Chapter 65: The Wager

When Chen Du heard Su Xue’s words, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He pointed at me and Su Xue, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, then Yang Yun, Su Xue, let’s leave it at that. I don’t believe I’ve ever owed you anything—at least, I’ve never done anything wrong to you!"

After saying this, Chen Du turned and walked straight out of the stadium. Third Brother watched him leave and couldn’t help but curse, "Damn, he just left? He hasn't answered Laozi's question yet!"

"He already answered it. It’s nothing more than because of me." I sighed helplessly and then said to Su Xue beside me, "Why did you come?"

"I heard you came to find Chen Du, so I was worried and came over."

"Alright, let’s all disperse. Class is about to start soon!"

Because of Chen Du’s withdrawal, we were basically no longer considered a faction in the school. Chen Du, due to previous events, now only had seven or eight people left under him. The largest faction in the school was now clearly Li Hong’s. Although there was still Zhuge Yue, she wasn't interested in school conflicts, and since her faction consisted entirely of girls, they weren't a concern. The school was now effectively Li Hong’s world.

Li Hong was definitely not going to let me off easily. Between the incident with Li Heng and the fact that Third Brother had beaten him up, this guy had always been at odds with us. Now that he had such a large faction, it was impossible that he wouldn't find a way to act. The only reason he hadn't made a move yet was likely because he was wary of our combat strength; after all, it was difficult to find people comparable to us, and ordinary people simply couldn't handle us.

However, Li Hong hadn't been acting out much these days. I heard from Zhang Yinuo that there seemed to be some conflict between Chen Ling’s family and Li Hong’s family, mainly because of the incident where Li Hong had those two people target Chen Ling. Although Li Hong denied it at the time and had those two men beaten, anyone with eyes could see it was instigated by Li Hong, so their two families were now on very bad terms.

It was clear that Chen Ling’s family background must be quite good, otherwise, it wouldn't have made Li Hong’s family so nervous. As for the strength of Li Hong’s family, I had heard from Zhang Yinuo that they were considered one of the top families in our town.

Without Li Hong looking for trouble, I began a peaceful campus life. I started studying seriously for the monthly exams. With Zhang Yinuo’s previous help and Su Xue’s assistance—the two best students in the school tutoring me—my grades were naturally predictable. On the day of the exam, I performed very steadily, and I felt exceptionally relaxed when I came out.

"How was it? How did you do?" Su Xue asked me.

"Not bad. They were all questions I had practiced before. My ranking should be quite high, though of course, I can’t compare to you two."

"You want to compare with us? You’re quite ambitious, aren't you? If someone who has only been studying for a month or two surpasses us, wouldn't that make us look very awkward?"

"Haha, it’s impossible to surpass you. After all, your academic records are there, and I’ve fallen behind on years of coursework."

"So humble? That’s not like you!"

"Is that so? I’ve always been very low-key!"

Back in our classroom, the class monitor, Chen Ling, asked, "Student Yang Yun, how did you do this time?"

"Not bad. I think getting into the top ten in the class shouldn't be a problem!"

"Really? You’re so confident!"

"That’s a must. I had the two top students in the school helping me, plus the class monitor’s daily supervision—it would be hard not to improve!"

Just then, an discordant voice chimed in: "Top ten? You really know how to brag!"

"Liu Shuang, is it necessary to make such snide remarks?" Chen Ling looked at Liu Shuang with dissatisfaction.

Liu Shuang was our class study representative. This guy usually had a crush on Chen Ling, and seeing her talking to me at that moment naturally made him very unhappy.

"I’m stating facts. Someone who only knows how to fight all day long dares to boast about getting into the top ten? If he can get into the top twenty, I’ll call him Dad!" Liu Shuang looked at me with disdain.

"Oh? Really? You want to call me Dad, but I don’t want to acknowledge you as my son!"

"Grass, Yang Yun, are you looking for death?"

"Yo, yo, yo, where did this idiot pop out from? What? Bullying us because we don't have people now? You’re very arrogant, aren't you?" Third Brother looked at Liu Shuang with cold eyes.

"Hmph, two degenerates who only know how to fight. Besides fighting, what else can you do? Once you enter society, you’ll just be social scum!"

"Oh, do you believe I can beat you into scum right now?" Third Brother was so angry he was about to make a move on Liu Shuang.

Wang Xiaopang, who was nearby, quickly stopped Third Brother and said, "Don't. His dad is the Dean of Students. If you touch him, you’ll definitely be targeted in school!"

"Damn, what’s a Dean of Students? Even if the principal came, I wouldn't give him any face!"

"Alright, say less. Don't get a disciplinary record and fail to graduate!" I comforted Third Brother.

"Hmph, as expected, just scum who only know how to use their fists!" Liu Shuang became even more arrogant when he saw us back down.

Chen Ling couldn't stand seeing Liu Shuang mock us like this: "Liu Shuang, don't go too far, you!"

Before Chen Ling could finish, I interrupted her, gave her a reassuring look, and then said to Liu Shuang, "You say we only know how to use our fists, right? You say it’s impossible for my grades to be in the top ten of the class, right?"

"Yes, that’s exactly what I said. So what? Trash like you who don't study all day want to get into the top ten of the class? It’s simply wishful thinking!" Liu Shuang sneered.

"Fine, since that’s the case, let’s make a bet!" I smiled and looked at Liu Shuang.

"What kind of bet?"

"Very simple. Let’s bet on the results of this monthly exam. If my grades are higher than yours, you apologize to me in front of all the students in the class! If I lose, I’ll apologize to you in front of the class!"

"What? Your grades surpass mine? Are you joking?" Liu Shuang burst into laughter when he heard my words.

"What? Are you afraid to bet?" I looked at Liu Shuang provocatively.

"Fine, I’ll bet with you, but I want to add a condition!"

"Go ahead!"

"The loser has to call the other person Dad and run naked around the school three times!"

"Fine, deal!"

Since Liu Shuang wanted to seek his own death, I didn't mind helping him. Although I wouldn't dare say I could surpass Su Xue and Zhang Yinuo, I was confident in surpassing Liu Shuang. Even though Liu Shuang was the class study representative, he usually hovered around fourth or fifth place in the class, and there was at least a thirty-point gap between him and Zhang Yinuo. Surpassing him would be very simple.

"Good,