Head Teacher He was so shocked that he couldn't speak, his mind still processing the situation. In just a few days, maybe a week, Kent's beast, Garfield, had undergone breakthrough after breakthrough, as if it were as simple as eating and drinking.
"Kent, are you really going to do this?" Head Teacher He took a deep breath and then looked at Kent seriously.
"Of course. We're not kids anymore; we can take responsibility for our actions. Leng Zimu and Zhao Shi, especially, have their own status. Even if I promise not to pursue this, they might not appreciate it," Kent replied with a serious expression after a brief pause.
"Besides, if I lost, do you think they would let me off the hook? They'd probably want to kill me," he added gravely.
Hearing this, Leng Zimu and Zhao Shi didn't refute. It was true that there was no possibility of reconciliation between them at this point.
Head Teacher He nodded and turned to Leng Zimu and Zhao Shi, asking, "And what about you two? Anything to say?"
At this stage, the matter was essentially settled. Although both of them were deeply unwilling, and all kinds of thoughts were swirling in their minds, they had no choice but to accept and face the undeniable facts.
"Teacher, he's right. This time, I, Leng Zimu, messed up. But Kent, don't get too smug. I have a hundred ways to kill you, so enjoy it for now," Leng Zimu threatened openly.
Head Teacher He's face darkened. He wanted to say something, but he realized there was nothing he could do to stop this anymore.
Zhao Mengxi furrowed her brows, unable to hold back. "Leng Zimu, watch your mouth."
"What? You want to protect him? How foolish. What does he have that's worth protecting? Marry me, and it would be a thousand times better than him," Leng Zimu's anger flared.
"Heh, I think you're the one who has no brains. What, am I some kind of merchandise to you? Pathetic. Even if I married a pig, it would be ten thousand times better than marrying you," Zhao Mengxi responded coldly.
She was really angry now.
She had finally seen Leng Zimu for what he was—stubborn, desperate, and hiding his vulgar and crude nature beneath a polished exterior. It made her sick.
"Alright, Zhao Mengxi, this doesn't concern you. The three of them will handle it themselves. As the notary, I've already become involved, and I'll deal with it properly. You need to trust your teacher," Head Teacher He waved his hand and then turned to Zhao Shi. "What's your stance?"
Zhao Shi gritted his teeth, feeling immense pressure. His family was strong, but it still couldn't compare to the Leng family. Leng Zimu could easily take out five million credit points, but he could barely scrape together a million.
After all, the Leng family was much wealthier, while the Zhao family had only risen in recent years. Though they were wealthy, the family's foundation was still new, and they were in the middle of a succession dispute with three brothers, each vying to become the heir. Even their allowances were only around a million credit points.
Now, if he lost the bet, he would owe Kent four million credit points. Even if he sold himself, he wouldn't be able to come up with that much money.
And it wasn't something he could discuss with his family. If he did, whether they would give him the money was uncertain. What was more important was that committing such a huge blunder would probably cost him his inheritance eligibility.
After thinking it over, he realized he couldn't bear the consequences. But backing down would hurt his pride, and even if he did back down, Kent might not let him off.
After much deliberation, Zhao Shi carefully phrased his response, "I'll accept the bet, but I won't be able to pay the full amount. I can only come up with one million credit points. Any more than that, I don't have."
"If you insist on the full amount, Kent, then take me to court. After all, this is just a verbal agreement. You're unlikely to win the lawsuit. The Zhao family has been in this business for many years, and we still have some connections in court."
At these words, everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected Zhao Shi to say something so bold and open about it. It was quite surprising.
But thinking it through, what could he do? He was right. Without a written contract, Kent had no way to hold him accountable. If Zhao Shi denied it, Kent had no solid evidence to force him to comply.
Kent paused, and the realization hit him. A verbal promise wasn't really a promise. People could easily disregard it, and he wouldn't be able to do much about it.
He had learned an important lesson.
"Forget it, one million credit points will do. Let's settle this now, and if you insist on the full amount, it will be a lost cause. There's no need to drag this out. Life is long, and I'm not going to fight over this," Kent said, weighing his options. "Zhao Shi, since we're both from the same school, I won't make things too difficult for you. This time, I'll let you off with just one million credit points. But you still need to give the teacher ten thousand credit points as a token of appreciation. Is that reasonable?"
Zhao Shi reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I'll transfer one million credit points to you later and ten thousand to the teacher."
Head Teacher He immediately scolded them, "What do you think I am? I won't accept your money. If I did, I'd be the biggest failure in this ridiculous bet. My reputation, built over decades of being a teacher, would be completely ruined. Are you trying to destroy me?"
Kent was shocked upon hearing this.
How could he not have realized this? His actions were indirectly harming the teacher. He immediately felt guilty and quickly said, "Teacher, I was wrong. I didn't think it through. Zhao Shi, forget about the ten thousand credit points for the teacher."
Zhao Shi, naturally, was pleased. Ten thousand credit points was a significant amount for a student like him. Saving it was a good thing.
However, Leng Zimu, hearing their conversation, felt it was unfair. He immediately said, "Since Zhao Shi is only contributing one million credit points, then I'll only contribute one million as well. If you, Kent, have a problem with that, feel free to take me to court. I, Leng Zimu, will go to the end with you."
"Boss, you're awesome!"
"Haha, that's a great move, boss!"
"Boss, you're too kind. One million is a huge sum. If it were me, I wouldn't give him a single cent."
"You don't understand. Leng Zimu is a big shot. Even Zhao Shi, that arrogant guy, is paying up. Leng Zimu isn't going to back down. He's preserving his reputation. Giving Kent one million is just a way of getting rid of him, like giving alms to a beggar."
Leng Zimu's underlings chimed in, fawning over him in an obsequious manner.
Kent scratched his nose. Although he wasn't happy, he figured he might as well take the money now and settle the scores later.
"Alright, I, Kent, am magnanimous, so I won't nitpick. A few million credit points may seem like a lot, but to me, it's just a string of numbers. I won't make things difficult for you," he said, putting on an air of superiority. Although he had been trapped in a scheme, he had to act tough to maintain his prestige.
"However, my patience is limited. Make sure to transfer the one million credit points to my bracelet within a week."
Kent said, striking a grand pose. Although he had been caught in a trap, he still had to put on a tough act.
Leng Zimu snorted, no longer arguing with him.