Chapter 8 — I Set a Trap for a Copywriter

He pushed the answer sheets towards me.

“Starting next week, you will be moved to the front row to take the private test.”

“Each exam has the entire process filmed.”

“Starting from the next practice exam, large-scale erasure is prohibited on all selection exams.”

“If revisions and revisions cause controversy during grading, progress scores will not be retained.”

My heart sank little by little. Top. Record the whole thing. Large-scale erasure is prohibited. What Trinh Y Hoan blocked was not just the way I created the wrong answer. It's also a space for me to edit my answers. I raised my head to look at Han Tranh. From the beginning until now, he still hasn't said anything. Only then did the teacher speak up.

“Co Nam Kieu.”

“What have you been doing lately?”

I can't explain. System. Copy. Complete solution. Any word spoken will only change the conversation from "abnormal homework behavior" to "abnormal spirit". I clenched my fingers.

“I'm just looking for a method that works better for me.”

Han Tranh looked at me for a long time.

“So have you found it yet?”

I did not answer. The teacher did not continue to ask. The head of the block collects the exam again.

“Before the official selection, there is still a mock exam.”

“If you maintain your current status, the nomination list will have to be reconsidered.”

Leaving the office, I saw Trinh Y Hoan at the end of the hallway. She leaned by the window, holding an English dictionary in her hand. Like just passing by by chance. I stepped closer. She closed the book.

“What did the teacher say?”

“Don't you know best?”

Trinh Y Hoan smiled.

“I was just fulfilling my responsibility as class president, reflecting on the recent unusual state of a classmate.”

“Anyway, the way you edit your lesson like that can easily affect the image of the experimental class.”

“Picture of the experimental class?”

I stopped in front of her.

“Or is it your first place position?”

The smile on her face faded.

“What's the difference?”

“If I stand first, then the school will have propaganda value.”

“If I get the recommendation, it's good for the class, for the teachers and for the school.”

“And you.”

She looked at me, her voice very light.

“It's clear that you can continue to be in the top five of the entire grade.”

“Why do you have to fight with me?”

I almost laughed out of anger.

“Use my answer to get first place, but still ask why I have to compete?”

Trinh Y Hoan's eyes turned cold.

“Your answer?”

“The system chose you because you have value to use.”

“I can turn your three sentences into first place, that's my ability.”

“Do you really think that if you change to someone else with a system, you can be as stable as me?”

She spoke full of reason. Even brought indignation because he felt offended. As if she didn't steal my answers. It's that I refuse to continue nurturing her, destroying an order that naturally has to be like that. I stared at her.

“Trinh Y Hoan.”

“Without my three questions, you once got eighty-two points on the exam.”

Her face suddenly changed. I don't stop anymore. As I passed by, her voice came from behind.

“The mock exam also prohibits large-scale erasing.”

“I want to see how you can still make me copy wrongly.”

Three days later, in the audition, I was placed Sit in the middle of the first row. Right on top is the camera. The supervisor sat less than two meters away from me. Topics are distributed. Instinctively, I turned to the last page. The tip of the pen was about to lower but stopped. I can create a photo of the wrong answer. But it cannot be erased on a large scale. Even if you only edit one symbol, Trinh Y Hoan can check it out. In last week's Math test, she discovered a question. Now she knows I will intentionally leave mistakes. After getting the answer, she will definitely recalculate each step. I stared at the difficult sentence at the end. Time passes minute by minute. In the end, I still turned to the first page. Not completed in advance. Do not create snapshots. Nor does it give the system any complete answers. I do each sentence's essay until the last step. Leave the conclusion blank. Just like what Tran Du Xuyen suggested. Safe. Conservative. Will not be copied. Also leaves no obvious repair marks. But with only fifteen minutes left, I still had five sentences with no conclusion in front of me. I started adding answers. One sentence. Two sentences. Three sentences. System notifications sound one after another. I no longer cared about what Trinh Y Hoan got. My head is full of unfinished reasoning steps. The boundary condition of the fifth sentence is mixed with the second sentence. The value in the sixth sentence forgot to write it down. During the last three minutes, my hands became faster and faster. But the writing became more and more chaotic. The bell rang. My last sentence was only half written. When the results were announced, I didn't even dare to raise my head. Trinh Y Hoan, two hundred and ninety-two points. First class. Tran Du Xuyen, two hundred and eighty-six points. Second. Me, two hundred and sixty-one points. Ninth place. The block head announced on the spot the preliminary list of the key training program. Trinh Y Hoan. Tran Du Xuyen. Same two other names. Without me. The chatter in class was very quiet. But each sentence still entered my ears.

“Recently Co Nam Kieu is really not okay.”

“She used to write essays very quickly.”

“Now every sentence drags to the end.”

"Probably being oppressed by Trinh Y Hoan for too long has mentally collapsed."

“The key program only chooses one person, in this situation she definitely has no chance.”

The homeroom teacher called me to the office.

“Co Nam Kieu.”

“Recommendation is not just based on one-time performance.”

“But recently I've been taking tests that don't meet my qualifications.”

“Teachers are forced to consider whether you can withstand the pressure of the official selection period or not.”

I bowed my head and looked at the two-hundred-sixty-one-point exam. There are no wrong answer traps. There is no widespread erasure. Nor did Trinh Y Hoan get the three most valuable answers. I successfully dodged the system. Then he also dodged himself. Back at the dorm, I stuffed the stopwatch into the deepest drawer. I collected the practice papers on the table one by one. Khau Mien just returned from the drawing room. There was still charcoal powder on her shoulder.

“You don't practice anymore?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It doesn't work.”

I closed the drawer.

“From now on I will do it in the normal order.”

“Don't do the difficult questions first.”

“No more chasing speed.”

“At least there won't be any problems.”

Khau Mien looked at me.

“Is this what you want?”

“Is it important?”

“Of course is important.”

I couldn't help but raise my voice.

“As long as I do it quickly, she can get the answer.”

“As long as I finish it, she can copy it.”

“What else can I do?”

The dormitory was silent. Khau Mien did not ask who "she" was. Also don't ask what copying means. She just went to the bedside and pulled an old cardboard box from the bottom of the closet.