The Mysterious Heiress: Researcher In Disguise

Gu Yan knew Jiang Zong had destroyed the camera footage of her taking the test paper in the stadium.

This was the Jiang Family of the capital. It was exactly because of its great influence that it had been able to join other families, such as the Fu Family, the Li Family, and the Ouyang Family, and become one of the four elite families in the capital.

Even though Gu Yan could see that Jiang Zong was not taking her seriously either, all she needed was just a chance.

All the bullet comments on the screen were comforting Gu Yan.

[Yes, we can all understand. It if were not for your good temper, you wouldn’t be bullied by people like this.]

[Don’t worry, Gu Yan. You’re good. Don’t doubt yourself. You don’t have to explain this to us, and you don’t need to care about those haters. After all, haters gonna hate, and the people who understand you will naturally understand!]

[Wait a second. Are you saying that it’s not your fault for making mistakes during the competition and that Fu Zhi staged the whole thing herself? Are you a drama school graduate?]

[Look at how Fujino took care of his teammate. Then look at how Fu Zhi kicked her teammate off the stage. It’s very clear that she has a personal vendetta against Gu Yan! Gu Yan rarely gets angry, and she must have been hurt badly by Fu Zhi this time. Otherwise, she would not have stepped forward to explain the situation to us. Besides, there’s no way Fu Zhi would get the credit were it not for Gu Yan as well, so all of you Fu Zhi fans should just keep your mouths shut and stop insulting Gu Yan!]

…

Gu Yan gave a few explanations and then stopped speaking.

She took her microphone off and bade her fans farewell. Today was the last day of the live-streaming season. She sat back on the couch and began reading the medical book in her hands. Then, she noticed Fu Zhi, who came downstairs with the vice-president, out of the corner of her eyes.

The vice-president was not going to stay in the villa. Before he left, he told Fu Zhi apologetically, “Gu Yan is not as emotionally stable as you, and I’m afraid that she will be affected if I tell her the truth. Plus, she has invited the team from Country M to compare notes before the competition. You’re an understanding kid and you’re the team leader. I hope you can forgive her and let the matter rest. Just consider it doing me a favor…”

The exchange match with Country R had been decided long before the international competition. At the time, the vice-president had been against Fu Zhi being the leader because Gu Yan was familiar with the team that represented Country M and could help them set up another exchange match with the team from Country M.

He had great expectations from this match. He wanted the team from China to feel the strength of Country M so that they could come up with a corresponding strategy to break their 10-year-long winning streak.

Fu Zhi looked at him but did not say anything.

After a short while, the vice-president felt embarrassed and left the villa, as he did not know what to say anymore.

When the gate was closed, Gu Yan walked up to Fu Zhi and whispered in her ear, “I seriously don’t understand why you want to make a big fuss about it. If you want to handle two question papers at the same time, then why bother participating in a team competition? You should take part in the individual competition. You’re so pathetic. At home, Brother Yushen doesn’t like you; outside, even though you won the competition, without evidence, no one is going to believe you, let alone stand by your side.”

Fu Zhi had kicked Gu Yan off the stage and single-handedly answered both question papers by herself. Gu Yan had never felt so humiliated before in her life, so she paused for a second before adding, “Well, it’s true that having one or two researchers in your family is good, but compared to the Jiang Family, you’re nothing.”

Fu Zhi froze for a moment after she heard what Gu Yan had said. It seemed to her that Gu Yan had a lot of faith in Jiang Zong and the Jiang Family, although Jiang Zong was both weak and poor.

“Who told you that Jiang Zong’s family is better than mine?”

Without waiting for Gu Yan to reply, she sat on the couch, pulled a test paper out of her bag, and began writing something on it.

Gu Yan was thrown for a loop by Fu Zhi’s attitude. She had never expected that Fu Zhi would compare her own family to the Jiang Family, let alone that she’d mention it in such a blatant manner.

Seizing this chance while Gu Yan was still in a trance, Fu Zhi put her pen down, looked straight into the camera, and said, emphasizing every word, “I can forgive you for your mistake in the competition today. However, if you keep making mistakes frequently, then I’ll kick both you and Jiang Zong out of the team.”

After all, there were plenty more people who wanted to compete for their country. Besides, there was still a week left before the international competition, so there was enough time for her to train a few students of a similar level.

The only problem was that without Jiang Zong, it would be a little tougher for them to win the competition.

Fu Zhi made it very clear, and everyone could see that she was criticizing Gu Yan for dragging the team down.

Gu Yan’s fans in the live-streaming room could not sit still anymore, as all of them began to retaliate.

[Are you sure about that? Gu Yan was sent to participate in the international Physics competition after being recommended. Her ability is unquestionable! She has never said anything bad about you in public, and yet you’re telling us she’s dragging the team down? Even Sheng Hua has to address her as his teacher, so who gave you the right to kick her out of the team, huh?]

[Just because you got full marks in a test paper, you think you’re above everyone? If Gu Yan had not finished most parts of the question paper, do you think you would have been able to finish the paper in time? Just because you finished two question papers in an hour? You should know your own place!]

[Can you stop mentioning Jiang Zong? He’s my dear hubby, and I don’t like that you keep talking about him.]

…

The live-streaming room was filled with curses and hate-filled comments.

“What do you mean by that, Fu Zhi?!”

Gu Yan’s heart skipped a beat. However, when she thought about Jiang Zong’s promise, she willed herself to calm down and said, “I can understand that you want to make a splash and attract attention, but you don’t have to keep using Jiang Zong and me as your stepping stones, right? Two full question papers in an hour? Even the participants that took part in the international competition last year could not do it. Do you think everyone is an idiot? I was about to finish the question paper, and you took it away from me. I didn’t say it outright and I’ve already let you take all the credit because I don’t want to complicate things, so what else do you want from me? Why do you have to keep throwing mud at me? Do you think it’s funny to do that?!”

Sheng Hua from the Physics Association had a good relationship with her, while the vice-president had to rely on her to contact the participants from Country M. The Physics Association would not speak up for Fu Zhi, and Jiang Zong had already taken care of the surveillance cameras in the stadium.

The plan was flawless, and Gu Yan was very sure of it. That’s why she had the courage to oppose Fu Zhi.

Some of the netizens felt that Gu Yan was right. Not even the geniuses of the same age from foreign countries could complete two question papers in an hour. Fu Zhi was nothing but a novice. It would already be considered an impressive feat if she finished reading through all the questions in the second question paper in an hour. There was no way she would be able to complete it in time.

Riding on the wave of the fact that she had the upper hand in this situation, Gu Yan continued to assault Fu Zhi. “Lu Yubai and Xia Tian’s academic performance is mediocre, but Jiang Zhong and I are the best. You just want to maliciously suppress and drive us away so that everyone will only pay attention to you, right?”

Chen Ming’s head began to ache again when he saw the people in the live-streaming room start to argue with each other again. He had a feeling that Fu Zhi would be able to emerge victorious from her quarrel with Gu Yan. Furthermore, Gu Yan had a vast fan base, not to mention that some of them were Jiang Zong’s fans as well. Thus, he looked at Fu Zhi.

He saw that she was holding a test paper in her hand, and next to her was a thin, red-colored laptop.

Right now, she was leaning her upper body against the couch, and her eyelids were half-open. It seemed to him that she was not perturbed about anything Gu Yan said at all.

Both sides had their own arguments, and Chen Ming could not tell who was right and who was wrong. However, it was a fact that Fu Zhi had guarded their country’s honor. Therefore, he said, “I think both of you have misunderstood some things about each other, but you guys are a team and you are going to compete abroad soon, so it would be better for you if you put aside your vendetta against each other and went to rest first.”

“No!” Gu Yan refused. The more she thought about Fu Zhi’s attitude, the angrier she became. Compelled by her anger, she snapped, “She denigrated me in front of everyone and said that I drag down the team. Either she will apologize to me today, or I’m not going to let it slide this time!”

The crowd in the live-streaming room began to side with Gu Yan after seeing how confident and fearless she was.

[After hearing both sides, I’m more inclined to support Gu Yan. It seems to me that this is not the first time Fu Zhi does something like this, but she picked the wrong opponent this time.]

[Well, to be honest, Fu Zhi’s ability is unquestionable, but her character… Well, maybe girls her age are attention-seekers!]

[Gu Yan seems more real to me. As for Fu Zhi, I don’t know about you guys, but she gives me the vibe of someone who would keep smiling in front of you but stab you in the back when you’re not aware. She’s just like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.]

A second later…

“Hah!” Fu Zhi laughed. “I already gave you a chance, but it seems to me that you really have a death wish. Very well, then. I shall grant your wish.”

She nodded and then got to her feet. She walked up to Gu Yan and handed the test paper in her hand to her.

This was an electronic printout of the original test paper that Gu Yan had been unable to finish. She had made a couple of mistakes in the first part and then had gotten kicked out by Fu Zhi right after she’d finished the 20 multiple-choice questions.

There was nothing but coldness in Fu Zhi’s eyes as she said, “Take a good look at it. Do you still think I’m the one trying to hurl mud at you?”

Gu Yan was still having a fit of anger. She looked at the test paper in Fu Zhi’s hand, and there was more than one question marked wrong by a red pen. However, there were no Chinese characters on the test paper. It was full of Arabic numbers, so it was impossible to tell which answer had been written by whom.

She heaved out a sigh of relief inwardly. Without wondering where Fu Zhi had gotten the question paper, she snatched the stack of paper from Fu Zhi’s hand and threw it into the dustbin.

“You’d better watch your mouth. How can you be sure that I was the one who gave the wrong answers and it was not you? Without the surveillance footage, you are merely creating empty rumors here. You’re going too far, Fu Zhi!”

While she was speaking, her chest was heaving up and down as she breathed heavily.

The atmosphere took another nosedive, and everyone could sense the tension that hung heavily in the air.

Chen Ming also sent a female staff member to calm Gu Yan down. “Let’s get back to the room first. We do believe in you, but let’s talk about it after the international competition if there is anything else…”

Then, she looked at Fu Zhi and said, “You’re the team leader, so you should watch over your team members. You should not say things like this to her.”

She was blaming Fu Zhi for her inappropriateness.

Gu Yan’s face was flushed, and her eyes were red around the rims.

Just as she was about to say something, Fu Zhi raised her hand and turned her laptop toward the camera. Then, she pushed the play button and said, “I think you can stop acting now.”

After she finished speaking, everyone watched the surveillance footage that was playing on her laptop.

In the center of the stadium, which could accommodate several thousand people, about ten meters away, a machine filmed the entire process while Gu Yan was answering the questions.

The footage was clear. Gu Yan had tackled the first ten mental arithmetic questions smoothly without making any mistakes at all.

However, starting from the eleventh question, she had begun to slow down and make mistakes.

The multiple-choice questions were worth a lot of points. The camera zoomed out, and by the time Gu Yan reached question 15, Fu Zhi had already finished half of question 18.

It was obvious that Fu Zhi was much faster and calmer than Gu Yan. Gu Yan had not been revising at all recently, so she quickly got nervous once she started to make mistakes.

Everyone could sense her anxiousness through the screen. Under the circumstances, if she could not cope with her nervousness, she would only make more mistakes. If Fu Zhi had not chased her away and taken over her test paper, even though they would still have won the competition, it would not have been a pretty win anymore.

This was directly related to the honor of their country. However, what had Gu Yan told them?

She had made it sound like she answered most of the test paper and had gotten only one question wrong. It was Fu Zhi who had acted unreasonably by chasing her away.

Then, when Fu Zhi had confronted her, she had made herself look like a victim to earn their sympathy.

The female worker immediately withdrew her hands when she saw the video. She could not believe that Gu Yan would do something like this.

“How… How is that possible? Why do you have the footage?” Gu Yan’s confidence crumbled. She stared at the video on the laptop in disbelief as her blood slowly turned cold.

‘This must be fake…’

As if she could read her mind, Fu Zhi opened her WeChat and said, “This footage was given to me by the manager of the stadium. No one has tampered with the video at all.”

The cameraman turned the camera toward the laptop, revealing the conversation between the manager and Fu Zhi.

The manager had said, [Jiang Zong spent 10 million yuan to buy the original video from us. However, he’s careless, so he deleted the video before I could tell him that I have another copy.]

Fu Zhi then replied, [I’ve copied the video. You add him on WeChat and ask whether he wants to buy the copy in your hands or not.]

Everyone in the live-streaming room was stunned.

[Well… What a turn of events. I can’t tell who’s right or who’s wrong anymore. However, there’s one thing I’m very certain about right now—Gu Yan disgusts me a lot.]

[I just want to ask, how do the people who scolded Fu Zhi earlier feel right now? If Fu Zhi hadn’t come forward and shown us everything, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to hold our heads up in front of the people from Country R for years to come!]

[Does that mean that Fu Zhi really finished two test papers in an hour?]

[Well, even though Fu Zhi is despicable, Gu Yan makes me wanna puke.]

…

Gu Yan could imagine what would befall her at that moment without even looking.

Jiang Zong had not done his job well, and all 40,000 fans in the live-streaming room saw clearly with their own eyes how she’d fabricated an accusation against Fu Zhi.

Unlike Fu Zhi’s fans, most of Gu Yan’s fans were only concerned about her popularity and commercial value.

Gu Yan’s tawdry stunt had left all her fans completely dumbfounded. All of them were clueless about what they should do to help her now.

They had been helping Gu Yan criticize and hammer Fu Zhi so that she could get a chance to showcase herself, yet this was how she reciprocated?

Gu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she did not know where to start.

The reason she had been confident was that she’d thought Jiang Zong had taken care of everything for her. However, in reality, he had not, and she was completely done for right now.

Gu Yan opened her phone weakly and saw the number of fans that followed her on Weibo plummeting.

At the same time, she also received a lot of messages from her fans and haters.

“I was under a lot of pressure from school and my parents, so when I came across you, I got attracted to you instantly because you were living the way I wanted to. However, after seeing everything you did, it made me think that I’ve been idolizing the wrong person the whole time.”

“I didn’t care when people criticized me for being an idiotic fan, for I was just worried about you when you were being attacked on the internet. I trusted you from the bottom of my heart, yet you made a fool out of us!”

“I really can’t believe it. Is there a single jot of truth in your words, Gu Yan?”

“…”

As she was swarmed by countless messages, the topic “Gu Yan and the competition” became the no.1 hot topic on Weibo thanks to Fu Zhao’s effort.

Then, Fu Zhi pitched her voice low and said simply, “Jiang Zong has a lot of connections, but so do I.”