"Pay attention to exam hall discipline, don’t look around, and focus on your own paper!"

On December 25th, at 10 a.m., in a classroom at Beihua University’s School of Arts and Sciences, Le Yu Building, there was an A4 paper taped to the door reading "Sophomore Dong’s Modern Literary History Final Exam." Inside the classroom, every other desk had a mask-wearing candidate seated, and the only sound in the exam hall was the faint "swish swish" of pens writing on paper. Meanwhile, Shen Liao, a temporary proctor, meticulously patrolled the room, reprimanding and warning students with "ulterior motives".

"No talking, if you talk to anyone, I’ll directly assume you’re cheating."

"For those hiding crib notes and spare phones, I’d advise you, as a senior, to keep them in your pockets. Don’t take them out. Once you do, I’ll spot it immediately. Honestly, all these tricks are things I’ve already tried myself and am very familiar with."

"If I catch you, there’s no warning. You’ll have to submit your paper immediately. If you’re dissatisfied, I’ll report you to the exam office. Expect a warning or demerit plus a retake, and you’ll be disqualified from any awards or honors. I won’t find the reporting process bothersome, so feel free to test me if you don’t believe it!"

Li Peifeng stood beside the podium throughout, tapping away on his phone. Occasionally, he’d look up briefly to fulfill his duties, but deep down, he wondered whether Zhao Qingge had entrusted him with this invigilation as a form of deliberate retaliation.

Yes, both Shen Liao and Li Peifeng were filling in for their mentors, taking on the responsibility of invigilating undergraduate exams.

As second-year graduate students in literature specifically, they don’t have final exams.

Examinations for general courses were completed in their first year, and related specialty courses only required the submission of papers and small assignments to determine grades, so no final exams were needed.

Thus, their mentors sent them to substitute for their invigilation duties. In fact, this wasn’t really a form of retaliation from Zhao Qingge towards Li Peifeng. Doing these miscellaneous tasks is a regular monthly and weekly routine for every graduate student.

Similarly, there’s helping with setting exam questions, marking test papers after exams, attending meetings on behalf of others, guiding undergraduates through their projects...

Some mentors even ask their graduate students to pick up children or collect packages.

In comparison, invigilating an exam is not much of an exploitation. Shen Liao seemed to be enjoying it, energetically patrolling the exam hall, diligently fulfilling his duties, which made things easier for Li Peifeng.

In fact, with Shen Liao being so earnest, Li Peifeng felt a little bad for him. When Shen Liao completed another round of patrol and returned to the podium, Li Peifeng quietly said, "Alright, take a break on the side. You haven’t stopped since the exam began. Haven’t you noticed their looks?"

"I can’t! I need to continue!"

Shen Liao, full of enthusiasm and a sense of justice, replied, "I am irreconcilable with cheating students. It’s my duty as a supervisor to ensure those who rely on cheating to win scholarships and research opportunities face consequences. It’s also my duty as a senior to oversee their learning."

Li Peifeng admired him, saying, "You must be the legendary Proctor Lord! Hero, you should speak even louder. If they dare to attack you, I will help you retreat!"

Shen Liao wasn’t afraid at all. He looked around and saw the undergraduates diligently working on their papers and said softly, "Don’t you find this fun?"

Li Peifeng laughed, "Since you enjoy it so much, you should become a teacher after graduation. You’ll have invigilation duties every week, guaranteeing endless fun for you."

Shen Liao waved his hand, "Not to that extent. Watching them take exams reminds me of when I was taking exams as an undergraduate. The previous batch of graduate students supervised us more strictly, and I must uphold this excellent tradition. It can’t end with our batch!"

"You have a point, you go on."

The two exchanged a few words, Shen Liao continued his rounds, and Li Peifeng continued to slack off.

Meanwhile, two professors responsible for overseeing came in and saw the discipline in the exam hall was good, giving them some praise.

Encouraged, Shen Liao became even more diligent—not only circling the room non-stop but also sharpening his gaze, making many students planning to cheat scratch their heads with worry and frown...

"Ding~~"

"All candidates, please put down your pens and leave your seats!"

The bell signaling the end of the exam rang. Li Peifeng and Shen Liao exchanged a look, ordered the students to leave the exam hall, and proceeded to collect the papers from each desk.

"How many?"

"I have twenty-eight."

"Twenty-eight plus thirty, the numbers match, let’s go!"

Soon only the two of them were left in the classroom, with all the papers collected. They walked out the door, the undergraduates not far ahead, whose voices could still be heard faintly as they talked.

"What bad luck, having graduate students as proctors. Why enforce it so strictly when we’re all students? It’s insane! Who hasn’t cheated before? I don’t believe they never cheated!"

"When I saw that skinny bespectacled guy who looks like a monkey, I got nervous. I encountered him in the midterms last time. The ’Black Monkey’ caught four cheaters, directly ordering three to submit their papers on the spot. Another girl cried and fussed and was reported to the exam office. I heard the teacher was lenient eventually, considering her usual good study attitude, ordered her to write a fifty-thousand-word reflection, and gave her a minor demerit as a lighter punishment."

"Wow, that harsh? No mercy at all?"