Chapter 113: Watch the Sunset Together

Wang Yuhe was only down for a while, then picked herself up again.

It'd be best if I never played basketball with him again—solve the problem at the source. Besides, Jiang Nian has great athletic talent, but his grades are terrible! Especially his math grades!

She looked up, staring seriously at Jiang Nian.

"You still need to practice math."

Jiang Nian and Chen Yunyun exchanged a glance and both burst out laughing.

This guy holds grudges.

But that's how friends are—take a small step back, allow the other to encroach on your space. Mutual tolerance gradually turns you into best friends with double standards.

Lunch break, the breeze gentle and mild.

Someone rode back from the city with a milk tea, since taking a taxi was too expensive—round trip cost forty yuan, more than the milk tea itself, and he had no coupon.

Luckily, the autumn sun hung in the sky, not hot at all.

Jiang Nian woke from his lunch nap, dazed, grabbed his water cup and took a sip. He glanced leftward—Zhang Ningzhi hadn't come.

He instinctively reached for his phone, then quickly remembered this was the classroom—he couldn't be so reckless.

If Old Liu was watching from behind, something like this wasn't impossible.

High school homeroom teachers often have a bit of a voyeur streak, bored out of their minds in the office. They love sipping cold boiled water and imagining students running wild in the classroom.

But they never just walk in directly—they wait for a whim. Pick some sneaky moment, like right after lunch break, and sneak in from the back.

At that moment, lunch break had just ended, the classroom in chaos.

Like a husband with a green hat fetish.

As soon as he steps out, he imagines his Lady is already with some man. Even though he could turn and sprint a hundred meters to catch them red-handed, he still insists on going to work.

Then he returns unexpectedly, face twisted in pain.

As expected!! You guys!!

You've betrayed my trust!

Let's name and shame "Green Sun"—green hats are literally on your heads, and you're still blowing flutes outside? Why not go inside and help the blond guy blow too?

Old Liu has a bit of a catching-cheaters habit—he loves appearing suddenly in class. When caught, the consequences aren't severe—just a talk.

He exploits students' guilt, making them voluntarily set goals, promising how much they'll improve next time.

It's like saying, "Use your phone however you want," but with a chastity belt strapped on.

He turned around—no teacher in the classroom—then pulled out his phone.

Lin Dong sent him a message: basically, he'd approached Wu Jungu during PE, but Wu Jungu bit the hand that fed him and nearly beat him up.

Jiang Nian laughed heartily—funny classmates bring joy.

To be fair.

He actually enjoyed watching this kind of drama, as long as he wasn't entangled in it. Not because he was afraid—just unclear on the situation, so he didn't want trouble.

Watching Lin Dong dive into the mess was kind of satisfying.

He thought for a moment, then replied to Lin Dong.

"Did he react to the photo?"

After sending it, he put his phone away. He looked up and saw Zhang Ningzhi entering from the front—this girl seemed full of energy today too.

But when her gaze flickered toward Jiang Nian, she suddenly became reserved.

Putting on airs, huh?

Jiang Nian stared blankly, imagining what it'd be like if he dated Zhang Ningzhi. He'd probably have a kid in under a week—when the baby was born, he'd name it Jiang

Downer—he thought himself a bit of a downer.

But he quickly forgave himself—Gao San pressure is immense. His blood and qi are so abundant; a little fantasy is normal. After all, judge by deeds, not intentions.

No dating—Gao San really isn't suitable for romance.

Restrain yourself—that thing is just a stop at the inch, right? Just thinking about it makes him furious. Are you fishing? Is this snake spirit taking eight steps? And now you're planning a sequel?

Don't restrain yourself? Then you'll have to nurse a kid through Gao Si again. Sigh.

Worried.

As for couples both getting into Tsinghua—hahaha, has Da Liu's new novel come out early?

A Peking University admissions officer approached Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian's face was icy.

You must admit all my girlfriends—and my grandfather, who's wanted to attend Peking University for ages. If you don't agree, this genius won't enroll in your school!

Tough as nails—only the Number One Man of Zhennan, Wang!

Zhang Ningzhi had just sat down when she turned and saw Jiang Nian sitting there, grinning like an idiot. She bit her lip, eyes smiling, and couldn't help poking his arm.

"What are you laughing at?"

Jiang Nian turned his head, still grinning. "Do you want to go to Peking University?"

Zhang Ningzhi: "Huh?"

Jiang Nian burst out laughing again. Though Zhang Ningzhi didn't know why he was laughing, she still chuckled along.

He seems kind of childish.

The afternoon classes were dull. Teachers casually mentioned the big joint exam at month's end.

"If you're really sleepy, stand at the back."

"Just get through this period—it'll be fine. Gao San isn't tiring if it's boring." The physics teacher paced the classroom with his hands behind his back. "We had it harder back then."

"We didn't have all these tutoring materials—everything was hand-copied. When we found a good problem, the whole class passed it around, starving for knowledge, like madmen."

"You've suffered three years just to get into a top-tier university. Do any of you actually want to go to a second-tier? Graduates from second-tier schools are looked down upon."

The students had been jolted awake by the physics teacher's digressions. One asked curiously.

"Teacher, what tier was your university?"

"Cough, cough, my old high school was a second-tier university." The physics teacher looked embarrassed, shouting over the commotion, "But back then, college students were rare!"

Jiang Nian used 'Eliminate Fatigue' once; this small skill was quite useful. He felt refreshed the entire afternoon, and even the soreness in his hands from playing badminton that morning vanished.

He didn't nap during lunch because he feared falling asleep during evening self-study.

He had already figured out the pattern: using it from the first class of the afternoon let him stay awake until dismissal. He wouldn't feel drowsy even during the first evening self-study session.

The root of Gao San's suffering is exhaustion, lack of mental energy. But now he truly felt nothing—his state remained decent all day.

Before evening self-study.

The entire classroom was dim, twilight streaming through the windows and casting onto the blackboard.

Few people were in the classroom, strangely, not a single one had turned on the lights.

Jiang Nian lay on his desk sleeping, undisturbed. His close friends weren't in the classroom, and no girls came over to sneakily confess or steal his heart.

He felt somewhat regretful.

In the dim classroom, one or two students stood by the back windows, holding vocabulary books, muttering words to themselves while spying on classmates below.

Jiang Nian, half-asleep, felt someone gently nudging him. Distant and near noises reached his ears, and only then did he suddenly realize he had fallen asleep in the classroom.

Autumn had arrived; after the temperature dropped, sleepiness always set in easily.

'Eliminate Fatigue' had already been used in the afternoon.

He sat up; in the dimness, he saw only Zhang Nenzhi's beautiful face. One knee half-bent on Li Hua's desk, she leaned forward, calling him carefully.

As Jiang Nian stared, still half-asleep, his gaze unconsciously drifted to her lips, and he swallowed involuntarily—how nice it would be to hold them.

In the dark, Zhang Nenzhi, startled by his stare, flitted like a pink, narrow-winged bird—quickly pulling back slightly, then inching closer again.

She whispered, "Jiang Nian, there's pink sunset outside."

"What?"

"They—they're all watching, by the corridor." Zhang Nenzhi watched him cautiously, suddenly feeling she might have been a little forward.

He was just sleeping.

Though he had no morning grumpiness, and neither did she, this felt slightly impolite—after all, she wasn't sure whether he even liked watching sunsets.

She hadn't thought much about it then; seeing a crowd gathered by the corridor admiring the pink sunset, she'd felt sudden joy and inexplicably wanted to find Jiang Nian.

Wanted… wanted him to see it too.

She thought Jiang Nian might still be half-asleep, his whole figure shrouded in the dim seat. Already embarrassed, she clenched her toes against the floor, wishing she could turn and run.

"Sorry, sorry, I got too excited—I forgot you were sleeping," Zhang Nenzhi stammered, feeling her 'self-loathing syndrome' had flared up again.

"It's fine, I was about to wake up anyway." He rose, glancing at the slightly guilty Zhang Nenzhi—the girl with a ponytail, her beautiful face.

"Thank you for showing me the sunset."

Jiang Nian organized his thoughts: the classroom hadn't been lit in the afternoon; autumn evenings brought a chill, and the cool breeze by the window had lulled him into perfect comfort.

The language module hasn't loaded completely yet—slightly laggy.

Baby Zhizhi, wait for me to reboot.

Windows, sorry, booted the wrong machine.

"Come on, let's go out together." He finally grasped the point, took two steps forward, nearly pressing against her—only then did Zhang Nenzhi realize.

She murmured "Oh, oh," then turned and walked out.

Zhang Nenzhi felt Jiang Nian following behind, suddenly tense with secret unease—especially in the dimness, where she could hear his soft laughter.

What's he laughing at? She scolded herself inwardly, her ears involuntarily turning red.

She'd been a bit overheated just now.

Outside the corridor, a circle of people stood, gazing at the pink sunset over the school building's horizon. A stroke of deep gold cut across the pink sky, like a golden tree.

A group of people gasped in awe, murmuring among themselves.

"Isn't it stunning?!"

"Take a photo, take a photo—who has a phone?"

"Send me a copy later."

Another group chatted, not using their phones to photograph.

"What's so special about a sunset? Didn't we see them every day last month when it was hot?"

"Exactly, too lazy to take pictures—boring."

Zhang Nenzhi quietly pulled out her phone, nervously found an angle, and snapped a photo. She glanced at it, dissatisfied, and slightly frowned.

Too many people—she was too shy to raise her phone.

Zhang Nenzhi instinctively turned her head, searching for someone.

"That—"

"Give it to me."

Before she finished speaking, someone guessed her intent. In the crowded corridor lit by sunset, the signal was perfectly matched—a hand reached out directly.

Zhang Nenzhi looked up and met his gaze.

In that moment, she couldn't find words to describe the feeling—as if, even if he were indifferent to the sunset, he would quietly stand beside her and watch it.

Almost like indulgence.

She panicked for an instant, handing her phone to Jiang Nian.

"Done."

Zhang Nenzhi took the phone back from his hand, staring at the nearly perfect composition. The wild, overgrown anxiety in her heart settled, leaving her slightly dizzy.