Chapter 64: Sweeping Votes

Chapter 64: Sweeping Votes
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xu Bi sized her up with a smile full of teeth. “Oh, nothing much.”
Cheng Yi felt that Xu Bi’s gaze was unfriendly. She paled, turning as white as a sheet as she clenched the hem of her skirt. “Since there’s nothing wrong, Senior Xu Bi, I’ll return to class and continue with my revision.”
She tried to excuse herself and leave with her two best friends.
However, Xu Bi’s words, laced with sarcasm, forced her to stop. “I didn’t expect the black horse of the Campus Belle Competition, a girl who gained more than 400 votes in less than a day, would look like this. It’s really strange.”
Xu Bit s entourage of boys snickered, eyeing Cheng Yi in disdain. They had voted for Xu Bi and wanted her to win. They were the ones who noticed the sharp increase in Cheng Yi’s votes, which threatened Xu Bi’s position as campus belle. Most recently, Cheng Yi had surpassed Xu Bi. There was no doubt in their minds that the votes had been tampered with.
A quick investigation revealed a few clues.
Clues that pointed at the most culpable suspect. Hence, they had come looking for trouble.
Cheng Yi spun around, a hint of annoyance peaking through her genteel facade. “Senior, what do you mean by that?”
“You know very well what I mean,” Xu Bi said. “I have evidence! Let’s watch the footage together next Monday.”
Cheng Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She shot Zhang Man a questioning look and met her friend’s panicked expression. Gritting her teeth, Cheng Yi did the only thing she could: she smiled apologetically at Xu Bi. “Senior, I…” Xu Bi ignored her and addressed her fans instead, “Let’s go.”
They left without looking back.
Cheng Yi felt a chill settle in her bones, freezing her with an arctic chill. She glared at Zhang Man angrily and dragged her to the ladies’ room.
It was almost time for class, so the ladies’ was unoccupied. Zhang Man squeaked in panic, “I don’t know what happened! That know-it-all from the neighboring school accepted the money and said he would help us get the votes.”
Cheng Yi immediately drew her own conclusions. That know-it-all must have taken the money but found the issue too troublesome to manage. Along the way, Xu Bi must have discovered the troll army that person had gotten to vote; hence, her appearance just now was a power play to embarrass her publicly.
“Xiao Yi, don’t be so harsh on Zhang Man,” Liu Sisi interjected. “There’s no point scolding her. We should focus on damage control, and maybe we can reverse the situation.”
Cheng Yi calmed down upon hearing Liu Sisi’s words. Angry and dejected, she lamented, “What else can we do? The only way to salvage my reputation is to withdraw from the competition.”
Xu Bi would have no reason to come for her then.
At the very least, it would open the possibility for her to settle things privately with Xu Bi. As long as she was sincere enough, Xu Bi would likely let the matter go.
Liu Sisi was silent for a moment before she suddenly said something shocking, “Why don’t we push this matter onto He Jing?”
Cheng Yi was so shocked she failed to comprehend Liu Sisi’s intentions. Zhang Man immediately clapped in agreement and said, “Alright, what should we do?”
“We’ve got to find a way to push the blame onto He Jing,” Liu Sisi said slowly. “This way, Xiao Yi can continue to run for the title of school belle, and He Jing will have no face to remain.
“Since Xu Bi knows about the vote fixing and has evidence to back her claims, we’ll need to get creative; maybe… we cook up a story about a mix-up between He Jing and Xiao Yi’s identity as a real and fake heiress, making everyone believe He Jing was jealous of Xiao Yi and would do anything to frame her.”
“This…”
Cheng Yi was wildly tempted.
If all went according to plan, she would be killing two birds with one stone.
Not only could she be the school belle, but she could also crush He Jing’s influence.
However, the matter was easier said than done.
Liu Sisi mulled over the issue and said, “We’ll need a witness.”
While Xu Bi had physical proof, they would have witnesses. In this way, no one would know who was telling the truth.
As long as people believed their claims, and He Jing had no means to explain herself, the night of the competition’s finale would be the altar on which her good name would be sacrificed..