Chapter 169: The Road Is So Clean—Might As Well Take a Nap Right in the Middle

Under the soft glow of the streetlamps.

A small late-night snack stall was tucked behind the owner's three-wheeled cart.

Jiang Nian watched Xu Qianqian's lively expression and thought that her oval face was really pretty. When she smiled, there was a faint little dimple at the corner of her mouth.

"Sure, I got 124 in math. What do you want to eat tomorrow? Order whatever you like." Jiang Nian tore open the disposable bamboo chopsticks wrapper and rolled them back and forth a few times.

"I've got nothing else—I'm so poor all I have left is money."

If he could, he'd treat her to late-night snacks for a lifetime, he thought.

But our country doesn't encourage puppy love, so let's compromise—I'll treat you to one quilt first.

Say something, baby—do you like big quilts or not!

"Who wants your money?" Xu Qianqian looked up, her long, elegant eyes as if set with a piece of amber, brimming with confidence. "I'll earn it myself in the future."

"Yeah, you're amazing." Jiang Nian knew she'd actually be even richer later on.

"124 is so-so, but it is a bit of progress." Xu Qianqian analyzed. "A hundred and twenty is already the tier for a solid foundation."

"Tier? You didn't go and sort people into grades by score, did you?" Jiang Nian raised a doubt.

"Huh? How could that possibly be, you're overthinking." Xu Qianqian tried to play cute and muddle through, her gaze drifting. "How could you have such an absurd idea?"

Jiang Nian didn't dare imagine how this girl used to see him.

Yo yo yo, the four-hundred-something-point trash is talking now?

You occasionally eat pig feed too, right?

When no one's looking, you sometimes walk on all fours too, right?

Way too vicious, damn!

When a top student talks it really does cut deep, but getting past 120 did mean clearing a threshold that wasn't easy to get past, and the breath he'd been holding finally smoothed out.

Putting everything else aside, at least he'd reached an excellent level.

"Handsome, your Fuding meat slices are ready."

The owner came over carrying a serving board, on which sat two bowls of Fuding meat slices sprinkled with chopped scallions.

"The chili's over here, and there's cilantro and diced radish too."

"Got it."

Jiang Nian noticed Xu Qianqian didn't open her chopsticks right away, but instead lined up the diced radish and chili from the little disposable box one by one, and couldn't help being curious.

"What are you doing?"

"It's that obvious and you still can't tell?" Xu Qianqian put on a cutely fierce expression. "This is the execution ground—about to be beheaded by me."

Jiang Nian was dumbfounded. What the hell kind of beheading is that.

But what he was glad about was that Xu Qianqian's tastes matched his—they both ate cilantro, chili, and diced radish.

The upside was that when they shared meals they didn't need to waste words, and when eating they didn't need to specially separate things out.

Gently tell the owner she doesn't eat cilantro.

Just one line—"Add everything, extra."

What? There isn't any!

No cilantro and you still set up a snack stall? Outrageous! No way, whatever you've got, add it all! We can't be the ones losing out, even the dirt on the roadside is fine—everything goes in!

Oh right, boss, give me two puffs of your coal gas.

"Split it half and half, don't sneak the cilantro." Jiang Nian was occasionally pretty normal too, like after a big exam. "You know what I scored? 590."

"Jiang Nian, then do you want to know my total score?" Xu Qianqian's eyes were full of anticipation.

"Not really." Jiang Nian was speechless.

"I can reveal the first two digits, no need to get worked up." Xu Qianqian's lips curved up, she gestured a six with her hand, then paused.

Alright, Jiang Nian got it.

Xu Qianqian had never been able to gesture seven—once she got past five fingers, she only knew six, eight, and nine. That wise little gaze, thinking hard like a silly goose.

"Jiang Nian, do you know what number's between six and eight?"

"It's the wash-cut-blow of 698."

Xu Qianqian knew Jiang Nian was jealous of her grades, so she enjoyed the late-night snack even more and blew on a spoonful of soup.

"It's fine, having a low score is kind of cute too."

"Eat shit!" Jiang Nian couldn't remember how many times he'd heard that line, and instantly felt his pride couldn't take it. "Next time I'll hit six hundred—just ten points off."

The road is so clean, I really want to lie down in the middle of it and take a nap.

"Mm-hm, then let's do it again at the next joint exam." Xu Qianqian added chili to her local-style Fuding meat slices, saying offhandedly, "Wait for the six-city joint exam, you'll definitely be able to."

Jiang Nian was about to hit redline—if she kept talking he'd go do a standing long jump off the windowsill.

"You just wait."

"Just take it slow, why put so much pressure on yourself?" Xu Qianqian was a little puzzled. She was holding all the cards, sure, but she hadn't been trying to put him down.

"A man's gotta fight for his dignity, Xu Qianqian." Jiang Nian said calmly.

". Huh?" Xu Qianqian was baffled too.

But a person's spirit really was important, and she didn't want to say anything discouraging to knock Jiang Nian down. If Jiang Nian couldn't get above six hundred, that wouldn't be a good thing either.

Maybe he'd go find another Zhou Yuting.

Forget it, say no more.

Nothing to be done about it.

The next morning, morning reading.

Jiang Nian's face was full of exhaustion—he hadn't slept well last night, fired up with fighting spirit until he got insomnia.

He didn't know why, but as soon as Xu Qianqian was involved, things would get tagged with something like a challenge—he wanted to see what she looked like when she was on the back foot.

The desire to conquer? Not really, not that much.

To get her attention? I should already be super noticeable.

Maybe I just wanted to get closer—that's possible too.

It's not that I stayed up late studying and got mentally drained. Strictly speaking, I planned to scroll through real exam questions on TikTok before bed, but ended up scrolling straight into black stockings.

"Recommended for You"—so damn cruel.

But Lust didn't dominate him for long; he just didn't sleep well. No need to use "Eliminate Fatigue"—save the mental clarity for the afternoon.

Just lie down for a bit—it's fine. Tuesday's Chinese morning reading, a quick nap won't hurt.

"Eliminate Fatigue" has a side effect: yes, you feel alert, but you lose that deep, satisfying feeling of being fully rested. Fine for an afternoon boost, but you still need real sleep normally.

Isn't life all about feeling good? If you've lost that, might as well jump.

Zhang Nenzhi glanced at him three times, wanting to remind him not to sleep. But then she remembered the exam was over—their mutual supervision pact was nullified.

What a pity. I wanted to trick him into making another promise.

What do boys like?

She fell into thought. One morning self-study session passed. Watching a small tuft of hair stick up from Jiang Nian's head, morning sunlight streamed through the window.

Someone's hair, along with that tuft, turned light caramel.

Zhang Nenzhi was startled and couldn't resist brushing her fingertip against that tuft. She pressed lightly—the hair sank under her touch, then stubbornly bounced back.

Then, Jiang Nian woke up.

He stared at Zhang Nenzhi, looking guilty as hell, puzzled: Why does Baby Zhizhi have such a thief's vibe? Did she sneak-draw on me while I was asleep?

Jiang Nian checked his wrist—no pen doodles.

Whatever. After a good sleep, my whole body feels boneless.

The desk's too small, hindering stretching, but he was too lazy to go out into the hallway, so he made an odd move.

"Nian, are you dropping money in that pose?" Li Hua laughed.

Jiang Nian couldn't be bothered talking to him; it's all because of the bad influence. A pure and innocent lotus flower, now almost polluted into a yellowish osmanthus.

"Go die somewhere else. Don't mess with my stretching."

"Hahaha, your stretch is really unique," Li Hua turned around, suddenly feeling the urge to pee. "Wanna go to the restroom? I've got a juicy piece of news."

"Are loofahs on massive sale at the supermarket?"

"Wrong. It's corn." Li Hua stood up. "Pfft, what nonsense—I mean, I found out who's switching classes. There'll be fun to watch."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian froze for a few seconds, then stood up.

"Same here. Let's go."

The bell rang, but the two were still strolling toward the restroom.

Class started, and then?

What I want is the silence of an empty restroom—no one around is perfect for private talk.

Li Hua deliberately positioned himself at opposite ends from Jiang Nian, far apart—as if one were at the South Pole and the other at the North Pole. Jiang Nian found it ridiculous.

"Aren't you a bit short?"

"Nonsense!" Li Hua flushed red. "Men need privacy, don't you get it? If you stare at me, I won't be able to pee."

Jiang Nian thought for a moment. "Pee less."

"Red Stone! Red Stone! Red Stone!!" Li Hua cut the topic short, forcing a change. "You know who's switching in? You've got entertainment coming."

"Who?"

"Yu Zhiyi from the class next door—Wu Jungu's girlfriend." Li Hua raised his eyebrows, but Jiang Nian showed no reaction.

He pulled up his pants and looked at Li Hua with a strange expression.

"Who's the entertainment? Not decided yet."

Li Hua felt guilty under his gaze and pulled up his own pants.

"What's it got to do with me?"

"Ohhh, nothing to do with you," Jiang Nian's lips slowly curled upward, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he asked another question: "So who's the other one?"

Normally, switching just one person would break up the pair. But this time, both were moved—unprecedented. It seems someone's been feeding the algorithm extra fuel.

The one left in this class has it easier—the spotlight fades eventually, and there's home-field advantage. Just stay quiet for a while.

That person left behind should be the favored one. But Old Liu was truly furious—he didn't want to keep either of them. He wanted them both gone.

Even bringing back Yu Zhiyi?

Of course, Jiang Nian knew nothing about her beyond her sensual figure. Even though they both attended Qing Bao's biology enrichment, they'd barely exchanged a few words.

So, no opinion.

"I don't know who the other one is. Heard it's someone promoted from Class One," Li Hua scratched his head.

Didn't even wash hands—total mix-up of big and small heads.

"Red Stone, Hua," Jiang Nian washed his hands, disgusted. "Your intel-gathering skills are worse than the old lady downstairs."

"Who am I supposed to ask at midnight?" Li Hua retorted, then grinned. "Maybe after morning exercise, the new student's already settled in."

After morning exercise ended.

Jiang Nian walked up the stairs in a group, his gaze meeting Yu Zhiyi's outside the classroom. Not close, but familiar—another person who made him want to sin.

Zhou Yuting stood outside the door, desk placed there. Her eyes met Jiang Nian's as he returned from morning exercise, passing over classmates. They locked gazes for five or six seconds.

As their eyes crossed, both lowered their voices simultaneously.

"Asshole!" ("Wang Ba!")

(End of Chapter)