not everyone who flies to a branch is a phoenix. A wild chicken is always a wild chicken, and its nature cannot be changed."
"Hahaha."
Ye Zisu secretly rejoiced.
This was exactly the effect she wanted.
"Don't touch me. Where I go is none of your business." Yu He slapped her hand away.
"Don't run around. If you get lost and are late, it will delay Dad's business," Ye Zisu said with an innocent look.
Her pitiful appearance made her seem like she was being bullied by Yu He in the eyes of others.
"Oh my, quite a temper. You really think you're a daughter of the Ye family."
"Even if you're good-looking and got a perfect score, this wild personality really doesn't make you likable."
"After all, she's a country bumpkin from the mountains. Even if adopted by the Ye family, a wild girl is still a wild girl and can't become a true heiress."
Yu He's cool gaze fell on the gossiping students, and she said:
"Yes, a wild girl is a wild girl and cannot become a true heiress; just as commoners are commoners. Even if they are gilded at Kaiwei, their true nature cannot be changed."
Ye Zisu's face paled for a moment when she heard Yu He's words.
Yu He was mocking her as the wild girl.
When the gossiping female students heard the first part, they thought Yu He had admitted it herself, but the latter half was actually scolding them!
They immediately felt like they had shot themselves in the foot.
Yu He, too lazy to bother with them, went directly to the dean's office.
"What? You want to go to Class Eleven? Isn't Class One good enough?"
Director Luo was shocked after hearing Yu He's request.
Who would choose to attend a remedial class instead of an honors class?
Just because her grades were good, she didn't have to be so willful!
Moreover, Ye Jianming had invited a group of reporters today to report on the academic prodigy joining Class One.
"There's no reason why. Just arrange it for me. Also, arrange a dormitory for me. I want to live on campus," Yu He said, then turned and left.
Her expression was blank, her gaze was cool, and she was very aloof.
---
In the open classroom.
Ye Jianming and the school's publicity department were entertaining reporters, waiting for Yu He to come over for a joint interview.
However, only Ye Zisu arrived.
Ye Jianming pulled her aside and asked, "Where is Yu He? Why didn't you bring her?"
"She must have been too nervous. On the way just now, she refused to come no matter what and I don't know where she went. I couldn't stop her," Ye Zisu said with an innocent look.
Failing at a critical moment, Ye Jianming's anger flared up.
"People from the mountains are just not presentable! Forget it, let's cancel the interview with the reporters. We don't want her to embarrass the Ye family by not knowing what to say." He said in a low voice.
Seeing him angry, Ye Zisu's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.
"Don't do that, Dad. If she doesn't show up, the authenticity of this news won't be very reliable. If she doesn't come, we can take the reporters to find her in class. She should have gone back to class."
Ye Jianming thought it made sense, so he asked the reporters to move on to Class Two, Grade Two.
Ye Zisu led the way, deliberately taking a detour.
Then, as Ye Zisu wished, the reporters found a crowd gathered in front of the school's notice board, discussing something about an academic prodigy, cheating, and shamelessness.
Reporters had a strong sense of gossip, and these keywords alone made them feel there was news.
They moved closer and indeed discovered a major scoop.
"You are Yu He's family, right? How dare a cheating dog flaunt themselves! Get out of Kaiwei!"
Some students saw Ye Jianming with a group of reporters and started complaining.
"What academic prodigy? It's completely cheating!"
"She really thought she was an academic prodigy, but it turns out she was cheating. It's simply sensationalism!"
"This behavior is too much. Copying Senior Lu's problem-solving ideas is one thing, but even copying his essays."
"Teacher, such cheating behavior disgraces the school's reputation. Expel Yu He from Kaiwei."
The onlookers chattered incessantly, leaving Ye Jianming utterly bewildered.
The teachers from the publicity department who accompanied him were also confused.
When they reached the notice board and saw the test papers posted on it, Ye Jianming felt as if struck by lightning, freezing him in place.
His face turned as black as a pot, a stark contrast to the reporters next to him who were busily taking pictures with excitement.
On the notice board were two test papers. The problem-solving methods on both papers were very similar, and even the essays were almost copied and pasted!
The names on the test papers were: Yu He and Lu Chenyu.
Lu Chenyu, the son of the principal of Kaiwei Academy!
The top student of Kaiwei International Academy!
Yu He cheating was one thing, but she actually copied from the principal's son's test papers!
"Don't take pictures, stop taking pictures!"
Ye Jianming's first reaction was to try and cover the test papers, but the entire notice board was covered, and he couldn't block them at all.