Chapter 9: Daring to Cheat
The Lan family's quarterly exams were approaching, and the entire Cloud Recesses was shrouded in a scholarly atmosphere. Lan Jingyi, however, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, circling Sizhui all day, muttering, "It's over, it's over! This exam is on the annotations of the Yazheng Collection, and I haven't even turned a few pages. I'm sure the teacher will punish me by copying the house rules a hundred times!"
Si Zhui was sorting through his notes. Hearing this, he looked up at him and said, "I told you to read more books on weekdays, but you always said there was no rush."
"I have you!" Lan Jingyi came over, clasped his hands together and bowed, "Good Sizhui, good brother, please help me! Just give me a secret signal during the exam, just take a look, and I guarantee we won't be discovered!"
Si Zhui frowned, "Cheating is against the rules. If the teacher finds out, we will all be punished."
"No, no!" Lan Jingyi patted his chest and promised, "You sit diagonally in front of me. When the teacher turns around to write on the blackboard, just move the answer to the left. Your handwriting is small, so I won't be able to see it." Seeing Si Zhui hesitate, he put on a pitiful expression again, "Have you forgotten last time in the Su family ancestral hall, I tried my best to help you ward off the vengeful ghost? Just consider it a favor!"
Si Zhui's heart softened as he recalled how Lan Jingyi, despite being flustered, had remained at the doorway, not even taking a single step back. He knew Lan Jingyi wasn't lazy, but simply restless and unable to sit still, so he simply had no interest in the boring annotations.
"This..." He bit his lip, but finally nodded, "This is just this once, it won't happen again."
Lan Jingyi's face lit up with joy: "I knew you were the best!"
On the day of the exam, Lan Qiren sat at the front of the hall, his gaze sweeping across the students. Sizhui sat in the front row, his palms sweating. He stole a glance at Lan Jingyi from behind him, who was winking at him, his Adam's apple throbbing with nervousness.
Halfway through the exam, Lan Qiren turned to write on the blackboard. Lan Jingyi immediately nudged Sizhui's chair back with his elbow, making two "dong dong" noises. Sizhui steeled himself and quietly moved the scroll of notes a few inches to the left, pressing the corner with his fingertips.
Lan Jingyi's eyes lit up, and he quickly lowered his head to copy. The sound of the pen scratching across the paper was particularly clear. Si Zhui's heart was in his throat. Only when Lan Qiren turned around did he quickly put the paper away and pretend to concentrate on answering the questions.
After the exam, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
After leaving the examination room, Lan Jingyi put his arm around his shoulders and said, "That's so kind! Sizhui, I'll treat you to sweet-scented osmanthus cake down the mountain tonight!"
Si Zhui slapped his hand away and whispered, "Don't shout so loudly, if the master hears..."
Before he could finish his words, Lan Qiren came slowly down the corridor, his hands behind his back, his face as gloomy as rain. The two of them froze in an instant, not daring to breathe.
"Lan Jingyi." Lan Qiren's voice was as cold as ice. "When we got to the third question, you kept looking at Lan Sizhui. What were you doing?"
Lan Jingyi's face turned pale and he stammered, "I... I didn't do anything..."
"What?" Lan Qiren picked up their test papers and pointed to an identical annotation. "Lan Sizhui was the only one in the class who got this annotation for a rare character correct. Tell me, how did you know that?"
Lan Jingyi opened his mouth, speechless. Sizhui took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Sir, it's my fault. I lent Jingyi my notes."
"Oh?" Lan Qiren raised an eyebrow. "Borrowing notes during the exam?"
Si Zhui lowered his eyelids, his voice filled with guilt: "Yes. I shouldn't have helped Jing Yi cheat. Please punish me, sir."
Lan Jingyi didn't expect him to admit it directly, and said anxiously: "Sir, this has nothing to do with Sizhui. I forced him to do it! Punish me if you want!"
"They're all involved." Lan Qiren snorted coldly. "Lan Jingyi, you're taking advantage of the situation. You're punished by copying the Yazheng Collection three times and being grounded for a month. Lan Sizhui, you knowingly broke the law and shielded your accomplices. You're punished by copying the House Rules fifty times and receiving twenty chastisement rods from the Discipline Hall."
Si Zhui bowed and replied, "Yes, disciple accepts the punishment."
Lan Jingyi wanted to argue, but Sizhui stopped him with a look.
On the way to the Discipline Hall, Lan Jingyi said with red eyes: "I'm sorry, Sizhui, it's all my fault..."
"Stop talking." Si Zhui shook his head. "I decided to help you on my own, so I deserve the punishment." He paused, then added, "Don't do this again. Study hard, that's better than anything else."
Lan Jingyi nodded vigorously: "I understand! When my house arrest is over, I will definitely make up for it with you!"
In the Discipline Hall, the sound of the ruler hitting his palm was particularly harsh. Si Zhui gritted his teeth and didn't groan. He knew that his mistake this time wasn't helping his friend, but using the wrong method - true friends shouldn't make mistakes together, but should encourage each other to become better.
After receiving the punishment and returning to the quiet room, Lan Wangji was wiping the dustpan. Seeing his palms were red and swollen, he knew what was going on.
"Missed again?"
Si Zhui lowered his head and said, "Yes. I helped Jing Yi cheat on the exam and was punished by the teacher."
Lan Wangji put Bichen down and was silent for a moment: "Do you know why I punished you more severely for cheating?"
Sizhui looked up in confusion.
"Jingyi made a mistake because he was unruly and didn't know the seriousness of the matter." Lan Wangji's voice was calm but powerful. "You knowingly committed a crime and lost your principles. Once principles are broken, you will give in again and again, and eventually make a big mistake."
Si Zhui's heart trembled suddenly.
"Friends should encourage good and correct faults, rather than go along with the bad." Lan Wangji took out the medicine and gently applied it to his palm. "These twenty rules are to remind you that kindness has its limits, and friendship has its limits."
The pain in his palm, mixed with the coolness of the ointment, made Sizhui suddenly understand. He had always believed that helping a friend was the right thing to do, but he forgot that true help meant helping him abide by the rules, not cross the line.
At night, Wei Wuxian came to see him. Seeing him staring blankly at the candlelight, he smiled and said, "Still thinking about what happened during the day?"
Si Zhui nodded: "Dad, did I do something wrong?"
"There's nothing wrong with helping a friend, but it's wrong to help him go astray." Wei Wuxian sat beside him. "When your father was young, he also went against the whole world to help me. But that was because I stood on the right side, so he protected me. If I did something wrong, he would be the first one to stop me."
Sizhui seemed to be lost in thought.
"True friends are like your father and me." Wei Wuxian smiled. "They can get into trouble together, and admit their mistakes together. They can support each other, and correct each other. You, next time, instead of handing over answers, you should force Jingyi to recite before the test, and not let him eat until he finishes."
Si Zhui couldn't help but laugh, and the pain in his palm seemed to ease a little.
Moonlight streamed in from the window, illuminating the "House Rules" spread out on the desk. Sizhui picked up his pen and began copying. This time, he wrote with extra care. He knew that growth wasn't just about taking responsibility; it was also about learning to walk the unyielding line between human feelings and principles. True friendship, however, isn't about covering up for one another; it's about walking side by side, saying, "I'll help you become better."
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