Chapter 3
768 Words
Elaine and Suzy had once been classmates at the same school.
Ever since childhood, Elaine had always been an outstanding student. Year after year, she ranked first in her grade.
Suzy had also left a deep impression on her. She was another top student, always just a step behind Elaine, yet still firmly ranking within the top three of the entire school.
Back then, Elaine chose this college simply because her father was doing business nearby, and studying here was more convenient for her.
What she never expected was that Suzy, who had grades good enough to get into plenty of other schools, would choose the very same university as her.
What shocked her even more was that today, during her graduation defense, Suzy was standing there calmly presenting Elaine's thesis as if it were her own work.
The entire room erupted into chaos.
The professor's face darkened instantly. He slammed his hand on the desk with a loud bang.
"Elaine," he snapped sternly, "you've always been one of the college's top students. How could you spread baseless accusations against another classmate in front of so many teachers and students?"
Standing on the defense stage, Elaine stared at him in disbelief.
Suzy also wore an innocent expression as she spoke softly, "Exactly, Elaine. I spent an entire month working day and night on this thesis. If you're going to accuse me, you should at least bring evidence, shouldn't you?"
Panicked, Elaine hurriedly opened the laptop she had brought with her.
Her typing records were there. The research references she had collected were there too. Everything should have been there.
"Professor, I have..."
But no matter how desperately she searched through the computer, she could not find a single trace of it.
The thesis she had spent countless sleepless nights writing word by word had vanished without a trace.
As they watched her pale face and trembling hands, watched her desperately search while failing to produce any proof, the looks from the teachers and students slowly changed.
The shock in their eyes turned into ridicule.
Finally, Elaine's gaze landed on Simon, who sat in the front row.
He was her last shred of hope.
After all, he had seen her thesis before. He had even praised it.
Elaine forced the words out with difficulty, her voice trembling badly.
"Simon... h-he saw my thesis before. He can testify for me."
At once, everyone's eyes shifted toward Simon.
He lazily rose from his seat and turned around slowly.
But the look in his eyes held none of the love or tenderness she once knew. His voice was distant and cold.
"Elaine, I don't think we're even that close," he said lightly. "Why would I have seen your thesis?"
The corner of his lips curled upward faintly as his gaze drifted toward Suzy, carrying obvious protectiveness.
"Everyone knows Suzy's character and academic record. She stood out from the moment she entered this school. There's no way she'd do something like this."
Then his eyes returned to Elaine, sharp as knives.
"As for you, Elaine, after all the rumors spreading about you on the forum lately, it's hard for me not to wonder if you're just acting out of jealousy today."
Every word he said stabbed into Elaine's heart like poisoned needles.
The pain cut straight to the bone.
Until she felt completely numb.
The room exploded into another uproar.
Even the professor now looked at Elaine with nothing but disgust.
"Elaine," he announced coldly, "for maliciously slandering another student during the thesis defense, the school has decided to place you under disciplinary probation."
"As for whether you'll be allowed to graduate successfully, that will depend on your future behavior."
Because her thesis was deemed highly similar to Suzy's, Elaine was directly accused of plagiarism and denied her defense qualification on the spot.
They did not even give her a chance to explain herself.
The moment she walked out of the defense room, every school group chat exploded with insults and mockery directed at her.
It came crashing down on her from all sides like a tidal wave.
Elaine thought she probably would never forget this moment for the rest of her life.
But the person who had pushed her into this nightmare was the boyfriend she had loved for three whole years.
Heavy rain suddenly poured from the sky.
She did not bother hiding from it. She simply stood there and let the rain drench her completely.
It was supposed to be the warmth of June, yet the rain chilled her straight to the heart, cold enough to seep into her bones.
- Writer
