She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 332

Hallie's defense brought a flicker of color back to Cyrilla's ghostly pale face. Clinging to it like a piece of driftwood, she immediately puffed out her chest and chimed in, her voice tearful but loud, “She’s right! Loyce, you can’t just accuse me and Hallie like this! I did the physics problem myself! I did all the other problems myself! I… I’ve been studying really hard lately! I pulled all-nighters! I did so many practice problems from the Ace Class! Can’t I just have improved?!” Her words tumbled out in a panicked rush to prove her innocence, but her eyes darted away, unable to meet Loyce’s gaze.

Clayton and the other teachers frowned. Hallie's argument was flimsy, but Cyrilla’s high scores on the other sections were a valid point that couldn't be dismissed based on one physics problem alone. Loyce listened quietly to Hallie's shrill defense and Cyrilla's blustering rebuttal, her expression unruffled. She even gave a slight nod, as if acknowledging the “doubt” Hallie had raised.

“Hallie is right,” Loyce’s voice, amplified by the microphone, carried through the hall with a strange calm that made Hallie’s and Cyrilla’s hearts sink. “A single coincidence doesn’t prove everything. Cyrilla’s excellent performance on the other questions is indeed worth noting.”

Just as Hallie thought Loyce might be backing down, her tone shifted, and her gaze, sharp as an icicle, bore into the flustered Cyrilla. “In that case, to clear up any misunderstanding and to fairly assess Cyrilla’s true abilities… why don’t we have a live demonstration?”

“A live demonstration?” Clayton asked, puzzled.

“Yes.” A faint, chilling smile touched Loyce’s lips. “It’s simple. Since Cyrilla was able, in such a short time, to master Ace Class-level problems designed by several expert teachers and achieve a near-perfect score, then surely she would have an even more effortless command of concepts of equal or even more basic difficulty, right?”

She ignored Hallie's instantly paling face and locked her eyes on Cyrilla, her tone leaving no room for refusal. “Cyrilla, do you dare to answer a few questions from me, right here, right now? The difficulty will not exceed the average of this exam; in fact, it might even be simpler. If you can answer them, you’ll not only prove your innocence but also clear Hallie’s name. What do you say?”

An excited roar swept through the auditorium. A live quiz! This was far more thrilling than just grading papers! All eyes snapped to Cyrilla, filled with a mixture of tension, curiosity, and morbid excitement.

Cyrilla froze, the color draining from her face again, leaving it whiter than before. Her mouth hung open, a strangled gasp escaping her throat as she shot a desperate, pleading look at Hallie. Answer questions on the spot? From Loyce? That was a death sentence.

Hallie’s heart plummeted. She knew Loyce was going for the kill. A vein throbbed on her forehead as she hissed, “Loyce! What do you think you’re doing? This is a public examination, not your private classroom! What gives you the right to test my student on the spot? Do you even have a teaching license? Do you have the ability to formulate a proper question?”

“Then you can test me and verify my ability,” Loyce retorted coolly, her tone unhurried. “If I can answer all of your questions, Hallie, then I am certainly qualified to ask Cyrilla a few of my own, wouldn't you agree? Unless you’re afraid to challenge me?”

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