Chapter 1

Professor Robert complained that I never spoke up in class, unlike Bella from the other group who was so charming and well-liked.

To force me, he set a rule: every group meeting presentation had to exceed eighty decibels, or he wouldn't sign off on my thesis.

At the first group meeting, I read my report loudly.

He complained my voice was shaking and gave my data to Bella.

At the second group meeting, I ate throat lozenges beforehand.

I raised my voice to debate with Bella and even slammed the table.

After finally outshining Bella, Robert threw my paper in the trash.

"No manners at all, like a shrew," he said coldly, looking at me. "Delayed graduation by one year. Go reflect on yourself."

I survived by applying phone screen protectors under the overpass to make a living.

At the third group meeting, I said nothing. I just played a silent surveillance video on the projector.

The room fell completely silent, because the footage showed Robert and Bella having sex.

"Turn it off."

Robert's voice was quieter than the hum of the air conditioner.

Nobody moved.

On the projection screen, he had Bella pressed against the office desk edge, his right hand reaching under her lab coat. Bella's neck was tilted back, her mouth half open as if panting, but the footage had no sound.

Twelve people sat in the meeting room, twelve pairs of eyes fixed on the screen.

"I said, turn it off."

His leather shoes hit the floor, one step at a time, slow and steady.

I didn't move.

He walked to the projector and unplugged the data cable.

My senior Wood kept his head down. My senior Sophie was looking at her phone. Bella sat in the first row, her fingers twisting her skirt hem.

Robert turned around.

"AI-generated," he said. "You all should be able to tell."

Nobody responded. He looked at me.

"Fiona, where did you get this?"

"Library Building B corridor surveillance, October 17th, 9:13 PM."

"Who authorized you to access surveillance footage?"

I didn't answer. He smiled.

"Unauthorized access, fabricating videos, publicly showing them in an academic setting," he said. "Fiona, that's called defamation."

He took out his phone and dialed in front of everyone.

"Yusuf? A student played an AI-generated pornographic video at a group meeting, defaming a faculty member."

Bella started crying then.

"Robert," she said, "if this video gets out, how can I show my face again?"

"Don't worry." Robert patted her shoulder. "Fake things can't stand up to investigation."

Two security guards arrived. Robert pointed at the items on my desk: "Take the USB drive and laptop. They're evidence."

"Those are mine."

"These are your tools of crime." He pocketed the USB drive.

The guard came over and reached for my laptop.

I took one last look at those students with their heads down.

"Wood." His shoulders twitched, but he didn't look up.

"Sophie." She pretended to organize her notes.

The guard tugged my arm: "Student, let's go."

I stood up.

As I reached the door, Bella's voice drifted over.

"Fiona, I don't know why you hate me so much. But doing this only hurts yourself."

I looked back at her, then left.

First floor of the administration building, an office without windows. The guard told me to sit and wait.

I waited four hours. I went to the bathroom once—the female guard followed me in.

At eleven PM, the door opened. A man sat down, his badge reading "Student Affairs Yusuf."

He opened a folder.

"Fiona, do you understand what your actions today mean?"

"What do they mean?"

"Illegally obtaining surveillance footage, publicly showing a suspected fabricated indecent video, defaming your advisor. Any one of these is enough for disciplinary action."

"That video is real."

"The technical department has completed a preliminary assessment." He flipped through the file. "Conclusion: shows signs of AI synthesis, deep fake cannot be ruled out."

"They finished the assessment in ten hours?"

"Professional team. High efficiency."

I stared at him: "Have you personally watched that video?"

He didn't engage.

"Sign a statement." He pushed a paper toward me. "Admit to an operational error, that you played the wrong file. The school will handle it leniently—a reprimand on record, but not in your permanent file."

I looked down at the paper. The main text was already typed out for me—admitting that due to emotional distress, I mistakenly played an AI-generated video at the group meeting, causing damage to Professor Robert's and Bella's reputations, and expressing deep apology.

A blank space at the bottom awaited my signature.

"What if I don't sign?"

"We'll go through formal procedures. The Academic Committee will get involved. As for the outcome—I can't control that."

I stood up and walked to the door.

"Fiona." He called out to me, seeming to hesitate.

"Do you have any other backups?"