Chapter 3

3

The next morning, the moment I stepped into the auditorium, someone grabbed my arm and shoved me into a quiet corner.

"You really have a death wish, don't you? We told you to stay away!"

It was Zach.

Beside him stood Mason, dressed in a sharp suit and tie, getting ready for his presentation.

He looked me up and down, clicking his tongue with a lecherous smirk.

"Well, your face is average, but your body isn't half bad."

"I will play with you some other time, senior. Now get lost."

"If you don't leave right now, we will add some spicy updates to that thread."

I looked at the group of six, realizing how drastically their real faces differed from the sunny smiles in their team photo.

It was a harsh reminder never to judge character by a picture again.

"Mason, we will settle the forum post later."

"For now, step aside. The finals are about to start."

None of them budged, sneering at me in unison.

Only Leah whispered nervously:

"Wait, this event is strictly invite-only. She isn't on our roster, so how did she get past security?"

The others paused, glancing back at the ticket checkpoint in the distance.

With the competition starting in minutes, I had no time to waste on them.

Just as I was about to tell the truth, Mason smirked with greasy realization:

"Did you sleep with one of the judges or venture capitalists to get a pass?"

"With curves like that, you are definitely those old rich guys' type."

My brow furrowed in disgust.

"Watch your mouth, Mason! That is defamation, and I can call the police!"

The boys burst into mocking laughter.

"Go ahead and call the cops! We have all the receipts anyway."

Zach pulled out his phone, thrusting the screen in front of my face with a triumphant grin.

When I saw what was on the screen, my blood ran ice cold.

They had taken my profile selfie and used AI to generate dozens of explicit, illicit deepfakes.

Every single image was intensely graphic, showing my face on naked bodies with unidentified men blurred out, labeled boldly with my full name!

"Are you insane? This is a serious felony!"

"What felony? It is your face and your name. Truth isn't a crime!"

Realizing how depraved they were, I pulled out my phone to dial 911, but Zach snatched it from my hands in a flash.

"Give it back!"

"Come and get it, if you can!"

Zach shoved my phone deep into his pocket, gloating as my heart sank.

A few male students walking past greeted them:

"Hey Mason, wasn't your team supposed to be six people? Who is this... wait, is that the plagiarizing senior? Did you guys cave in and agree to pay her?"

Mason immediately put on a mournful, exhausted act.

"No way. She used... dirty tricks to sneak in."

Zach flashed the AI images on his screen, and the surrounding students gasped in shock.

"Holy crap! She really has no morals, sleeping her way in just for a shot at the prize!"

Zach winked slyly. "The grand prize is a quarter-million dollars. When you have no talent and can only steal, sleeping around is the easiest shortcut."

Chloe nudged his arm with a giggle.

"Are you sure it was only with one guy?"

They all chuckled in amusement, and even Leah, hiding at the back, joined in on the laughter.

A wave of nausea hit me.

There were women on this team, yet they gleefully helped slander another woman just to pocket more cash.

Passersby eagerly scanned the QR codes to share the photos, buzzing with excitement:

"I am sending this to our department chat! It has never been this lit!"

"Senior, which faculty are you from? Tell us so we don't mess up your hustle with the rich sugar daddies!"

Surrounded by a dozen mocking students, I clenched my fists and let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"When did I ever say I was a student?"