Liu Feng's words, "Do you dare to make a bet?", instantly ignited the powder keg in the conference room, which had already been stretched to its limit.
All eyes once again focused on Yang Mingyu.
This time, their gazes were no longer just about watching a show and mocking; there was a hint of tension and anticipation.
Things had developed to this point, far exceeding ordinary office friction, evolving into a head-on gamble concerning dignity, principles, and even career.
They all wanted to see if this young man, who had boasted to the heavens, would choose to stubbornly accept this unwinnable bet after being cornered by his opponent, or if he would find an excuse to shamefully retract his earlier arrogant words.
Wang Haide leaned slightly forward, his eyes, hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses, gleaming with excitement.
He wished Yang Mingyu would accept the bet and then lose miserably in the monthly exam a month later.
By then, he would have ample reason to legitimately marginalize this disobedient "troublemaker," ensuring he could never stir up any more waves.
Meeting Liu Feng's provocative gaze, Yang Mingyu's face showed not the slightest fear; instead, a smile, as if long-awaited, appeared.
"Bet?" he repeated the word softly, a hint of playfulness in his tone, "Alright."
"How does Teacher Liu want to bet?"
His two calm words once again caught everyone off guard, who had been prepared to see him back down.
He actually… dared to accept?
Liu Feng was also choked by Yang Mingyu's straightforward attitude.
He had expected the other party to at least hesitate or bargain, but he didn't expect him to agree so readily.
However, this was exactly what he wanted.
"It's simple!" Liu Feng's confidence returned, and he snorted coldly, quickly formulating a bet in his mind that would make Yang Mingyu lose as thoroughly and as shamefully as possible.
"In the first school-wide monthly exam a month from now," he held up a finger and tapped it in the air, his tone full of unquestionable arrogance, "if your Grade One, Class 14's total average score is still the lowest in the entire grade…"
He paused, then added a seemingly foolproof safeguard.
"And, if you cannot produce a single subject's top score in the entire grade for any subject!"
"Then…" Liu Feng's voice suddenly rose, a nearly cruel pleasure appearing on his face, "Teacher Yang, you must, at the next school-wide teachers' meeting, publicly admit in front of everyone that your so-called educational philosophy is 'a sensational joke'! And, publicly apologize to me, and to all the veteran teachers who have been offended by your 'innovative ideas'!".
This bet was indeed vicious.
It directly attacked a teacher's most valued dignity and principles.
If Yang Mingyu really lost, he would not only be disgraced at school but also become a laughingstock in the entire education community, never able to hold his head up again.
A collective gasp echoed in the office.
Everyone felt that Liu Feng had truly gone for the kill this time, leaving no room for the other party to maneuver.
The grade group leader opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to mediate, but seeing Wang Haide's tacit expression and Liu Feng's aggressive demeanor, he ultimately chose to swallow his words, sighing heavily.
All eyes once again fell on Yang Mingyu.
This time, they thought, surely this young man would back down?
After all, the conditions of this bet were so harsh as to be almost impossible to fulfill.
Not the lowest total average score?
If the students of Grade One, Class 14 weren't at the bottom, who would be?
Top score in a single subject for the entire grade?
Even more of a fantasy!
Those top students in the elite classes, who had been selected through layers of screening, would monopolize all the single-subject top scores.
How could students from Grade One, Class 14, a "slacker concentration camp," even touch them?
This was simply a dead end.
However, Yang Mingyu's reaction once again astonished everyone.
The smile on his face didn't even change in the slightest.
"Good."
A clear word came out of his mouth.
No hesitation, no delay, not even a trace of deliberation.
It felt as if someone had asked him, "Do you want a glass of water?", easy and casual.
"It's a deal," he added four more words, as if afraid Liu Feng would go back on his word.
This time, even Liu Feng himself was completely stunned.
He felt as if he had used all his strength to throw a heavy punch, believing it would knock out his opponent, but the other party didn't dodge or evade; instead, he actively met it, even complaining that he hadn't hit hard enough.
A feeling of utter absurdity surged into Liu Feng's heart.
He stared intently at Yang Mingyu, trying to find even a hint of bluffing or guilt on that calm face.
But he failed.
Yang Mingyu's eyes were as calm as an unfathomable ancient pool, but beneath the pool, a flame called "confidence" burned, making him feel startled.
"Good! It's a deal!" Liu Feng, stimulated by that gaze, almost lost his sanity.
He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "All the teachers present, and Director Wang, are witnesses! I hope Teacher Yang won't go back on his word then!"
"Don't worry," Yang Mingyu smiled faintly, "I never go back on my word."
"However, Teacher Liu, we just discussed what happens if you win, but what if I win?"
"If you win, I'll apologize to you and serve you tea and water for a week!" Liu Feng replied!
His gaze and Liu Feng's collided fiercely in the air, filled with silent gunpowder.
At this moment, this crazy bet was officially established under the joint witness of over twenty teachers.
It was no longer a war of words between two people, but a heavy, irreversible contract.
A contract with a young teacher's professional dignity and the collective honor of the entire Grade One, Class 14 as the stake.
The meeting ended hastily in an extremely strange atmosphere.
Teachers left in twos and threes, discussing the scene they had just witnessed, unable to stop themselves.
Their gazes at Yang Mingyu also became incredibly complex, like looking at a hero, yet also like looking at a madman.
Yang Mingyu ignored everyone.
He simply packed his things silently and calmly walked out of the office amidst whispers and pointing.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched his shadow long, long.
He carried a burden of pressure, bore everyone's ridicule and doubt, and walked steadily, step by step, towards the classroom of Grade One, Class 14.
Pushing open the classroom door, the familiar noise and chaos still reigned inside.
After the shock of the first lesson, the students had now reverted to their old ways; the classroom was boisterous, like a vegetable market.
Yang Mingyu stood at the doorway, looking at the heads below the podium—some scattered, some confused, some rebellious—and the curve of his lips became even more pronounced.
Very good.
This is what makes it challenging.
He took a deep breath and secretly said to himself:
"The first step of the revolution begins with the seats."