Jiang Chen's words rang out like thunderclaps, each syllable striking at Zhao Dongfeng's nerves.
Even someone as normally overbearing as Zhao Dongfeng found his back drenched in cold sweat, momentarily rendered speechless.
The entire class was in an uproar.
No one had imagined that the typically quiet and unremarkable Jiang Chen could erupt with such authority, his presence so forceful that even the teacher was suppressed.
Especially the girls seated in the front row—normally aloof and focused—now looked at him as if he were a war god descended. Admiration sparkled in their eyes.
After all, Jiang Chen had just stood up for them, facing off against a teacher like Zhao Dongfeng head-on.
Seeing Zhao Dongfeng mute for so long, Jiang Chen curved his lips into a calm smile. "Zhao Dongfeng, a person like you isn't fit to be a teacher, and you certainly have no right to educate someone like me."
Zhao Dongfeng's eyes twitched, and he instinctively glanced at the stack of test papers beside him, grasping at any opportunity to strike back.
"Jiang Chen, whether I'm qualified to teach isn't up to a student like you to decide. This is a classroom, where academics come first.
Look at your own paper—100 points possible, and you scored a 10. Who could be worse than that in this entire school?"
Jiang Chen didn't respond immediately. He slowly turned toward the class and swept his gaze across the room.
Gao Huan, the math class representative, thought he was targeting her and bristled with indignation. "Jiang Chen, why are you looking at me like that? Don't think your grades could ever surpass mine."
Gao Huan was no top scorer like Lin Yuechan, but her consistent top-ten performance left most classmates in the dust.
But Jiang Chen simply smiled and raised a single finger, wagging it lightly.
"No, no, no. That's not what I meant," he said softly. Then his tone sharpened. "I meant—your grades, all of you... are trash."
A stunned silence.
Then, with a leisurely turn of his head, Jiang Chen looked directly at Zhao Dongfeng. "Oh, and Teacher Zhao. That includes you too."
Dead silence.
The classroom felt like it had been hit by a soul-freezing technique. Even time seemed to stall.
Gao Huan was the first to break. "Pfft!" she burst out, unable to hold her laughter.
Like an avalanche, laughter roared through the room.
"Did he just say our grades are trash? With a straight face?!"
"Hahahaha! Jiang Chen, you've got guts! And a death wish!"
"This guy scored 10 points and he dares to trash-talk us? Peak clown behavior!"
"Bro, are you a comedian from a circus?"
Even the boys laughed so hard some were clutching their stomachs.
Only Lin Yuechan's clear, intelligent eyes held a ripple of concern.
Hmph. This guy just doesn't know when to stop.
That Zhao Dongfeng is notoriously vindictive.
Let's see how you plan to get yourself out of this one.
Even as she scolded him silently, Lin Yuechan found her fists slowly clenching.
As expected, Zhao Dongfeng's face turned ashen. He slapped the desk, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Jiang Chen! You must've eaten tiger gall to dare speak to me like that!"
Jiang Chen gave him a bland look. "You're not even worthy."
Zhao Dongfeng's gaze flicked back to the pile of test papers. His face twisted into a grin.
"Fine! Since you're so confident, I'll give you one question. Solve it, and I'll admit you're better than the entire class!"
Jiang Chen nodded, calm as water. "Bring it."
Zhao Dongfeng quickly flipped to the last question on the recent city-wide physics exam and began copying it onto the board.
It was brutal: a complex integration of kinetic energy, the photoelectric effect, momentum conservation, and mixed collision theory—topics far beyond high school curriculum.
Even Lin Xuanfei, the physics prodigy and frequent international competitor, had only managed to solve two of the three parts correctly.
The moment Zhao Dongfeng chalked the final number on the board, the classroom murmured with anticipation.
"He's done for now."
"Even Lin Xuanfei couldn't get all of it, and this guy barely scraped ten points last time."
"Let's see how the clown performs now."
Jiang Chen glanced at the blackboard and gently shook his head.
Zhao Dongfeng pounced. "What? You can't even read it properly?"
"Hah, he's frozen!"
"He probably doesn't even know what the photoelectric effect is!"
Even some boys added fuel to the fire.
"He's not just dragging us down—he's yanking on Class 7's balls!"
"No wonder my balls hurt all week—Jiang Chen's been pulling them!"
Amid the escalating ridicule, Jiang Chen exhaled slowly.
"It's not that I can't solve it," he said calmly. "I just think this question... is too easy."
Zhao Dongfeng almost choked. "You dare look down on a question that even our best student struggled with?!"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Teacher Zhao, you studied at People's University, didn't you? That's supposed to be prestigious.
In that case—why don't you give me a problem that's actually worthy of me?"
Gasps rippled through the classroom.
"Li—uh, Jiang Chen... you've really gone off the rails now."
"I just saw a whole herd of flying bulls pass over the campus."
"This guy's ego has ascended to the Celestial Realm!"
As the laughter surged again, Jiang Chen stood alone—calm, composed, unshaken.
But Lin Yuechan narrowed her eyes, sensing something different.
Maybe... just maybe... he's not bluffing at all.