The entire office was immersed in a strange atmosphere, a mix of anticipation and ridicule.
All eyes were on Yang Mingyu like spotlights. Everyone was waiting to see how this young man, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, would react to Liu Feng's merciless public humiliation.
Would he blush and awkwardly try to explain himself?
Or would he choose to swallow his anger, enduring this embarrassing moment in silence?
Or, more intensely, would he argue with Liu Feng on the spot?
Whichever it was, in the eyes of these experienced old teachers, it would be a performance destined for utter failure.
However, Yang Mingyu's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.
Not only did he show no embarrassment, but he also met everyone's gaze and slowly stood up.
This action brought the laughter in the office to an abrupt halt. Everyone was slightly stunned, unsure of what he intended to do. Was he planning to storm out on the spot? That would be too impulsive.
Yang Mingyu didn't leave. He simply stood there, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd and landing directly on Liu Feng's face, which held a mocking smile.
"Teacher Liu," his voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear, possessing a strange penetrating power in the pin-drop silent office, "Your question just now was about how many students in our class would pass the first monthly exam, right?"
"That's right." Liu Feng, arms crossed, watched him at his leisure, the mocking curve of his lips growing wider, "What? Can't the great 'Prophet' Yang figure that out?"
"I can figure it out." Yang Mingyu nodded, his serious demeanor striking everyone as somewhat absurd.
He paused, then, in an even clearer and more composed tone, he said, word by word:
"Not only do I know how many of them will pass."
"I also know that one year from now, in the end-of-term exam for Grade Two, the total average score of our Grade One, Class 14 will enter the middle ranks of the grade!"
This statement was like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake.
"Buzz—!"
The entire office instantly erupted!
"What?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
"Middle ranks of the grade? Those students in Class 14? Is he dreaming?"
"This bragging is too outrageous! It's simply a fantasy!"
Questions, exclamations, and incredulous discussions rose and fell. Even the sleepy face of the grade group leader was filled with shock. Wang Haide almost choked on a mouthful of tea, coughing violently.
Even Liu Feng, the instigator, was stunned.
He had imagined countless reactions from Yang Mingyu, but he had never thought that the other party would respond in such an arrogant and wild manner.
This was no longer just being stubborn; this was an open, reckless provocation!
Liu Feng's face turned from red to green. He felt his authority had been trampled on like never before. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and, laughing in his anger, said, "Good! Good, a middle rank of the grade! Teacher Yang, you truly won't stop until you've said something shocking! Do you know what you're saying?"
"I know exactly what I'm saying." Yang Mingyu faced Liu Feng's fury directly, with no trace of retreat in his eyes; instead, an even more fervent flame ignited within them.
He knew that such "bold words" alone were not enough to completely subdue these people who were already numb and worldly.
He needed to raise the stakes.
The next gamble had to be big enough to make everyone gasp for breath!
He took a deep breath, scanning the shocked, mocking, or entertained faces in the conference room, and hurled the words he had long been brewing, like a heavy bomb, at the entire assembly.
"Three years from now."
His voice was not loud, but it carried a weight that seemed to pierce through time.
"Three years from now, in the Gaokao, our class, Grade One, Class 14..."
He paused, each word seemingly squeezed from between his teeth, clear and resolute.
"Every single student will get into a bachelor's degree program! Not one will be left behind!"
"Boom—!!!!!"
If the "middle ranks of the grade" just now was a depth charge, then the "every student into a bachelor's program" at this moment was no different from an atomic bomb detonated in the center of the conference room!
The entire office fell into a deathly, horrifying silence.
Everyone was frozen in place as if under a spell. Their mouths were slightly agape, their eyes wide as copper bells, and their faces were filled with an inexpressible horror.
Every student into a bachelor's program?
With those students in Class 14, for whom even passing was a luxury?
This was no longer madness; this was complete insanity! This was the most naked contempt for educational principles and the logic of reality!
Wang Haide's mouth hung open, the lid of his thermos falling to the floor with a crisp clang, but he was oblivious.
Liu Feng felt as if he had been struck hard over the head with a club, his mind buzzing. He pointed at Yang Mingyu, his fingers trembling slightly, his lips quivering for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You... you... do you know what nonsense you're spouting?!"
"I'm not spouting nonsense." Yang Mingyu's expression was more serious than ever, even carrying a hint of sacredness.
He looked at Liu Feng, at Wang Haide, at everyone present, and spoke the vow that he had regretted for half his life. Only this time, it was no longer regret, but a mission and redemption that he had to fulfill in this new life.
"If I can't do it," his voice, in the terrifyingly silent office, echoed with a metallic quality, "I, Yang Mingyu..."
"Will automatically resign and permanently withdraw from the education sector!"
The seven words "permanently withdraw from the education sector" were like eight heavy hammers, striking hard at everyone's heart.
In the office, the last bit of discussion faded away.
Everyone was completely stunned by this crazy military order, which wagered an entire professional career.
They looked at this excessively young teacher, at his eyes burning with fire, and for the first time, a ridiculous doubt arose in their hearts.
Could it be... he wasn't bragging?
Could it be... he really had some backing they didn't know about?
Liu Feng's face was extremely grim.
He felt like an adult trying to discipline a child, only to have that child point a real gun at his head.
He was put in an impossible situation.
If he backed down, it would mean admitting he was afraid, and how could he hold his head up in the grade group afterward?
If he accepted the challenge and gambled on such an absurd outcome, he would look like a fool.
But at this moment, under Yang Mingyu's aggressive aura, and in the face of his desperate resolve, Liu Feng had no retreat.
His face was ashen, and he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Good... good! Well said!"
He stared intently at Yang Mingyu, sneering, "Teacher Yang, since you've said things to this extent, let's not wait for three years from now!"
His gaze became dark and sharp.
"We'll start with the first monthly exam!"
"Do you dare to make a bet?"