"That's great!" Zhen Yun couldn't help but cheer when she heard Ian Song agree. If Ian dropped out, the competition would lose a lot of its luster. Still, she had no choice—Ma Jingchu's other identity was that she was the vice mayor's wife.
At the same time, her gratitude toward Ian grew into genuine admiration. This teenager was remarkably broad-minded—if it had been any other piano master, they would have stormed off in a huff.
"Ian, thank you."
"No problem!" Ian Song waved his hand dismissively.
After a week of sick leave, William Yan finally returned to school.
Everyone knew about the bet between Ian Song and William Yan, so as soon as he walked into the classroom, all eyes flicked back and forth between him and Ian.
But William Yan seemed to have forgotten all about the bet and didn't mention it at all.
"Ahem. Everyone, take out your textbooks. Class is starting now."
Seeing William Yan duck responsibility like this, Ian felt nothing but contempt. A teacher who couldn't even own up to his own words—pathetic.
So Ian stood up from his seat.
William Yan panicked when he saw Ian stand up, thinking he was about to bring up the wager. He quickly barked, "Ian Song, why are you standing up in the middle of class?"
Ian replied calmly, "Mr. Yan, did you forget? You once told me that for every one of your classes, I should stand in the hallway and listen. I take teachers' words seriously—especially when they forget their own instructions."
With that, Ian picked up his textbook and walked straight out of the classroom.
William Yan's face instantly turned ashen, especially as he felt the strange looks from the students below. He hated Ian so much he was grinding his teeth. He was sure this kid was making him look bad on purpose.
"Alright, let's get back to class," William Yan said in a low voice.
"Report!" Zach Zhang suddenly stood up from his seat.
"Zach Zhang, what is it?" William Yan's tone softened a little.
Zach Zhang said seriously, "Ian Song was the only one who scored full marks in Chinese on the monthly exam. If even he isn't qualified to sit in your class, then I definitely don't deserve to, either. So, I'm requesting to attend class from the hallway!"
Zach's words stung William Yan, making his face flush and pale by turns.
But Zach didn't wait for permission. After speaking, he grabbed his textbook and headed out of the classroom.
"Report, teacher, I don't think I'm qualified to stay in the classroom for your lecture either. I'll go listen in the hallway." Eric Xie stood up right after, heading out as well.
"Report, teacher, I'm requesting to go listen from the hallway too!" Zhang Jun chimed in.
He and Zach Zhang both considered Ian their leader, so of course they'd stick together.
Watching Zach, Eric, and Zhang Jun all walk out, William Yan's face grew so dark it was almost dripping. In his heart, he was roaring, "Ian Song, I'll never forgive you for this!"
"Report, teacher, I'm leaving too!"
Leo Li stood up next, grabbed his textbook, and walked out of the classroom. Lately, he'd been hanging out more with Ian and the others, and as Ian's close friend, he naturally joined the group.
Bang!
William Yan finally lost his temper. He slammed his textbook down on the lectern, swept his eyes across the room, and demanded, "Who else wants to leave?"
Teenagers are impulsive and rebellious by nature, and William Yan had already lost their respect. His outburst didn't scare anyone—instead, it made them even more eager to push back.
"Report, teacher, I'm requesting to go listen from the hallway too!"
One of the struggling students had long resented William Yan's favoritism. Now, with a chance to mess with him, he was more than happy to join in.
"Report, teacher, I think the view from the hallway is way better. I'm heading out too!" Another student stood up and walked out.
"Report, teacher...!"
"Report, teacher...!"
...
One after another, students kept standing up. Out of more than sixty, over forty ended up outside in the hallway with textbooks in hand. Ian was left stunned by how far the protest had gone.
With nearly the whole class gone, how could William Yan keep teaching? He was so angry he nearly fainted at the podium, then stormed out of the classroom.