"No way!" Cassandra blurted, then quickly forced a laugh to play it cool.

"The exam's only a week away. Yvette, you really should stay and focus on studying. How else are you going to score high?"

I snapped back. "Why are you so worried about my results?"

Derrick frowned at me. "Is Cassandra at fault for giving you good advice?"

I was speechless. "Who cares? You should worry about yourself instead."

I turned to walk away, but Cassandra grabbed my hand, her eyes full of tears. "Yvette, it's all my fault… Please don't be mad…"

I pulled my hand back instinctively, and she stumbled to the ground.

Derrick's temper flared instantly. In one swift motion, he shoved me to the floor.

I hit the floor hard, my knees shooting with pain, and for a moment, I couldn't get up.

Derrick froze for a second, then quickly composed himself, his voice cold. "Consider this a lesson. You'd better think about what you did wrong.

"You know my mom's requirements. I'm just giving you a heads-up. If you don't pass, don't even think about coming home with me this year."

With that, he left with Cassandra, leaving me staring at their retreating backs.

"Go on. Enjoy your victory while it lasts. The one who really needs to think this over is you."

I went home, grabbed my stuff, and signed up for a tour.

Three years of intense studying had taught me the pressure of competition. I had never slacked off for a single second.

Now, I finally had a chance to play and enjoy myself.

I lay on the beach, soaking up the sun and occasionally scrolling through my phone. Cassandra was always livestreaming.

Every time I checked, Derrick was right there with her, doing couple challenges and having a blast.

During the day, Cassandra filmed travel videos and livestreamed. It wasn't until around 10:00 pm that she "switched" to study mode, pretending to study for an hour while flipping back and forth on the same page.

I didn't return home until the day before the exam.

The next morning, at the exam site, I spotted them from a distance. They both looked exhausted.

Cassandra was yawning in her slippers, and Derrick wasn't any better, sporting messy stubble and deep, dark circles under his eyes.

Of course, I knew why. The night before, Cassandra had livestreamed about balancing work and play and ended up staying up all night gaming with Derrick.

I could only wait and see what kind of miracle they would pull off this time.

After the exam, I blocked Derrick until the day the scores were released.

He stormed over in a fury. "Where did you go? I almost went crazy looking for you! Why didn't you answer your phone?"

I shrugged it off casually, and he quickly asked about my score.

I showed him the screenshot I had already doctored, saying calmly, "I got 100."

Hearing my answer, Cassandra's face practically glowed with excitement she couldn't hide.

Derrick's eyes went wide, and he practically bounced over to hug me. "Wow, that's insane! That's the top score in the whole country, right?"

"I knew you could do it! Get ready for the interview, and by the end of the year… No! By the end of the month, you're coming home to meet my family!"

I instinctively took a step back, giving the excuse that I needed to prepare for the interview.

That night, Cassandra couldn't resist going live. "Guess what my score was on the written exam?"

The chat exploded with guesses.

Cassandra shook her head with a teasing grin, unable to hide her excitement.

"100! I got the highest score in the civil service exam!"

The audience wasn't foolish. A few congratulated her, but most were skeptical.

"Heh, just saying it without proof? Bold claim!"

"All the top civil service exam streamers wake up at 6.00 am to study. But this streamer's been playing all day!"

"She's just talking crap. Zero experience, 30 days of prep, and now topping the national exam? Yeah, I'll eat my hat if that's real."

Cassandra didn't bother defending herself too much. She radiated confidence.

"I earned this score through real, solid effort. Besides, who still slaves away at boring, rigid studying these days?

"I've got my own fun learning method. You can have fun while studying and still come out on top. In two months, watch me snag the number-one post on the exam, and we'll celebrate together!"

I raised an eyebrow. This time, I actually wanted to see how Cassandra would even snag the top spot.

In the days that followed, I stuck to an insanely strict schedule.

I woke up at 5:00 am every day and went through practice questions nonstop, studying straight until 11:00 pm.

By the time the interview was over, Derrick's phone calls were relentless, pressing for details.

Once I gave him a confident answer, the excitement in his voice was impossible to hide.

Ten days later, the final exam rankings were released. At the same time, my phone buzzed with a text confirming my start date for the temporary position.

I immediately posted a social media update just for Cassandra to see.

"Three years of grinding, and I've finally made it. A fresh start."

Attached was a screenshot of the position I had applied for, along with the onboarding notice.

The next day, as I was packing up my things, Derrick blocked my way, his face dark with fury.

"Yvette, do you have any shame at all? You didn't even go to the interview. How dare you edit a fake score and pretend you passed?"

My stomach dropped. How did he find out?

Before I could react, he continued, teeth gritted with rage.

"Don't think I'm stupid. It was Cassandra who scored 100! She's first in that position! And you still had the nerve to steal her score and claim it as your own?"

I quickly checked my phone.

Sure enough, the onboarding text I got yesterday had disappeared.

Cassandra must have used one of her forbidden spells, trading 30 years of her life to steal the temporary position meant for me.

A smirk tugged at my lips. Derrick's face darkened even more.

"You actually have the nerve to smile? You're shameless! Someone like you will never step foot in my house!"

I laughed coldly. "In fact, that's exactly what I want. We're done here. You and Cassandra, the exam's top scorer, can go live happily ever after!"

Derrick didn't expect my reaction and panicked.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I haven't even settled this with you yet, and you already want to break up?

"Fine. We're done. Don't regret it later."

I watched him storm off, emotionless.

That evening, Cassandra couldn't wait to announce her victory on livestream, showing off her onboarding text.

"No way! She's the real deal! How did she even do it? Teach me!"

"Oh my gosh! Can we get her to run a class? I'd pay 9,999 dollars!"

"Even a regular prep course costs 20,000 dollars. This is the civil service exam's top scorer! I'd pay 50,000 dollars!"

The chat exploded with praise, and the livestream's popularity shot to the top.

Cassandra, seeing all the hype, cleared her throat.

"Hey, I'm not in it for the money. I just want to help more students succeed. I'll share my methods if I get the chance.

"Next week, I'll be starting my new job. I'll do a live broadcast then, so nobody will doubt it anymore!"

The first day on the job arrived. I showed up in a sharp suit, my hair in a high ponytail, looking composed and confident.

The moment I reached the office entrance, a sharp, angry voice cut through the air.

"You really don't know when to quit! You actually followed me here!"

I didn't even bother looking up.

"First of all, who's stalking you? I'm here to report for duty. Second, did you even pass your exam?"

Without me watching him this time, Derrick had spent the past few weeks running around with Cassandra, completely indulging himself. Unsurprisingly, he bombed the exam, landed dead last, and didn't even make it to the interview.

"You—" Derrick's face flickered with anger.

"Stop pretending! This department only hired one person this year. What are you even reporting for? Are you losing your mind because you didn't pass?"

Cassandra looked apologetic.

"Yvette, I'm sorry. I know you've been preparing for three years, so it couldn't have been easy. I barely prepared and still passed…"

"That's enough! You don't get to cheat your way to success. What did Cassandra do wrong? By being smarter than you?"

I watched the two of them play their pathetic act with a neutral expression.

This time, Cassandra seemed serious. She even brought along an assistant to help with her livestream and video editing.

She turned back to explain to the livestream audience, "Everyone, don't be too hard on her. She studied for three years and didn't pass. She's just not taking it well. She really tried."

As she spoke, she subtly angled the camera toward me.

Derrick sneered. "Did her best? Three years of preparation, and she scored 38. That's what you call effort?

"I won't even bother arguing with someone who cheated to get such a low score!"

A score of 38? Cheating?

That had been Cassandra's score in her past life. It looked like she hadn't just swapped our exam scores. She had pinned her results on me and even labeled me as the cheater.

I lowered my head, forcing myself not to laugh.

The chat went wild. "Cheated and still got 38? You'd do better stepping on the answer sheet."

"Three years of prep for that score? I'd crawl into a hole and disappear. How do you even have the nerve to live?"

"How can someone this useless even claim the post? She doesn't have half the brains of a regular streamer."

Cassandra's eyes sparkled with a mix of smugness and mock pity. "Looks like civil service exams really do come down to talent.

"I didn't expect to pass after just thirty days of prep. You studied for three years and still ended up like this.

"But no matter what, cheating is crossing the line. That kind of stain stays on your record for life."

I met her gaze steadily. "You know very well this score isn't mine. I didn't cheat."

Derrick couldn't take it anymore. "Keep arguing all you want, but once the investigation is done, you'll be banned from exams for life!"

Just then, a staff member peeked out from the office, curious.

"Who's here to report today?"

"Me!" Cassandra and I both answered simultaneously.

The staff member checked the form in his hand, frowning.

"There's only one on the list, called…"

"Cassandra Lindth," Cassandra answered loudly, beaming with pride.

As she walked past me, she whispered, "Honestly? No matter how hard you studied for three years, I only had to pay the price, and it became mine. You might as well accept your 38 marks and the consequences of cheating."

I spoke calmly, "Accept what? That score isn't mine."

Cassandra looked at me with mock pity. "Even if you don't admit it, who's going to believe you? People will just think you're making excuses…"

I put on an innocent face. "But I didn't even take the exam!"

"What?" Cassandra's eyes went wide, a bad feeling washing over her. "Impossible… This post…"

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Congratulations. You paid a huge price, and all you got was a temporary three-month job."