Chapter 51

When Meng Yiran received the message and rushed over, the Third-Year classroom was already packed with a dense crowd of onlookers.

This was supposed to be rest time, but because of this sudden bet, many people had even turned back specifically to witness the outcome firsthand.

Meng Yiran found Ling Ge waiting for her outside and gasped for breath. “How is it? Did they… did they bully anyone? Cough, bully her?”

“Don’t panic yet.” Ling Ge pulled her toward the classroom while saying, “It seems like it hasn’t started. You arrived just in time.”

Ling Ge was very popular among the commoner students. Though they arrived late, with the help of her many friends, they quickly squeezed to the front row and claimed a prime viewing spot. This position was right behind Tong Yuwu. Meng Yiran spotted the Noble Miss standing quietly in the center of the room and confirmed she was unharmed before finally relaxing.

Even so, she couldn’t help muttering, “Are those nobles insane? Why are they still trying to force Tong Yuwu to drop out?”

Tong Yuwu, who had been standing tall and gazing straight ahead, seemed to sense something. At the moment Meng Yiran spoke, she slowly turned her head.

The two women exchanged a brief glance. Then Tong Yuwu’s gaze drifted indifferently over Ling Ge beside Meng Yiran, her expression inscrutable.

Ling Ge inexplicably shivered and rubbed her arms.

She didn’t dwell on it. Lifting her chin toward the front, she reassured Meng Yiran. “Whether the bet even happens is still up in the air. Look over there.”

Meng Yiran followed her gaze and recognized two familiar faces—the Ming brothers, Ming Yi and Ming Ke.

Ming Ke wore his usual sullen expression, arms crossed as he stood silently to one side. In contrast, Ming Yi was deep in conversation with a dark-skinned boy.

Ling Ge’s explanation cut in right on cue. “See that? The dark-skinned one is Taji.”

Meng Yiran frowned. “So the two Ming brothers teamed up with that guy to bully Tong Yuwu?”

Ling Ge rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Totally wrong.” She rubbed her nose. “Those two from the Ming family are here to ‘break it up.’ Without them calling off the bet, by the time you dragged yourself over here, your Miss Tong probably would’ve already headed back to the dorm to pack her bags.”

Meng Yiran thus paid close attention to the pair. “So? Is the bet canceled?”

Ling Ge shrugged. “They’re still haggling.”

Meng Yiran nodded.

Soon, the dark-skinned Taji smacked his lips in clear impatience.

“Ming Yi, it’s not that I’m not giving you face,” he said, slapping Ming Yi on the shoulder. “I already gave that Miss Tong a choice, and she agreed to bet with me herself.”

Ming Yi kept a smile on his face, exceedingly good-natured. “You’re a Third-Year. Are you really going to haggle with her?”

“Come on.” Taji stretched lazily. “Truth be told, aren’t we all about the same age? She’s the one who’s still stuck in First Year because she’s useless. What’s that got to do with me?”

With an irritated click of his tongue, he added, “Fine, here’s the deal.”

He took two steps toward Tong Yuwu. “Miss Tong, you heard them. Those two don’t want me forcing you to drop out.” He spread his hands. “So, one more chance. Are you willing to compete with me?”

Ming Ke, who hadn’t spoken until then, stepped forward and grabbed Taji’s shoulder.

Before he could do anything else, a pleasant, melodic female voice sounded from behind him.

Tong Yuwu’s expression was utterly indifferent, save for her purple eyes, which shimmered like ripples on a calm, still surface.

She nodded. “Yes.”

Ming Ke whipped his head around in disbelief, glaring at her fiercely, but Tong Yuwu remained utterly unmoved, standing steady as a rock.

Meng Yiran recalled the Golden Marten Clan’s principle of keeping a low profile, but at this point, she couldn’t hold back. She stepped forward and grabbed the Noble Miss’s arm.

Somewhat anxiously, she demanded, “Why agree?”

Tong Yuwu turned to look at her.

In the tense classroom thick with hostility, she suddenly leaned down and pulled a clean handkerchief from the pocket of her mage robe. Then she lifted her hand to gently wipe the fine sweat from Meng Yiran’s forehead.

“Why are you sweating?”

Meng Yiran’s reaction faltered at Tong Yuwu’s leisurely demeanor.

She grabbed Tong Yuwu’s forearm and cleared her throat. “That guy’s obviously up to no good. The dropout demand is clearly aimed at you. No matter what you compete over, you’ll lose.

“We shouldn’t clash head-on. Just refuse for now.”

Tong Yuwu shook her head. “Beat him, and I get White Conch Ash.”

“My lady!” Meng Yiran wailed in despair. “White Conch Ash is nothing compared to your schooling! What… what if you lose?”

Tong Yuwu replied flatly upon hearing this. “I won’t lose.”

Meng Yiran gritted her teeth, wondering where on earth the Noble Miss had gotten such confidence.

Taji crooked a finger and rapped the table. “Alright, done chatting?” The corner of his mouth hooked up in a smirk. “If you’re finished, let’s get started. Everyone’s time is valuable, after all.”

Tong Yuwu turned to him. “How do we compete?”

Taji rattled off several casino games one after another, but when he asked about the rules, Tong Yuwu admitted she didn’t know a single one.

He spat in disgust. “Tch, you delicate little misses are nothing but trouble.” Then he looked up. “Whatever. Since you don’t know anything, we’ll play the simplest game there is.”

He turned to someone nearby and murmured a couple of words. The man nodded and smoothly produced two dice cups.

Taji gave Tong Yuwu a quick demonstration of the dice cup. “The rules are dead simple,” he said. “Three rounds, best of two wins. We compare totals.

“Each cup has three dice inside. We each shake one, then stop and uncover. Add up the pips on your three dice—the higher total wins.”

With that, he leaned in slightly and asked with a provocative grin, “How about it? Think you can handle something this easy?”

Tong Yuwu nodded. “Mm.”

Taji chuckled and slid one of the dice cups toward her, then picked up his own. “In that case, let’s begin.”

The rules really were straightforward, and from the look of things, this game was nothing but pure luck.

The crowd of onlookers fell silent. Hundreds of eyes locked onto Taji and Tong Yuwu in unison. Even Meng Yiran and the two Ming brothers stood quietly in place without saying a word to stop them.

Taji couldn’t have been more casual. He raised the hand gripping his dice cup and gave it a couple of lazy swings in the air before plunking it down on the table. “Done.”

Tong Yuwu mimicked his motions, lifting her dice cup a bit awkwardly.

She gave it a couple of tentative shakes at first, getting the hang of it, then began to swing it gently.

Meng Yiran held her breath. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she silently prayed to channel every ounce of her own luck to Tong Yuwu.

Seconds ticked by, but Tong Yuwu kept shaking her dice cup without stopping.

Whispers soon rippled through the crowd again, all of them aimed at her.

“No need to shake it that long.”

“That’s plenty. Put it down and open it already.”

“Scared to lose? Knowing you’re about to get kicked out, are you just stalling on purpose?”

“…”

Meng Yiran found it odd too. She turned to glance at Tong Yuwu.

The Noble Miss’s face, which rarely betrayed much expression, was now furrowed at the brow with her lips pressed into a thin line, as if she had run into some kind of problem. Meng Yiran followed her gaze and saw that all her attention was fixed on the dice cup.

Before Meng Yiran could make sense of it, Tong Yuwu finally set her dice cup down.

Taji arched a brow, his grin turning even more smug.

“Shaken enough?” he asked. “You first, or me?”

Tong Yuwu ignored him entirely. She bent her head and lifted the lid of her dice cup on her own.

Meng Yiran peered over, breathless. A second later, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

Inside the Noble Miss’s dice cup, all three dice showed a perfect, uniform one pip each!

Meng Yiran’s brows snapped together as realization dawned. She shot a glare across the table at Taji.

“Oof.” Taji let out an unhurried chuckle. “Looks like luck isn’t on your side today.”

With that, he leisurely lifted the lid of his own dice cup.

First die—six.

Second die—six.

Third die—six again.

The round had produced two utter extremes: Tong Yuwu had rolled the absolute lowest score possible in a game of comparing totals, while her opponent had somehow hit the maximum.

Taji rolled his neck with a smug twist. “Guess that means I win the first round.”

Meng Yiran stepped forward, her voice brimming with certainty. “You cheated!”

Taji frowned and eyed her up and down, clearly sizing up her status. Once he pegged her as a commoner too, his expression turned openly scornful.

“Me, cheat?” he shot back. “What evidence do you have to prove it?”

Meng Yiran jabbed an accusing finger at him. “If you didn’t tamper with anything, how do you explain such an insane result?”

Taji shrugged. “Beats me.”

He barked a mocking laugh. “Do I really have to explain my good luck to the likes of you?”

A horde of nobility students standing behind him immediately jumped in with shouts of support.

“Yeah!”

“Exactly!”

“Trashy commoners just love to quibble and make excuses when they can’t handle losing. If you can’t afford to lose, just admit it.”

Even the fellow who had first produced the dice cup arrogantly declared, “If you think we’re cheating, then let’s just swap the dice cups. I’d love to see if Miss Tong can roll three sixes using Brother Taji’s dice cup.”

Laughter erupted one after another, filling nearly the entire classroom.

Meng Yiran’s face flushed red with anger. She was about to argue back when Tong Yuwu grabbed her arm.

The Noble Miss had already reverted to her expressionless demeanor. When Meng Yiran looked her way, she shook her head. “It’s fine.”

She turned to Taji and said directly, “Next round.”

It was a best-of-three contest, and the round they had just finished was only the first.

Taji apparently hadn’t expected her to have the nerve to push for the second round. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

But he soon flashed a roguish grin and covered his dice cup once more.

“If I were you, I’d concede before getting humiliated a second time—to save a shred of dignity,” he drawled lazily, though every word dripped with venom. “But if you insist on pressing on, that’s fine too. I’ll make damn sure you know exactly how you meet your end.”

Tong Yuwu likewise lifted her dice cup.

This time, there was no question of going first or second. Both opponents shook their dice cups simultaneously.

The onlookers held their collective breath again. In the eerily silent space, the only sounds were the six dice clattering against the insides of their respective cups.

“Clack clack clack—”

“Clack clack clack—”

But this time, Taji had completely shed the casual air of the first round. His smile slowly froze on his face, twisting into a somewhat comical rictus. At the same time, he frowned at Tong Yuwu, an expression of utter disbelief gradually dawning on his features.