Chapter 120

The dilapidated, ancient stairwell was dim, filled with a chilly night breeze sweeping through.

Xu Qianqian merely glanced at Jiang Nian as usual, just catching his gaze. Her eyes, in the dim light outside the door, appeared especially dull.

Her eye sockets were slightly sunken; at the moment their gazes met, her heart skipped. She didn't know why—she'd been home with him just half an hour ago.

Just a shower, and suddenly she cared—and felt a tiny bit hungry.

She didn't even know where that thought came from, seeing Jiang Nian's half-dry black hair and damp collar, that feeling was like

a boy watching a black-stockinged stepmom skirt on TikTok.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a little awkward, with a hint of seduction.

Her gaze could barely tear away from Jiang Nian's jawline; for an instant, her fingertips went numb. After her heart pounded a few times, she snapped back to reality.

"What are you zoning out for?" Jiang Nian asked curiously.

"Huh?" Xu Qianqian's face flushed at the exact moment the orange motion-sensor light in the stairwell went out; she seemed slightly flustered, "N-nothing."

The door slammed shut hastily, leaving behind a muffled "Good night."

Good night?

The corridor light flickered back on due to the door closing; Jiang Nian frowned, wondering if he'd misheard.

Whatever.

Math is important.

He turned and went home, opened his notebook, and immediately felt thrilled. It wasn't some martial arts secret manual, but it saved him the agony of flipping through textbooks.

Xu Qianqian was no doubt a top student—she had real stuff.

The math teacher always talked about returning to the textbook, saying things like: "You should feel like coming home when you see the textbook." After all, the core problems—the core problems—you boys all play that bio-creature game, right?

Anyway, CS or rice noodles—it's all the same.

Ah, only by returning can you find joy. Every major exam, every Gaokao question, comes from the textbook's core problems. Master the core problems and their variations, and you can handle any change with constancy.

When he heard that speech, Jiang Nian was completely stunned.

Too powerless to even complain.

If you can't even score 130, you expect me to understand a math textbook?

Other top students glance at the tiny print in the math book, point with a finger, and grin: "Didn't this appear on last year's exam? There was a similar problem on the XXX test too."

But for a dunce like Jiang Nian, the core problems were indeed simple.

But change the form even slightly, and he'd be lost.

Jiang Nian flipped through the notebook, returned to his room, tossed his phone aside, and studied the problems carefully, feeling like Zhu Zhu Xia had found the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

He didn't understand it, but he could sense it was something great.

"Brilliant—problems can be framed like this?"

The next day.

Jiang Nian woke up groggy, washed his face with cold water. Last night he'd scrolled TikTok—no, studied too late; studying really drained your energy.

He wiped the water off his face with his school uniform, and his mind held only one thought.

Where the hell did she buy those snug jeans?

He was almost possessed.

I'm not an ass guy!

Going out, he happened to bump into Xu Qianqian, who was also leaving.

"Huh? What a coincidence?" Jiang Nian asked curiously.

Normally, unless it was pouring rain or gale-force wind, Xu Qianqian arrived at school fifteen minutes earlier than him—she was one of those obsessive early birds.

"Mm." Xu Qianqian's face was flushed, looking strangely off.

Jiang Nian leaned closer. "Xu Qianqian, are you running a fever?"

"Get lost, you're the one with a fever!" She choked on the word, couldn't say it, and her face turned redder.

That word was taboo in girls' high school.

But her blush wasn't because of the taboo word—it was because Jiang Nian was so annoying. He'd said all sorts of outrageous things; for him to utter even a taboo word felt

almost innocent?

Xu Qianqian had just been struck by her own thoughts—after that fleeting glance last night, she'd been unable to forget it, and this morning, she'd somehow felt compelled to take another look.

She felt like a female ghost lusting after yang energy, and that was why she blushed.

"Fine, let's walk together then." Jiang Nian didn't sense anything odd—Xu Qianqian was still the type who exploded at the slightest provocation.

But he himself was still sleepy

Couldn't look anymore—the TikTok recommendations had turned into nine demons; it was unbearable.

What would I do during the New Year?

My cousin asks for my phone: "Big Brother, can I scroll TikTok? Mom won't let me play."

"No way, no way—Big Brother's a pervert."

Open it up—every single video was tight skirts, stepmom dresses, round high-school girls.

Damn it—I'd be ruined.

Walking to school, Jiang Nian suddenly said:

"Xu Qianqian, when are you going to wear a JK uniform?"

"What's that got to do with you?" Xu Qianqian had snapped back to her senses, no longer filled with lustful thoughts. "If you want it so bad, wear it yourself and record a video."

"So you like that?" Jiang Nian was stunned, then grew awkward. "I've never dressed as a girl before, but if you strongly insist…"

Xu Qianqian: "."

She quickened her pace, putting distance between herself and the sexually charged pervert. Last night she must've been starving—she'd even thought Jiang Nian looked handsome.

In the moment she lowered her head, she couldn't help but recall the scene imprinted in her mind last night.

It was just an ordinary gesture of passing something—she'd done it before—but in that instant, for some reason, she suddenly wanted to kiss his Adam's apple.

Hmm. The sexual tension exceeds the range of a male high schooler.

Probably really addled—maybe it's coming, hormones are a bit out of whack.

Jiang Nian was utterly exhausted on the way to school, walking through the gate while biting into a steamed bun. He wanted to activate Deep Blue, but remembered the afternoon's science comprehensive class and held back.

Deeply detest it. Take it as a warning.

No more scrolling on TikTok!

Before going upstairs, he turned his head for one last look.

"Hey, Xu Qianqian."

"Huh?" She snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing Jiang Nian had leaned in—the distance between them shrinking rapidly—her pupils dilated slightly, "Wha—"

The event happened too suddenly; her voice stuck in her throat.

Jiang Nian pinched a tiny scrap of paper from her head, showed it to her, then carelessly tossed it away.

"All set."

Xu Qianqian's heart still pounded wildly; she forced herself to calm down.

"Mm-hmm."

Only when they reached the third floor and parted ways did she finally exhale.

She patted her cheeks and hurried into the classroom.

Going upstairs, Jiang Nian's heart ached painfully.

Degeneration! Lust and wine are destroying me!

The time I lost yesterday—I must reclaim it from Li Hua! If I feel sleepy this morning, I'll drag him to class and chat with him.

After all, the college entrance exam is like a million soldiers crossing a single-log bridge—might as well die together.

At the restroom entrance, Li Hua, who had gotten up especially early to come to class, looked refreshed and alert.

He shook the water off his hands, stood with his arms crossed on his waist in the corridor. The morning glow in the distant sky was like thin silk gauze; everything brimmed with vitality.

Gazing at it, he felt a surge of grandeur, and suddenly gained new insight.

"The day's plan begins at dawn—I'm definitely getting into Wuhan University!"

"Li Hua!!!"

A wailing cry echoed from the stairwell, thick with bitter resentment—anyone hearing it might think the gates of hell hadn't closed and some red-clad spirit had crawled out.

"Wah!" Li Hua turned his head and suddenly saw a figure hurtling toward him, "What the—WHAT THE HELL!!!???"

Boom—he instantly felt he'd hit the jackpot. No, have reincarnation techniques into another world become this crude now?

Two seconds later, Li Hua was pinned against the wall.

"Jiang Nian, you—"

"Betrayal! Why are you here so early? Who told you to come this early?" Jiang Nian's bloodshot veins bulged as he growled, "You're not actually trying to study, are you?"

"I just got up early to memorize some English," Li Hua sweated profusely.

"Just got up early to memorize some English?" Jiang Nian squeaked in a high-pitched voice, teeth grinding, "Oh you fucking bitch, your science comprehensive score's nearly perfect and you're still studying English!"

"You've already taken all the top scores! Go to Peking University already!"

Hearing this, Li Hua's mouth slowly twisted sideways.

"When summer comes on the eighth of June, after my flowers bloom, all others will die."

As they walked together toward the classroom, Jiang Nian suddenly spoke a line that tightened Li Hua's chest.

"You didn't last night jack off, suffer through sage mode, then make a study schedule, and now you're getting up early to study to atone, did you?"

"Ahh… you really…," Li Hua's back was soaked, his face a sweating little bean emoji.

Fuck, he saw right through my underwear.

Did Jiang Nian install a camera in my room? This fucking creep! I burn every scrap of paper from Lu Gu on my bedside—no way am I letting anyone see stuff like "children and wife share the same towel."

In the corridor, Li Hua lowered his voice and asked.

"Want the license plate number?"

Jiang Nian waved his hand. "I only watch. I don't do anything."

"You haven't been doing it so much you've ruined your stomach, have you?" Li Hua voiced his reasonable suspicion.

"Hey, you fucking—"

Chen Yunyun stood outside the classroom, eating a steamed bun while holding a vocabulary book. Occasionally she looked up into the distance, then down again to review her words.

Hearing Jiang Nian's voice, she instantly brightened.

She turned her head and saw Jiang Nian walking toward her from afar—he stood in the morning light, talking to ordinary classmates, yet suddenly seemed wrapped in a filter.

Chen Yunyun's gaze shifted from his uniform to his throat, then to his palm. As he drew nearer, a faint sense of suffocation slowly spread through her entire body.

Until

"Second师兄, choking on your bun?" Jiang Nian's voice rang out.

Hearing it, Chen Yunyun snapped back to reality and looked at Jiang Nian again—this time, she felt better. Remembering what she'd just done, she blushed slightly—damn it! So thick!

"You're the one!!!"

"You stood there motionless—I thought you choked on your bun," Jiang Nian remained utterly uncaring.

Chen Yunyun was speechless, then remembered something.

"This weekend afternoon—"

Jiang Nian made a gesture a Korean man couldn't tolerate. "OK, I haven't forgotten."

Li Hua's curiosity flared instantly; he kept edging closer to ask.

"What, what?"

"Why are you so curious? It's got nothing to do with you." Jiang Nian shot him a sideways glance, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed toward the classroom. "You don't want to know."

"Tch, surely it's not a date?" Li Hua pouted.

Two seconds passed. Seeing Jiang Nian say nothing, Li Hua's smile instantly vanished. The expression on his face reset to zero, and he immediately felt his legs go weak, as if the sky were about to collapse.

No way, you're serious?

Li Hua stuck himself to his seat. Zhang Ningzhi hadn't arrived yet—she seemed to be running a little late.

"Bro, is it real or not? Just tell me, will you?"

"Not telling."

"I don't mean anything else, you just moved up a class, your grades matter." Li Hua was getting anxious. "If you really go on a date, tell me, how does dating help your grades at all?"

"Call it off, there's really nothing to it. How about I let you play my account with a hundred skins?"

Jiang Nian's eyelids lifted slightly, as if somewhat tempted.

"It's not that I can't, but... they're two people."

Li Hua's eyes instantly went blank, and he stared at Jiang Nian for a while.

"How many?"

"Two."

"Two! His mother, two!!" Li Hua was dazed for a moment. "No!! Bro! Getting two at once—isn't that a bit too ahead of your time? Where's your sense of propriety, righteousness, honesty, and shame?"

"Is it Lin Dong's group—Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe?"

"Yeah."

"No, Nian, you're serious?" Li Hua was about to pass out. He leaned in, grabbed his collar, and said, "You can't!! You can't be that much of a beast!"

"Lin Dong's group only has two girls—if he found out, wouldn't he jump?"

"His mother, I might as well quit school too. Pack up my stuff, ship off, ship off, and jump right along with Lin Dong. Bro, his mother, are you a succubus or what!"

"What's the rush?" Jiang Nian was amused, smoothing out the test paper on the desk.

"I'm not rushing, I want to die—what kind of life is this even worth living?" Li Hua rubbed his face. "Buddy, just go date someone, I really can't take your kind anymore."

"Gao San, what dating?" Jiang Nian took out a sky-blue notebook.

"Oh my god, his mother... just go date someone properly, you took all the points in the exam, how are the rest of us supposed to get into Wuhan University!" Li Hua grabbed Jiang Nian's collar and shook him wildly.

Jiang Nian couldn't take it. "Stop, stop, stop, I'm just messing with you, there's no date."

"What's going on then?" Li Hua let go of him.

"Those two are going out to have fun. They helped me out with a small favor before, and I happened to have a ticket." Jiang Nian spoke vaguely. "They did invite me, but I figured I'd make up my math."

Hearing this, Li Hua turned even redder.

"Eat shit, eat shit, eat shit!!!"

"Hey hey, how come you're still—" Jiang Nian looked up and saw Zhang Ningzhi arrive, so he stopped teasing Li Hua. Baby Zhizhi was still more fun to play with.

His gaze followed Zhang Ningzhi the whole way. The little girl noticed the moment she walked in. She immediately felt a little embarrassed and lowered her head, passing across the front of the podium back to her seat.

"Why so late?" Jiang Nian propped his head up and asked.

Zhang Ningzhi had just sat down and hadn't even hung her schoolbag on the back of her chair. Hearing his question, she instinctively turned her head. She had just been about to say she slept in, but the words caught in her throat.

For some reason, she instinctively swallowed.

"Slept in."

After saying that, her heart started pounding wildly and she lowered her head. Her hand rested on her schoolbag, her eyes slightly widened, and as she recalled the scene she had just seen, she couldn't help feeling her face grow hot.

They were so close.

So close.

It seemed like it used to be like this before, but today... it seemed even more special.

Morning reading.

Jiang Nian was especially sleepy. After standing for five minutes and yawning, he lay down to catch up on sleep. Figuring Qian Bao probably wouldn't have any objections either, he simply slept big and slept hard.

The autumn morning light was faint, filtering in little by little through the window.

Qian Bao, phone in hand, sauntered in through the classroom door.

Standing at the podium, she spotted Jiang Nian sprawled asleep at his seat in one glance, and instantly got angry.

Too lawless!

After thinking it over, she walked out of the classroom, then had the English class rep by the door go call Jiang Nian out. The moment she thought of yesterday's incident, Qian Bao got even angrier.

A tiger not showing its might—you think I'm a sick cat!

About to be bullied to death by a student—today I must strike hard! Grab a troublemaker and criticize them severely!