Chapter 50: Do not lower your head, or the crown will fall! Do not shed tears, or He Chen will laugh!

He Chen anticipated the lingering ripples that would follow.

However, he had cooperated when cooperation was due, and warned when a warning was needed. He had done his utmost for his schoolmate, Qiao Yingzi.

Therefore, he gave the matter no further thought. After spending a pleasant morning wandering around the planetarium, he returned home promptly at noon for lunch, followed by his customary tortoise-breathing midday nap.

In the afternoon, he read Taoist scriptures to nurture his spiritual energy.

Ruan Liuzheng noticed this, clearly struggling to hold back time and again until she finally failed, and began asking roundabout questions to probe who the girl was that had given him the Taoist scriptures, what their relationship actually was, and why she felt something was off about it.

He Chen gave her a strange look.

It was not that he was oblivious to her subtle feelings for him; her platonic affection had clearly warped.

That was hardly surprising.

What he found strange was that she was currently obsessed with cross-examining him about a library girl she barely knew, while remaining entirely unaware that their mutual classmate, Qiao Yingzi, had already made a move through a twist of fate.

If she ever found out, he wondered what sort of expression she would make.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ruan Liuzheng had originally intended to beat around the bush, but once she started, she simply could not stop. She kept probing endlessly, yet seeing no response from He Chen, she grew somewhat annoyed.

"I think what you said is right!" He Chen finally spoke.

"Which sentence was right?" Ruan Liuzheng was both pleased and anxious.

She was pleased that He Chen had not only responded, but also agreed with her.

She was anxious because she had no idea which of her remarks he considered correct, praying it wasn't her suspicion that there was something wrong between them...

"You said that the palace maid in the illustration who is holding a rope while smiling from the front is actually your face—that sentence was very right." He Chen looked at her with an ambiguous smile.

"..." Ruan Liuzheng instantly blushed, rendered speechless.

She wasn't stupid; how could she fail to understand that He Chen was dropping a hint, expressing his annoyance at her endless questioning? If she kept going like this, she really would end up just like the palace maid in the illustration who strangled the emperor with a rope.

As expected of someone who could mentally break Teacher Li and the others!

When it came to beating around the bush and passive-aggressively mocking people, she was nowhere near his match!

Only then did she realize she had left a trail and felt embarrassed. She glanced sideways at He Chen, and seeing that he was not making a big deal of it, she slightly calmed her fluttering heart and walked away as if nothing had happened.

The night passed without incident.

The next day was Monday, marking the official start of the first week following the class division.

The entire school gathered for the flag-raising ceremony and morning exercises.

Once the activities concluded and the various classes prepared to disperse in an orderly fashion, a sudden uproar erupted. Just as the class monitor leading the procession was about to reprimand them, the students urged him to look up at the podium.

There stood the notorious Ji Yangyang, stepping out from the basic class and walking straight toward the podium.

"What is he doing?" Qiao Yingzi hurriedly asked her best friend, "Didn't you tell him he didn't need to go up there and say it?"

"I did!" Huang Zhitao wore an anxious expression, her gaze fixed straight toward He Chen's class before she quickly realized, "It shouldn't be that He Chen went back on his word; I'm afraid it's just his own pride acting up, sigh!"

"No way?" Qiao Yingzi was stunned. "Is he actually going through with it? For a moment, I can't even tell which option is more humiliating."

Although He Chen had raced against Ji Yangyang, completely crushing him—a dedicated wannabe professional racer—with the skill of a complete beginner, causing quite a sensation at the time,

it hadn't reached the point of being common knowledge.

Besides, once most people heard about it, they simply brushed it aside without paying it any real mind.

After all, grandstanding stunts by wealthy young heirs weren't exactly rare. If people cared deeply about every single one, they wouldn't have the spare energy!

Yet now, just as everyone was about to forget the incident, he was going up on stage to pull a stunt like this, making it hard for anyone to forget.

Huang Zhitao could only anxiously watch Ji Yangyang, whose expression on stage was indifferent, though his fists were already involuntarily clenched.

As his "intimate confidante" of over two years, she naturally worried about his psychological and mental state. Yet now that he had already taken the stage, she could not bring herself to chase after him and drag him down.

It wasn't a lack of courage, but a lack of standing and identity.

She was neither his girlfriend nor, as of now, even a classmate in the same class. Rushing up there would only spark greater gossip and speculation.

Moreover, knowing Ji Yangyang as she did, with his stubborn mule of a temper, she wouldn't be able to pull him down even if she went up.

And the facts proved her right.

Ji Yangyang had gone up determined not to lose his dignity even if he lost the bet.

Naturally, he didn't want to go up and suffer such humiliation.

When Huang Zhitao informed him that he didn't need to go up and fulfill the wager, he had actually felt inclined to go anyway. When his mother told him the exact same thing, his resolve to go up was fully cemented.

Academically, although he used to lag behind He Chen, he had always fancied himself not far behind; he simply had no heart for studying.

Yet now, He Chen's grades had skyrocketed while his own had plummeted.

In terms of handsomeness and popularity, even driving a three-million-yuan sports car to school hadn't allowed him to steal any spotlight in front of He Chen.

Huang Zhitao, with whom he shared an ambiguous relationship, now dropped He Chen's name at every turn. He refused to admit it, but when it came to wretchedness, he couldn't even out-wretched He Chen.

Now, even his ultimate pride—his dream of racing—had been ground into dust under the wheels of He Chen's car.

He was truly broken.

Yet asking him to bow his head to He Chen was something he would never, ever agree to.

A promise must be kept; even if he lost the bet, he wouldn't lose his spine. No matter how bitter or furious he felt, he had to keep his head held high and retain his last shred of pride and dignity.

Otherwise, wouldn't he truly be like the caricature He Chen mocked—losing seven to zero yet refusing to admit defeat, continuing to race until he lost what little face he had left?

How could he face He Chen in the future?

Wouldn't he be like the Jade Emperor beaten by the Monkey King, trapped in an infinite loop of knockouts, never able to raise his head again?

His rushing onto the stage now to concede was precisely so he wouldn't suffer an utter, total defeat!

With this thought, he slightly lowered his proud chin, sweeping his gaze across the playground to search for He Chen. Locking eyes with him from afar, he conveyed his unyielding arrogance.

Beside him, the principal kept lowering his voice, urging him to discuss whatever was on his mind in the office and telling him not to act rashly.

As if he would pay any attention!

He habitually treated even District Chief Ji with indifference, clashing with him whenever he could.

The principal was both anxious and helpless.

Naturally, he had also heard about the bet between Young Master Ji and He Chen, and he didn't wish to see the young master humiliated in public like this. Yet even more so, he could not engage in a public tug-of-war with him, lest his kind intentions be treated like a donkey's liver and lungs by the young and impulsive Ji Yangyang, leaving him to do thankless work.

Standing within his class formation, He Chen naturally witnessed Ji Yangyang's actions. With his exceptional eyesight, he could even clearly observe the subtle micro-expressions shifting across Ji Yangyang's face.

His deskmate, Du Tiantian, muttered in disbelief, "He's not actually going to do it, is he?"

"Don't lower your head, or the crown will fall! Don't shed a tear, or He Chen will laugh! Is that so strange?" He Chen teased.

"..." Du Tiantian was almost amused by He Chen's summary, but realizing the impropriety of the occasion, she quickly held it in, fixing her gaze firmly on the stage. There, Young Master Ji raised his chin once more as if truly terrified that He Chen would laugh and his crown would fall. Seizing the microphone on the podium amidst the gaze of the multitude, Ji Yangyang took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"I am a race car driver!"

"I am a race car driver!"

"I am a race car driver!"

Important things must be said three times. By the time he reached the last repetition, Ji Yangyang's emotions were so stirred that he was practically tearing up, desperately wishing he could append two extra words: "I am no longer a race car driver!"

Yet, in the end, he endured it.

As the teachers and students across the entire playground heard the district chief's young master actually shout out such a humiliating declaration, there was a momentary hush, followed by an explosive uproar.

The law does not apply to the nobility!

How could a prince committing a crime be punished the same as a commoner?

Was Young Master Ji being driven to this point a manifestation of the brilliance of human nature, or the triumph of morality?