Chapter 10: Chapter 10

It was as if Tang Meng had anticipated that Xie Junyan would participate in the gamble. He smiled politely and pointed towards the school field with his thumb. Then, he calmly said, “Since Mr. Xie is interested, please place your bet soon. The fatty has already completed half a lap, how many laps are you betting on?”

All the students, who had already placed their bets or were intending to place their bets, held their breaths and fixed their gazes on Xie Junyan. It was obvious that everyone trusted his judgment more.

Xie Junyan did not say a word but instead focused his gaze on Ling Yun who was still on the field. He keenly observed each step, each move, his breathing and even his expression in his eyes, as if he was observing the racehorses on the race course.

Xie Junyan’s brows furrowed even more. He became more puzzled and conflicted following his observations.

Tang Meng saw what he was doing and could not help but tease him, “Mr. Xie, do you think this is horse racing? You’ve been observing for so long, don’t join us if you’re going to be a sore loser. Many people are waiting to place their bets!”

Xie Junyan straightened his eyebrows the moment he heard those words and quickly looked away from Ling Yun who was still running slowly. There was an indescribable carefree expression on his face as he smiled and replied, “This year, it seems as if even horses are better than humans, so what if I treat it like horse racing? I’m betting $5000 on four rounds!”

“Ah? …”

“What? That’s crazy. Xie Junyan actually betted on Ling Yun running four laps while carrying a sandbag, that’s 1600 meters!”

“We’re done for, Xie Junyan’s judgment should be rather accurate, I only betted on him finishing one lap, I’m going to lose for sure!”

The students, who crowded around, were sent into a state of shock. Some of them did not believe that Ling Yun could finish four laps while others were pining over the loss of their weekly allowance. However, most of them were bewildered by the faith that Xie Junyan had in Ling Yun.

Amongst the crowd, Zhuang Meina was definitely the angriest and most shocked one; especially since she had just betted a whopping $2000 on Ling Yun finishing one lap at most. Now that Xie Junyan had predicted that Ling Yun would finish four laps, was that not a direct slap on her face?

She was not worried about losing the $2000, she was more concerned about losing face in front of so many people!

“Hmm, four laps? 1600 meters? That fat pig? It’d be a miracle if he could even finish three laps without carrying the sandbag!” Even though Zhuang Meina knew that Xie Junyan would not dig his own grave, she was still unable to hold in her disdain.

When Tang Meng heard that, the big banker’s eyes twitched involuntarily.

Since his nickname was Little Gambling God, he definitely did not set his odds blindly before he started his gambling event. He also observed Ling Yun’s posture and action closely and his prediction was exactly four laps too!

Whereas for five laps and above… That was a sure win for him, whoever betted on that would definitely lose. If one did not undergo specialized training, which high school student would be able to carry a 25kg sandbag and run 2000 meters?

Even though Xie Junyan had him in a tight spot, Tang Meng remained calm and replied, “Mr. Xie has a keen eye for this, $5000, 4 to 1, you’re taking away $20000 if you win. I suppose you’re trying to win more than what you lost the previous round?”

Xie Junyan noticed the brief moment of Tang Meng’s uneasiness since the beginning. He seemed confident and smiled, “It’s only fair and polite, isn’t it? You won my $10000 the previous round. If I win an extra $10000 this round, that evens it out. Do you need me to get cash?”

Tang Meng chuckled, “It’s not as if I don’t trust you, Mr. Xie. Zhao Lei, record it down, Xie Junyan, $5000 on four laps!”

“Alright!” Tang Meng’s little assistant, Zhao Lei, quickly scribbled it onto a little notebook.

Before he could finish scribbling, Tang Meng took one deep breath and yelled, “Anyone else wants to bet?”

“I’m betting $1000, between 5 to 10 laps!” Cao Shanshan parted her lips slightly but her voice was filled with confidence and determination.

“Sss…” A wave of gasps filled the air as everyone there was petrified!

“Ah?! This…” Many students were stunned as they looked at Cao Shanshan with disbelief written all over their faces!

Even Xie Junyan could not hold it in as an awkward expression crept onto his face after he heard that. He could not believe that the ridiculously unapproachable ice queen campus belle would have that much confidence in Ling Yun.

Amongst the crowd, Zhang Ling and Ning Lingyu were the most shocked!

“Shanshan, are you having a fever? Just look at Ling Yun, he probably can’t even finish two laps, let alone five.” Zhang Ling quickly tugged at Cao Shanshan’s sleeve and tried to persuade her out of it.

If a crowd was not present, she would have likely rested her hand against Cao Shanshan’s smooth forehead to see whether this beauty was having a fever.

“Alright! The prettiest campus belle Ms. Cao. bets $1000 on Ling Yun running five to ten laps! If she wins, she’ll take away an extra $5000!” Tang Meng was beyond elated because that was a sure win.

This was no longer about how much money he could earn. Just imagine if Tang Meng was able to earn $1000 from the famous campus belle Cao Shanshan back in his high school days, he would have the rights to boast about it in the future. It was definitely a dream come true.

Ning Lingyu could only stare at Cao Shanshan with her glassy eyes as she wondered whether she misheard anything just now!

Cao Shanshan thought this highly of her own brother? Could it be the rumor from that morning…

Tang Meng giggled as he made his minion, Zhao Lei, record it down. However, he did not show any concern about collecting the money from Cao Shanshan. After that, he quickly pointed at the school field.

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“Fellow students, look at this fatty’s drive, he is definitely exerting all his energy to run. However, there’s only a few more minutes before class begins—” His eyes swept the classroom as he reached that part of his sentence, before continuing, “If everyone has faith in my gambling ethics, I, Tang Meng will head down to the school field now and track the number of laps Ling Yun completes!”

“As for the crowd, you guys should go back to class and wait until class is dismissed. I’ll let everyone know how many laps Ling Yun finishes in the end!”

‘Of course, if those who placed their bets with me are worried, you could skip classes and come along with me to count the laps!”

Tang Meng’s eyes, however, were fixed on Xie Junyan’s face by the end of his high-sounding speech.

His reasons were obvious. Xie Junyan had placed the highest bet, so the question was whether he would return to class or follow him to the school field to count the laps.

Xie Junyan smiled as he shook his head. He put on a generous exterior and said, “Why would anyone in Qingshi High not have faith in Tang Meng’s gambling ethics? The number of laps would be the same no matter what, I’m not interested in counting laps for someone…”

After he was done, he smiled and nodded at Cao Shanshan out of politeness before holding Zhuang Meina’s hand and heading back to class.

Tang Meng was ready to dismiss the crowd before he heard a loud cry.

“Wait!”

That piqued the interests of the students who were prepared to run back to class. They all stopped in their tracks and looked towards the source of the voice.

All they saw was Ning Lingyu with her brows furrowed together. She moved forward slightly before looking at Tang Meng with her bright eyes. Then, she said, “Tang Meng, since you’re using my brother to start a gambling event, I’d like to place a bet, is that alright?”

Even though Tang Meng was crude and brave, it was still a little awkward for someone’s little sister to come upfront after he had used her brother for a gambling event. Especially since he was the one who secretly had a crush on her out of the Four Big Bullies in Qingshui High.

Tang Meng was feeling a little guilty. He smiled sheepishly and said, “Haha, Ning Lingyu, it’s a misunderstanding. I’m just having some fun. I don’t mean anything else…”

“I don’t care what you mean!” Ning Lingyu’s expression remained grim as she dug out the only $500 that was left in her wallet and handed it to Tang Meng.

“Listen carefully, here’s $500. I’m betting on my brother running more than ten laps!” Ning Lingyu did not bother to mask the anger within her eyes, she knew that she was flushing her money down the drain but she did not care.

Everyone in the corridor was in shock.

“Ten laps? That’s… That’s impossible!”

“I know, running 4000 meters while carrying a 25kg sandbag? This isn’t a fantasy novel…”

“I’d believe it if it was someone from the special forces, but Ling Yun, hehe…”

The corridor was filled with cries and discussions among the students.

“Ning Lingyu. *cough cough* I’m telling you, even though we’re gambling for fun here, I won’t return you the money if you lose the bet. There’s really no need to do this out of sheer spite…” Tang Meng knew that Ning Lingyu’s family was in a tight spot, thus, he didn’t accept the money Ning Lingyu handed to him. Instead, he tried to convince her out of it.

Xie Junyan also tried to gently advise Ning Lingyu, “Ning Lingyu, it’s impossible for your brother to run more than ten laps, don’t waste your money… Tang Meng is a vicious and greedy person, you really can’t afford to do this…”

It was indisputable that Xie Junyan was a master of manipulation, as he belittled Tang Meng while comforting Ning Lingyu.

Cao Shanshan, who was standing beside them, did not say a word as she observed Ning Lingyu with her clear and bright eyes. She was secretly admiring this girl’s bravery and fiery nature.

An extremely unfriendly voice thundered enigmatically, “I say, Xie Junyan, did you forget your medications today? Someone’s willing to waste her money for her brother, what’s that got to do with you? God d*mn it, I betted $2000, why didn’t you even bat an eye?”

Naturally, the owner of the voice was Zhuang Meina. She had already been upset with Xie Junyan since the start. Xie Junyan had repeatedly defended and sided with Ning Lingyu even though Zhuang Meina was officially his girlfriend. Based on her temper, it was already considered an admirable feat that she could hold it off till then.

If it was not for her considerations about the power Xie Junyan’s family held, she would have screamed her head off.

Ning Lingyu could not be bothered to entertain Zhuang Meina. She forcefully shoved the $500 into Tang Meng’s hands before turning around and dashing back to her classroom.

Tang Meng could no longer maintain his composure after he saw the anger and hatred in his crush’s eyes. His expression was hard to read as he casually threw the $500 into Zhao Lei’s hands and said with annoyance, “Dismissed, dismissed. I’m heading to the field. Those who are interested can follow me!”

After he was done, he could not even be bothered with Zhao Lei as he squeezed through the crowd and ran towards the staircase.

He wanted to witness for himself how many laps could Ling Yun run.

*Ring*

The school bell rang as Tang Meng exited the school block but truancy was merely routine to him. He could not be bothered by it at all.

How long could Ling Yun persevere? How many laps could he run?

It was not just those who participated in the gamble, this seemed to be a question in every student’s mind.