CHAPTER 490: 196 REALLY IS THE NEMESIS

Shen You’an took off her mask.

As expected, the two imposing men, upon seeing the true appearance of the girl beneath the mask, couldn’t fully conceal certain intrinsic tendencies of their nature as men, no matter how hard they tried to hide it.

The girl’s voice was cool, like the frost and snow of winter slicing through the warm and vibrant spring and summer air.

"I wasn’t deliberately concealing it, I just found it troublesome."

Uttered with composure and calmness, as though stating an ordinary fact.

Yet, it was precisely this poised calmness that gave Xu Na a mistaken notion.

Who in the world doesn’t love beauty? To have such striking looks and yet deliberately hide them—perhaps out of worry that others wouldn’t know how unique you are—insists on making yourself the center of attention in a crowd.

Xu Na stared intently at the flawless, exquisite features in front of her, her gaze brimming with sharp needles beneath the surface.

Meng Junzhu stepped in front of Shen You’an, blocking Xu Na’s piercing glare.

"Leaders, there is absolutely no issue with Shen You’an’s identity. She is an exceptionally intelligent and diligent student and has always ranked first at Lanya High School. However, due to her striking appearance since childhood, she’s been subject to harassment by inappropriate individuals. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shen took measures to alter her appearance. We didn’t expect this misunderstanding to arise today."

The two leaders of the winter camp organizing committee nodded repeatedly, expressing their understanding.

Indeed, the person in the photo had been deliberately "made unattractive," but upon closer inspection—setting aside the disguise—the facial features were quite delicate and bore a strong resemblance to the girl standing before them.

However, the world is often shallow—how many people truly look past the surface to see someone’s essence?

And thus, today’s misunderstanding occurred.

Xu Na still refused to relent. "You can say whatever you want, but I believe her identity is highly suspicious. To ensure fairness, I think the organizers should initiate an investigation and verify her identity. If she’s innocent, everyone would rejoice. But what if there really is an issue with her identity? That would be unfair to all the other candidates."

For the first time, Meng Junzhu revealed an angry expression. He stared coldly at Xu Na. "Your ’I think, I think’—judging my student with subjective malice—is it not a failure of the fairness and objectivity required of a teacher? I have reason to suspect you’re using this as an opportunity to settle personal scores. Do you realize the scope of the winter camp’s competition? This is not a place for you to act recklessly."

Meng Junzhu’s words were sharp and piercing, flipping the passive situation completely and taking the upper hand.

Xu Na’s face flushed bright red, stammering, "You... what nonsense are you saying?"

The two male leaders exchanged an ambiguous glance at Xu Na.

The facts were already crystal clear—fingerprints and identification had been checked. Shen You’an was indeed Lanya High School’s top student; this couldn’t be faked. What motive would she have for cheating? The logic simply didn’t make sense.

Besides, in their eyes, a stunningly beautiful student who remained unassuming and consistently excelled in her studies was incredibly likable. In the realm of universal education, such an exemplary student is a role model among peers.

On the contrary, Xu Na, as an invigilating teacher, was relentlessly targeting a student. Although ostensibly acting out of diligence and responsibility, given that everything was clarified, there was no need to be so aggressive anymore. Her actions became suspicious, even repugnant.

Especially when paired with Xu Na’s sharp and even somewhat "unattractive" appearance—it only increased people’s dislike for her.

"Leaders, I don’t know her at all. How could I have a personal vendetta against her? Mr. Meng is slandering me—you must..."

"Enough." One leader couldn’t bear to listen further, interrupting her sternly with a glare.

"Have you forgotten your duty? This is an examination venue, not a place for you to mess around."

Xu Na’s face was full of indignation, and she said meaningfully, "If my uncle were here, he’d definitely understand my actions."

The leader’s face stiffened; the words that were about to leave his mouth got stuck in his throat.

Xu Na’s uncle was also one of their superiors. Without his influence, Xu Na wouldn’t have been able to join the winter camp invigilation team given her teaching qualifications.

"Enough of this. Let’s put the matter to rest here. Mr. Meng, take your student and leave."

Meng Junzhu felt disappointed by the other party’s attempt to smooth things over but understood that this was the best resolution available. However, he worried that Xu Na, narrow-minded as she was, had already borne a grudge against Shen You’an. If she continued to invigilate tomorrow, who knew what new trouble she might stir up?

"Hold on." But Xu Na still refused to let it go.

"Did I say they could leave?"

The male leader frowned. "Teacher Xu, everything has already been clarified. What else do you want?"

"I believe her identity is suspicious and propose initiating an investigation. For now, cancel her results for today, pending a resolution."