"Tiancheng, we agreed on the bet." Qian Haoming took out his phone and sent a message to Huang Zhiguo.
"Zhiguo, you can win your money back. Tonight, get ready to set up a table at Juxian Tower. Lin Tiancheng is participating in the afternoon retest, and he says he'll compete against me with a bet of 100,000."
"Damn, are you serious?" Huang Zhiguo quickly replied.
Although Huang Zhiguo's family was well-off, he was still a student, and the ten thousand he lost yesterday was mostly borrowed, which still gave him a headache.
Qian Haoming only smiled calmly and did not reply further.
At 2:30 in the afternoon, the school leadership and related personnel began to take their seats.
Even though the school leaders were already present, the moment Xia Xue, with her snow-like skin and tall figure, entered the classroom, a wave of restrained howls ensued.
In fact, quite a few boys came to the lecture hall just to see Xia Xue.
Rumors at school claimed that Xia Xue was involved with Dean Jin Mantang, making her seem even more unattainable—a woman who could allegedly sell her body for success fueled many fantasies.
The host scanned the lecture hall and said, "As everyone knows, this afternoon's retest will determine the ten slots available for internships at the city's Second People's Hospital. I believe that all participating students have prepared well. I hope everyone can remain calm and perform normally. Even if you are not selected, there's no need to be discouraged; the school guarantees that every student will have the opportunity to intern at a reputable hospital."
After a pause, the host continued, "Initially, there were twenty students participating in the retest, but one student with outstanding academic performance and a particularly solid foundation missed the first round for some reason. After initial consideration by the school leadership, he is allowed to participate in this retest. Therefore, there are now twenty-one students, divided into three groups. In each group, the last one to finish will be eliminated. The remaining eighteen will again be divided into three groups, with the last in each group eliminated. After four rounds, nine slots will be filled. The last slot will be decided from among the twelve eliminated students."
This statement from the host immediately caused a stir.
Everyone was curious—who was strong enough to be granted an exception by the school leadership and directly allowed to enter the retest?
The twenty-one students began to make their way on stage. Among them were Qiu Dazheng, Wang Xiaomin, and Qian Haoming. Lin Tiancheng, however, was the only unfamiliar face.
"Who is that guy?"
"Damn, I know him—he's Lin Tiancheng from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostics Class Five. He's been working part-time outside of school and just got dumped by his girlfriend."
"Never heard of him—did he get in through connections or what?"
Hearing the buzz below, Qian Haoming struggled to contain his glee, eagerly awaiting the start of the competition. He hoped to be in the same group as Lin Tiancheng so he could embarrass him.
When Wang Xiaomin heard others mention that Lin Tiancheng had just been dumped by his girlfriend, she quickly moved away from Lin Tiancheng, fearing that others might recognize her as his ex.
On the podium, Dean Jin Mantang, with his full head of white hair and slightly plump figure, looked helplessly at Xia Xue beside him.
He was familiar with most of the capable students in the school, but he had never even heard of Lin Tiancheng. If Lin Tiancheng were to be eliminated in the first round, even the school leadership would have to take the blame.
Only Ling Moxing, sitting in the corner of the lecture hall, had a different light flashing in her beautiful eyes when she saw Lin Tiancheng take the stage.
"Is everyone ready? If so, we will begin group selection," the host said.
No one spoke. Many of the participants looked at Lin Tiancheng with unfriendly eyes. After all, he was there to compete for their slots.
Just then, Lin Tiancheng stepped forward, looking somewhat uneasy as he awkwardly addressed the host, "Um, I have a request."
The host was stunned.
He thought, You only got this retest opportunity because the school leadership pulled some strings. No one else is making requests, and yet you dare to?
The other participants were already emitting a sense of hostility. If Lin Tiancheng dared make a special request, they would all rise in protest.
Even Dean Jin Mantang secretly wiped the sweat from his brow.
Xia Xue also frowned slightly, looking at Lin Tiancheng in confusion.
Since Lin Tiancheng had spoken up, the host had no choice but to ask, "What is your request, student?"
Lin Tiancheng scratched his head, looking hesitant.
Seeing Lin Tiancheng's difficulty in speaking, the audience started to have an inkling.
This guy—is he feeling the pressure and wants to back out?
"Lin Tiancheng, don't tell me you want to quit. Quitting is equivalent to admitting defeat," Qian Haoming was also starting to feel nervous. After all, he had already texted Huang Zhiguo, promising to win back ten thousand for him. If Lin Tiancheng quit the competition and backed out of the bet, what would they do then? He quickly reminded Lin Tiancheng.
Lin Tiancheng had no other choice. He turned to the host and said, "The competition rules are that the teachers ask questions, and each group of students can buzz in to answer. Correct answers earn one point, while wrong answers deduct three points. The first to accumulate ten points wins, and the last in each group is eliminated. Right?"
The host nodded, unsure what Lin Tiancheng was getting at.
"My request is to have a special privilege: instead of being grouped with others, I want everyone to compete with me at once. If I don't get first place, I'll be eliminated right away. If I do, I'll move on directly."
Lin Tiancheng's words created an awkward atmosphere.
Almost no one—including Qian Haoming—could believe their ears.
At first, everyone thought Lin Tiancheng would ask for some advantage, and they were ready to oppose any such request.
But no one expected Lin Tiancheng's request to be like this.
One against twenty—if he didn't get first place, he would be eliminated. Even someone as talented as Ouyang Yu wouldn't dare make such a boast.
And yet Lin Tiancheng—a nobody who only got the retest spot through connections—dared?
The host was taken aback by Lin Tiancheng's request. If it weren't for the fact that Lin Tiancheng had come with a special recommendation from the school leadership, he would have criticized him. Competing against everyone at once—wasn't this asking for humiliation?
Dean Jin Mantang was also feeling restless, regretting his rash decision to agree to Xia Xue's request to let Lin Tiancheng into the retest.
Seeing Jin Mantang's displeased expression, the host naturally wouldn't grant Lin Tiancheng's request. He forced a smile and said, "Student, what a joke. Alright, let's begin the group selection."
"If my request can't be granted, I'll withdraw," Lin Tiancheng insisted.
It wasn't that Lin Tiancheng wanted to be flashy—rather, under the original competition rules, the twenty-one students would be divided into three groups, eliminating the last in each group, then repeating the process with eighteen students until four rounds had been completed.
Without using his phone's flashlight function, Lin Tiancheng had no chance of winning. And with only 8% battery left, he had to consider saving power and finishing things quickly.
If one retest consumed too much power, leaving him in a critical situation—or even endangering his life—he'd rather quit.
The host looked deeply at Lin Tiancheng, realizing that he wasn't joking, and asked, "Can you give me a reason?"
Lin Tiancheng couldn't tell the truth, so he said, "I got added to the retest at the last minute, so a lot of my fellow students are unhappy. To earn everyone's respect, I decided to take on everyone at once. That way, if I win, no one can complain."
"Damn, is this guy for real?"
"So cocky—if he doesn't get first place, I'll definitely teach him a lesson tonight."
…