Volume One, Chapter 16: Favoritism as a Judge in the Competition?

The long bell signaling the end of the competition echoed through the hall.

Jiang Yu finished her exam and walked out of the testing room with composed steps.

A sense of unprecedented calm filled her heart—this time, she had sat in the exam room with dignity, no longer a shadow forever unseen while organizing materials for Jiang Zhenguo.

“Xiao Yu!”

A familiar voice called out. Jiang Yu looked up to see Huo Siyue leaning against a stone pillar on the veranda, sunlight casting a glow over his handsome features. His peach blossom eyes brimmed with undeniable pride.

Not far beside him stood Huo Chenyuan, dressed in a sharply tailored military uniform.

His gaze swept over the bustling crowd and landed squarely on Jiang Yu.

Seeing the calm and confident expression on her face, a faint, nearly imperceptible look of approval flickered in his eyes.

This girl was steadier than he had imagined.

“Come on, little sister! I’ll take you to eat something delicious!” Huo Siyue shouted, reaching to drape an arm over Jiang Yu’s shoulder, his brows alight with pride as if he himself had taken the exam.

Huo Chenyuan withdrew his gaze and said softly, “Let’s go home first.”

His voice was quiet but carried an unyielding authority.

Before Jiang Yu could respond, a trembling and aggrieved voice rang out behind her:

“Sister!”

Jiang Yu paused and slowly turned around.

Jiang Yuehua, her eyes red-rimmed, stood flanked by the sullen-faced Jiang Zhenguo. The siblings quickly blocked her path.

Huo Siyue’s expression hardened instantly, his entitled arrogance shining through.

“Get out of the way, you good-for-nothings!” he sneered.

Huo Siyue truly despised the Jiang family, and his disdain was plainly written on his face.

He couldn’t understand how the Jangs were so shameless, like cockroaches that refused to die, always assuming Jiang Yu was easy to bully.

Jiang Yuehua seemed not to hear him; she fixed her gaze on Jiang Yu, tears streaming down her face.

“Sister, I know you resent me and the family. But how could you… how could you use Officer Huo to cheat just to surpass our brother? That’s cheating! Your reputation might not matter to you, but you can’t drag down Instructor Huo and Brother Huo’s futures!”

Damn it, Huo Siyue cursed silently.

They were throwing dirt onto his big brother.

The surrounding candidates who had just exited the exam room halted, whispers buzzing like a swarm of bees.

Cheating by using the chief examiner?

Jiang Yu glanced around at the faces, some shocked, others angry, but inside she remained unruffled.

In her past life, she had endured too many such moments—being twisted and smeared, forced to bend and grovel to please the Jiang family while defending herself.

But this time, she would not act that way.

Jiang Zhenguo found his courage and stood protectively in front of Jiang Yuehua, wearing the look of a grieving brother concerned for his sister.

“Jiang Yu, you’ve disappointed me! Even if you’ve climbed higher, you can’t stoop to such despicable tricks! You’re tarnishing the Huo family’s name!”

“Bang!”

Huo Siyue kicked over a nearby trash bin, the loud crash startling the onlookers.

His eyes were like knives, locking onto the Jiang siblings. His voice was low and commanding:

“Apologize.”

Jiang Zhenguo took a half step back, startled, but clenched his neck and forced himself to stand firm for the sake of his pride.

Jiang Yuehua cried harder, hysteria creeping into her voice.

“Apologize for what? Did we say anything wrong? You can’t act so arrogantly just because you’re from the Huo family, cheating openly in the exam and silencing anyone who speaks up!”

“We’re all examinees, equal!”

“My brother studies late every night—how can you justify these special favors to some candidates against their hard work?!”

“Sister, are you silent because you feel guilty?”

Jiang Yu quietly listened, recalling her past life. These siblings had always been like this, twisting all her achievements into shameful deeds, leaving her no standing in the factory, until even her role as a key technician was questioned.

Back then, she had begged for their approval, kowtowed while they smeared her name, and kept striving to prove herself.

But now, she was no longer that foolish girl.

She spoke slowly, her voice calm as still water: “Why should I feel guilty?”

“You dare ask why?” Jiang Zhenguo sneered bitterly. “You made Brother Huo cheat for you, ruining the fairness of this competition! Don’t you know how important an officer’s reputation is?!”

Before Jiang Yu could reply, Huo Siyue laughed scornfully.

He lazily rubbed his ear and mocked, “I’ve only heard that honor is earned by oneself, never by slandering others! My brother is the chief examiner—he’s straightforward, unlike some people who think since they’re dirt, others can’t be clean either!”

He raised a thumb down in contempt toward Jiang Zhenguo and Jiang Yuehua.

Their faces flushed with shame and anger.

Jiang Zhenguo glared fiercely at Jiang Yu.

“Are you really not going to explain yourself?!”

Jiang Yuehua knew them well.

Jiang Yu feared trouble, and the Huo family, especially Huo Chenyuan, would never allow her to become a stain on their military life.

So...

If the matter escalated, the Huo family would certainly choose the greater good over the lesser.

And the one sacrificed would definitely be Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu hugged the notebook tightly to her chest—something she had earned through genuine effort and a testament to her new life.

“I am not at fault. Why should I explain to you?” Her voice was calm and steady, her back straight.

Then she turned to Huo Siyue. “Fourth brother, let’s go.”

“Trying to leave? Show everyone your notes first, and we’ll see!” Jiang Zhenguo couldn’t swallow his anger. He intended to chase after them but was blocked by Huo Siyue’s tall followers on either side.

Huo Siyue strolled up to him, glanced back to see Jiang Yu had already walked away, then looked down on Jiang Zhenguo with a changed expression—less innocent than before, more threatening.

He tapped Jiang Zhenguo’s cheek lightly, but the gesture was full of insult.

“Jiang Yu is my sister,” he said softly. “Offend her, you offend me. Offend me, you offend the entire Huo family. Understand?”

Though younger than Jiang Zhenguo, Huo Siyue was taller.

Plus, the young men flanking him were all taller than Jiang Zhenguo, instantly surrounding him.

Bullied and threatened by these younger military heirs with powerful backgrounds, Jiang Zhenguo dared not retaliate and could only swallow his rage.

One follower pushed him on the back of his head.

“Brother Ye’s asking you a question!”

Jiang Zhenguo’s Adam’s apple bobbed; after a long silence, he gritted his teeth and spat out a single word: “Understood.”

Huo Siyue stepped back two paces, smirking as he pointed at Jiang Zhenguo’s face, then led his group away amidst their escort.

The hall’s entrance fell into silence, broken only by the rustling of phoenix tree leaves in the breeze.

After a long while, Jiang Yuehua stomped her foot in frustration.

“Brother, we just let her walk away like that!”

Jiang Zhenguo clenched his fists, anger burning like wildfire inside him.

Jiang Yuehua linked her arm with his, pouting.

“Don’t be angry, brother. It’s all my fault. My health is poor, and I don’t have anyone like Sister Jiang Yu to support me in the Huo family. It’s all my fault—please don’t blame Sister Jiang Yu anymore!”

Jiang Zhenguo, already furious, seeing Jiang Yuehua’s pitiful expression, hated Jiang Yu all the more.

“Let’s expose her!” he growled through clenched teeth.

“Brother, you mean...” Jiang Yuehua’s eyes gleamed with a cunning light.

“Think about it—if we report that the chief examiner leaked the exam questions to a candidate to the Education Bureau, to the press, what do you think will happen to the Huo family?” Jiang Zhenguo’s voice dropped low, laced with venomous calculation. “Will Huo Siyue protect Jiang Yu and sacrifice his brother’s reputation?”

Jiang Yuehua lowered her head, barely able to suppress a smile.

“To protect themselves, the Huo family will surely cast her out like a bad omen! Then, she’ll have to come back begging us!”

“Then, brother, when she returns begging to be accepted back into the Jiang family, you’ll finally get your revenge!”

The sun dipped low in the west, their shadows stretching long and twisted on the ground.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu sat quietly in Huo Siyue’s jeep, watching the scenery blur past the window, her heart remarkably calm.

The pain of her past life was behind her. This time, no matter how the Jiang siblings schemed, she would never return to the days when she was bullied and trampled upon.