Chapter 22: The Bet

After obtaining two new abilities, Wang Donglai felt like an engine that had just been fueled with gasoline.

He threw himself into his studies with even greater enthusiasm and a more proactive attitude.

Although he had flipped through the books in his hands countless times and the experience points he gained had decreased significantly compared to before, thanks to his speed-reading ability, the amount of experience he acquired did not actually diminish.

Time flew by in this tense and busy state.

In the blink of an eye, it was April 13th.

Over the next two days, the third weekly exam would begin.

Facing the exam, some had long since given up on themselves, some were cramming at the last minute, some were nervous and uneasy, while others were incredibly calm.

Wang Donglai could see that beyond the nervousness and anxiety, Guo Xing and Chen Mengni also harbored a hint of anticipation.

With just a little thought, Wang Donglai knew why the two of them had such contradictory mindsets.

"The two of you have been reviewing very solidly lately, and you've filled in many gaps in your foundation. According to my analysis, if the questions aren't difficult this time, Chen Mengni, your score should improve by about sixty points."

"As for you, Guo Xing, it should be about the same. You can raise your scores in the liberal arts subjects by about twenty points; as for language, math, and English, it will depend on your performance. If you do well, you could gain thirty points."

After a moment of deliberation, Wang Donglai suddenly spoke to the two girls.

At this moment, they were in a self-study period.

Sitting next to Wang Donglai, Chen Yanqiang and Xie Yaolin also heard these words and couldn't help but turn around to look at him.

"Wang Donglai, are you kidding me? The exam hasn't even started and you're already estimating scores? You're speaking so decisively, I'm not sure I believe you!"

"That's a bit exaggerated. According to what you said, Chen Mengni gaining sixty points and Guo Xing gaining fifty points is just too ridiculous."

The two truly admired Wang Donglai's attitude toward studying and acknowledged his academic performance.

However, upon hearing his predictions for the two girls' scores, they reflexively argued back.

If Chen Mengni and Guo Xing really improved by fifty or sixty points all at once, as Wang Donglai predicted, it would mean they would instantly become the second and third highest scorers in the class.

The first place would, naturally, be Wang Donglai.

Before Wang Donglai could respond to their objections, the two girls spoke up.

"What does this have to do with you two? Why are you so eager to butt in? Did we even ask you? Where are your manners?"

"Exactly. Whether our scores go up or not has nothing to do with you. You're being way too nosy—does your house live in the Pacific Ocean or something?"

With one sentence each, they left Xie Yaolin and Chen Yanqiang speechless.

"Wang Donglai, you have good grades and progress quickly, but if you say their scores can also rise that fast, I don't believe it!" Chen Yanqiang said, his neck stiff, looking at the two girls with a face full of defiance.

Chen Mengni was also sharp-tongued and relentless, immediately retorting, "Chen Yanqiang, are you sick? What does it matter if our scores go up or not? Whether we believe it or not is none of your business. Believe it or not, no one is forcing you. Stop being a busybody."

"We all know you two have been studying hard with Wang Donglai lately, but to say your scores can improve this much in such a short time—I don't believe it!"

Chen Yanqiang was now backed into a corner. Although he realized he shouldn't have spoken that way, he pushed forward regardless.

"How about this? If your scores in this exam really turn out to be what Wang Donglai said, the two of us will apologize to you. How about it?"

Xie Yaolin's eyes flickered, and he decisively proposed his idea.

He decided to settle the matter through a bet.

Wang Donglai glanced at Xie Yaolin, somewhat surprised by his quick wit and adaptability.

"Fine, let's make a bet!"

"Just wait to apologize to us on Monday!"

Chen Mengni and Guo Xing naturally wouldn't refuse. Whether to reclaim their dignity or to uphold Wang Donglai's reputation, neither would back down.

"Then it's a deal. Let the scores do the talking."

At this point, Xie Yaolin and Chen Yanqiang could only force themselves to follow through and accept the wager.

After the bet was made, the two girls didn't dare waste any time and went back to their books.

Seeing how serious they were, Wang Donglai didn't say much.

The reason Wang Donglai dared to say such things was that after leveling up, he had become extremely knowledgeable regarding this high school curriculum.

Furthermore, because the two girls had been by his side, he knew their study progress and mastery of knowledge like the back of his hand.

Wang Donglai himself had previously been a poor student, and by improving his grades step-by-step through the system, he was able to clearly grasp performance at every stage.

According to his estimation, the girls' current mastery of knowledge had improved significantly compared to before; an increase in exam scores was inevitable.

Therefore, this bet held no suspense.

The worse one's studies are, the more room there is for improvement, and the more explosive the score increase will be.

This logic was simple, and Wang Donglai naturally wouldn't voice it to avoid hurting the girls' pride.

News of the bet spread quickly.

It added a touch of excitement to an otherwise dull life.

Everyone was waiting.

After the two days of exams, the outcome of the bet would be known.

Watching the drama was, after all, in the nature of the people.

...

The two days of exams passed quickly.

For Wang Donglai, there wasn't much difference.

The only difference was that because of the exams, he gained slightly less personal experience, and his reading time was a bit reduced.

Sunday, evening self-study.

"How did you do this time? For the last multiple-choice question in math, did you pick A or B?"

"I picked A."

As soon as Chen Mengni and Guo Xing entered the classroom, they huddled together to discuss the exam papers.

They first checked the answers, and if there was any dispute, they would take it to Wang Donglai to ask.

By the end of the self-study session, the two girls had gone through every question they could remember.

As for Chen Yanqiang and Xie Yaolin, their faces were filled with unease.

While Chen Mengni and Guo Xing were checking answers, they even pricked up their ears to compare them with their own.

Wang Donglai did not participate.

Although he had obtained the [Speed Reading] ability, the rate at which he gained experience points had begun to show a downward trend as time passed.

However, due to the restrictions on the types of reading bound to him, he could only read these specific books.

This didn't mean Wang Donglai couldn't look at other books; it just meant that reading them would not grant him any experience points.

And if he wanted to level up, he could only do so by reading them over and over to grind experience, or by...

A flash of inspiration struck, and Wang Donglai suddenly remembered a sentence the system had prompted earlier.

The channels for obtaining experience points were not limited to reading books; one could also obtain them through explanations from famous teachers or through high-quality textbooks.

Suddenly, Wang Donglai thought of something that could be used to grind experience points like crazy.

Lesson plans!

(End of Chapter)