Chapter 36: He Won the Bet... But Lost Anyway
Normally, once the monthly exam results were released, they would be posted publicly on the bulletin board near the school entrance.
But this time was different.
Far too many people were paying attention to the celebrity students' grades.
If the school really posted the results outside, Pu Tong had no doubt that the swarm of fanatical fans would crush the bulletin board into scrap metal.
As a result, they still didn't know their scores.
Pu Tong wasn't anxious at all.
The purpose of a monthly exam was to identify weaknesses and fill in the gaps in one's learning—not to obsess over a number.
Besides, his parents weren't the type who believed grades were everything.
His mother even kept encouraging him to get a girlfriend as soon as possible.
"Exams are a teacher's magic weapon; scores are a student's lifeline."
"True enough," Yu Wanwan muttered lifelessly, staring blankly at her textbook. Her nervousness was written all over her face.
For celebrity students like them, however, the pressure of these grades was an entirely different matter.
No worries.
The haters would definitely take action.
Even someone as talented and well-regarded as Yu Wanwan couldn't escape having a small group of anti-fans.
After all, no one could make everyone like them.
What Pu Tong found difficult to understand was that most of Yu Wanwan's criticisms revolved around things like:
"She's only successful because of her background."
"Industry plant."
"Capital-backed actress."
"Bought her way into productions."
...Honestly, he couldn't exactly argue against those.
While he firmly believed Yu Wanwan had genuine talent, it was equally difficult to deny that her father's influence had helped her reach where she was today.
Even if she wanted to rely solely on ability, having someone as powerful as her father inevitably opened doors behind the scenes.
That simply couldn't be avoided.
"You're really this nervous?"
"Nervous? What's there to be nervous about?"
The truth was, Yu Wanwan really was nervous.
Not because she feared being mocked online if she performed badly...
She was afraid of losing.
Afraid she'd lose the bet—and waste such a perfect opportunity.
"You'd better not lose to me."
She forced herself to sound relaxed.
"As if that would happen."
Pu Tong had complete confidence.
His predecessor's academic foundation hadn't been particularly strong, but the first year of high school was mostly about building fundamentals.
After weeks of diligent studying, he couldn't claim to be a top genius, but calling himself an excellent student wasn't an exaggeration anymore.
These grades were simply proof of the effort he'd put in.
Just as Pu Tong was thinking about increasing his study intensity for the next stage, their homeroom teacher, Zhang Binyan, walked into the classroom carrying the much-anticipated score sheets.
The usual smile that always hid a knife behind it had disappeared.
Instead, his face was unusually cold.
He had come to swing the blade.
His sharp gaze swept across the classroom before anger flashed openly across his face.
"You all did very well, didn't you?"
Every student's head lowered another few inches.
The Homeroom Emperor was terrifying.
No one dared meet his eyes.
"You've been filming with celebrities every day and forgotten who you are, haven't you?"
"They can make a living with their faces. Can you?"
"They don't even have to know how to read when acting. They can just recite '123' and dub it later. Can you?"
"They don't need brains or knowledge to be celebrities. Can you?"
Every sentence sounded like he was scolding his own students.
In reality...
He was clearly taking indirect shots at the celebrity students.
Looks like he'd inevitably clash with them sooner or later.
"I'll read the rankings from highest to lowest."
"Listen carefully."
"Know exactly where you stand."
Pu Tong immediately straightened up.
If he remembered correctly, before transmigrating, his predecessor had ranked somewhere in the lower-middle of the class.
A talented troublemaker who simply refused to study.
Exactly the type teachers hated most.
This time...
He intended to completely overturn everyone's impression of him.
"He Yujia, first."
"Li Chu, second."
"Lu Shunyu, third."
"...Pu Tong, fourth."
Zhang Binyan paused.
The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
So this brat has been quietly pulling off something huge?
In truth, nearly every student in the class had dropped slightly this exam.
Most likely because filming the variety show had disrupted their studies.
That was the real reason Zhang Binyan was so furious.
Even if the cameras weren't filming them directly all the time, simply studying under constant recording still affected everyone.
Yet among an entire class of declining scores...
Pu Tong had improved dramatically.
Despite being the person most heavily affected by the show's online controversy...
He had climbed this much.
It was practically miraculous.
No—
It was downright unbelievable.
Pu Tong remained perfectly calm.
It was only a monthly exam.
The material covered was limited.
At most, it proved he'd mastered this stage of the curriculum fairly well.
Throughout an entire high school career filled with countless exams...
This was just another ordinary one.
After all...
He was someone who had transmigrated.
His horizons should be broader than this.
Yu Wanwan, on the other hand, was having a completely different emotional experience.
The moment she heard Pu Tong ranked fourth...
She fell into a strange mixture of happiness and sadness.
I'm so happy for him...
His hard work really paid off...
...But then I definitely can't beat him anymore.
That's such a shame...
...Still...
I'm really happy for him...
Without lingering, Zhang Binyan continued reading the rankings.
Occasionally he paused longer for certain students, emphasizing their placements.
Among the celebrity students, Lin Yuxi performed the best.
She ranked 19th in the class.
Respectable enough.
Gan Hengxu followed behind at 27th.
Yu Wanwan came in 31st.
Coincidentally...
Exactly the same ranking Pu Tong had held before.
Xie Mu placed 35th.
Compared to his usual classroom performance, that was surprisingly good.
Pu Tong had every reason to suspect his mysterious online crush had helped him reinforce his fundamentals over the past few days.
Tang Luocheng and Chen Siqing even managed to rank like a CP.
46th and 47th.
Right next to each other.
Then there was the ultimate slacker...
Yi Zhi Xuenai.
She proudly claimed 49th place.
Worth mentioning—
There were only fifty students in the class.
She was second-to-last.
Still...
Considering she was Japanese, the differences in educational background and curriculum made that understandable.
No one blamed her for it.
It really wasn't easy for her.
After posting the score sheet on the wall, Zhang Binyan launched into another furious lecture.
"Go look at your subject scores yourselves."
"Whichever subject is weak, fix it immediately."
"No one's going to wait for you."
Leaving behind one final sigh of disappointment, he walked out of the classroom.
"Aren't you going to look?"
Pu Tong poked his deskmate, who was gloomily drawing circles on her notebook.
"No."
"I already lost to you..."
He was simply too strong.
There was no helping it.
Besides...
If she had managed to outperform someone who had studied this hard simply by cramming at the last minute...
Wouldn't that be unfair to everyone who actually worked hard?
The moment class ended, the students surged toward the posted results.
Some beat their chests in despair.
Others were grinning from ear to ear.
The scene looked like a comedy depicting every possible emotion of student life.
After the crowd thinned out, Pu Tong finally went over.
He carefully noted both his and Yu Wanwan's individual subject scores for comparison.
Exactly as expected.
He won every single subject.
A complete victory.
"So..."
Yu Wanwan pouted unhappily.
"What do you want me to do?"
She had already imagined countless things she'd make him do if she won.
She'd even spent time narrowing down the options.
Now...
All that daydreaming had been for nothing.
"I haven't decided yet."
Pu Tong lied.
His game was only just entering development.
Asking her to advertise it now wasn't the right timing.
Better to leave her in suspense.
"Oh..."
She answered dejectedly.
If only his request were... that kind of request...
But judging from everything she knew about him...
There was no way.
What a waste of such a precious opportunity.
Seeing the disappointed look on the girl's face, Pu Tong suddenly felt strangely defeated.
...Did I miss out on something good?
Could it be...
Although I won on the surface...
I actually lost completely?
He won the bet...
...but lost at life.
(End of Chapter)
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