Chapter 155

Jiang Nian saw Li Qingrong's cold expression and wasn't surprised.

He'd just been bored this afternoon, so he came over to look at the pretty girl. He hadn't shown up for the last two exams because math and science were his weak points—he couldn't afford to divert any attention.

Back then he was so nervous he had zero worldly desires.

Now that he had free time, he came over to stroll around.

"Monitor, have you reviewed?" Jiang Nian stuck to his usual opener.

It was a generic icebreaker, no different from asking if you'd eaten.

Last time Li Qingrong nodded, the guy immediately seized the chance to keep talking. After just a few words, he started gushing.

Though a bit oily, it depends on the person. He had no ill intent—just complimenting her—and it wasn't enough to annoy her; he'd finish and leave.

Li Qingrong got emotional value, he got his visual fix—this was a win-win.

But unexpectedly, Li Qingrong glanced at him and shook her head.

"No."

"Oh oh, you haven't reviewed?" Jiang Nian paused for a moment, then said casually, "Monitor, with your grades and foundation, you don't even need to review to score 150."

Most people would switch topics by now.

Jiang Nian was from Class Three—this kind of nerve was part of the class culture.

"Monitor, let me help you review."

People in the exam hall glanced over—damn, never seen such a shameless guy. But who cared—he knew people, calling her "monitor" all the time, it was too absurd.

Tell the homeroom teacher, I'm thinking of switching classes.

Is she really the monitor of Class Three? I thought it was another girl. When did Class Three change monitors? Or are there two monitors now? What a weird thing.

"Monitor, how do you spell 'quality'? And 'stance'?" Jiang Nian was genuinely bored.

Though Li Qingrong's expression remained cold, she didn't ignore him. She spelled out words half-heartedly, treating it like early exposure to essay vocabulary.

Jiang Nian's pleasure wasn't in the interaction—he just needed the monitor to respond.

Even if she scolded him a couple times.

It was super satisfying.

Like a sword vendor who finally got recognition—pure, bone-deep euphoria. He wanted to twist and crawl on the spot, then bounce back joyfully to the exam hall and take the test sitting on the invigilator's head.

After chatting for five or six minutes, Jiang Nian was thoroughly satisfied.

He glanced at the clock above the podium, estimating the invigilator would arrive soon. He got ready to stand up—after all, you needed time to adjust before the exam.

Suddenly, Li Qingrong poked Jiang Nian.

"Hm?" Jiang Nian froze mid-rise and turned. "Monitor, what is it?"

Was he about to get scolded? So exciting—no, so nervous.

The autumn afternoon's two-thirty sun was blinding, golden light pouring in from the windowsill.

Li Qingrong's temple was bathed in the afternoon light. She looked at him coolly, brushed the strand of hair falling by her ear behind it, and said seriously.

"Do I smell?"

Hearing this, Jiang Nian froze, swallowing saliva quietly.

The pervert rejoiced.

The dusk filled the thirty-person exam hall; the invigilator rose from his chair.

"Alright, everyone, pay attention."

"Uh, there are five minutes left until the exam ends. Students who haven't filled in the answer sheets, hurry up. When the exam ends, everyone must stop answering."

Jiang Nian had already finished writing and checked his name and student ID.

He propped his hands on the desk and began recalling how fragrant the monitor had smelled beside him in the neighboring exam hall before the test—he was done for, he was falling in love.

Oh right, he was from Zhennan.

Then it was fine.

380,000 yuan bride price—punch your love-struck brain to pieces.

Back to reality, Jiang Nian turned his attention to another matter. Something even smaller than getting slightly closer to the monitor before the exam.

Are we off after the exam?

Ding ding ding, Jiang Nian grabbed his exam stationery bag and headed out.

Since this was the final exam, and he wanted to know if they were off tonight, he actually acted human and stood outside the neighboring exam hall waiting for Li Qingrong.

After she appeared, the two walked down the stairs side by side.

"Monitor, are we having self-study tonight?"

Li Qingrong thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't know."

Jiang Nian wasn't discouraged—he figured Li Qingrong didn't participate in class affairs, so not knowing was normal.

Hmm, it sounded odd, but in Class Three it made sense. After all, the homeroom teacher had a touch of eccentricity—his ability to progress was unprecedented.

It had its pros and cons.

The benefit was giving students in the class enormous freedom to grow. The downside was that without guidance, they might veer off into some strange direction.

Usually, this wouldn't happen.

"Monitor, was your skin this pale when you were little?"

"No," Li Qingrong shook her head. "When I was little—"

"Oh oh, so you didn't go to school in Zhennan as a kid? Where then?" Jiang Nian asked casually. "By the sea? I'm jealous."

"Zhennan only has mountains, and dogs that are vividly alive inside them."

Yu Tongjie was lost in the crowd, carried down the stairs by the flow around him. He watched the two ahead—half a staircase in front—and felt a pang of envy.

Jiang Nian really has a thick skin, chatting nonstop the whole way. The police didn't even ask that many questions — is he doing a household registration check?

Yu Tongjie, in a foul mood, stalked them all the way back to the Gao San building, only to hear Jiang Nian still chatting with Li Qingrong about first-grade elementary school stories.

His Dao heart cracked a little — how the hell can this guy talk so much.

Can you shut up.

Jiang Nian seemed to hear his thoughts, turned his head, and spotted Yu Tongjie.

"Oh? Isn't this Jie-jie classmate?"

Hearing this, Li Qingrong also stopped in her tracks.

Yu Tongjie cursed inwardly, thinking that so-called "Jie classmate" couldn't possibly have been anything nice just now.

"Mm."

He didn't know what to say for a moment, and the two of them had no intention of chatting with him at all. They just exchanged a glance, and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

Back in the classroom, Jiang Nian and Li Qingrong were each surrounded by people.

"Jiang Nian, lend me your test paper."

"Class monitor, oink oink oink, lend me your test paper." Nie Qiqi's voice was too easy to recognize — cutesy and delicate — and what always followed was—

"Stop having a fit in the classroom, or I'll twist your head right off!" Cai Xiaoqing's voice rang out.

The exam was over, desks and books had to be put back in place.

Zhang Ningzhi was clearly in a good mood, smiling as she entered the classroom. The moment she came in, her gaze instinctively searched for Jiang Nian, only to find him discussing the test paper with Chen Yunyun.

She immediately puffed up with anger, turned around, and walked to her seat to put down her stationery.

Yao Bei Bei caught Li Hua and asked him to help carry the books back.

"Thank you, you're a good person."

"Shit shit shit!" Li Hua dodged backward, instantly flustered. "You're the good person! Besides, are you even in my group? Just ordering me around!"

"What about it? The capable do more."

Jiang Nian had already come back and asked what was going on.

Who would have thought Yao Bei Bei would immediately switch targets, face full of starry eyes as she looked at Jiang Nian and asked.

"Hey, Jiang Nian, are you strong?"

"Not bad, I can punch six Li Huas to death in one go." Jiang Nian casually borrowed Wang Yuhe's unit of measurement, with no intention of paying royalties.

Li Hua: "Are you two insane? Can you die a little farther away."

"Then help me carry the books?" Yao Bei Bei said.

"That won't work, you're too yellow." Jiang Nian refused with a straight face. "A fortune teller told me my eight characters clash with anyone surnamed Huang, so sorry about that."

"I'm not surnamed Huang!" Yao Bei Bei was furious.

She'd been reviewing nonstop lately, and on top of that she'd been moved to a seat near the water dispenser. Ten thousand miles away from Jiang Nian's group, the frequency of her looking for Zhang Ningzhi had dropped.

But when Sister Beibei strikes, it's always crude and dirty.

Last time Jiang Nian came back from the bathroom, he happened to hear Yao Bei Bei dragging some girl along telling dirty jokes. Something about how the hardest sequence was the geometric one — "same as my ratio" and the like.

The girl didn't get it at first, but Jiang Nian did. He pretended not to hear and left. A moment later he heard the girl shriek, and from far away saw her face turn beet red.

This woman looks alright, but talks way too crude — the Yellow-Clothes King.

"Then where's Huang Fang from your group?" Yao Bei Bei refused to give up.

"That's Li Hua too, he's fated with you Huang-surnamed folks." Jiang Nian finished speaking and walked off, heading to the corridor to carry books, where he spotted Zhang Ningzhi from afar.

She was struggling to drag a book basket, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Jiang Nian stood beside her grinning, not offering to help right away.

"Didn't expect you to be so strong."

"Yeah." Zhang Ningzhi was put on the spot, unwilling to lose face. She straightened up and said, "Actually I'm stronger than our group leader, the group leader's no good."

Good good good, attacking Li Hua again.

Likes her even more now.

"Even though you're impressive, let me carry it for you. You go grab the books on the desk." Jiang Nian reached out, picked up her book basket, and walked steadily toward the classroom.

The classroom was in chaos, everyone bustling in and out carrying books.

When Jiang Nian was making his second trip carrying books, he saw Li Qingrong effortlessly lifting a book basket. In stark contrast, Li Hua beside her was letting out a weakling's roar.

The seats weren't fully restored yet when Old Liu came over.

He called for quiet and only said two things.

"No evening study session today. Tomorrow morning's study session goes as usual. Boarders! Listen up — boarders are not allowed to stay out overnight. The grade-level team will do dorm checks tonight."

"Cai Xiaoqing, come with me for a moment to get the boarders' phones."

The classroom went quiet for an instant, then erupted into heartfelt cheers.

"Oh!! Wooo!! Holiday!!"

"Holy shit, I'm going home to sleep!! That exam wrecked me!"

"I'm gaming all night! What time is it now, damn, my power bank's not charged! Dong-ge, do you have a power bank?!"

"Like hell I do, go to the internet cafe."

The classroom's cheers rolled like a tidal wave, every face breaking into a heartfelt smile. No other reason — they'd been under intense mental strain these past two days, utterly exhausted.

Tomorrow was Monday, the nightmare loop begins again.

After the weekend mega-exam, no evening study session — it was as thoughtful as a pillow handed to the sleepy, or a green tea handed to the lonely.

A breath of fresh wind sweeping through Gao San, a chance to catch their breath.

"Old Liu! Old Liu!!"

Someone in the classroom shouted Old Liu's name at the top of their lungs, and Old Liu on the podium also broke into a smile. In that brief moment of ease, both teachers and students found an inexplicable sense of healing.

It wasn't until Jiang Nian, pitching his voice, suddenly shouted out.

"Aluba!"

The whole mood instantly changed, and no one knew who had started shouting along.

Jiang Nian saw Ma Guojun charging forward like a wild boar ahead, while Li Hua was running so fast he was nearly a blur, like a stray dog.

When it came to the rebellious streak at the back of their heads, Class Three was definitely in the top three.