Chapter 79: Dumbfounded

Early the next morning, the stadium of the City No. 1 Middle School was adorned with fluttering colorful flags. By eight o'clock, the venue was already bustling with activity.

Following yesterday's preliminaries, the finals for the 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter races were scheduled for today. The outcome of the wager between Zhou Xuan and Zheng Qiang would also be decided. For them, Zhou Xuan needed to win gold in all four events to claim victory, while Zheng Qiang only needed a single gold medal to win.

Based on their performance in the preliminaries, Zhou Xuan clearly had the edge. However, the inherent unpredictability of qualifying rounds led many to believe the contest was a toss-up.

At 8:30 AM, the roll call for the junior high boys' 100-meter final began, and Zhou Xuan and the others headed to the starting line. Zhou Xuan’s gear was significantly better than before; with his newfound funds, he had purchased two sets of professional running kits and high-end athletic shoes, costing him several hundred yuan.

As Zhou Xuan signed in, he noticed Zheng Qiang glancing at him. Recalling what he had discovered the previous night, Zhou Xuan’s cold gaze pierced through Zheng Qiang like a sharp blade. Zheng Qiang panicked under the intensity of that stare and quickly looked away, though his mind raced with confusion: "Zhou Xuan doesn't look like someone suffering from diarrhea at all—he's far too energetic. Could he have been faking it?" Suspecting that his sabotage had been discovered, Zheng Qiang felt a surge of cold sweat. Suppressing his anxiety, he looked toward his teacher, Wang Wei, who offered a reassuring nod. Bolstered by this, Zheng Qiang prepared to give his best.

"On your marks... set... bang!"

As the starting gun fired, the finalists surged forward. Zheng Qiang pushed himself to his absolute limit, ignoring his stamina reserves in his desperate bid for the gold. Fifty meters in, he held a one-stride lead over Zhou Xuan. A wave of triumph washed over him; his scheme from the previous night had clearly worked. "Ha! The gold is mine!"

Yet, in the final thirty meters, just as victory seemed within reach, a figure burst past him with impossible speed, leaving him in the dust.

"That's Zhou Xuan!"

Before the thought even fully formed, Zhou Xuan crossed the finish line, and a thunderous roar erupted from the crowd. Zheng Qiang finished in second place, staring blankly at Zhou Xuan ahead. He felt like a plane falling from the clouds, shattered and dazed. Seeing Zheng Qiang’s stunned expression, the corner of Zhou Xuan’s mouth curled into a mocking smirk as he silently mouthed two words. Although Zheng Qiang didn't hear them, the lip-reading was clear enough for him to understand the insult.

Ignoring the provocation, Zheng Qiang’s mind was fixated on one question: "How could it have failed?"

Outside the track, Wang Wei watched the scene with a stony, unreadable expression before turning and walking away, his silhouette appearing remarkably dejected.

Zhou Xuan walked off the track and approached Li Yunxi. "Teacher Li, have you figured it out?"

"I have," Li Yunxi replied, his voice filled with indignation. "That water bottle contained a potent laxative. If you had drunk it, you wouldn't have been able to compete at all today."

"I checked with the front desk last night," Zhou Xuan added. "They said someone came around six or seven, claimed they forgot their key, and had the staff open the room. Based on the description, it was almost certainly Zheng Qiang."

Li Yunxi looked around, unable to spot Wang Wei, and remarked, "I never imagined Wang Wei would be so shameless as to stoop to such underhanded tactics."

"If he wants to court his own ruin, then so be it," Zhou Xuan sneered.

Li Yunxi understood the implication and sighed, "The debt between him and me is due for a settlement." Seeing Li Yunxi finally resolved to deal with Wang Wei, Zhou Xuan felt relieved. After this, Wang Wei would surely be dismissed, and it was unlikely any other school in the city would take him on.

Just then, the official results for the 100-meter final were posted. Zhou Xuan had set a new National Middle School Games record with a time of 10.55 seconds. Zheng Qiang took silver with a 10.93, failing to even match his own preliminary time.

"Too strong! Absolutely incredible!"

"I never thought Zhou Xuan was holding back in the preliminaries; he’s a master of concealment."

"He's my idol! To shave 0.1 seconds off a time under 11 seconds is an immense feat."

Zhou Xuan’s gold medal victory proved his prowess beyond doubt. Any skeptics from other schools were now rendered speechless.

The rest of the day turned into a solo showcase for Zhou Xuan. Even with the girls' and high school events interspersed, the races involving Zhou Xuan drew the largest crowds. He dominated the 200m, 400m, and 800m with ease, leaving his competitors in despair. Under the pressure, Zheng Qiang’s performance steadily deteriorated; he placed sixth in the 400m and didn't even show up for the 800m, much to the fury of his school's delegation.

In the afternoon, Zhou Xuan claimed gold in the 1500m and 5000m, prompting fellow runners to call him an inhuman monster. While the No. 2 Middle School only managed second and third in the relay events due to weaker teammates, the school's overall performance was historic. They finished with eight gold medals—six contributed by Zhou Xuan—placing them first in gold count, fifth in total medals, and third in overall points. They had successfully knocked the City No. 3 Middle School off the podium, leaving them in fifth place with a measly four golds.

At 5:00 PM, the closing ceremony began. Wang Wei and Zheng Qiang were nowhere to be found, much to the disappointment of the onlookers who had hoped to see the fallout. Just as it seemed the ceremony would proceed in a mundane fashion, the presiding official made an announcement that riveted the crowd:

"However, it has come to our attention that during these games, certain teachers and students resorted to despicable acts of sabotage to secure results—an absolute disgrace to the spirit of the City Middle School Games..."