The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 10

When Zhan Rao heard the female teacher muttering to herself, she tiptoed to get a look and saw the handwriting in the dictation notebook. To be fair, Jiang Yun’s handwriting was beautiful. So beautiful that one might almost ignore the gibberish of the poem she’d written.

She couldn’t help but smile. How could she have forgotten? Jiang Yun might have memorized the poem’s sounds, but she had no idea which words matched which characters.

Jiang Yun glanced at her helplessly, her eyes full of silent pleading with a hint of warning not to laugh.

But the more she acted like that, the more Zhan Rao wanted to laugh.

This side of Jiang Yun was just too adorable.

Li Yue, on the other hand, was stunned when she saw the notebook.

The original text had been laid out in front of this young lady, yet she hadn’t even bothered to copy a single word?

But still, if she didn’t copy it, how did she manage to get the sounds right? Could it be she really did memorize the whole thing but just didn’t know how to write the characters?

Wang Yazhi set down her teacup and looked at Jiang Yun. “Jiang Yun, explain this. Why are all the characters incorrect?”

“Because I didn’t memorize it.”

The female teacher and Li Yue: ?

“I just sang along with the song once. So, sorry, I only remembered how it sounds, not how to write it.” As she spoke, she began to hum The Song of the Lute.

“By the riverbank in Xunyang, at night I saw my guest away. Maple leaves and reed flowers swayed in autumn’s chill…”

Her voice was soft and clear, melodious and flowing. Paired with the beauty of the poem’s imagery, it created a genuinely pleasing experience. Most importantly, Jiang Yun really hummed the entire poem from beginning to end. Her intonation was mostly accurate.

“Then how did you know the third stanza was this one?”

Jiang Yun grabbed Zhan Rao’s hand and smiled. “Because I happened to run into Zhan Rao at breakfast. She recommended the song and briefly explained the poem’s meaning to me. The third part focuses on the pipa player’s background, so it should begin with ‘Plucking, she pauses, then strings again she adjusts.’”

As Jiang Yun spoke, she began singing again. Her delivery was smooth, without a single stumble. She was more fluent than students who had spent the whole night memorizing.

Wang Yazhi nodded approvingly. “Using music to study is a good method. But while listening, you should also pay attention to the lyrics and remember how each word looks and understand its meaning.”

Then, she turned toward Li Yue and said slowly, “Li Yue, Jiang Yun has already demonstrated her dictation. Since your notebook is fully written, you can recite it too. That shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”

Li Yue was dumbfounded.

Even the female teacher beside her seemed upset.

“What kind of request is that? Of course, Li Yue can recite it.”

Wang Yazhi responded with a calm smile. “It’s for fairness. If she can get full marks on the dictation, then reciting should be no trouble. Right, Li Yue?”

Li Yue was so frightened she kept swallowing hard, nervously tugging at the hem of her skirt, her eyes darting around. There was no one who could help her. Without the original text in front of her, she couldn’t recite it fluently at all.

The female teacher, noticing her nerves, tried to reassure her. “It’s okay, Li Yue. Just try reciting. We believe in you.”

But the more she was encouraged, the more scared she became.

With all the teachers and students watching, she could only begin to recite, stammering.

“By the riverbank in Xunyang, at night I saw my guest away. Maple leaves and reed flowers swayed in autumn’s chill…”

Wang Yazhi smiled graciously. “Just the third stanza, please.”

Li Yue nervously adjusted her hair. “The third stanza? The third… okay… okay. Suddenly, from the water, the sound of a pipa came…”

Wang Yazhi said, “That’s the first stanza.”

Li Yue said, “Big pearls chime in… oh, wait—Big pearls chime… big pearls…”

The more she tried to remember, the more her mind turned to mush. Nothing would come.

“I’m sorry, teacher, I can’t remember… I’m sorry…” Her tears began to fall again, plopping one after another.

The female teacher beside her hugged her and said on her behalf, “That’s enough, Teacher Wang. Li Yue’s just too nervous. Otherwise, she’d have no trouble reciting. Let’s just forget about this.”

Wang Yazhi gave Li Yue a thoughtful smile as she wept in the teacher’s arms. “Li Yue, I know your grades are good. But truly excellent students also have good character. Do you understand?”

Li Yue nodded frantically. “Yes, teacher. I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

“Alright. As you said, you only meant to help a friend. You two can leave now.”

Li Yue quickly expressed her thanks. “Thank you, teacher. Goodbye, teacher.”

Jiang Yun gave a polite nod and walked out.

As soon as she stepped out of the office, Zhan Rao caught up and lightly slapped her shoulder. “You sang really well back there.”

Jiang Yun smiled. “I should thank you for letting me hear that song.”

Zhan Rao shook her head with a grin. “You should thank yourself, for keeping your promise to me and not giving up on yourself.”

To have the original text right beside her and still insist on writing wildly incorrect characters was rare. Most people wouldn’t have the self-control to do that.

The incident involving Jiang Yun and Li Yue spread across the entire floor.

It should have been a minor issue, hardly worth mentioning. But since it involved Jiang Yun, it was enough for people to mock her. Add to that Li Yue’s goody-two-shoes image, her dramatic tears, and her display of grievance.

Even though the conclusion was that neither had cheated, everyone in Class 1 of Year One believed Jiang Yun had dragged Li Yue into it.

“Li Yue, don’t sit here anymore. Come sit with me. You’re always helping her, and now she’s got you accused of cheating and scolded by the teacher. What’s the point?”

Xin Keke hugged Li Yue while glaring furiously at Jiang Yun.

Li Yue sobbed, unable to speak. “No… don’t say anymore… sob… it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have copied it down…”

“What did you do wrong? Some people are just shameless. Can’t memorize, so they try to copy!” Xin Keke cursed bitterly.

Jiang Yun didn’t want to deal with any of this, but she couldn’t stop them from targeting her.

She looked up at the girl who insulted her. Xin Keke, their class’s Chinese class rep, had been the one standing next to their desks earlier and giving her dirty looks.

“So, you’re convinced I was the one cheating?” Jiang Yun smiled wryly at her.

Xin Keke was startled by the shadow in Jiang Yun’s eyes. She had transferred in this semester and hadn’t gone to middle school in Yinchuan, so she only knew of Jiang Yun’s reputation but had never experienced her methods.

Besides, Xin Keke came from a wealthy background herself and had been spoiled like a little princess. She wasn’t afraid of Jiang Yun’s so-called rich-girl temper.

So, she snapped back immediately, “If you didn’t cheat, then was it Li Yue? I’ll tell you straight, Jiang Yun. I’m the one who told Teacher Wang that you were cheating. I saw the poem on your desk before class and told her. That’s why she was watching you.”

In truth, she hadn’t seen anything herself. Before class, she had invited Li Yue to breakfast. Li Yue had hesitated and declined, saying she was busy copying the poem for Jiang Yun in pencil. Xin Keke, furious that her friend was being used, went straight to the teacher to report it.

With a smug air, she said, “I just can’t stand people who don’t study and just think about cheating. If you want to act superior, then show some real skills. Otherwise, without your parents, you’re nothing but a joke.”

Jiang Yun smiled at her. “So, you exposed me?”

Xin Keke nodded. “Yes. It was me.”

Jiang Yun turned her gaze to the now pale-faced Li Yue and smiled. “Oh? Then I really must thank you for clearing my name.”

She smiled as she pulled out her pen holder from the desk. As she walked past Li Yue, she said coldly, “Consider this my repayment for what I owed you back in third grade.”

Li Yue’s hands trembled, too shocked to even cry. Her face had gone completely bloodless.

She bit her lip and looked at Xin Keke. “You really told Teacher Wang?”

Could she have been lying just to trick Jiang Yun?

But Xin Keke wasn’t smart enough for that. She nodded. “Of course. Didn’t you tell me Jiang Yun was threatening you to help her cheat? I hate that kind of person. That’s why I went to the teacher first.”

Li Yue’s face turned ashen.

If Teacher Wang already suspected they would cheat, then there was no way she wouldn’t have noticed Li Yue copying the whole time.

So the in-class recitation challenge hadn’t been aimed at Jiang Yun. It was aimed at her.

Worse than cheating is falsely accusing someone else while pretending to be a victim.

That meant Teacher Wang had seen through her from the start. And Jiang Yun had, too.

They just chose not to expose her.

Li Yue clenched her fists tightly.

Biting her lip, she bent down and began packing up everything on her desk.

Xin Keke watched her, surprised. “Li Yue, are you changing seats? Great. Come sit with me. I’ve got a spot open.”

Li Yue finished packing and looked at Xin Keke with innocent, pitiful eyes, and this realization hit Xin Keke right in her protective instincts.

“Are you really okay with me sitting next to you? If I stop sitting with Jiang Yun, she might get angry and target me… maybe even you too.”

She bowed her head, sounding worried and not wanting to cause trouble for Xin Keke.

Xin Keke hated bullies and loved protecting the weak and helpless.

She patted her chest. “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of her. Just come sit with me.” She grabbed Li Yue’s books and placed them at the desk beside her.

Li Yue took the last book, gave a quick glance at Jiang Yun’s desk, pressed her lips together, and walked away without saying a word.