Time had passed swiftly, and before she knew it, the day of the college entrance exam had arrived.

Arden Forster kept her usual routine—going to bed early and waking up early, her spirits high and her mind clear.

In contrast, the others were all a little on edge, especially Lily Mai, who had dark circles under her eyes, clearly from a sleepless night.

"I’m so nervous! I didn’t sleep a wink! It feels like the moment I closed my eyes, it was already morning," Lily Mai said, looking desperate.

"Don’t worry. We’ve studied all we could, just do your best. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself," said Taylor Grant, trying to reassure everyone. "You’re still young; if you don’t make it this year, you can try again next year. There’s no need to rush."

"Hang in there! Believe in yourself, we can do it!" they all encouraged each other, which eased their nerves a little.

The exam location was at the elementary school in the county. The journey from Triệu Village took about two hours, but thanks to Captain Grant’s arrangement, they would get there in half an hour by car.

As they arrived, they saw many students already gathered at the school gates, all huddling against the cold wind, waiting for the exam room to open.

Arden noticed someone familiar among the crowd—Sylvia Green, who she hadn’t realized had arrived earlier.

The students from Triệu Village had all been dropped off by Captain Grant, and when they arrived, Sylvia wasn’t there, so she must have stayed at a guesthouse in the county.

Just as Arden spotted the tall figure wearing a military uniform, she immediately understood.

Ah, so her fiancé was here to see another girl off to the exam, but little did he know that his fiancée was also taking the exam at the same location.

If this were in the original story, as a supporting character, Arden would definitely have to step in and cause a little trouble between the two leads.

But she didn’t want to interfere with the others’ exams, so she decided to hold back—for now.

At 8 AM, the exam officially began, and students filed into the exam room.

As the invigilators passed out the exam papers, Arden took a look at the questions. To her surprise, the college entrance exam in this world was shockingly easy. It was practically at an elementary school level.

It was easy for her, but there were still many students in the room scratching their heads, unsure of how to answer.

The past few years had seen a lot of chaos, and it had certainly affected the education system. Knowledge and talent were incredibly scarce.

Arden had chosen the science stream, so she took exams in politics, language, mathematics, and physics, whereas others in the arts stream took history and geography.

The two-day exam finally came to an end.

When they left the exam hall, some were happy, while others were disappointed. But since the results hadn’t been released yet, there was still a glimmer of hope.

“Some of the math problems were impossible. I just guessed, and I didn’t finish a few physics and chemistry questions…” Lily Mai said dejectedly. “Arden, you must have done really well, right?”

During their study sessions, they all knew that Arden had the best grades. Whenever anyone had difficulty with something, they’d ask her, and she could answer everything.

Though they knew they couldn’t perform as well as her, they didn’t harbor any ill feelings because Arden had genuinely helped them a lot.

Lily Mai spoke for a while but didn’t get a response from Arden. When she looked over, she saw that Arden was standing still, her eyes fixed on something in the distance.

Lily Mai followed her gaze, and at the school gate, she saw a handsome young man in military uniform, standing out amidst the crowd of students, his face striking and hard to miss.

Next to him was a smiling girl, talking to him.

Lily Mai squinted, her eyes widening. Wasn’t that Sylvia Green from their village?

Without thinking much more, Lily Mai saw Arden walking toward the two.

“Ethan, thank you so much for coming to watch me take the exam,” Sylvia said shyly, bowing her head.

“No problem. I was just passing by.” Ethan Carter, the young man, seemed to have no idea why he’d been so attentive to this girl. Since the first time they met at his uncle’s place, he couldn’t forget about her. When he heard she was taking the exam, he took the day off to cheer her on.

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It wasn’t until he saw her smile that he realized, he might actually like this unique girl.

She was special, not like the other country girls; she was smart, beautiful, and kind-hearted. Her speech and knowledge outshone many city girls. Every time they talked, she amazed him.

“Ethan Carter!” A sweet voice interrupted the moment between them and immediately drew the attention of everyone around.

Ethan looked up and saw Arden walking toward them. He furrowed his brow. Why was she here?

Arden didn’t seem to notice his displeasure.

“Did you come here on purpose to watch me?” She happily ran up to him, looked up at him with a small smile, and asked.

Sylvia’s expression shifted immediately. Seeing Arden so familiar with Ethan, her heart raced with suspicion. What was their relationship?

But thinking about how she hadn’t even crossed the line with Ethan, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him directly. So she chose another method.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, looking both sweet and stubborn, asking Ethan,

“You and her...?”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.

Ethan, now understanding her unease, quickly responded, “Don’t listen to her, I’m here for you, to cheer you on for your exam!”

“Really?”

“Really. How could I lie to you?”

Sylvia stopped crying and smiled shyly, lowering her head, feeling guilty for her earlier behavior.

Arden watched this scene of love and affection unfold before her, her smile fading in an instant as she looked up at them from a distance.

“So,” Arden said coldly, her voice sharp. “My fiancé, Ethan Carter”—she pointed at him—“left his army to come here, to escort another girl to her exam, showing affection and care for her.”

“But when his fiancée, who’s also taking the exam at the same place, me”—she gestured to herself—“he doesn’t even bother to ask how I’m doing.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “He probably doesn’t even know that I’m taking the exam here. Such as trash.”

The onlookers were stunned. This wasn’t the 21st century. Even though this era allowed for some freedom in romantic relationships, there was still a strong sense of conservatism when it came to matters of love and dating. Lovers holding hands in public would still be pointed at and whispered about.

But here was a fiancée, in front of everyone, showing affection to another woman’s lover. Wasn’t that a scandal?

Sylvia Green was equally confused. She had no idea that Ethan had a fiancée.

Ethan’s face turned dark at Arden’s words, and when he saw Sylvia’s reaction, his expression grew even colder. His eyes narrowed dangerously at Arden, as if he could pierce her with his gaze.

But before he could say anything, Arden spoke again.

“If you like someone else, you can just tell me. I won’t cling to you.”

Ethan’s face darkened further. Not cling to him? Ha!

Didn’t she used to follow him around like a shadow in the capital? She couldn’t take a step without him, and now, here she was, pretending to be indifferent?

“The elders decided the engagement,” Arden continued, her voice laced with frustration.

“If you don’t like it, you can refuse it. If you don’t refuse, that means you accept. Even though we’re betrothed, we should still be honest with each other. So what’s this, playing both sides? You’re a soldier, yet you can’t even keep your word?”

“Fine, I’ll write to my family and call off the engagement. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. You’re free now, go ahead and love whoever you want.” Arden sighed.

Her words struck Ethan like a blow. His face turned as dark as coal, but when she spoke the last part, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Without thinking, he responded impulsively,

“R...Really?”

He knew how much Arden cared for him, so how could she willingly break the engagement? But she had said it herself, and even if she was joking, he couldn’t take it lightly.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ethan replied,

“Alright, the engagement is dissolved. We’re done here.”

The words, however, fell on the ears of the watching crowd, and it quickly became clear that Arden wasn’t joking. She had indeed been engaged to him.

The crowd’s opinion of him and Sylvia shifted immediately. A man with a fiancée was casually flirting with another woman. And a woman plug herself into someone else’s engagement...!

How disgusting, both of them.

By the time Ethan understood what had happened, Arden had already walked away, leaving the crowd still murmuring and pointing at him.

“You have a fiancée? Why didn’t you tell me? You’re horrible!” Even Sylvia, feeling a pang of anger, confronted him.

Ethan was flustered. He didn’t care what anyone else said, but seeing the girl in front of him upset made his heart ache.

“Sylvia, listen to me, everything’s not what you think.”

“ No no no! I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it!” Sylvia snapped, refusing to listen.

...!

Although Arden had already walked far away, she could still hear the chaotic drama unfolding behind her, like a scene from a soap opera. A fiery love triangle, playing out with all its intensity in the middle of the crowded street.

"There you go" Arden sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don’t thank me, I’ve just give out the chance for the two of you to be together."

Lily Mai twisted her hands nervously, trying to console her, “Arden, don’t be upset. A man like that isn’t worth it. You’re amazing, and you’ll definitely find someone better than him…”

She was genuinely surprised by Sylvia’s actions. She could never imagined that Sylvia would be the type of person to steal Arden’s fiancé - her friend's fiancé. She couldn’t believe how deceitful people could be, appearing friendly but hiding such intentions.

Arden gave a faint acknowledgment, “Of course, someone like Ethan Templar isn’t worth my tears.” She waved her hand dismissively. “But I know what you mean.”

Lily Mai misunderstood Arden’s calmness and assumed she was devastated. She felt even more upset for her, thinking that she needed to be consoled.

When they returned home, Lily Mai told the rest of the intellectual youth about what happened. Everyone was furious, especially for Arden. They couldn’t believe Sylvia would intervene in someone else’s love life so shamelessly.

The gossip spread fast, reaching the whole factory. The workers were talking about it all day.

Despite Sylvia’s repeated explanations that she didn’t know at first, no one showed any sympathy for her.

“Okay so assume that she didn’t know at first,” Lily Mai muttered to the person next to her, “But afterward? Didn’t she still get involved with him? Someone even saw them kissing in the bushes, broad daylight! And she didn’t even seem embarrassed about it!”

Everyone in the factory was in a frenzy, gossiping and spreading the story. Even though Sylvia tried to defend herself, the more she explained, the worse it seemed.