Villain: Without morals, you can’t be manipulated!

Chapter 10 Class Monitor, Let Me Copy Your Homework?

After finishing his meal, Wang Cheng wiped his mouth, stood up, and went to the fridge. Imitating Qi Lin, he grabbed a bottle of ‘Screaming Soda’ and prepared to leave.

“Hey, classmate, you haven’t paid yet,” the owner called out as Wang Cheng walked a few steps.

Hearing this, Wang Cheng froze. He was bewildered—Qi Lin always paid for breakfast. Even if Qi Lin left early, he would have settled the bill beforehand.

“Boss, you must be mistaken. Didn’t my friend already pay?” Wang Cheng asked, his tone confused.

“Your friend? The one who always drives the fancy car?” The owner clarified with a smile.

Wang Cheng nodded quickly.

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Then there’s no mistake. When he ordered, he told me you’d be treating today. The beef noodles and soda he had, plus what you ordered, are all on your tab,” the owner explained, extending his hand.

“In total, there’s one bowl of beef noodles and one soda from him, plus your beef noodles, a bowl of zhajiangmian, and a soda—that comes to 44 yuan.”

Wang Cheng: “…”

He couldn’t believe it. Qi Lin, who had always paid for everyone without a second thought, had not only stuck him with the bill but hadn’t even given him a heads-up.

“How could a rich kid like him stoop to this level?” Wang Cheng asked and cursed inwardly, his face twitching in anger.

Ironically, he didn’t realize that Qi Lin was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine, mirroring the moral coercion Wang Cheng had used on him in the past.

“Boss, can you put this on a tab? I’ll settle it next time,” Wang Cheng asked hesitantly, hoping to confirm with Qi Lin later.

Forty-four yuan was no small sum in 2002, especially for a high school senior from an average family.

“Sorry, kid. We’re just a small business—we don’t do credit. If you don’t pay, I’ll have to visit your school and talk to your teachers,” the owner said, his tone turning stern at Wang Cheng’s attempt to avoid payment.

“Fine, fine, I’ll pay,” Wang Cheng relented, panicking at the mention of teachers.

For students back then, especially someone like Wang Cheng, whose grades were his ticket to a better future, the idea of a teacher finding out was terrifying.

Begrudgingly, he pulled out a 50-yuan note. As he handed it over, his heart broke. When he’d been spending other people’s money to build his image, Wang Cheng had been extravagantly generous. But now that it was his own money, he was painfully reluctant.

“Maybe I should put the soda back,” his friend suggested cautiously, noticing Wang Cheng’s hesitance.

Wang Cheng, now on the receiving end of moral coercion, gritted his teeth.

“Who says I don’t have money? You’re my buddy—I can afford one soda for you.”

With the soda paid for, Wang Cheng received only six yuan in change. He had saved this money from over two months of weekend part-time jobs, only to lose it all in a single morning.

“Qi Lin, you rich brat, damn you!”

Wang Cheng cursed silently, his heart bleeding as he left the shop.

______

“Qi Lin, hand in your homework.”

As Qi Lin sat in his seat, a crisp, melodious voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he saw a face that could switch effortlessly between playful and serious, with delicate features, fair skin, and an air of effortless beauty.

But the owner of this face, Lan Yuxi, didn’t seem pleased. Her eyes held a mix of disdain and annoyance as she looked at Qi Lin. To her, Qi Lin was nothing more than a spoiled rich kid who had transferred to their prestigious school through connections.

“Homework? I seem to have forgotten what was assigned yesterday,” Qi Lin said lazily. “Class Monitor, could you lend me yours to copy?”

Having recently been reborn, Qi Lin couldn’t recall trivial details like homework from over a decade ago. His gaze lingered teasingly on the fair skin peeking out from Lan Yuxi’s collar as he reached for the homework she held in her arms.

“Qi Lin, watch your behavior!”

Already annoyed with him, Lan Yuxi’s expression turned cold. She took a step back, her face full of indignation.

“This is the top high school in the province! No one here cheats on homework. Not only did you fail to complete your assignment, but now you want to copy someone else’s? Qi Lin, I despise you!”

Her tone was sharp, delivering a barrage of moral condemnation. However, Qi Lin’s eyes glinted with disdain. The righteous class monitor standing before him would soon secretly copy exam answers and cheat—oh, the irony.

“Well, there wasn’t any copying before, but there is now. Being despised by the class monitor feels like an honor, honestly,” Qi Lin said lazily, unaffected by her rebuke.

“You’re hopeless,” Lan Yuxi snapped. “I’m going to the office to report this to the teacher.”

With a glare, she gathered the homework she had collected and walked gracefully toward the office, leaving Qi Lin behind. Watching her retreating figure, Qi Lin smirked slightly. The real game was just beginning.