"Teachers, with the way you're asking me, how do you expect me to answer?"
Seeing the eager looks in their eyes, Huang Yifan knew he couldn't keep up the act any longer.
"If I deny it again, you'll just keep coming at me with all kinds of tricks, right? Oh, by the way, Mr. Lin, didn't you already try that once? I even fell for it. Looking back now… sigh, the three of you have worked so hard just to test me. Really, it couldn't have been easy. But I doubt you called me here today just to confirm a hunch, right? I think you've already figured out the answer, and whether I admit it or not doesn't really matter anymore. So then, teachers, what exactly did you want to talk to me about today?"
At this point, Huang Yifan had fully switched to his former adult mindset.
In this moment, he was speaking to the three teachers as an adult would.
Naturally, his words stunned the teachers once again.
But after hearing what he said, they finally understood completely.
Even though Huang Yifan hadn't given a direct answer, their suspicions were now confirmed.
This kid was a genius. Not just any genius, but a genius among geniuses.
If he hadn't let something slip, they might never have realized what kind of talent they had in their own class, even after he graduated. Thankfully, fate had given them the chance to discover Huang Yifan just in time.
"Heh, good kid, you sure can keep up an act."
Ye Fei laughed heartily.
But Lin Jinfen and Huang Yilian looked a bit embarrassed.
They'd suspected Huang Yifan of being a genius for a while now, but now that it was finally confirmed, they felt somewhat ashamed. After all, for the past two semesters, they'd scolded him countless times for slacking off and doing poorly on tests. Yet today, the so-called underachiever turned out to be a talent beyond imagination.
"Huang Yifan, I owe you an apology. I was pretty harsh with my criticism before. I hope you don't take it personally."
Clearly uncomfortable, Huang Yilian offered her apology.
"It's fine, Ms. Huang. You were just doing your job. If I were a teacher dealing with a student who was pretending this much, I'd be mad too."
That got all three teachers laughing, even the usually serious Lin Jinfen couldn't hold back.
"Wow, Huang Yifan, your acting really is top-notch. You had us fooled for so long."
"You're too kind."
Huang Yifan chuckled in response.
"Alright then, let's forget about all that. We actually called you here today not just to confirm our suspicions, but because we have something to ask you…"
Clearing her throat, Lin Jinfen started to speak. But as soon as she said "ask," she remembered the sharp-witted student in front of her and quickly corrected herself.
"…We have a favor to ask, and we hope you'll consider helping us."
"What is it? I'm kind of lazy, so if it's too hard, I probably can't do it."
"Come on, Huang Yifan, we haven't even said what it is and you're already turning us down."
Ye Fei cut in with a smile.
"Alright then, go ahead, teachers."
"It's actually simple. We just want you to show your real ability and take part in an upcoming academic competition held by the county."
Ye Fei continued, "To be honest, this competition affects the school's overall rating, and more importantly, the funding the school receives from the government. We didn't want to drag you into this, but the difficulty is higher this year, and other schools have some strong candidates. So… we really hope you can compete."
"Hmm… but what's in it for me?"
Huang Yifan shook his head, clearly uninterested.
That made homeroom teacher Lin Jinfen anxious. "Huang Yifan, if you can take first place in the competition, you'll be directly admitted to No. 1 High School, and the school will also give you a commendation."
Unfortunately, none of that seemed to interest Huang Yifan.
Language teacher Ye Fei seemed to know him better. "Come on, Ms. Lin, skip the commendation. I doubt Huang Yifan is the type to enjoy the spotlight. Alright, Huang Yifan, let me put it plainly. If you get first place, the school will give you a five-thousand-yuan cash reward."
Five thousand yuan.
Only then did Huang Yifan's eyes light up.
What could be more tempting in this world than money?
After being reborn into this life, Huang Yifan knew his family was just average.
His mother had quit her job to help him study, leaving his father as the sole breadwinner.
He had been thinking about how to earn some money to help out at home. But as a student, he had no idea where to start. Even the novel he'd written had only earned him a few hundred yuan, and that was from a print magazine that paid late at night. His online novel hadn't earned a dime since it hadn't gone premium. Well, aside from a few hundred in tips, but even those were only paid out monthly. Frankly, Huang Yifan was strapped for cash.
Five thousand might not be much, but as a way to help out at home, it was definitely something.
Especially since he knew he'd be attending high school after the entrance exams.
That would mean more expenses for the family.
So this five thousand really did interest him.
Still, Huang Yifan didn't agree immediately.
"Mr. Ye, only five thousand?"
"Huh…"
Ye Fei was caught off guard.
It took him a moment to realize that this kid was actually bargaining with them.
"You little rascal, five thousand isn't enough? That's already the biggest cash prize the school's ever offered. What other school gives out five thousand yuan like that? Usually, you'd be lucky to get five hundred. If this competition weren't so important, the school wouldn't even have approved this bonus."
But Huang Yifan wasn't swayed. He was an adult inside, not that easy to convince.
"Mr. Ye, five thousand is still a bit low. How about this, ten thousand. If the school is willing to reward ten thousand for first place, I'll enter the competition. And I can guarantee I'll win it."
His bold counteroffer left the three teachers speechless.
In all their years of teaching, they had never had a student bargain with them, especially about money.
Was this a street market?
Was he negotiating a business deal?
Huang Yifan noticed their stunned expressions and added with a smile, "If you're not sure what to do, feel free to discuss it. Or report it to the principal. That's my only condition; if it's met, I'll compete. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
And just like that, before the teachers could respond, Huang Yifan left the office.
The three of them stared at each other in disbelief.
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