Chapter Seventy-Seven: What It Means to Be Desperate

Wang Wei shook his head, wondering what was wrong with him. “A guaranteed win, yet I still feel uneasy—it must be an illusion.”

The bet between Zhou Xuan, Li Yunxi, Wang Wei, and Zheng Qiang was established under the witness of many teachers and students from the Second and Third Middle Schools. By the end of the opening ceremony, it had spread throughout the entire sports meet. As a result, Zhou Xuan had already gained immense notoriety before even stepping onto the field.

However, most people thought Zhou Xuan was overly arrogant, daring to aim for gold medals in all four events of the junior high category: the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and 800 meters. Thus, Zhou Xuan faced not only curious glances but also disdainful looks and sneers.

Zhou Xuan paid no mind to these judgments; instead, he chatted and laughed with his classmates nearby. Since he was avenging Li Yunxi, this time he was determined to disgrace Wang Wei thoroughly. He had a recording in his hand—if Wang Wei refused to honor the bet, he could play it loudly at the Third Middle School’s entrance, ensuring Wang Wei’s reputation was ruined.

The lengthy opening ceremony lasted over two hours, mainly filled with speeches from various officials. Zhou Xuan and the others sat through it until their legs ached. After the ceremony, everyone had a two-hour break before the official competitions began at one o’clock.

At that moment, Li Yunxi approached Zhou Xuan and said, “Zhou Xuan, here’s the schedule. Remember the times; don’t be late. If you fail to win gold in all four events, I’ll be the one who suffers.”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Li. You know my strength well. I will make Wang Wei and Zheng Qiang understand what true despair feels like,” Zhou Xuan replied, taking the schedule and glancing over it before handing it back.

Li Yunxi asked curiously, “It’s for you—why are you giving it back? You should take it seriously. You want to win four golds, yet you don’t even memorize the schedule properly?”

“I’ve memorized it all,” Zhou Xuan said proudly.

Li Yunxi looked surprised. “Memorized? In just two seconds? Who are you fooling?”

“At 1:10 PM, junior high boys’ 100-meter preliminaries at Field A; 2:30 PM, 200 meters preliminaries, Field A; 3:50 PM, 400 meters preliminaries, Field C; 5:30 PM, 800 meters preliminaries…” Zhou Xuan began, but Li Yunxi cut him off immediately.

“Alright, alright, I get it! No need to show off your memory. Since you said it, then run well. Whether I can redeem myself this time depends entirely on you.”

Seeing Li Yunxi’s anxious expression, Zhou Xuan promised, “Teacher Li, I guarantee to complete the mission!”

At noon, everyone ate at the cafeteria of the First Middle School. Zhou Xuan, Liu Yixue, and a few other classmates gathered together. Liu Yixue, tall and athletic, was among the top three in the junior high high jump at the Second Middle School, so she was also participating in this city-wide student sports meet.

“Zhou Xuan, I think the teacher from the Third Middle School is deliberately targeting you and Teacher Li. Not trusting the school’s records—how awful,” Liu Yixue said between bites.

Zhou Xuan put down his chopsticks, glanced around, and decided to spill some gossip to set the stage. “That’s right. That jerk is targeting Teacher Li on purpose; I’m just caught in the middle. Let me tell you—Teacher Li and Wang Wei used to be classmates at the Imperial Capital Sports Academy. But in both academics and physique, Teacher Li completely outshone Wang Wei. Just look at Wang Wei’s beer belly now. So Teacher Li ended up winning the heart of their department’s beauty, while Wang Wei also tried but failed. You know what happened afterward—every sports meet, Wang Wei mocks Teacher Li by flaunting his students’ results. It’s shameful.”

Zhou Xuan’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and many nearby students overheard.

“Damn, Wang Wei’s really petty. He’s held a grudge for so many years just over that?”

“Look at him now—does he even look like he came from the Imperial Capital Sports University?”

“Never thought he could be so shameless.”

Listening to the murmurs, Liu Yixue whispered, “Zhou Xuan, you did that on purpose, right?”

“Of course. People that shameless deserve to have their true colors exposed. I’m setting us on the moral high ground first, then I’ll show him what despair truly means,” Zhou Xuan winked at Liu Yixue proudly.

“You’re so wicked,” Liu Yixue smiled.

“Heh, I have even worse plans up my sleeve,” Zhou Xuan said, a knowing smile curling on his lips.

Liu Yixue didn’t quite understand and asked innocently, “When?”

“Heh, not telling.”

“You have to tell me…”

The afternoon competitions began, and the preliminaries were electrified by the rivalry between Zhou Xuan and Zheng Qiang. But from the outset, the tide seemed to turn ominously against Zheng Qiang, who could feel the overwhelming pressure.

At 1:30 PM, the junior high boys’ 100-meter preliminaries ended. Zhou Xuan finished first with a time of 10.92 seconds, qualifying for the finals. Zheng Qiang, the current record holder from the Third Middle School, came in second with 10.97 seconds.

“Damn, I wanted a good time to prove my strength. How is this possible? How can he run like that?” Zheng Qiang stared at Zhou Xuan in disbelief, wondering if Zhou Xuan had truly given his all.

Looking toward his coach Wang Wei for answers, Zheng Qiang saw Wang Wei’s expression shift from surprise to sternness. “When Zhou Xuan ran, he looked relaxed—clearly not at full effort. It seems his previous records are real. Zheng Qiang, you’ve met a formidable opponent. In tomorrow’s finals, you must give it your all, or we’ll both become the laughingstock of all the city’s middle schools.”

Then Zhou Xuan completely exploded, igniting the entire sports meet. Wherever he competed, the stands were packed.

At 3:40 PM, in the 200-meter preliminaries, Zhou Xuan ranked first with 22.02 seconds; Zheng Qiang placed fourth with 23.89 seconds.

At 5:05 PM, for the 400-meter preliminaries, Zhou Xuan again took first with 49.36 seconds, while Zheng Qiang was third at 52.24 seconds.

At 6:50 PM, the 800-meter preliminaries saw Zhou Xuan finish first with 1:54.06; Zheng Qiang came seventh with 1:59.

Watching Zhou Xuan breeze through all four preliminaries, Zheng Qiang finally realized the gravity of the situation—Zhou Xuan might actually claim gold in all four events. Despair etched across Zheng Qiang’s face, while Wang Wei looked pale and disheartened beside him, unable to find words to comfort his student.

At that moment, Wang Wei caught sight of Li Yunxi’s joyous and teasing gaze and thought bitterly to himself, “I cannot let Zhou Xuan win all four golds! I refuse to shout ‘I’m a pig’ at the closing ceremony. I cannot lose!”