"Oh!"
Xu Sanshi let out a short, cold laugh, still leaning lazily against the back of his chair, only slightly raising his eyelids to look at Dai Huabin, who had stood up excitedly.
His tone was filled with undisguised sarcasm. " Shrek's glory?"
"Go out that door now and ask anyone. What glory does Shrek have left these days?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the conference room changed drastically.
Since Yan Shaozhe "disappeared," rumors of his collusion with Evil Soul Master have been rampant, and Shrek Academy's reputation has indeed declined sharply. This is a bloody reality that they are unwilling to face but cannot deny.
Xu Sanshi's words were certainly harsh and unpleasant, but that was the truth. Shrek's current reputation could no longer support the so-called "glory" they were talking about.
" Sanshi!"
Bei Bei spoke again, his voice low and serious, his gaze fixed on Xu Sanshi: "I know you will return to the Xuanming Sect after the competition, but the academy has taught us for many years. Logically and emotionally, you shouldn't have said such a thing."
Faced with his good brother's admonitory and reproachful gaze, Xu Sanshi's lips moved, but in the end he just snorted again, turned his head away, and said nothing more.
Cai Mei'er, who had remained silent throughout, took it all in and let out a barely audible sigh.
Once upon a time, Shrek Academy was incredibly prestigious, but now even the students it trains have lost faith in and a sense of belonging to it.
In just a few short years, has Shrek, once a force to be reckoned with across the continent, fallen so low?
A heavy sense of powerlessness permeated the conference room.
Another suffocating silence filled the conference room until Jiang Nannan's gentle voice broke the deadlock.
She glanced at her teammates, whose expressions varied, and asked, "So... how should we approach tomorrow's match?"
All eyes instinctively turned to Bei Bei, awaiting the captain's decision.
Bei Bei frowned, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table, clearly going through a fierce internal struggle.
After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said in a deep voice, "My decision is... we will concede defeat in tomorrow's match."
"Admit defeat?!"
These two words exploded like a thunderclap in the conference room.
Everyone looked at Bei Bei in disbelief, some even wondering if they had misheard.
Dai Huabin stood up abruptly again, his voice rising with excitement. "Facing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, you're just going to admit defeat without even fighting?"
"Captain, have you thought about what people will say about Shrek?"
"They'll say we don't even have the courage to fight! Is Shrek's backbone really going to break like this?!"
This resounding question immediately resonated with many.
Wang Dong pursed his lips tightly, Xiao Xiao's eyes were also full of resentment, and even the usually calm Cao Jinxuan shook his head slightly.
Retreating without a fight was far more unacceptable to them than a crushing defeat, given their pride and arrogance.
Seeing the burning resentment and fighting spirit in her teammates' eyes, Bei Bei did not change her stance despite everyone's objections.
He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "I understand your unwillingness to accept defeat, and I can fully anticipate how the outside world will judge us and Shrek Academy if we admit defeat outright."
"But that's precisely why we need to see reality more clearly."
With her strong abilities and gentle personality, Bei Bei takes good care of her teammates, earning everyone's trust and respect.
Therefore, even though everyone strongly disagreed with his decision at that moment, they still suppressed their emotions and were willing to listen to his reasons.
Bei Bei's gaze slowly swept over each team member present, taking in the resentment and struggle on their faces.
He continued in a deep voice, "The college is considerate of us and doesn't require rankings; we appreciate that."
"But as Huabin said, we cannot let things go unchecked because of this."
"The championship title may indeed slip through our fingers again this time."
"Even so, we must do everything we can to hold onto that second place!"
These words resonated with everyone, calming their initial excitement, and many subconsciously nodded in agreement.
Seeing that everyone's emotions had calmed down, Bei Bei continued, "With our overall strength, even if we strategically forfeit this match, it's enough to ensure our advancement to the quarterfinals."
"But have you considered what would happen if we were to fight the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy head-on tomorrow?"
His deliberate pause gave everyone time to think.
"The opponent is very strong. What if any of you are seriously injured in the duel?"
"At that point, we probably won't even be able to hold onto second place!"
These words, like a cold tide, instantly extinguished the restless flames in everyone's hearts and completely calmed their feverish minds.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere in the meeting room, Bei Bei pressed her advantage, saying, "My decision to forfeit tomorrow's match is based on two considerations."
He held up two fingers, his eyes gleaming as he looked intently at his teammates. "Firstly, it's about conserving our strength, ensuring we're in top form and ready for all the crucial matches to come."
"Secondly, we need to conceal our trump cards. Some of our methods, as long as they aren't exposed, will be our trump cards against other teams, ensuring our smooth advancement."
"A temporary retreat is not cowardice! In the final battle, we will fight the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy for real!"
Bei Bei clenched her fist slightly, her powerful voice echoing in the conference room. "Even if we lose, we must give it our all and show the spirit and pride of Shrek! We must let everyone see that the spirit of Shrek has never been extinguished!"
Silence descended once more.
But this silence was no longer one of resistance or repression, but rather a solemnity and determination born from a consensus.
No one dared to object, because everyone knew that this was the best path the captain could find for them.
Seeing that everyone had accepted Bei Bei's suggestion, Cai Mei'er finally spoke up, "Alright, since no one has any objections, let's follow Bei Bei's strategy and concede the match tomorrow."
Then, she was about to say a few words of comfort and encouragement, but...
"Bang!"
The conference room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a figure rushed in with a rush of wind, instantly interrupting Cai Mei'er's speech.
All eyes turned to the doorway, where Teacher Wang Yan had arrived.
He was slightly out of breath, his face flushed from running, his expression more serious than ever before, and his eyes seemed to be flashing with some extremely complex emotions.
Seeing his distraught state, everyone realized that something extremely important must have happened.
The entire conference room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were fixed on Wang Yan, awaiting the message he would bring back.
Under the intense gaze of everyone, Wang Yan took a deep breath, as if trying to forcefully suppress the turbulent waves surging in his chest.
He tried to make his voice sound calmer, but the slight tremor in his voice still betrayed his extreme inner turmoil when he opened his mouth.
"I..." He paused, then said, "I received... a message from Dean Yan."