Chapter 286 : The Cheating Rumor

Chapter 286 : The Cheating Rumor
Students around the room had already started looking in her direction.

With four inspectors standing around her desk, there was no way to hide what was happening. Anyone who saw it would assume the same thing. Something had gone wrong.

As expected, one of the inspectors rapped his knuckle lightly against the corner of Allison's desk.

"Student," he said in a firm voice, "we've received a report that you may be involved in cheating. Please come with us and cooperate with the investigation."

Allison's grip tightened around her pen. She wanted to argue that she hadn't cheated.

But after glancing at the inspectors and then at the other students in the room, Allison understood that now wasn't the time to argue. If she disrupted the exam, she could be disqualified before she ever had the chance to explain herself.

Keeping her composure, she slowly rose to her feet.

Her eyes drifted to the unfinished pages of her exam. Two sections left: the reading comprehension and the essay.

As she followed the inspection team out of the classroom, she silently worked out how much time she would need to finish them.

Her exam supplies were taken away as well, leaving only her half-completed answer sheet lying on the desk.

They brought her into an administrative room under full surveillance. Cameras recorded every second for documentation purposes.

Some officials examined her pens, erasers, and scratch paper, while others focused their attention on her.

They checked her ears for hidden earpieces, her mouth and teeth for transmitters, and searched her limbs and waistband for concealed devices.

Every accessory was removed and inspected. But Allison wore no jewelry, no watch, and no glasses. There was nothing.

Through it all, Allison remained remarkably calm.

The inspectors couldn't help but admire her composure. Most students caught in a situation like this would have been sweating bullets or rambling nervously, but she hadn't said a word and hadn't flinched even once.

When the final inspection was finished, Allison finally broke her silence. "Excuse me, may I ask how I was reported for cheating? Did anyone actually witness the alleged act?"

Her tone was polite, but there was a sharpness beneath it.

Even now, she was thinking through the situation. She already knew someone had deliberately targeted her.

One of the officials held out a phone. "Is this you?"

Allison looked at the photo on the screen. It was her old student ID picture from years ago. She recognized it immediately. "Yes, that's me."

"Someone outside claims to be your mother," the inspector said. "She said she gave you cheat notes and paid an invigilator to watch your back."

Allison felt her stomach twist. A cold fury surged through her chest.

Ruth. She guessed it immediately.

She wasn't surprised at all. Ruth had betrayed her so many times that she had stopped expecting anything different. But trying to ruin her college entrance exam was cruel, even by Ruth's standards.

She had earned this opportunity through her own hard work.

Yet even now, Ruth was trying to take it away from her.

Maintaining a composed expression, Allison slowly explained, "Teachers, I request that this incident be formally documented and kept on record. After the SAT, I will be filing an appeal. I have been slandered and falsely accused, and this has caused serious and unnecessary interference with my exam."

Then she continued, "I assume you've already reviewed my file. I am legally registered as an orphan. I don't have a mother. So how exactly was I reported by someone?"

The officials exchanged glances.

Nothing suspicious had been found. No hidden devices. No unauthorized materials.

The only thing that stood out was her speed. She had been moving through the exam unusually fast.

But Allison was a special case. She wasn't a typical test-taker. According to her file, she was a self-educated orphan from a rural village who had never received formal schooling and was only now taking the exam as a private candidate after being adopted.

All of her paperwork was in order. No cheating devices were found, and aside from her unusually fast pace, there were no irregularities.

The report appeared more likely to be a deliberate attempt to cause trouble.

In the end, the inspection team had no choice but to let her return to the exam, while noting that her paper would remain under observation and be reviewed again after the test.

When Allison returned to her seat, she glanced at the clock.

Thirty minutes left.

For Allison, that was more than enough.

While she was being questioned, she had already organized the essay in her head. All that was left now was to put it on paper.

In the surveillance room, the officials continued watching the monitors, following her every move.

"She's unshakable," someone murmured in admiration. "Even after that, her hand didn't tremble. She went right back to the test the moment she sat down, as nothing had happened."

"I took a look at her answers," another person said. "I couldn't find a single mistake."

"Her accuracy is ridiculous. No wonder someone wanted to trip her up. They probably knew they couldn't beat her honestly."

"And she's quick on her feet," another person added. "Most students would panic and waste precious time trying to clear their name. She did the exact opposite. She cooperated, cleared the suspicion, then immediately shifted the focus back to the accusation itself."

The group fell silent for a moment, watching Allison's image on the screen.

"She even seemed distracted during the inspection. Looking at it now, she was probably planning her essay. She's already writing it."

"She's got a clear plan," someone said. "I wonder which college she wants to apply to. I'd actually love to be her advisor someday."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Sure, she did great in the language section, but what if she's weak in other subjects?"

That was true enough. There were still plenty of exams ahead. What if they ended up betting on the wrong student?

The bell signaling the end of the test rang. Allison calmly spread her hands, allowing the proctor to collect her test paper and answer sheet.

As she walked out of the testing room, every student inside the room glanced at her.

Allison knew that even if she hadn't cheated, she would still be dragged into the controversy and become the center of attention for both students and teachers.

This was exactly the trap Ruth had set for her.

Even if the accusation didn't actually bring someone down, most people would have their mindset completely shaken after going through something like this. They would fall apart and ruin the rest of their exams.

But Allison's mental strength had long since been tempered by countless hardships. A few strange looks or bits of gossip from strangers weren't enough to make her lose sleep or dwell on them.