I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 106: Can You Go Out With Me?

"Her test paper is already finished, and it’s very neat. You’ve only done two questions, and they aren’t even correct. Why would she need to frame you?"

"You’re the one who passed the note. The handwriting on it is yours. You tried to cheat, and now you want to falsely accuse someone else?"

"Your exam eligibility has been revoked. Furthermore, you will never be able to take the college entrance exam again for the rest of your life. Get out."

The older proctor’s face was stern. He spoke coldly, offering the man no shred of dignity.

The man was so furious the veins on his neck bulged.

"But I didn’t even succeed in cheating! On what grounds are you revoking my eligibility? I won’t accept this!"

"Are you favoring her just because she’s a woman and she’s good-looking?"

"I bet you’re sleeping with her!"

"Who knows what your relationship is? Why punish me and not her?"

"She conspired with me! She was supposed to pass me the note!"

Hearing the proctor’s words, the man completely lost it.

He started shouting wildly, not caring about the consequences, even trying to drag Grace down with him.

Grace couldn’t be bothered to say a word.

The two proctors had no interest in wasting their breath on him either. They directly called in the security personnel from outside, who dragged the man out.

The people around them exchanged glances, their expressions as they looked at Grace changing.

’This woman is truly ruthless.’

’It’s one thing not to let him copy, but to get him banned from ever taking the college entrance exam...’

Many of them had already started families after coming here.

Once they were married with children, returning to the city was harder than climbing to heaven.

The college entrance exam was their only way out.

As long as they passed the exam and left this poor place, they would never come back.

As for the wives they married and the children they had here, they couldn’t be bothered to care.

Those had all been reluctant choices made out of convenience.

Now that they had better options, why shouldn’t they choose to leave?

Many people silently marked Grace as an enemy.

Grace couldn’t be bothered with them either.

She could never be friends with people like that anyway.

With half an hour left until the end of the exam, Grace turned in her paper and left the examination hall early.

The air outside the hall felt exceptionally fresh.

One more test in the afternoon, and the college entrance exam would be over.

After that, all she had to do was wait for her results.

Just as she walked out of the examination hall’s main gate, a figure suddenly lunged at her, roaring furiously, "Bitch! You ruined me! You destroyed my only hope! I’m going to kill you!"

Grace jumped back in shock, retreating instinctively.

The man lost his footing and stumbled, falling right in front of Grace. The knife in his hand plunged directly into his own throat.

His eyes went wide as he stared forward in disbelief before he took his last breath.

Grace was still reeling from the shock.

The next moment, she was pulled into a warm, strong embrace.

"Are you okay?"

Archer Rhys had just spotted Grace when he saw what was happening. He dropped his bicycle and rushed over. Thankfully, the man had tripped on a stone and lost his footing; otherwise, Grace might have been seriously hurt.

"I’m fine. Quick, check on him," Grace said, shaking her head. Her face was ashen as she pointed to the man on the ground.

Archer Rhys went over and checked for a breath, then shook his head. "He’s not breathing."

The surrounding onlookers finally snapped out of their daze, screaming and running away.

Grace’s heart was pounding. She never imagined something like this could happen just from taking the college entrance exam.

Her face pale, she stood there staring at the crimson spreading across the ground, unable to process what had happened for a long moment.

Soon, the police arrived after someone reported the incident.

Because the man had attacked Grace first, and she hadn’t even touched him—he had slipped on a rock and fallen on his own—too many people at the scene had witnessed it. The incident was quickly ruled an accident.

The body was taken away.

Archer Rhys looked at Grace with concern. "Are you really okay? Should I take you home first?"

"Thank you, I’m fine." Grace shook her head gently.

"Inside the exam hall just now, he wanted to cheat by copying my answers. I refused and reported him. I never thought he’d fly into such a rage and try to kill me, only to end up hurting himself."

Grace gave a bitter smile.

’Life really is unpredictable.’

’A life was just... gone.’

Archer Rhys hesitantly raised his hand, finally letting it rest on Grace’s head. "This has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to blame yourself."

"Even if he had cheated his way into university, he wouldn’t have been of any use in the future. He couldn’t have served the country."

"Besides, someone as extreme as him probably had a prior record."

Grace nodded at his words, though she still felt uneasy.

Archer Rhys walked her home, telling her amusing stories from his time in the military to cheer her up.

"Archer, thank you," Grace said. Listening to his deep voice, she felt much better.

When she got home, Irene Lynch had already prepared lunch.

She pulled Grace aside to ask worriedly about what had happened, then warmly invited Archer Rhys in for lunch.

The afternoon exam started at two o’clock. After eating, Grace didn’t bother resting. She reviewed for another half hour before setting off for the examination hall at one-thirty.

The blood at the entrance had been washed away, and she didn’t hear anyone discussing the morning’s incident. Grace’s mood settled a bit as she entered the hall.

The afternoon subject was math, which was mentally taxing. Grace finished her paper thirty minutes early this time. She spent twenty minutes checking her work. Instead of turning it in with the remaining ten minutes, she meticulously went over every single question one last time.

She only stood up when the proctor announced that papers could be submitted.

A wave of relief washed over her, and she felt more relaxed than ever before.

The moment she walked out of the examination hall, she felt as if the shackles that had bound her had been completely unlocked.

Outside the school gate, Gregory Winslow, Irene Lynch, Nolan Winslow, and Brandon Winslow were already waiting for her.

When they saw Grace emerge, the group swarmed around her.

Archer Rhys didn’t push his way through. He stood at a distance, holding his bicycle and watching.

Only after Grace had finished chatting with her family did she spot Archer Rhys in the distance.

She didn’t say anything, just gave him a small smile. Archer smiled back. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

With the college entrance exam over, Grace still had to go back to work at the factory.

She wouldn’t quit her job before the exam results were released.

After all, while she was confident in herself, whether she would actually be accepted was still an unknown.

She had to be fully prepared.

Because the college entrance exam had only just been reinstated, the papers had to be graded by hand, which was a time-consuming process.

December passed in the blink of an eye.

For New Year’s Day, the textile factory had a three-day holiday, so Grace packed her things, ready to go home.

But just as she reached the gate, she saw Archer Rhys waiting outside, his hands in his pockets.

She was a little puzzled. "Archer? Isn’t your leave over? Weren’t you supposed to go back to the military?"

Archer Rhys turned, his gaze falling on Grace, and his heart beat a little faster. "Grace, I know this might be a bit sudden, but I still have to ask... would you be willing to be my girlfriend?"