Chapter 168: Worth It, Take a Step Back, Haijiao Community

Before evening self-study ended, the class representative suddenly stood up and walked to the podium.

"Group leaders, collect all the comprehensive science answer sheets."

As soon as she spoke, scattered complaints rose through the classroom.

"Answer sheets, answer sheets, hand them in." Li Hua went row by row, extending his hand. "Answer sheets, answer sheets—home delivery for answer sheets."

Jiang Nian reached into his desk compartment and suddenly realized something.

The class monitor's comprehensive science answer sheet was in his possession—technically, she'd given it to him. Now that they had to be submitted for inspection, shouldn't he return it to her?

The answer was obvious: the guy downstairs had developed possessive feelings.

This isn't a pair of stockings.

Before he could pull out the answer sheet and gushily return it to the class monitor behind him, Tao Ran suddenly descended from the podium and headed straight for their group.

Tao Ran took six answer sheets from Li Hua, then turned to Li Qingrong.

"Monitor, why do you only have five?"

Jiang Nian froze—holy shit, dude, are you that fast?

The Flash could be remade locally now.

Oh my god, do you want Ezra Miller to lose his job? Li Zhi, what am I supposed to do with Li Zhi?

He was about to yank it out and pretend he'd borrowed Li Qingrong's comprehensive science answer sheet—after all, they were front-and-back seats; borrowing answer sheets was normal, right?

Then he heard Li Qingrong say:

"I took it home."

Jiang Nian froze—the answer sheet halfway out, he silently shoved it back. Was he really going to pull out the monitor's stockings—no, answer sheet—right now and get slapped in the face?

Nie Qiqi from their group would go insane!

Sure, a mere stalker wasn't worth fearing, but Class Three was a harmonious, loving family. For the monitor's sake, he'd let the timid smiling tiger off the hook.

Nie Qiqi, remember—I'm not the one letting you off.

Jiang Nian pulled back.

Tao Ran, a mere Minister of Rites, was utterly incapable of challenging the authority of the Son of Heaven, Li Qingrong. He'd asked one extra question; since he got no answer, he could only drop it.

Enough, enough—on my account, let it go. Take a step back, Haijiao Community.

Look at other people's chaotic lives.

After Tao Ran left, Jiang Nian turned to glance at the class monitor.

The lights were bright. Li Qingrong glanced at him, then looked down at the test paper on her desk, her expression hesitant—this chemistry paper had to be reviewed tomorrow.

Jiang Nian saw her pick up the chemistry test and hand it to him—his scalp prickled.

No way, dude, I'm not a collector.

She must be genuinely generous—giving him her unfinished paper to copy? He already felt suffocating warmth; honestly, copying a bit wouldn't hurt.

"No, no," he waved his hand—not out of politeness, but genuine refusal.

A few minutes passed, nearing the end of evening self-study.

The classroom was chaotic; Li Hua seized the moment to pat Jiang Nian and pull him over.

"I noticed something strange."

"What?"

"Look at that idiot's scores—weekly test and joint exam don't match at all." Li Hua slipped in the coded term—only those in the know knew who "that idiot" was.

"Let me see—where?" Jiang Nian leaned in.

Li Hua hadn't done a single homework assignment all night; all three evening self-study sessions were spent staring at the score sheets. He was obsessed, pulling out every weekly test and last month's diagnostic exam record.

Among the sixty-plus students, he was investigating each one.

He'd already flagged several abnormal cases—scores either skyrocketing or crashing. Yu Tongjie was squarely in his radar, highly suspicious.

Jiang Nian glanced and immediately spotted the anomaly.

Yu Tongjie's English score was way higher than usual; stranger still, his chemistry score had jumped to over eighty, yet his biology score hovered just above passing.

Biology and chemistry are usually linked. Meanwhile, Yu Tongjie's chemistry scores in weekly tests a month before the joint exam had barely scraped past passing.

Best case, mid-seventies; worst case, low sixties.

His overall comprehensive science score hovered around 170–180, so these extra twenty points were deeply suspicious—plus, math 125, English 125.

At a glance, nothing seemed off—but when cross-referenced with weekly scores, anomalies emerged.

Math and English showed slight improvement, but the changes were subtle, mostly overshadowed by Chinese and physics.

One: 91. The other: failed.

Li Hua sensed something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint it; after struggling for a while, he muttered:

"Probably cheated by peeking at someone else's paper."

Jiang Nian said nothing. After confirming the surroundings were safe, he pulled out his phone.

Luckily, the timeline wasn't far—Le Zhi habitually used VIP, so chat logs were all stored in the cloud. He scrolled up, locking onto one person in the group chat.

The tone of speech, the profile picture, the username style—all matched the small account of a certain dead man.

He couldn't confirm yet. Jiang Nian decided to wait. He'd lure him out later, give him a little surprise.

No one spoke. This group was a dark forest.

If that account bit, replied—true if it was Yu Tongjie—Jiang Nian would gain a full month of Jynx intimidation rights. The fun would be immense.

As for Le Zhi—he came from a family with deep, tangled ties in the southern town. After graduation, they'd likely cross paths again; smoothing things over wouldn't hurt.

Ding ding ding!

After evening self-study ended, Jiang Nian and Xu Qianqian stopped at a stall selling Fuding meat slices near the school gate.

"One bowl each?" Xu Qianqian asked.

"Sure."

Jiang Nian paid without thinking. He hadn't spent much money lately. A Gao Zhongsheng didn't really have anywhere to spend it, and saving it up meant he'd never quite run out.

Just right—Xu Qianqian had worried herself sick over his math.

Using that as an excuse, he treated her to a late-night snack.

The two of them sat down, on bright red plastic stools, at a slightly greasy folding table, with a water bottle cut down into a chopstick holder on top.

In the distance, Gao San students heading home after school, under the swaying yellow streetlamps.

"Xu Qianqian, won't you get fat eating like that?" Jiang Nian casually picked up two pairs of disposable chopsticks and opened his mouth straight on her sore spot.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Xu Qianqian gritted her teeth.

That guy was absolutely doing it on purpose—always poking at the one pot that wasn't boiling.

"Are you getting worked up? I was just saying." Jiang Nian took out his phone, unlocked it, glanced down at the group chat—still no one talking.

"Beautiful girls never get fat." Xu Qianqian started making her silly wish again, pressing the chopsticks together in her palms, muttering an incantation at the night sky.

"No fat, no fat—let the curse of gaining weight transfer to Jiang Nian, turn him into a big fat pig."

Hearing that, Jiang Nian burst out laughing.

"Why are you so childish?"

"What do you know? A beautiful girl's business—you'd best stay out of it." Xu Qianqian flipped her ponytail, huffing and humming. "Your grades are all out, right?"

"Mm." Jiang Nian put his phone away.

The phone's eye-care screensaver was, after all, not as easy on the eyes as looking at Xu Qianqian.

"How many points in math?" Xu Qianqian asked, then said slyly, "Did you break one-twenty? If you did, you still owe me a late-night snack."

Also, not finished yet