Chapter 214

When this thought suddenly popped into his mind, even Jiang Nian himself was startled.

Too bizarre.

Combining the information the system previously provided—though it wasn't really "given," more like simulated data used to reverse-engineer—it's possible the university version of him actually dated Xu Qianqian.

After all, the future Jiang Nian wasn't entirely useless; aside from being poor and lowly, he had no major flaws.

He wasn't lazy, at most just perpetually unfulfilled.

How to put it? Failure is just the norm of life.

Getting into a second-tier university and choosing the wrong path, then wandering off track for years after entering society is perfectly normal.

One looks up and it's thirty—career and love both in ruins. Then add sick elderly parents, spending years running between hospital and bedside—it's common.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed; Jiang Nian sank into deep thought.

If this idea leaked out, he could already start queuing for hell. If the stingy Xu Qianqian found out, she'd peel his skin off.

You treat me as a good friend, but you want to sleep with me?

Die.

Of course, he'd only deduced this from fragments of memory—Xu Qianqian's rainy-night bridge scene—and the series of tasks the idiot system had assigned; it might not be entirely accurate.

Whatever. Why argue with the idiot system? Just take the money and half-ass the tasks.

Xu Qianqian noticed he'd been silent the whole way, frowning. He muttered to himself intermittently. As they neared her building, she couldn't help but ask suspiciously.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Women."

"Ew, so gross." Xu Qianqian quickened her pace to reach the building entrance, then turned sideways in the hallway, "For a dream, your imagination's pretty vivid."

Jiang Nian wanted to say something perverted, but he stopped himself in time.

"By the way, what kind of guy do you like?"

Though he himself had no chance of ending up at a second-tier university, he wanted to test it: could Xu Qianqian possibly have dated the university version of him?

"The Second-Tier Youth Won't Dream of a C9 Childhood Friend," "The Perverted Things in My Heart," "As Long as You're Good-Looking, Even a Perverted Childhood Friend Is Fine."

In the hallway, half of Xu Qianqian's body fell into shadow.

She was literally a god or demon in a single thought.

Because of his sudden question, the snow-skinned, black-haired Xu Qianqian lost her composure.

"W-why are you asking that?"

"Just curious." Jiang Nian stepped into the hallway's shadow too, "Isn't that how it always goes on TV? The female lead goes mad and sees someone important."

"Someone important? You?" Xu Qianqian climbed the stairs; the orange motion-sensor light flickered on with their conversation, their shadows slowly spreading across the wall.

"What?" Jiang Nian bluffed, "Don't those evil dark lords always get their conscience awakened by some childhood memory when they're about to go berserk?"

"You're the dark lord." Xu Qianqian was speechless.

Tap. Tap.

Climbing from the first to the third floor wasn't tiring, and their voices weren't loud.

"I didn't say you were a dark lord—I was just making an analogy." Jiang Nian's voice remained calm, "What if you become some trendy industry's female demon lord someday?"

"Then your rival in business kidnaps your weakness and threatens you to betray trade secrets."

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian's breathing grew slightly ragged as she climbed; she felt even more absurd.

"Who's your weakness?"

"What do you think?" Jiang Nian stopped, turned, and raised an eyebrow. "Guess boldly."

Xu Qianqian also stopped, hesitating for a moment.

"You… aren't you?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?!"

"Forgive me for saying it bluntly—you're not a weakness." Xu Qianqian paused, then said, "More accurately, you're something like a stubborn leech—more fitting your nature."

They fell into their usual bickering, then stopped at their respective doors and went home.

Jiang Nian confirmed a result of zero from Xu Qianqian.

She's too stubborn.

Xu Qianqian didn't answer his question. After closing her door, she changed shoes in the foyer. Passing through the living room, carrying her bag to her room, she suddenly smiled.

The next day, Chinese morning reading.

In the classroom.

Sun Zhicheng looked worn out; last night, while clearing his browsing history, he clicked through each one in farewell—everyone knows teachers you've already seen spark no desire.

The problem was, there was one teacher he'd never touched.

Life is full of traps, always trying to drag the pure, sunny self into the mire.

Again.

A soul riddled with holes couldn't control the body, leaving only a hollow, lifeless shell. He joined a quit-masturbation group, but inside saw full sets of porn.

Those bastards are damned!

He felt hopeless; these hidden, shameful things were like insects hiding in his bone crevices—completely permeating him, controlling his mind.

Guilt overwhelmed him like a tidal wave; he couldn't help wondering why people did it.

As he pondered, Lin Dong suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong with Wang Yuhe's right hand?"

Lin Dong noticed Wang Yuhe's hand trembling slightly as he wrote out classical poetry from dictation.

At first glance he thought he'd misseen; he looked again carefully.

He vaguely remembered, didn't Wang Yuhe show off a one-arm pull-up last night?

Now it seems, one minute on stage costs half the night in pain.

Hearing the commotion, the other members of the group also turned toward Wang Yuhe.

Sun Zhicheng froze—he had witnessed with his own eyes the heroic feat of the Body Forge Empress last night.

Back then he was deeply shaken; only now did he vaguely realize. Wang Yuhe probably could appear so nonchalant after doing pull-ups because she was lighter in weight. He couldn't help but rejoice, trying to save face:

"Force yourself into pull-ups and this happens—your arm muscles accumulate massive lactic acid."

Chen Yunyun covered her face, not knowing what to say—this was truly absurd. But then again, this whole affair couldn't be separated from Jiang Nian; these two were just too childish.

Hearing their chatter, Wang Yuhe couldn't help but press her lips together.

She, Wang Yuhe, had never been inferior to anyone in her life!

"No, because last night I accidentally bumped my hand getting out of bed. Pull-ups? I'm injured now, but I can still do ten with my eyes closed."

Sun Zhicheng: "."

Yu Zhiyi's seat was not far from Lin Dong's group, and she involuntarily overheard their conversation, her heart filled with shock.

Is Wang Yuhe really this strong?

She wasn't like this before—I've seen Wang Yuhe carry water up five flights in one go.

One must admit, having more strength does have its advantages—you don't need anyone's help to carry water.

Come to think of it, Jiang Nian seems even more outrageous. How on earth are these people training their bodies? Each one's strength is unreal—so envious.

She used to like pretty boys—the kind of idols who wore more makeup than girls. But after being beaten up, she suddenly thought maybe a more muscular build wasn't so bad.

At the very least

Group Six: Ceng You lay sprawled across his desk, completely like a dead dog.

Jiang Nian grew curious and asked Ceng You's roommate Wu Jun Gu.

"What's wrong with him?"

Wu Jun Gu turned his head, wanting to laugh but unable to. After some thought, he began recounting a brief, classic Naruto memory—transported back to last night at three a. m.

"Ceng You went to the bathroom at half past three last night and stepped into empty air."

"Holy shit, that's brutal?" Jiang Nian sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is your physical phone okay?" Li Hua asked.

"No big deal—just hissed and panted for a few minutes," Wu Jun Gu became abstract himself. "His body curled up like a shrimp, but we managed to revive him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian and Li Hua clapped in unison.

"He's officially on the expert roster now."

"Indeed—a gynecological master."

After chatting, Jiang Nian asked again, his face filled with concern.

"He's not dead, is he?"

Ceng You, pushed beyond his limit, sat up from the desk, eyes red as he turned around.

"I fell on my LEG!"

The commotion in the group didn't affect Empress Fangfang's drive to study. The phrase "forgetting meals and sleep" fit Huang Fang perfectly.

Zhang Nianzhi held her tiny face, quietly sighed as she closed her dictation notebook.

Boys were just too childish.

As she mused, a hand crept stealthily along the desk leg, slowly sliding under the tabletop, and before she noticed, it had rummaged through her entire desk space.

Obtained—small box of yogurt.

Zhang Nianzhi usually brought two of these.

Jiang Nian had also gotten used to the buffet—he was pulling the yogurt back when suddenly he felt a mysterious force grip the other end, halting his progress.

He looked down—the yogurt was caught by Zhang Nianzhi.

"??"

"No." Zhang Nianzhi pouted.

This person spent the entire morning laughing and joking with the group leader and Fatty, never saying a word to her.

Worse—he didn't even greet her. He always greeted her when he came to class—he was deliberately ignoring her!

Probably just tired of pretending.

Jiang Nian added a little force, trying to drag the yogurt over.

"I'll drink one sip and give it back."

"No!" Zhang Nianzhi puffed up, tugging the yogurt back slightly with a little force—how come he only remembered her when he wanted a snack?

Jiang Nian wasn't good with words, and stopped trying to take the yogurt.

He let go, then reached out and grabbed Zhang Nianzhi's hand directly, brushing over it as if holding jade—quickly tracing her wrist to her fingertips.

To be fair, Baby Zhizhi's hand was soft, white, and springy—pleasant to touch.

Though the touch lasted only an instant, impossibly fast, the sensation was real—her hand was slightly plump, not bony at all.

His fingertips traced along, circling past the fleshy mound at her palm's base, and over her neatly trimmed, lustrous nails, feeling the unique tightness of a girl's skin.

Zhang Nianzhi's face flushed red; she lost all interest in the yogurt.

The yogurt fell into the hands of a lecher.

Jiang Nian beamed, glancing at Zhang Nianzhi, who was still bent over writing problems. Either way, today's yogurt was his—thrilled beyond measure.

After morning reading, Jiang Nian and the other two went to the restroom.

Amid a chorus of urination sounds, Li Hua suddenly got curious.

"Do you think girls look at that?"

Ma Guojun glanced at him and answered without hesitation.

"Just ask Yao Bei Bei, you'll know."

Hearing this, Li Hua fell into thought, even forgetting to pull up his pants.

"Wait, Yao Bei Bei is a girl?"

"Hahaha, that's hilarious—what an outrageous thing to say." Jiang Nian finished urinating first, pointed his hand, "You guy down there, I'm posting you on Xiaohongshu later."

Outside the classroom, in the hallway, after leaving the restroom.

With minutes left before class, Li Hua brought up the earlier topic again.

"Why are all my loyal ministers silent?"

(End of Chapter)