MM | Chapter 43

The Bet

For most students, the school sports meet isn’t about showcasing youthful energy, but rather a rare break from the mountain of exams—a mini vacation.

With no classes scheduled for two days, the entire school was buzzing with excitement, and everyone was unusually enthusiastic in their preparations. In contrast, the teachers were much more composed.

He Jin mentioned that there were no attendance requirements for the audience; anyone interested could watch, and those who weren’t could stay in the classroom for self-study.

The big shots in Class A always prioritized their studies!

…

Only fools would stay for self-study.

When He Jin returned from the office with a badge, the classroom was completely empty.

“These little rascals,” she laughed and cursed, joining other homeroom teachers on the way to the sports field. Although the sports meet was meant for relaxation, with friendship first and competition second, once in the field, the competitive spirit of these young adults was ignited.

Teachers, while outwardly humble, would say, “Our class isn’t great,” but secretly hoped their students would excel.

He Jin joined the teachers’ parade, and as they passed the Class A stands, she was taken aback.

Their class had hung a large banner at the top, with red background and white characters displaying their class slogan. While others had slogans like “Forge Ahead,” “Youthful Passion,” “Strive for First,” and “Overcome Challenges,” theirs read—

“Grade 2 Senior, Class A: Winning or losing doesn’t matter! Life is short, just finish the race!”

The entire group of teachers burst into laughter.

He Jin covered her face and rushed over, grabbing a nearby student to ask, “Who came up with this slogan?”

“Gao Tianyang,” the student immediately sold out his friend.

Over there, Gao Tianyang was handing out team uniforms. Hearing his name, he turned and flashed a big grin. “Teacher! Look, we even have matching outfits!”

The T-shirts were nice, with deep blue stripes on the sides that added a touch of style. On the front was a bold ‘A,’ and on the back, an even bolder ‘Super A.’

He Jin felt like she had found a ghost.

Just as she was about to distance herself from the embarrassment, Yang Jing arrived fashionably late. Today, Yang Jing’s style was completely different. She wore a fitted white T-shirt, a sports skirt, and had her hair in a high ponytail with a white baseball cap, looking quite lively. The Class A students almost didn’t recognize her, and their jaws dropped.

“What are you doing, imitating Old Xu from the Political and Educational Office?” Yang Jing raised an eyebrow disdainfully. “So ugly, close your mouths.”

The students nearby obediently shut their mouths.

“Come on, let’s take a picture with the banner,” she called out to the exasperated He Jin, striding up the hill.

“This is so silly, why take a picture?” He Jin said irritably.

“To post on WeChat moments,” Yang Jing replied, “to show off our talented students.”

He Jin burst out laughing.

“Whoa, who’s that?” Sheng Wang, who had been arguing with Gao Tianyang about the silly team uniform, looked up and was startled by Yang Jing.

His bewildered expression was too funny, and Yang Jing couldn’t help but laugh. She looked down and saw someone sitting next to Sheng Wang, legs stretched out, with white earphones in, focused on his phone.

“Feeling bold, huh? Being so brazen in public?” Yang Jing asked.

Sheng Wang tapped Jiang Tian’s shoulder with his fingers. “Wake up, put the phone away!”

Jiang Tian glanced at Sheng Wang’s meddling fingers before looking at Yang Jing and He Jin. “Teacher.”

Everyone in Class A knew that as long as it wasn’t during class and they weren’t caught by Big Mouth, the other teachers wouldn’t mind if they used their phones. Jiang Tian, naturally aloof, didn’t even flinch when the teachers arrived. After greeting them, he continued to scroll through his screen.

“Who upset him? Why does he look so unhappy?” Yang Jing asked.

“He’s sulking,” Sheng Wang said with a suppressed laugh. “He’s been struck by Gao Tianyang’s team uniform and refuses to wear it.”

Jiang Tian, with his earphones in, pretended not to hear.

Yang Jing laughed until she was out of breath, then took a few photos with He Jin and left.

Sheng Wang admired Jiang Tian’s indifferent back for a while, suddenly wanting to tease him.

He initially didn’t want to wear the uniform either, even considering punching Gao Tianyang, but seeing Jiang Tian like this, he couldn’t resist changing his mind—

He waved to Gao Tianyang. “Hey, give me two.”

Gao Tianyang was overjoyed. “What? Finally appreciating my artistic taste?”

“Artistic taste, my foot,” Sheng Wang said bluntly.

“Then why the sudden change of heart?”

“Feeling itchy.”

I must be asking for trouble, Sheng Wang thought to himself, but he still grabbed the clothes and waved them in front of Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian looked up, removed his earphones, and asked, “What?”

“I suddenly think this outfit isn’t bad,” Sheng Wang said.

Jiang Tian gave him a look that said, “Has your sense of style died?”

“Look again,” Sheng Wang suggested.

Jiang Tian snorted and didn’t bother to look.

“It’s a sports meet, all about passion,” Sheng Wang said, trying to keep a straight face. “A bit of silliness is normal, and at least Old Gao put some thought into it.”

“So?” Jiang Tian asked with a deadpan expression.

Sheng Wang started testing the waters. “So, I’m kind of thinking about wearing it.”

“…”

Jiang Tian’s gaze swept over him and said, “Then wear it.”

Seeing Jiang Tian about to put his earphones back in, Sheng Wang grabbed his wrist. “It’d be embarrassing if I wore it alone.”

Jiang Tian had a look of “I knew it” and said numbly, “I’m not wearing it.”

“Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and put it on,” Sheng Wang said.

“No.”

“Just for a day.”

“No.”

“Ge~.”

“…”

Jiang Tian felt like he had found a ghost.

A few minutes later, under the watchful eyes of Class A, Sheng Wang pushed Jiang Tian down the big steps. He was holding back laughter and gave Gao Tianyang an “OK” sign behind his back. As for Jiang Tian… he was practically frozen, every cell screaming rejection.

Everyone rarely saw him in such a predicament, and the whistles, screams, and jeers erupted into chaos.

Sheng Wang raised a finger for silence and said with a smile, “No yelling, don’t mess with me. It took all my effort to trick him into this. If he gets mad and sits on the roof, who’s going to coax him down?”

Jiang Tian stopped in his tracks and frowned at him.

Sheng Wang immediately said, “My bad, I’ll shut up.”

Initially, everyone was waiting to see the spectacle, but when they returned in their outfits… whoa, they looked amazing?

Gao Tianyang, like an excited monkey, pointed at the two walking advertisements. “See! What did I say? Doesn’t it look awesome? Wild, fierce, and stylish. Who dares say my taste is dead? Who?”

“No one!” Song Sirui rushed up, grabbed a shirt from Gao Tianyang, and ran off.

In just a few seconds, the previously reluctant classmates all switched sides, and the uniforms were snatched up. Some who weren’t even competing tried to snag one, only to be caught by Gao Tianyang. “Get lost! If you take it, I’ll have to go out there naked!”

The troublemaker quickly withdrew his hand, laughing. “Forget it, forget it, that’s too much.”

It turned out that Gao Tianyang’s taste was actually decent. The clothes looked silly but wore well. When Class A’s athletes gathered at the check-in area, nearby Grade 1 classes were abuzz. Girls huddled together, discussing excitedly, flipping through the athlete roster to find out which events Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian were in, occasionally mentioning “Gao Tianyang.”

Gao Tianyang was known as the Class A tyrant because he could finish the 1500 meters and then head straight to the 3000 meters, taking first place without even catching his breath before heading to the basketball court. His stamina was inhuman.

The Affiliated High School’s sports meet was point-based. There were 12 classes in Grade 2, and points were awarded to the top six in each event. First, second, and third places earned 15, 10, and 5 points respectively, while fourth, fifth, and sixth places got 3, 2, and 1 point.

“Old Gao got three 15s last year and dragged our class to sixth place,” Song Sirui said.

“Is sixth place impressive?” Sheng Wang wasn’t familiar with the other classes’ strengths.

Song Sirui explained in one sentence, “Let’s put it this way, without Old Gao, our class would have scored about 15 total last year, ranking dead last.”

Sheng Wang: “…”

His first reaction was to look at Jiang Tian, a bit incredulous.

Jiang Tian didn’t usually care about these things, but seeing Sheng Wang’s skeptical look, he couldn’t help but add, “Don’t look at me, I wasn’t here last year.”

“Oh, right,” Gao Tianyang said. “He was away for training at that time, not at school.”

Sheng Wang nodded. “I thought so. You don’t seem like someone who wouldn’t score.”

“What place did our class get in the relay last year?” Sheng Wang asked, “I need a baseline.”

Gao Tianyang chuckled awkwardly. “We came in last.”

“But this year! Let’s aim for top six, maybe even top three! Everyone, give it your all!” Song Sirui shouted.

At 2:30 PM, the 8×200 mixed relay officially began. Before going on stage, each class was still adjusting their relay order. Other classes were trying to gather intel on their opponents’ lineup, but Class A was the exception. The girls surrounding them were there to cheer for the handsome guys, not a single spy among them—a blatant show of confidence.

“Whatever, let’s just go with this!” Gao Tianyang said. “I’ll start, try to open up a big gap, then Old Song, Xiao Yu, you two do your best. Sheng-ge, you’re in the middle, try to make up for any lost ground. Xiao Lajiao can run, she’s fifth, then Qiao Na and Dai Xiaohuan. Uh… don’t stress, just don’t puke and it’s a win. Finally, Tian-ge will finish, aim for whatever place you can.”

Soon, everyone was in position. The track was 400 meters per lap, two laps per round. Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian’s handoff point was together, so they stood by the track until it was their turn.

Sheng Wang shaded his eyes with his hand, squinting toward the starting line.

The early autumn sun wasn’t as harsh as summer’s, high and distant, with the fresh scent of the football field’s grass in the air. He saw Gao Tianyang bend down at the starting line, and the teacher raised the starting pistol in the distance.

Just as the gun fired, Jiang Tian suddenly spoke. “Want to bet?”

It was rare for him to initiate, and Sheng Wang was a bit surprised. “We’re on the same team this time, remember?”

Jiang Tian said, “That’s why we should bet.”

Sheng Wang asked, “Bet on what?”

“Whether we can get first.”

“The stakes?”

Jiang Tian frowned slightly, thinking for a moment. “Haven’t thought of it.”

Sheng Wang clicked his tongue. “Then how can we bet?”

Gao Tianyang sprinted in the distance, speeding like the wind, leaving the athletes from the other 11 classes behind before handing the baton to Song Sirui. Class A’s cheers echoed across the field, full of passion.

Gao Tianyang, dripping with sweat, walked over, and Sheng Wang waved at him.

Just when he thought the bet would be forgotten, Jiang Tian suddenly looked away from the distance, glanced at him, and said, “How about calling me ‘brother’ again?”