Chapter 44 Alice and Hannah stood in the school hallway , their faces grim . Their grades had slipped , and to their dismay , Shermaine had outperformed Leslie in the exam . They were both humiliated and angry . Just a short while ago , they had mocked Shermaine as a worthless slacker , but it turned out that they were the slackers . t didn't make sense that Shermaine , known as a poor student , suddenly got straight A's and were sure there must be something shady going on . They just couldn't bring themselves to believe that Shermaine could achieve this on her own . Alice bit her lip . " Do you think she cheated ? " Hannah thought for a moment before shaking her head . " That ven : " Why not ? There are plenty of ways to cheat . The proctors weren't in school ? " " strict this time , and just look at her - does she seem like someone who'd do well " Not really . " The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Leslie standing nearby . Leslie had known about Shermaine's results . His face was filled with confusion and shock as he thought , ' Shermaine's got straight A's . It's hard to believe . Her mom told me she was struggling and even asked me to tutor her . How could she possibly do so well ? ' As he listened to Alice and Hannah's conversation , a realization struck him : Shermaine might have cheated , just like they had said . He immediately understood why Shermaine had outperformed him in the midterms and felt a sense of relief . He was sure she could never beat him without cheating . To be fair , Leslie was excellent in math , physics , and chemistry , scoring full marks . After all , he had won first place in a physics competition . But unlike Shermaine , he'd lost a few points in the other three subjects . Leslie lowered his gaze , disappointment washing over him as he thought , ' How could Shermaine stoop to cheating ? Is it because of that bet with the dean ? Even so , this isn't the way to go about it . If she wants recognition , she should earn it . Cheating might work now , but what about next time ? Will she just cheat again ? And the SAT - it's nearly impossible to cheat on that . Even if she tried , the chances of getting caught are 99 % . And if that happened , the only one who'd be embarrassed is her . ' Even if she doesn't care about her own reputation and future , she should at least think about her family . ' Alice said in a raised voice , " Let's go report her to the dean . " " Alright , " replied Hannah . As soon as they turned around , they saw Leslie . They froze in embarrassment . Alice , quicker to recover , asked softly , " Leslie , when did you get here ? " Leslie's face remained cold . " When you two were accusing Shermaine of cheating . " Alice felt a wave of panic . She wasn't sure where Leslie stood on the matter , but she gritted her teeth and said , " Leslie , I'm not being petty here . Someone like Shermaine could never do that well . You're such an outstanding person - you should distance yourself from her . It could damage your reputation . " " Exactly . Leslie , what were you even thinking ? Hannah chimed in indignantly . Leslie replied , his expression still cold , " Alice , if you hadn't confronted Shermaine in her classroom , she wouldn't have made that bet with Mr. Moe . Do you feel proud of pushing her to drop out ? You need to stop . " 1/3 Chapter 44 His tone grew firmer as he added , " Sure , Shermaine has her flaws - her temper , for one - but I believe with the right support , the can get back With that , he turned and walked away . Alice and Hannah were left standing there , stunned . Alice's face turned pale . She couldn't help but think , ' Leslie has never cared so much about a girl . Shermaine's such a lousy person , but he still stood up for her . Does he … like Shermaine ? ' Hannah muttered , " Is Leslie out of his mind ? " " Can you believe what he just said ? It's obvious he thinks Shermaine cheated , but he's covering for her ! " Alice was consumed by jealousy , her lips trembling . " Cheaters like her shouldn't be allowed in our school . Let's go , Hannah . We're reporting her to the dear . " Leslie didn't go back to his class right away . Instead , he went to Shermaine's class . Shermaine's classmates were still buzzing with excitement . A straight - A student was in their class - a regular class . They were sure some teachers would have high expectations for Shermaine and would try to suggest she take AP classes . Then , she wouldn't be in the same class as them . Maybe because she had won many major awards , Shermaine remained calm . But seeing her classmates so thrilled , she couldn't help but smile . Happiness was contagious , after all . Shermaine smiled . " Even if you can't quite match my performance , as long as you don't give up before the SAT , you'll see a big improvement in your scores . " Her classmates nodded eagerly . " Sheary , you're the best ! We love you ! " someone shouted . One of them even made a heart gesture , earning another smile from Shermaine . In that instant , they were once again captivated by how gorgeous she was . Just then , Leslie appeared in the doorway . " Shermaine , can we talk ? " he asked . Shermaine's classmates looked up and immediately felt a surge of anger as they saw Leslie , the culprit of all this . Shermaine lifted her gaze slightly , gave a soft " Mm , " and stood up to walk out . It was almost time for class , so the hallway was relatively empty . Most people were in their classrooms studying or discussing the exam . The wind was strong , and Shermaine's long hair swayed with it . She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and asked , " What now ? " Leslie had never seen a woman so gracefully beautiful , with such an ethereal aura . He fought to suppress the stirring in his chest and replied , " Sorry , I didn't expect Alice to cause trouble for you because of me and put you on the wrong side of Mr. Moe . " " Oh , okay , " Shermaine responded indifferently . She thought , ' He does owe me an apology ; after all , he's the reason all of this happened . There's nothing between us . But his admirer stormed up to me , questioning and insulting me . I don't deserve this .' She then said , " It's already over . You don't need to bring it up again . If there's nothing else , I'm heading back to class . " " Wait ," Leslie said while reaching out , attempting to grab her wrist , but Shermaine noticed and smoothly avoided his hand . She smiled faintly , waiting for him to continue , but her impatience was clear . Leslie froze , his chest tightening with unease . After a pause , he said , " Mr. Mow is indeed a snob and does favor high - achieving students , but you shouldn't have been so impulsive in making that bet with him . And winning in this way - have you thought about the consequences ? " ' What way ? What consequences ? ' Shermaine thought . But the next second , she understood what he meant . " You think I cheated ? " Leslie stared at her . " You did , didn't you ? " Shermaine chuckled . She'd told him her grades weren't bad , but he had never believed her . And now , he was accusing her of cheating , which was ridiculous . " You can think whatever you want . But let me be clear , I don't need to cheat , " she said . 12:45 Mon , 2 Jun Chapter 44 " Don't worry . I'm not planning to expose you . But don't do it again . It's not right . " Shermaine's expression turned cold . She didn't feel the need to defend herself , especially not to Leslie . This was her real performance , and she had crushed him fair and square . " I've already said that twice , and I don't want to repeat myself a third time . Please don't come looking for me again . We're not close ," she said seriously before turning and walking away without hesitation . Leslie's face turned completely grim . Meanwhile , Alice and Hannah had indeed gone to the dean's office . As soon as they saw him , Alice said , " Director , we suspect Shermaine cheated on this exam . " Mason's expression shifted slightly . He didn't immediately trust Alice's words like he had before . " Do you have any proof ? " Alice explained , " No , we don't . But Mr. Moe , everyone knows that Shermaine didn't finish high school before , which is why she's here with us . And Leslie only went to see her because her mother asked him to tutor her . A student who needs tutoring - how could someone like that get straight A's ? " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!