Chapter 232

Li Hua's face lit up with excitement; all these dumb kids look the same.

"Speak up, quick, speak up."

On the podium, Cai Xiaoqing scanned the classroom and spoke.

"We need two taller boys with loud voices to join our class cadres and deliver the challenge to Class Four—who's willing to step forward?"

Here we go!

Li Hua shot to his feet and yanked Jiang Nian up with him.

"We'll go!"

Jiang Nian was still taking off his coat when he was dragged up along with it.

"??? "

Yang Qiming and his group also stood up, one after another—eight or nine people total. The competition looked fierce, and Li Hua had no confidence.

He sneakily glanced at Cai Xiang—just as their eyes met.

Choose me, I beg you on my knees.

The Divine Emperor Guan Sheng had answered his prayer; Li Hua got what he wanted.

"Li Hua and Jiang Nian—you two go down together," Cai Xiaoqing said flatly. "You'll hold up the challenge scroll so everyone can see while you read it."

Li Hua: "Sweet, look at my sister."

Jiang Nian's lips twitched: "Fuck your dad, asshole."

But since he'd been named, he wouldn't drag his feet—it was just delivering a challenge to Class Four, and he might as well see what Xu Qianqian's expression would be when she saw him.

Their eyes met; silence choked them.

He was about to leave his seat when he turned and saw Zhang Nenzhi watching him. The girl blinked slowly, seemingly just curious, then quickly looked away.

"What, you want to go?"

Zhang Nenzhi's eyes lit up. "Can I go?"

"It's no big deal—I'll just tell the Discipline Committee." Jiang Nian pulled his coat back on and adjusted his collar. "If I handle it, it's guaranteed to be done."

"In plain terms, handing this over to me is the same as not handing it over at all."

Zhang Nenzhi: "."

The girl was speechless—she couldn't understand how someone could say such a pathetic thing with such a reassuring tone.

"Come on!" Li Hua waved.

Jiang Nian gave up. The bastard always found new lows in being a jerk.

A group of Class Three cadres chatted and laughed, flanked by Li Hua and Jiang Nian—the two curtain-rolling generals. Under Cai Xiaoqing's lead, they carried the class flag out of the classroom.

Li Qingrong was not among them.

The Son of Heaven sat immovable in the Eternal Hall, untouched by wind and snow.

A crowd gathered in the hallway, watching Class One head toward Class Two—carrying their class flag, rolling up the red paper with black characters of the challenge scroll—it truly had the vibe.

Though everyone mocked the challenge as awkward and reading it more embarrassing than social dancing, once they stepped out of the classroom, their expressions changed instantly.

"Cai Xiang, should we strike a pose?" Li Hua asked excitedly. "I've got the ultimate detective stance—I can even do the Team Rocket routine anytime."

"No need."

"Oh, then I'll shout extra loud—I'll make sure it's full of—spirit!!"

"Then I'm staying far away from you."

Li Hua was crushed, sprinted back to Jiang Nian's side, and hadn't even opened his mouth.

Jiang Nian held the rolled-up red challenge scroll, turned his head, and preempted him.

"Stop bragging—just jump now."

"I'm watching you die."

Li Hua let out a piercing shriek and bolted the other way.

As they descended halfway down the stairs, they ran into Class Four. The two groups met face-to-face at the corner between the third and fourth floors—the atmosphere crackled.

"Get out of the way!" Class Four spoke first.

Lin Dong, carrying the flag, shouted back.

"We won't move. Whoever wants to move, move."

Originally, the flag-bearer should've been Liu Yang, the PE rep, but Liu Yang was busy organizing the class's defense and didn't join the challenge team.

So the flag-bearer became Lin Dong, the math representative.

Amidst this "What are you looking at? You got a problem?" exchange, the tension instantly flared. Fortunately, both sides were cadres—they maintained decorum.

"Asshole, get lost!"

"Your whole class is full of idiots!"

Jiang Nian didn't join the refined bickering—he sidestepped, spotting someone familiar in the crowd: Song Xiuyun, timid and hidden behind the others.

The girl seemed to notice him too—her eyes flickered with slight surprise.

Jiang Nian touched his face and waved at her.

Song Xiuyun bit her lip, looking slightly embarrassed. She nodded slightly in response, then immediately turned her head away—yet stole another glance at him.

On the stairs, the cadres from both classes were locked in verbal combat—worded precisely, piercing straight to the heart, the atmosphere friendly and open, neither side willing to retreat before battle.

What joke is this—if you step back now?

They'll spread it far and wide to boost their class morale. They might even retell it in Class Three to crush Class Three's spirit.

This whole thing is about who has the lowest limits.

Cai Xiaoqing didn't join in, but she didn't stop it either—some sparring wouldn't hurt. Eventually, if things stalled, someone would step forward to defuse it.

That is—see who cracks first.

Too early won't work—too cowardly. Too late won't work either—it delays things.

Jiang Nian was still communicating with Song Xiyun from afar; he flashed a peace sign.

Song Xiyun could barely hold back a laugh. She'd planned to ignore him, but then she saw him frown. Reluctantly, she hurriedly threw up a peace sign with both hands.

Jiang Nian was satisfied—he loved seeing Song Xiyun flustered.

If you're being coerced, just blink.

Did I tell you to blink?

Satisfying!

Over there, the class monitor of Class 4 had already stepped forward to smooth things over. "We're all brother classes—let's each take a step back."

Cai Xiaoqing, like a drowsy Grand Secretary at court, seemed completely unaware of what had just happened. Having just woken up, she hurriedly chimed in with a word of agreement.

"Class 3 takes the left staircase—don't delay the real business."

The first line arranges things; the second line slides in a soft knife.

"Take the right side." The Class 4 monitor pushed back mildly, a little annoyed, but also somewhat helpless. "Faster—we need to go deliver the challenge to Class 3."

Class 4 was just a bit by the stairwell; one flight down and you're there. Cai Xiaoqing and the others didn't need to climb up a stretch of corridor like the Class 4 group did.

"We're about to enter Class 4—I'm so nervous." Li Hua had already started fidgeting. He turned his head and asked, surprised, "Nian, why aren't you nervous at all?"

Hearing this, several class officers turned to look at Jiang Nian.

People who can serve as class officers aren't exactly socially anxious. But this was their first time entering another class to deliver a challenge—saying they weren't nervous would be a lie.

"Nothing to it—being a hero comes at a cost." Jiang Nian said calmly. "I'm not nervous, that's that. Actually, I have a bit of varicose veins."

"Baby, do you like my bulging blue veins?"

"Damn, the 'vein' you meant was this vein!" Lin Dong cut in. "Respect, respect—first time seeing someone draw their own blood."

Li Hua sighed admiringly. "A born dancer—let me see your Blue Silver Grass."

Cai Xiaoqing watched the three of them acting up without props and turned her head away. Sometimes she wondered if the feng shui of their class was just off.

"Discipline committee—how long have these three been showing these symptoms?"

"No idea. Always been like that, I guess."

"Have they seen a doctor?"

"No need."

After the little skit was done, the few of them in a good mood carried the class group into Class 4. Before anyone had even stepped up to the podium, someone suddenly shouted.

"Everyone, stand!"

This was every class's little trick—delivering a show of force before the other side reads the challenge. It shows respect while also scaring the opponent.

Usually, the side being intimidated loses a bit of confidence. They even get pressured into reading the challenge in a quiet voice the whole way through, their momentum completely gone.

"Why yell so loud?" Lin Dong couldn't hold it together himself, then added, "So many people—kinda awkward."

Jiang Nian looked toward Xu Qianqian's seat and found her muddying the waters. She hadn't stood up at all—she was in a half-crouch and had already sat down ahead of time.

Nice, playing dead among the crowd, huh.

"We, Class A403, based on the November 6th city-wide joint exam average score—"

The challenge reading began, and Jiang Nian couldn't be distracted. Just as it was nearly finished, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Xu Qianqian below sneakily putting her phone away.

Oh no—she'd been secretly snapping pics.

If this weren't Class 4 and he weren't currently playing the role of the curtain-raising general, he would have arrested her on the spot and punished her severely.

Forget it, can't outplay the big-breasted ones.

Even if fate is full of hardship and wandering, even if fate—

Jiang Nian pulled out his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture of Xu Qianqian. The motion was quick; only a few people from Class 3 saw it.

Some people in Class 4 recognized Jiang Nian and were long past being surprised.

Xu Qianqian pouted, thinking Jiang Nian was slacking off while reading the challenge. Mouth open but no sound—she hadn't heard his voice at all, yet there he was pretending to work hard.

Li Hua's eyes swept the classroom—everyone was standing. A dense crowd of people standing like pillars; he couldn't spot any girls at all.

"Who told you to stand!"

Class 4 responded in kind—some trash talk and a few slogans.

After everything was done, Jiang Nian left the challenge letter in Class 4. As he was about to head back, he turned his head and met Zhou Haifei's gaze, and couldn't help but smile.

One going up, one going down—the two groups bumped into each other in the corridor again.

"Don't block the way."

"Don't bark."

They were at it again.

Jiang Nian was still interacting with Song Xiyun, only this time Li Hua caught him.

Li Hua glanced at Song Xiyun and was immediately dumbfounded. Then he looked at Jiang Nian's smug face and nearly lost his breath, almost passing out on the spot.

He elbowed Jiang Nian. "You know her?"

"Mm."

Jiang Nian's response was too flat, as if it were nothing.

Li Hua suddenly had a bad premonition.

Third period break.

Group Seven was chatting idly, bringing up the topic of scrolling videos.

"Douyin is pretty handy—I like scrolling a bit before bed," one of them said. "You can even find sleep music and fall asleep right away."

"I usually watch some knowledge points; a few bloggers summarize them really well."

"Send it to me, send it to me."

Suddenly, Nie Qiqi spoke.

"Anyway, I'm never scrolling Douyin again!"

Her seatmate was puzzled. "Why?"

Nie Qiqi, hearing the question, grew a little emotional,

"Yesterday I saw a short video — the blogger accidentally sent a goodnight message to his mom. He woke up, saw his mom's reply, and it was kind of tearjerking."

"I got worked up in the moment, so I sent my mom a goodnight message too."

"And then! And then! My mom walked in from outside and confiscated my phone!"

In a couple of days, at midnight on November 1st, there may — may — be a monthly-ticket side story chapter.

It has nothing to do with the main plot; it's an event side story.

It'll require monthly tickets to unlock.

Just a heads-up in advance.

Extra chapters will be added on top of the regular two-per-day whenever I can squeeze them in.

(End of chapter)