Another minute ticked by, and Doug Feng had already wrapped up the entire cloze test—fifteen questions, done and dusted.
Hailey Tang, who had been patrolling the exam room, nearly tripped over her heels in shock. What the heck? She'd only taken one lap around the classroom, and Doug had already blazed through that many questions? The guy must've been randomly guessing. Right?
Unwilling to believe her eyes, Hailey stopped right beside Doug's desk, pretending to be patrolling but actually peeking at his answers.
By now, Doug was working on the final task—the English essay. With a confident flick of his pen, he scribbled line after line like a man possessed.
"Wait… all his multiple-choice answers are correct? Reading comprehension—also all right? Cloze test, spot-on? Even the translation section? And that essay—damn, that's a clean, coherent structure with no grammar mistakes?"
The more she looked, the more stunned she became.
If she hadn't seen it for herself, there was no way Hailey would've believed this paper came from Doug Feng of all people.
No way… Could the exam have been leaked? Did he memorize the answers beforehand?
Suspicion flared in her chest, but she dismissed it almost immediately.
This was a citywide simulation exam—standardized, secure, and modeled after the national gaokao. Even she had only received the paper moments before it started.
Besides, the way Doug was writing the essay—calm, fluent, not a pause in sight—it just didn't look rehearsed.
"Whew."
Doug finally let out a breath and dropped his black gel pen onto the desk. Finished. The final section—done. Thankfully, the beginner-level Intelligence Boost hadn't worn off just yet.
He glanced up—and nearly leapt out of his seat.
He'd been so locked in on the essay, he hadn't realized that Hailey Tang had been standing right in front of his desk the whole time, watching him like a hawk.
"Ms. T—"
Doug nearly blurted her name, but then quickly swallowed his words. This was still an exam room, after all.
"Done already, Doug? Then hand in your paper," Hailey said with a polite smile that sent a chill down Doug's spine.
Wait a sec… wasn't she the one who told me not to hand it in early? Why's she telling me to now?
No. This had to be a trap.
If he turned in his paper now, he'd be walking right into it. Doug subtly peeked at Linda, who sat a few rows behind and to the left. She was glaring at him like she could kill him with just her eyes.
That stare screamed: "If you dare hand it in early again, you're dead to me."
Doug swallowed hard, then cautiously glanced back up at Hailey.
Her soft smile hadn't faded. "Doug, go ahead. Submit your paper."
"Doug Feng, don't you dare!" Linda's eyes flashed, as if reinforced with a dozen hidden knives.
"Hand it in," Hailey urged again, her voice now tinged with amusement.
"Don't. You. Dare," Linda's glare countered.
It was like a silent tennis match of doom. Doug's head was spinning.
This wasn't about the exam anymore. This was a battlefield.
Linda was protecting her authority as class monitor—Doug's repeated early submissions made her look bad, and she wasn't going to let that slide.
Hailey, on the other hand, had just witnessed Doug breeze through a test that stumped the entire room. Her pride, curiosity—or maybe a competitive streak—had flared up. She wanted Doug to hand it in and prove his brilliance.
Oh crap, Doug thought, this isn't about me anymore. This is a full-on war between two terrifying women, and I'm just collateral damage.
"Doug, your answers look excellent. No need to second-guess. Just submit it," Hailey said again, this time loud enough for the whole class—and the other proctor—to hear.
Doug panicked. "Uh… I-I think I'll just double-check a few things, Ms. Tang!"
A blatant lie, but the best he could come up with.
Hailey's expression darkened slightly. Clearly, she knew he was stalling. She gave a soft, disapproving "hmph" and stalked off to the front of the room, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
Doug breathed a sigh of relief.
Linda, meanwhile, was beaming. Her warning had worked. Doug had chosen not to hand in early. Victory, sweet victory.
Seriously? Over an exam? These women are nuts, Doug thought. It's just a test. Not a declaration of war.
Ding-ding-ding!
Finally, the dismissal bell rang. Doug bolted from his seat, slapped the test onto the stack, grabbed his bag, and ran for the door like the building was on fire.
No way was he sticking around to see Hailey's face.
But just as he thought he'd escaped—
"Attention, all students: please return to your homerooms. Your class advisors have important announcements regarding this week's schedule."
Doug froze mid-stride. You've got to be kidding me. He was hoping to disappear for the weekend, lie low, and give Hailey some time to cool off.
But now the school wanted a post-exam briefing?
"Thinking of skipping, huh?" came a cheerful voice beside him.
Doug turned to see Linda sauntering over, grinning. "You behaved today. Good boy."
"I had to behave. Thanks to you, I just ticked off Ms. Tang. I'm doomed either way," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What's with her, anyway? Since when do proctors encourage early submissions?" Linda scoffed. "Come on, we've got to head back. The announcement's mandatory."
With Linda glued to his side, escape was impossible. Doug had no choice but to shuffle back into the classroom.
Meanwhile, Hailey Tang handed off the completed exam papers to the other proctor and strode back to Class 3-2, her high heels tapping an ominous rhythm on the tile floor.
The moment she stepped into the room, the chatter stopped cold.
"That test was insane. The difficulty was off the charts!"
"I know, right? I barely finished half the essay. And don't even ask about math…"
"I left a whole page blank in science!"
Clearly, everyone was feeling the heat from the ramped-up simulation exam.
"Settle down," Hailey said as she stepped in. "Yes, this round was tougher. That's by design. We're simulating real gaokao pressure."
She paused, scanning the room. Her gaze landed on Doug for just a beat longer than necessary.
"But," she added with a subtle smirk, "some of you might have surprised even yourselves… and exceeded expectations."
Doug sank lower in his seat.
He had survived the exam.
But the aftermath?
That was just getting started.