Bet

“Student Yuehua, do you remember the bet we made with Student Ning Rou?”

Jiang Li’s voice was muffled by the cacophony of applause surrounding them. However, because of the extreme proximity between them, the words reached Xiao Yuehua’s ears with absolute clarity—even though she desperately wished she hadn’t heard them.

Her breath hitched instinctively.

The bet with Ning Rou? How could she possibly forget? Only an hour ago, her every thought had been consumed by the desire to defeat Ning Rou, win the bet for the Professor, and then confess her feelings to claim him entirely for herself.

But now, in her despair, Xiao Yuehua only hoped the Professor would let it slip from his mind.

Reality, however, remained cruel. The Professor remembered everything perfectly. According to the terms of the wager, if Xiao Yuehua failed to defeat Ning Rou and take first place among the freshmen…

“According to the bet, I will no longer continue to mislead you, Student Yuehua, or interfere with your dreams of acting.”

The Professor’s voice was incredibly gentle, but to Xiao Yuehua, it was more agonizing than any insult.

Don’t…

“As for your status and benefits as a mentored student, I will maintain them for you.”

No…

“Of course, if you require guidance from other professors in the academy in the future, I will explain the situation to them on your behalf.”

Stop talking, Professor…

“In short…”

Professor…

“I am very sorry for having held you back for so long.”

As he spoke, Jiang Li stood up from his seat and gave a slight, polite bow. With an obvious air of apology, he turned and walked away.

Don’t go! Professor!

Xiao Yuehua reached out a stiff hand, her face deathly pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably. Her body refused to obey her; she lacked the strength to move a single muscle. Watching that receding back grow more distant, she wanted to call out to him, to beg him to stay, but her throat was choked. The most she could manage was a series of pathetic, muffled sobs.

Her vision blurred instantly. Amidst the thunderous applause of the crowd, Xiao Yuehua stood alone—a ridiculous, solitary loser.

After leaving the venue, Jiang Li let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Xiao Yuehua’s failure had actually been far beyond his expectations. On stage, her performance had exceeded his predictions; from emotional investment to the mastery of Acting Power, she had been impeccable. In terms of pure execution, she was nearly on par with Jiang Li himself.

His own skill level was B+, but due to his emotional detachment, he usually performed at a B-grade level. Xiao Yuehua’s base skill was only Grade C, and even with her recent progress, it might only be C+. Yet, on that stage, she had managed to manifest a B-grade effect using a C+ skill. That terrifying level of performance was enough to make Jiang Li feel ashamed. A true monstrous genius was nothing more than this.

Logically, as her peer, Ning Rou should have at best matched that level. Even if Ning Rou made no mistakes, it should have resulted in a tie for the championship. His bet shouldn’t have failed.

However, once Ning Rou took the stage, Jiang Li realized how laughable his assumptions were.

“Grade A! Absolutely, undeniably Grade A!”

At the time, Jiang Li could hardly believe his eyes; he was genuinely shaken. One must understand that Grade A was the realm of “Best Actor” laureates—the true pinnacle of the industry. Nangong Li, in the original setting, had dreamed his whole life of obtaining that title to prove himself, yet failed despite his best efforts.

But how old was Ning Rou? She was already knocking on the door of the elite, and this was while her actual skill level was only C+! Using a C+ skill to produce an A-grade effect? Even using cheats shouldn’t be this broken!

At this point, Jiang Li had lost his temper. Ning Rou’s talent was simply too high. Never mind Xiao Yuehua relying on herself; even if Jiang Li used his innate talent [Amplify] to cheat for her, he could at most force her level up to Grade A, barely managing a draw.

How do you beat a monster like that?

Then again, he didn’t have to win this bet. In fact, losing it suited his current agenda much better.

There was only one reason: Xiao Yuehua had completely spiraled out of control.

Ever since the day she requested extra lessons, Jiang Li felt like he was “negotiating with a tiger” every time he tutored her. He constantly felt a slimy, predatory gaze roaming over him, as if she might swallow him whole if he let his guard down for even a second.

Unlike his plan for a slow, methodical pursuit, Xiao Yuehua was currently conducting an aggressive counter-pursuit. With every physical contact, Jiang Li could feel her terrifying, hidden possessiveness. If his defenses ever fell and she got her way, he could forget about his plan to court Ning Rou and finish his mission.

A Xiao Yuehua who no longer felt the need to hide her desires would surely place his every action under strict surveillance. Forget about courting others; he likely wouldn’t even be able to guarantee his basic personal freedom. This was not a result Jiang Li wanted.

Using the bet to distance himself from her was a blessing in disguise. Perhaps a period of cool-headed distance would allow the fire of her obsession to die down.

It was time to switch targets.

Leaving the spectator area, Jiang Li didn’t return to his office. Instead, he waited silently at the backstage exit of the theater. About fifteen minutes later, he spotted Ning Rou, who had just finished her post-performance duties and was preparing to leave.

“Congratulations, Ning Rou. That was a perfect performance.”

“Really? Thank you! Wait…”

Ning Rou thanked him instinctively before suddenly reacting.

“You… you’re the… Ice… Professor Nangong!”

“It’s rare that Student Ning Rou remembers me.”

“Hehe, it’s nothing… Wait! Are you being sarcastic?”

It had to be said that outside of acting, Ning Rou was shockingly naive. It was almost impossible to connect her to the resolute Saintess from the stage. However, for Jiang Li, this was a massive advantage. A girl like Xiao Yuehua was already “Hell Mode” difficulty to manage; if he had to deal with two like her, he might as well just give up.

“I’m not. I genuinely respect you, Student Ning Rou. Your performance just now completely won me over.”

Jiang Li spoke with a serious expression, easily hoodwinking her.

“Hehe…”

This girl’s childhood had perhaps been too smooth; she was sorely lacking in wariness toward others. With just a few compliments, she couldn’t help but let out a silly, charming giggle.

“So… Professor Nangong came to see me for…”

“I came because of our bet.”

“The bet? Oh, right!”

She seemed to suddenly remember, her face turning a deep shade of red.

“We made a bet last time! You can’t go back on your word, Professor!”

“Of course not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sought you out.”

Jiang Li nodded, his expression calm. He had reviewed this plan in his mind multiple times; nothing would go wrong this time!

However, in a corner neither of them noticed…

Xiao Yuehua, who had just wandered out of the hall in a daze, froze in her tracks. She had somehow spotted the two of them. She stared at their figures in disbelief, the hollow confusion in her eyes rapidly being consumed by a violent, blazing jealousy.