Chapter 184: Fu Su and Hu Hai at the Same Table—Both Win

"What's all this noise about!"

"If you wanna fight, take it outside—go home and reflect!"

Old Liu roared, turned around, and caught the two green onions who had instantly sat down.

"Jiang Nian, Li Hua, why did you both stand up?"

"Sleepy, Teacher," Jiang Nian replied without thinking.

Li Hua offered no innovation, his mind shut down.

"I'm sleepy too."

One minute later, Sun Zhicheng and Yang Qiming were sent to the office for a second review.

Jiang Nian and Li Hua stood at the back of the classroom with their books, each assigned to a corner, facing each other across half the class—now completely wide awake.

Zhang Ningzhi turned to look at Jiang Nian; seeing his gaze meet hers, she subtly pressed her lips together.

At the podium, Old Liu leaned on the desk and scanned the entire class.

"Ah, put down what you're doing for a moment. Ah, I have a few things to say. First, class discipline—no fighting allowed."

"If this happens again, we'll call your parents and send you home for a week of reflection."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian in the corner raised his head to look at Li Hua. Just then, Li Hua also looked at him with perfect understanding; the two exchanged a knowing smile.

A fake fight, both getting a week off.

It's like Fu Su and Hu Hai sitting at the same table—both win!

"Second thing: the parent-teacher meeting is scheduled for Sunday afternoon this weekend. Go home and find out your parents' intentions, then report the number to Cai Xiaoqing."

"Ah, no need to register names—just give me an approximate count."

After saying that, Old Liu didn't dawdle and left directly.

As soon as Old Liu left, Jiang Nian and Li Hua strode back to their seats with the confident gait of men who didn't recognize their own relatives. The announcement of the parent-teacher meeting had turned the class into a buzz.

"What kind of parent-teacher meeting uses up our weekend?"

"Damn it, we still have to make up classes in the morning."

As soon as Li Hua sat down, Ma Guojun sidled over, winking and grinning lewdly.

"Hey hey, Li Hua, will your dad come to the parent-teacher meeting this weekend?"

Jiang Nian leaned over and stuck his head in.

"His dad won't come—he's busy this weekend."

Li Hua stared at him in shock, turning his head.

"How do you know my dad—"

Mid-sentence, Li Hua fell silent. Suddenly, Ma Guojun and Jiang Nian burst into laughter, instantly flushing the poor kid's face red.

"Red stone! Red stone! Red stone!!"

"Holy shit, you're really a piece of work!"

Ma Guojun laughed heartily, riding the noise of the class, casually checking the situation around him, and finally turning to Jiang Nian.

"Jiang Nian, will your parents come?"

Li Hua's eyes lit up, ready to replicate someone else's sneaky move.

"His dad won't come."

Jiang Nian nodded, utterly unconcerned.

"What's the point of a parent-teacher meeting? If the homeroom teacher has something to say, she can just tell me directly."

After saying that, he seemed to remember something and turned his head to look at Zhang Ningzhi.

"Will your parents come?"

"Mm-hmm, both will," Zhang Ningzhi nodded.

"Good, since my seat and Li Hua's are both empty," Jiang Nian said, "you can let your parents sit there—it's less crowded."

"Oh, okay," Zhang Ningzhi said, curious now. "Are your parents really busy?"

"Something like that," Jiang Nian replied, unwilling to mention his past in front of Li Hua and Ma Guojun, so he changed his phrasing.

"They're working hard to save up my bride price, so I can't disturb them."

"Huh?" Zhang Ningzhi was baffled.

Li Hua laughed. "Nian, how much bride price are your parents planning to save for you?"

"Hard to say—it depends on future market prices," Jiang Nian cracked his timeless bride price joke. "Whatever they ask for, they'll get it—just don't hurt the GDP of Zhennan."

Logically, the Gao San parent-teacher meeting should have been scheduled after the six-city joint exam at the end of this month. But next month, December, has a coming-of-age ceremony.

If scheduled too tightly, parents would complain.

In the end, this place is just too poor.

Generally, schools don't interfere with parents' regular work. Everyone's a bride-price kid—if you can't even afford to support your family, education becomes a luxury.

Jiang Nian chuckled for a while, then glanced at the class monitor and asked on a whim.

"Monitor, will your parents attend the parent-teacher meeting?"

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

"They won't come."

Hearing this, Li Hua turned to look at Li Qingrong, opening his mouth but holding back.

He turned again and saw Ma Guojun grinning too—he'd clearly heard.

After school, Jiang Nian was heading out with his backpack.

The hallway was crowded; he was bumped from behind by Yu Zhiyi, who instinctively shielded her chest. Neither paid it much mind—they exchanged a glance and walked on.

It went something like: Yu: "Sorry," Jiang (dead fish eyes): "Unimpressed."

If someone else had acted like that, Yu Zhiyi would've felt awkward. But since it was Jiang Nian, she didn't care.

On one hand, she knew him well—they'd crossed paths before.

On the other hand, he was just that kind of guy—super cruel, hard to get along with, so there was no point taking it to heart.

Jiang Nian was cruel to everyone except those close to him.

So Yu Zhiyi had the laissez-faire thought: if they collide, so be it—after all, he's not a good person anyway.

Lin Dong hurried downstairs, grabbed Sun Zhicheng's phone, and headed for the dorm.

Today was the day to prove himself—he'd never missed a chance to squeeze out extra cash. He'd taken on every kind of phone gig: won and ended up with hot models at the club, lost and ended up doing manual labor.

He blended into the crowd heading back to the dorms, head down, walking forward.

Suddenly, someone called out from behind.

"Dong Ge."

Ever since Jiang Nian recommended that movie "Don't Turn Around at Midnight," damn, even in broad daylight with people around, he dared not turn his head at night.

Lin Dong turned and saw Hu Nianzhong.

"What's up?"

Hu Nianzhong was shy—he'd been unable to calm down since Tong Jie had approached him today. He'd spent the entire evening self-study lost in thought.

Whether it was the two hundred yuan he'd transferred immediately upon meeting, or the eight hundred yuan for running shoes he'd agreed to without hesitation, both had shaken him deeply.

A thousand yuan total—someone his age could spend it without blinking.

What did that prove? That his disposable assets couldn't be less than ten thousand. Ten thousand was an astronomical sum—frugal enough to cover a year's tuition and living expenses.

Beyond shock, he felt deeply that the world was unfair.

He was an observant and thoughtful person, so he didn't just envy. After an entire evening of reflection, he decided to pursue both studying and earning money.

With a thousand yuan as startup capital, what could he do?

After considering every possibility, he thought of Lin Dong. If you asked who in Class Three's male dorm played the internet best, the first name that came to mind was definitely Lin Dong.

"Dong Ge, I want to make money."

Hearing this, Lin Dong froze.

"Ah Zhong, don't joke."

"I'm serious, Dong Ge, help me," Hu Nianzhong said, head down. "I'm fine academically—I just want to earn some pocket money."

"Wait, how are those two things connected?" Lin Dong kept walking.

Hu Nianzhong fell in step beside him and added casually.

"Bro, I won't let you work for free—I'll split half my earnings with you."

"We're brothers, man—I'd never take your money," Lin Dong pushed back first. "I really don't have any way to make money. You're overthinking this."

Seeing money wouldn't sway him, Hu Nianzhong switched to emotional appeal.

"Dong Ge, you know me—my mom works in Zhennan. Even when she has time, she won't come to parent-teacher meetings. She's afraid her age will embarrass me in front of classmates."

"I'm not thinking about repaying her later—I'm not that far ahead. But it's getting cold, and I want to buy her some clothes."

"Damn it, you bastard!" Lin Dong gave up, glancing at him with exasperation. "You're really something—why'd you suddenly pull moral blackmail?"

Hu Nianzhong chuckled. "Thanks, Dong Ge."

"Don't rush—I actually have a lead, but it's risky," Lin Dong lowered his voice. "Needs startup capital. Might lose money."

Hu Nianzhong thought of Tong Jie and decided: if I lose, I lose.

"It's fine—I trust you, Dong Ge."

"Alright, don't tell anyone," Lin Dong said. "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, Jiang Nian knows. If anyone else finds out, we're done."

"Okay." Hu Nianzhong was confused—did something weird just float past? "Jiang Nian? He's involved too?"

"Oh, he's not involved," Lin Dong shrugged. "But he transferred me five hundred—told me to invest it too."

"Five hundred?"

"Yeah, that bastard's putting pressure on me," Lin Dong sighed. "I'd go all-in alone, but with his money added, I'm nervous."

At this, he looked at Hu Nianzhong, thought for a moment, and said.

"I'll throw in five hundred for you too."

Upstream of the pressure chain.

Jiang Nian strolled home leisurely, holding the empty drink bottle Xu Qianqian had finished. He turned to her and said.

"Do you believe I can toss this bottle into that trash can over there?"

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian measured the distance between them.

"No."

Under the streetlamp, Jiang Nian didn't even glance—he just tossed it casually. 【Precise】 Instantly activated—the bottle, as if guided by eyes, clanged cleanly into the bin.

"What did I say?"

His lips curled into a smug grin, exuding the aura of a Dragon King.

"Keep calling me, Xu Qianqian."

Xu Qianqian's mouth formed an O. She looked from Jiang Nian to the trash can.

"Next time I'll take you to Zhennan Square to play ring toss—I've been eyeing those plush toys for ages."

He spoke without thought; she heard with intent.

Jiang Nian's eyes lit up. He grew serious.

"How about tomorrow afternoon? Tell me what you want—I'll win it for you."

Xu Qianqian froze. "Tomorrow afternoon's only an hour—how can you win anything?"

"There's only one hour tomorrow afternoon—how are we supposed to run a scam?"

"Ride the e-bike, it only takes half an hour round trip." Jiang Nian said with a perfectly sure expression. "I can go alone too, and deliver the big plush toy to your classroom."

"Drop dead!" The mere thought of that scene made Xu Qianqian's face flush bright red. "Don't do this kind of embarrassing stuff on purpose, or I'll punch you to death!"

"So are you going or not?" Jiang Nian said.

"Fine, I'll go."