USWHC -Chapter 394 Openly Copying (Part 4)

“Who? Who kicked me?!” Officer Hao suddenly let out a sharp scream, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Just as he turned his head to look at Ji Yi, Ji Yi quickly spread his hands and even took a few steps back, putting on an innocent expression. “Not me, really not me—I swear!”

Officer Hao immediately looked toward the other yamen runners for confirmation, but they all shook their heads in unison. Could it really not have been Ji Yi?

Seeing how far Ji Yi was standing, Officer Hao found himself momentarily confused. Logically, it shouldn’t have been him, right?

He quickly looked around warily again. There was no one else nearby—only a delicate-looking young girl, Zhu Jie. And at this moment, she had a frightened expression, her eyes full of timidity as she looked at him. A little girl like that… she couldn’t possibly have kicked him, could she?

Officer Hao couldn’t help but shake his head. Could it really have just been a leg cramp? No way… looks like he’d better gnaw on a few more bones lately!

But he had clearly misunderstood. A timid little girl? That definitely didn’t describe Zhu Jie. Didn’t he notice the hint of a smile in her eyes? Yes—the strike just now had been her doing. When he lunged forward, she had taken the opportunity to hit him, considering it a little “facial treatment” for him!

“Ow! My face—why does it hurt so much?” Officer Hao was still muttering cluelessly. But when he touched it, it felt burning hot, making him grimace in pain.

His monkey-like reaction immediately drew a burst of laughter from the other runners. “Hey, Brother Hao, you’ve made yourself prettier!”

The moment he heard that, Officer Hao knew it wasn’t a compliment. He spat and cursed, “Get lost! Hurry up and get to business!”

With that, he strode angrily toward Ji Yi. This time, however, he had learned his lesson—he didn’t lay a hand on him again. Instead, with a dark expression, he shouted loudly:

“Ji Yi, how dare you cheat and plagiarize in the county examination! I have orders to arrest you. Surrender at once and come with me for interrogation!”

“Me? Cheating and plagiarizing?” Ji Yi was stunned. Where was this even coming from?

Officer Hao deliberately stretched his face long and spoke in a drawn-out tone, “What? Still trying to argue?”

He put on a show of authority, but at that moment, Zhu Jie leaned over with a look of surprise and whispered softly, “What? He cheated and still got last place? That can’t be right, can it?”

Last place?

Hearing that, Officer Hao froze awkwardly. He hadn’t expected Ji Yi to be that bad. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even checked the rankings carefully.

“So what if he got last place? If he hadn’t cheated, he might not have passed at all!” Officer Hao argued stubbornly.

Zhu Jie turned her head and said to Ji Yi in a sarcastic tone, “Oh dear, husband! How could you be so bad at choosing? If you were going to copy, you should’ve copied the top scorer! How could you copy from the second-to-last instead?”

Ji Yi also looked shocked. “I copied? No way. Have you even seen the exam paper?”

Hearing this, Officer Hao let out a cold laugh. “Would we be here if we hadn’t? Let me tell you—someone already reported you! Your paper is copied!”

He sounded so certain that it almost seemed convincing. They had seen the paper?

Ji Yi, however, sneered. If they really had, they wouldn’t be saying this. He coldly replied, “Someone reported me? I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying we’re deliberately making things difficult for you?” Officer Hao immediately grew displeased. “You’d better watch your attitude. If you keep this up at the county office, don’t blame us for using torture!”

Ji Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine. Once we get to the county office, I’ll behave and tell everything I know without holding anything back.” As he spoke, a mischievous smile appeared on his face. Just what was he planning?

Seeing him say this, Officer Hao finally softened his tone. “Enough tricks. Surrender now and come with me to the yamen!”

By this time, the villagers had already heard the news. In no time, everyone rushed over.

Good heavens—the village had finally produced a successful examinee, and now it turned out he might have cheated?

That would be far too embarrassing!