Chapter 188: You Don't Even Know Me, and You Still Dare Act This Cocky?

Zhang Ningzhi took the day off, and the three afternoon classes felt dull and tedious.

Jiang Nian helped her copy notes while sneaking peeks at Li Hua reading manga.

In class, the chemistry teacher was going over problems; in the manga, A-Shuai was heading back to his grandma's house in the countryside.

"This problem here."

Li Hua listened to the teacher's voice, drowsy.

His hand stayed on the piranha page, wanting to turn it but unable to, his eyelids fighting a losing battle.

Suddenly, a voice came from beside him.

"Turn it."

Li Hua jolted, thinking the chemistry teacher was standing right next to him, and snapped awake instantly.

The moment he opened his eyes, his heart was pounding.

He jerked his head up only to find the chemistry teacher still standing at the blackboard. After a brief blank, he turned to look at his deskmate beside him.

Jiang Nian lowered his voice.

"Turn the page, what are you looking at me for? Is there manga on my face?"

Li Hua immediately felt it was absurd. Jiang Nian really was no good.

Slacking off and somehow feeling pressured doing it—what's the difference between this and calling the boss out to set up his stall!

"I'm not turning it!"

Just then, the chemistry teacher had just copied the problem onto the blackboard, swept his gaze across the class and asked.

"Who's done the fourth sub-question?"

Jiang Nian glanced at Li Hua, smiled without a word, and shot his hand up.

"Teacher!"

Li Hua got a fright and blurted out a "WTF."

"Dude, you're serious?"

The chemistry teacher turned his gaze to Jiang Nian, and also checked on Li Hua beside him.

Almost instantly, cold sweat broke out all over Li Hua on the spot. He lowered his voice and said.

"Shit, I'll turn it, I'll turn it."

Seeing Li Hua turn the page, Jiang Nian finally pulled his gaze back and pointed at the blackboard.

"Teacher, the solubility is marked wrong."

Hearing that, the chemistry teacher turned and looked at the diagram drawn on the blackboard.

"It really is."

Li Hua: "."

Big fatty Ma Guojun, one aisle over, leaned his head over with a heh-heh grin.

"That bastard really is shameless."

To this, Li Hua expressed his deep agreement.

With Zhang Ningzhi gone, the guy had nothing to do. All his show-off skills had nowhere to be used, so he wandered around causing trouble in class out of boredom.

But what struck him even more was—why did Jiang Nian seem not sleepy at all in the afternoon?

Did he take something?

Viagra or sildenafil? How could he not be sleepy just because he napped at noon?

Outside the window, autumn air was cool; inside the classroom, the atmosphere was dead.

Huang Cailang wasn't sleepy, but right now he was a little panicked.

When he went back to the dorm after lunch at noon, Yang Qiming told him to get ready to move tonight.

And told him to go buy cake together in the afternoon, and to pre-order shrimp dumplings.

At the time, his first reaction was that Brother Yang was done for.

His second reaction was—they couldn't finish it all.

Thinking of this, Huang Cailang was in even more pain than Uchiha Obito.

No! Nooo!

Don't waste food!

Damn, cake and shrimp dumpling kings are so hard to choose between.

Having grown this big, he'd never eaten either.

He'd always thought pork knuckle and steamed pork ribs with rice flour were unbeatable under heaven—who knew this world still had delicacies like shrimp dumpling kings!

Huang Cailang looked past Zhou Yuting toward Yang Qiming, but his view was blocked by a book. Unable to see Cousin Qiming's menu, he felt a little itchy inside.

On one side was guilt, on the other he was ravenously craving.

If left to his own devices, he definitely couldn't bear to buy shrimp dumpling kings. Buying cake was even more impossible—the cafeteria's five-yuan one-meat-two-veg was already the daily treat he looked forward to.

Only by tagging along behind Cousin Qiming could he get to eat some high-end stuff.

Zhou Yuting sat between the two of them, Yang Qiming on her left, Huang Cailang on her right. She listened attentively in class, determined to raise her grades and then ask the head teacher to switch seats.

The two weirdoes beside her did nothing all day but grin like idiots.

Playing co-op dreamland, are they!

She was fuming inside. When she looked up at the blackboard, her gaze drifted off course.

That was the direction of Jiang Nian's group, and she happened to catch a glimpse of his side profile as he looked at the blackboard.

In the moment she lowered her head, Zhou Yuting felt a little dazed.

From before the summer make-up classes started, falling out with Jiang Nian, to later having her spot in the advanced class snatched away.

And the subsequent class upgrade, and being assigned to a class.

Everything felt like a dream, circling back to where it all began.

When the class upgrade happened, she had already prepared herself for eight hundred rounds of battle with Jiang Nian.

But after a few days, she realized Jiang Nian seemed uninterested. After exchanging a single insult upon their first meeting, he simply ignored her as if she didn't exist.

Especially when Zhou Yuting discovered Jiang Nian's score was far higher than hers, this neglect turned into contempt.

She shook her head and reaffirmed her resolve.

Next time, in the six-city joint exam, I'll surpass Jiang Nian first.

As afternoon dismissal neared.

Jiang Nian neatly organized his three classroom notebooks, bent down, and slowly slipped them back into Zhang Ningzhi's book basket. His movements were skilled—clearly he'd done this many times before.

He had no idea Zhou Yuting had vowed to surpass him, and he didn't care.

Zhou Yuting was just a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon—let her get close to the 590-point line first. Just reaching Li Hua's cutoff would keep her striving until Gao Liu.

Seeing no movement inside or outside the classroom, he pulled out his phone and checked it.

At 4 p. m., he asked: "Feeling better?"

The reply came: "Much better, almost fully recovered."

Then he saw Zhang Ningzhi had sent a new message—likely having woken up from her afternoon nap—she'd even taken a photo of her room and sent it to Jiang Nian with some interest.

The lighting was dim and blurry, but a faint outline of a leg could be seen on the bed.

Jiang Nian replied: "Leg photo?"

Three seconds later, Zhang Ningzhi's message popped up.

"(tapping) No way! That's pants!"

Probably realizing the ambiguity in her words, she didn't give Jiang Nian a chance to respond and added another line.

"I'm wearing pajama pants—the long, icy-silk kind."

Jiang Nian: "I didn't ask."

Zhang Ningzhi: "(angry) (angry) I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Jiang Nian genuinely envied it—in this rainy weather, sleeping with a quilt clinging coolly to your skin, that feeling.

Damn, I kinda want to take a day off.

He glanced at the clock—five minutes left until dismissal—then sent another message to Zhang Ningzhi.

"Will you come tonight?"

In a room in Nanjiang Bay Community, curtains drawn, lights off.

Zhang Ningzhi curled up on her bed, staring at the message that had popped up, her lips unconsciously lifting.

Just as she was thinking how to reply, five seconds of inactivity dimmed the screen.

She caught sight of her own smiling reflection in the phone's display.

Worried he'd see it and tease her, she quickly pressed her lips together, flattening the corners.

"I don't know. Do you want me to come?"

The message vanished into Shi Chendahai.

Zhang Ningzhi scrutinized her sent message word by word, as strictly as if it were going to be published tomorrow.

She scanned it once more, her fingertip pressing against the latest message.

A soft buzz, and several options popped up—including "recall."

She hesitated. Recalling it now felt like trying to cover up something obvious. But the words themselves were like a wild, overgrown riverbank—bold yet mournful.

The chat interface fell silent for about a minute, then a ten-second voice message popped up.

Zhang Ningzhi's eyes widened; sudden, overwhelming shame surged through her. Her cheeks warmed in two seconds, and she rolled from left to right on the bed, burying her face.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… nearly half a minute passed before she cautiously lifted her head from under the quilt.

She delicately tapped open the voice message, holding her breath.

Strangely, Jiang Nian didn't speak. At first, only chaotic classroom noise—likely the afternoon self-study session nearing dismissal.

Then the sounds gradually cleared; the classroom seemed to have grown quiet.

What emerged was the voice of the class monitor, Tao Ran.

"Uh… tonight's first evening self-study will be a physics quiz. Our class's evening self-study period plus the ten-minute break will be pushed back."

"Also, biology will hand out one test paper today, math two, English two, chemistry two, Chinese two—all due at tonight's Sunday evening self-study this weekend."

The voice ended. Zhang Ningzhi turned pale.

Oh my god, I have to go.

At afternoon dismissal, rain still drifted from the sky.

Huang Cailang, burdened with worries, followed Yang Qiming out of the school gate. The rain was light—no need for an umbrella. Cool droplets brushed his face, lending the scene an especially desolate air.

Yang Qiming beamed, like a groom about to enter the bridal chamber, his voice floating in and out.

Huang Cailang didn't hear a word, murmuring dazedly:

"Bro, are we really doing this today?"

At this, Yang Qiming's torrent of words halted. He turned.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… it's raining today." Huang Cailang stammered. "Bro, didn't ancient generals also choose auspicious days for battle?"

"I think today isn't Sister-in-law's birthday, and it's raining. Why not wait till tomorrow? After all, Sister-in-law won't run away."

To be fair, Yang Qiming was almost swayed by Huang Cailang's first half.

But when he heard the final line—【Sister-in-law won't run away】—his heart tightened. That wasn't certain at all. Gao Er's schedule was pretty flexible.

"Cailang, is it because carrying stuff for me was too tiring?"

"No, no!" Huang Cailang shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Bro, you know me. Nothing else, just got a bit of strength on me."

"That strength's just sitting there anyway, being able to help Bro out is my honor."

Yang Qiming sounded a bit awkward. "No need to be so dramatic. Cailang, don't worry—once Bro finishes this thing, I'll definitely treat you to a big meal."

Huang Cailang had wanted to say something, but got cut off by the words "big meal."

Last night, while sleeping in the middle of the night, he dreamed he was eating a small green dragon. He ate so hard he woke himself up, and found his foot sticking out from under the thin blanket.

He tucked it back in and fell asleep, then dreamed of eating again. When he woke up, his foot was still outside. He tossed and turned a few times, but it kept happening.

At that point he already understood—this blanket of his was just like that, no matter what.

Huang Cailang followed Yang Qiming out the school gate, heading toward the snack street plaza.

From a distance he saw what seemed to be an argument at a small stall up ahead. Walking closer, he realized it seemed to be Jiang Nian. He was wearing the hood of a black hoodie, holding a vegetable roll, talking to the stall owner.

"I told you this thing's gone off, and you still won't admit it."

The owner was a middle-aged man, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"It's not gone off, that's your problem! If your taste is off, don't come out to eat. Move, move—don't block the people behind you if you're not buying."

"What the fuck, you—there's nobody behind me buying!" Jiang Nian laughed out of anger. "If you're doing business, at least have some integrity. Is it off or not, can you not take a bite?"

More and more people were passing by, and the owner was starting to lose his composure.

Probably not wanting to keep tangling with Jiang Nian, wanting to wrap it up quickly, he reached out his hand.

"Hand it over."

Jiang Nian passed it over. "Tear off a piece and taste it yourself."

The owner gave it a sniff, then handed it back to Jiang Nian.

"It's not off. Stop making trouble out of nothing."

"Shit, if it's not off then go ahead and eat it." Jiang Nian didn't feel embarrassed at all by the onlookers. "You finish this one, I'll buy two more."

"Picking a fight, huh? Don't need you to buy, get lost." The owner grew more and more impatient. "I told you, everyone's taste is different. This is just how it is."

"Either you eat this one, or give me my money back." Jiang Nian locked horns with the stall owner. "Like, boss, is it fun bullying a student like me?"

A gloomy sky with thin rain drifting down. Beep, beep, beep—the endless honking of e-bikes. Lights darting left and right, puddles on the road reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors.

The owner's brow was tightly furrowed, looking left and right—just not at Jiang Nian.

He seemed to be thinking: ignore this troublemaking student, and after a while he'd get fed up and leave on his own.

But that student just stood there like an ox.

The owner's brow furrowed deeper. A vegetable roll going slightly off was perfectly normal. The fridge might have stopped working midway. Was three yuan worth clinging to like this?

Three yuan wasn't much, but if he refunded it, how would he sell the rest of the rolls?

Students these days really didn't know any better. Who'd give you the time of day talking so aggressively? Can't even call a guy "uncle"—obviously never been taught by society.

In the end, the owner even started hawking his wares.

"Three-yuan vegetable cakes! Potato shreds, kelp shreds, add as much as you want!"

Huang Cailang watched from afar, feeling embarrassed on Jiang Nian's behalf. He thought to himself: if it were him, he'd definitely be too embarrassed to keep at it. It's just two or three yuan, way too awkward.

Walking closer, he heard Jiang Nian loudly ask the owner.

"Hey, you fucking idiot, do you know who I am?"

The owner remained impatient, glaring at Jiang Nian.

"Who the fuck are you? Do I need to know you? What's wrong with you students, which class are you from? You want me to go find your teacher?"

"Is this how your teacher taught you? Stopping people from doing business!"

The owner shouted very loudly, drawing quite a few gazes. Among them was Yang Qiming, hurrying along, who finally noticed the little stall about a meter away.

"Hey, Cailang, isn't that—"

Before he could finish, Huang Cailang saw Jiang Nian twist open a bottle of mineral water and tip his head back for a big gulp.

Ptooey!!!

Jiang Nian sprayed it straight at the owner, right in the face. He sprayed twice in a row, each one fiercer than the last, aimed directly at the face.

The owner was stunned. In the instant of being sprayed breathless, he instinctively opened his mouth wide to gasp. He then sucked in most of the second mouthful of water, and couldn't help but spit it back out.

Passing students were stunned, watching this bizarre scene.

Holy shit! What just happened?

They saw that guy in the black hoodie spit three times in a row, emptying an entire bottle of mineral water, then smashed the bottle right into the owner's face.

He spat once more and cursed.

"Fuck your mother, selling rotten food is one thing, but you don't even know me and you still talk so cocky!"

After saying that, he took off in a full-on hundred-meter sprint toward the school gate! In the blink of an eye he melted into the bustling crowd and vanished completely.

The owner wiped the water off his face, and the last thing he saw was Jiang Nian disappearing. He couldn't help but start cursing.

"Motherfucking #!!"

Huang Cailang and Yang Qiming looked at each other, unable to say a word for a long time, only feeling—

Badass.