Chapter 102: The Charge's Bugle

He woke up from his lunch nap.

Jiang Nian's head felt dizzy; he couldn't sleep first and then do homework—sleeping only made him more tired.

He tilted his head up and down, noticing a box of lemon tea on the desk. It was still perfectly sealed, the straw untouched. Instantly, his interest faded.

Low-grade tea water—he didn't like drinking it.

Zhang Nizhi had already arrived and was asleep, face down on the desk. The autumn air was bleak; cool, pale golden sunlight fell on her hair, making her even more serene and lovely.

He stood up, glanced at her, then stared for thirty seconds.

Zhang Nizhi finally couldn't take it anymore and rolled over to sleep another way; Jiang Nian finally smiled contentedly and left his seat. He went to urinate, washed his face, and stood in the corridor breathing the breeze.

He suddenly realized the skill given by the task panel was actually quite useful.

For a man in his thirties or forties, physical function declines—that's the natural law. Not only does Zui Zong always overexert himself, but work also requires fatigue relief.

For a Gao San student, it was unexpectedly fitting. Every day was either exhaustion or drowsiness, and he was already an adult—he could sneak into small groves and cheap hotels.

The feeling of afternoon classes was no different from attending a funeral—too sleepy.

In the corridor, Jiang Nian gazed at the distant buildings, and beyond them, Qingmu Ridge.

Qingmu Ridge was also called Tuodan Ridge.

A small hill, a hundred or two hundred meters high—barely counted as climbing. More than enough for first-time climbers from an all-girls high school: bring water up, hold hands where the path was too steep.

At the summit, take photos, feel the wind, urinate and keep watch.

On the way down, hug her waist—the deed is done.

No wonder the climbing circle is chaotic—you need real physical stamina to keep up. First, eliminate the shut-ins and kidney-deficient guys; a group of people flooded with hormones constantly touch each other's bodies.

As they climbed, they reached Shennü Peak.

Ha, sis, sorry—I was thirsty and wanted to drink, but accidentally sucked your lip.

He was lost in thought when someone suddenly called his name.

He turned around—the afternoon corridor was bathed in bright sunlight; Chen Yunyun walked over with her hair loose. She was quite pretty too, with a delicate face, a typical southern girl.

"What are you doing?"

Jiang Nian wanted to say something flirty, but held back—too abstract would make people think he was an idiot.

"Just finished peeing, catching some wind."

"Oh oh, I thought you were watching the girls downstairs." Chen Yunyun naturally stood beside him; the scent of her shampoo, baked by the sun, slowly spread out.

"I don't watch girls because I'm face-blind—I can't tell beauty from ugliness." Jiang Nian grinned, "Like Zhang Nizhi and the class monitor—I can't tell who's prettier."

"What about me, then?" Chen Yunyun asked curiously.

Jiang Nian burst into loud laughter, not answering.

"You're really not human!" Chen Yunyun punched him.

Jiang Nian didn't dodge—he laughed harder.

"Hahaha, I'm just face-blind, not blind."

"You!!" Chen Yunyun was truly broken; she kept reaching to pinch him, but he stepped back each time, exasperated: "Jiang Nian, you're really annoying."

"Just kidding, just kidding." Jiang Nian walked back over. "Sis Chen, you're a beauty who could make fish sink and geese fall, moon hide and flowers blush—and you're still walking around with your hair loose? Playing these little tricks?"

"What are you talking about? I washed my hair at the dorm at noon—it's still wet, how am I supposed to tie it up?" Chen Yunyun was furious. "I'll tie it up soon anyway, and there's no teacher around."

Click—Jiang Nian pulled out his phone and took a picture.

"I took it. I'm sending it to Old Liu right now to report you."

"Don't you dare! Delete it fast!" Chen Yunyun panicked, reaching for his phone, but her arms were too short to grab it. "Jiang Nian, how can you be like this? Give it to me!"

Sun Zhicheng walked up the stairs and saw the two chasing each other by the classroom door—he nearly had a heart attack. The worst scenario had finally happened!

He'd guarded against it day and night for two straight days with no incident—and then, out of nowhere, it struck hard.

His heart plunged to the bottom of a well; his lips trembled unconsciously.

At two in the afternoon, the autumn sun beat down on him with not a trace of warmth.

It felt like a dull dagger had been driven into his chest, tearing open every trembling, anxious scrap of flesh. Pain flooded his entire body; a crushing sense of helplessness sank to the ground.

But he knew he had no right to be jealous—he had to suppress these inappropriate feelings and keep walking forward.

Their laughter and playfulness reached his ears like needles pricking his skin. His heart ached, as if a heavy stone had blocked his chest—he didn't want to hear, didn't want to see.

The moment he stepped into the classroom, he nearly choked back tears—but he held himself together.

Back at his seat, Sun Zhicheng still couldn't calm down. Thinking of how many more heart-wrenching scenes he'd have to witness in the future, he didn't know how long this agony would last.

Lin Xiao had just returned from the dorm, grinning.

On the way, he'd run into the Gao Er student, Skinned Liuli. They'd faced each other directly—and she hadn't recognized him. Jiang Nian was right: just don't be afraid, that's all.

He felt a quiet thrill—his Xiao Hao, Shen Cong, was completely dead.

Learn from the lesson—start over and raise a new Xiao Hao.

As for never touching online chat again—that was just a passing remark. Like watching videos: each time he finished, he'd delete the URL, making the next search painfully awkward.

Lin Xiao's hardest time was one summer vacation when he sat motionless on his bed. He recalled for three full hours before remembering the URL he'd deleted.

That time was also when his brain burned the hottest—permutations and combinations helped immensely.

He tried every possible combination until his phone nearly smoked before finally finding the site.

Unfortunately, his brain overheated—he couldn't even enjoy the taste properly, wasting six precious hours of his life.

After watching for a few days and realizing the heat had died down, Lin Xiao still couldn't let go of online chat.

He was about to enter university—wasn't he supposed to train his social skills? All the sexual activity he'd had in years was just copying other people's moms online.

No matter what, start a new Xiao Hao and raise it slowly.

Start fresh—don't chat with local students. Find someone far away; after all, they'd never meet.

With this thought, his Dao heart clear, Lin Xiao returned to his seat.

Suddenly noticing Sun Zhicheng slumped over his desk, he couldn't help grinning broadly.

"Ah Cheng, such a lazybones—sun's shining on your butt and you still won't get up."

Sun Zhicheng lifted his head, his face stiff and pale.

"Is class over?"

"Holy shit, what's wrong with you?" Lin Dong jumped back. "You're this sick and still came to class? Did the Boss give you an order to get into Tsinghua?"

Sun Zhicheng choked on his grief—he had a heart ailment! Pain, pain, pain—the kind that demanded five copies of Long San be buried with him! Watching the person he liked frolic with someone else was suffocating.

But he couldn't say it—Chen Yunyun was in his group. If he revealed it now, the atmosphere would turn unbearable. Two hundred and ten days remained until the Gaokao.

"Nothing. Just a little nauseous."

Lin Dong rubbed his chin. "Drink something hot."

Sun Zhicheng shook his head, too listless to reply, watching Chen Yunyun walk in through the front door as if nothing had happened.

His eyes instantly clouded over with gray mist; the ache returned.

Before returning to her seat, Chen Yunyun glanced at Sun Zhicheng, then turned to Lin Dong.

"Group leader, what's wrong with him?"

Sun Zhicheng wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

At the same time, he hoped to see Chen Yunyun's reaction, clinging to the hope of her sympathy.

Lin Dong sighed. "He's been off since yesterday. Probably worse now."

Chen Yunyun glanced curiously at Sun Zhicheng. "Why not take a sick day and see a doctor? The longer you wait, the worse it gets."

Hearing this, Sun Zhicheng felt slightly better and smiled.

"I'm fine."

"Hahaha, he's completing the Boss's mission," Lin Dong grinned.

"What mission?" Chen Yunyun asked, curious.

"He's lying!" Sun Zhicheng suddenly grabbed Lin Dong's neck, shouting, "You're dead, you bastard!"

The three afternoon classes dragged on agonizingly.

Jiang Nian always knew he'd fallen asleep whenever he felt he was paying attention—and then jolted awake.

Whether you're tired or not has nothing to do with your grades.

He slept right in the second row, right under the teacher's nose.

"Jiang Nian, stand up," Zhong Qing said sternly, the rookie struggling to maintain her biology teacher's authority. "You've slept through half the class. Don't sleep anymore."

The whole class burst into laughter.

Jiang Nian stood up from his seat. His biology grade was average; he wanted to yawn but held it back.

If it were Qian Bao's class, I'd show you what royal wrath looks like!

Damn grade-worship, strength-first classroom—both beneficiary and victim.

"Oh," Jiang Nian dragged himself up, grabbing his book and heading toward the back row.

Suddenly Zhong Qing called his name again, her face grim.

"The academic office is preparing a Strong Foundation and Excellence Enhancement program. Each teacher in every class must select one student with solid fundamentals for enrichment."

"Since you dislike my class so much, I'll pick you. Starting now, during evening self-study, bring your chair outside and sit at that table waiting for me."

Jiang Nian froze, turning to look at Zhong Qing.

"Wait, Teacher, this is my first offense!"

The class erupted again, boys egging each other on; Li Hua outright betrayed him.

"Teacher, he fell asleep in biology class last time too! I saw him with both eyes—he even told me after class he had four dreams in three minutes!"

"Hahaha, awesome!"

"Holy shit, four dreams in three minutes!"

"What did he dream about?"

"Definitely not biology, hahaha!"

Even Zhong Qing on the podium couldn't hold her composure, suppressing her smile twice.

The buzz of the little bee's static crackled, the artificially matured, clear voice echoing through the classroom.

"Alright, since Jiang Nian has slept through my class so many times, he'll have to make it up during evening self-study from now on."

Some students in class grew restless, especially the boys raising their hands.

"Teacher, can I come too?"

The first to clamor was the biology rep, who always scored above ninety out of a hundred on comprehensive science exams—even harder tests netted him at least eighty.

"I want to sit outside too, Teacher! Me! Me! Me!!"

Each one had ulterior motives, desperate to squeeze beside Zhong Qing.

Jiang Nian stood in the aisle, bewildered, watching the chaotic class, as if waiting for something.

On the podium, biology teacher Zhong Qing observed everything, her satisfaction with Jiang Nian growing.

Shameless. Strong mental resilience.

This meant that even if the enrichment program yielded no results, Jiang Nian wouldn't be affected—he wouldn't care at all.

Whether a project like this works? It's entirely up to the leadership.

There have been countless projects that started strong and fizzled out—or collapsed entirely—yet leadership never reviewed them.

Zhong Qing was cautious, seeking balance between fulfilling leadership's orders and achieving her own teaching goals.

At the same time, she wouldn't harm the students—quietly reaching her own aim.

Jiang Nian's half-hearted demeanor further eliminated the risk of adolescent emotions or subject bias. In this light, he was the only one who could possibly fit.

"Just Jiang Nian—he looks so reluctant." Zhong Qing said.

The classroom burst into laughter again; Jiang Nian felt a mix of emotions—he truly didn't want to join the advanced class, it was too exhausting.

More importantly, the school's advanced training had little effect—it was all just for show, meant to impress the bosses.

Students might develop a strong interest in a subject due to the thrill of showing off, and their initiative might increase amid classmates' praise and envy.

But Jiang Nian was already stretched too thin—busy handling assignments from other subjects, plus extra practice to boost his physics and math scores.

Adding biology on top of that—could he even hold up?

But Zhong Qing had already decided, and Jiang Nian couldn't possibly be ungrateful.

I'll talk to Qing Bao about it later—skip all this formalism.

Walking to the back row, Jiang Nian saw Chen Yunyun turn her head and grin at him with malicious delight.

He couldn't help but smirk silently.

"Idiot."

The Equal Treatment Fist—hits both men and women. That's Jiang the Heavenly Emperor.

After class, to avoid getting beaten, Jiang Nian slipped away promptly. He dropped his books and ran straight to the restroom, dawdling until it was time for class to start.

In the last chemistry class, the teacher planned to call two students up to write out chemical equations. She called a girl's name first.

"Ji Jiayu."

Suddenly, someone shouted out a boy's name—the girl's boyfriend.

"Teacher, call Yuan Zhengchuan!"

The class erupted into "Ohs!"—the sound echoed like birdsong, all in the third tone. After the "Ohs," everyone glanced around with knowing, suggestive smiles.

The few couples in class were truly the class pets.

Too boring—just pull them out for a walk.

The chemistry teacher wasn't having it. "Who shouted the loudest?"

Jiang Nian's eyes lit up instantly.

"Li Hua, you're so loud, I can't even hear the teacher!"

Li Hua, the innocent victim, turned and pointed, his face wearing the exact expression of a Husky meme.

You little bastard—you're selling out your own friend?

Then Jiang Nian was called up, and the class lost all its fun. After Jiang Nian finished writing, the chemistry teacher directly compared his answers to the correct ones.

During evening self-study, Sun Zhicheng thought long and hard, and decided to confess today.

Better short pain than long suffering—if she rejects him, he can give up early. If Chen Yunyun accepts, he'll have nothing to worry about.

Maybe later, like in chemistry class this afternoon, the whole class would tease them—when one name was called, the other would be instantly shouted out.

Honestly, Sun Zhicheng envied that feeling—dating openly under the teacher's nose.

The few couples in class all had excellent grades, and the homeroom teacher didn't bother them.

If they got together, they could have class dates on Sunday afternoons—or go to a quiet bubble tea shop, sit together, study, and chat naturally.

Recommended reading: "I Strike as the Villain!"

A villain's job boils down to three things.

Steal the protagonist's opportunities, usurp the protagonist's position, and—gift the protagonist a green hat.

Villain? So satisfying!