Chapter 242: Bro, You Smell So Good

Morning self-study was over, and a group of people crowded around, jostling forward and back.

"Jiang Nian, want to go grab something to eat?"

"Not going."

"Damn, both periods are English class."

"Then let's go, eat first and come back up." Jiang Nian rose unhurriedly, with the calm composure of a seasoned artist.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed Baby Zhizhi lying on the desk, sneaking a glance at him.

Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing." Zhang Ningzhi looked at him with one eye, muttering, "You guys are skipping class again, Qian Bao's going to ask me about it."

"Being ten minutes late—how does that count as skipping?" Jiang Nian shrugged, unfazed. "So we skipped, what is Qian Bao gonna do, beat me to death?"

Baby Zhizhi: ". Then go ahead."

"Want anything to drink? I'll bring it for you." Jiang Nian, freeloader though he was, didn't forget Baby Zhizhi—a high school boy with a conscience. "How about milk? It'll help you grow tall."

"You fucking using baby talk, disgusting." Ma Guojun was speechless, tugging him toward the door. "Hurry up, class is about to start."

Jiang Nian turned to glance at Zhang Ningzhi; the latter gave a small nod. Then she lay back down on the desk, hidden behind a stack of books, only her pretty high ponytail visible.

Morning light spilled in through the wide window, dust motes glowing a faint gold.

Yang Qiming heard the commotion on Jiang Nian's side and couldn't help parting his lips.

He was about to die.

His face was full of weakness, and a desperate craving for food.

He hadn't eaten a late-night snack last night, and had woken up starving in the middle of the night.

Staring at the pitch-black dormitory ceiling, his thoughts raced from the speed of light down to the door lock on the first floor.

In the end, he searched whether you could eat your roommate; Baidu did not recommend consuming one's roommate.

Eventually, starving beyond endurance, he downed his roommate's melatonin in one gulp.

Strangely, he wasn't hungry in the morning; he hesitated for a moment.

Now he regretted it. He just wanted to rush to the cafeteria and take a bite, but the moment he sat up, Huang Cailang's ghostly voice drifted into his ear.

"Brother Yang, you going to eat breakfast?"

No, bros, you—

"No, I'm just getting up to stretch." Yang Qiming couldn't voice his suffering, keeping the word 'righteousness' close to his heart. "What's up? You want to go eat breakfast?"

Huang Cailang did want to eat; his stomach was a bit hungry. But remembering the words he'd said yesterday, and judging by Brother Yang's tone that he probably didn't want to go either, he could only hold it in.

The Ninja of Class Three—the Will of Fire has found another inheritor.

"No, Brother Yang, I'm not hungry." Huang Cailang squeezed out a goofy grin.

He figured, forget it, just endure.

First-period English class. Qian Bao, out of habit, swept a glance at the class and noticed three empty seats in a row.

"Where are those three?"

Hearing that, half the class turned to look at Jiang Nian's row.

The Fruit Heroes trio had gone to the cafeteria.

Zhang Ningzhi kept her head down, not daring to look at Qian Bao, like a left-behind child.

Someone answered.

"Teacher, they went to the bathroom."

Qian Bao heard that and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

"What bathroom requires swiping a meal card?"

The class instantly burst into laughter; even the drowsy, half-asleep people were jolted awake.

Ten minutes later, the Fruit Heroes trio arrived late, sauntering up. Standing at the door reporting in, the three of them lined up together, completely blocking the classroom door.

Qian Bao shot a glance and asked unhurriedly.

"Where did you go?"

"Teacher, I just went to the bathroom." Li Hua thought fast on his feet, pointing to the side. "I don't know these two; I bumped into them on the way."

Ma Guojun said nothing and tossed a blue meal card on the floor.

"Li Hua, you dropped your meal card."

Li Hua instinctively looked down.

Where?

Looking up, he saw Qian Bao staring at him, and Li Hua instantly froze in awkwardness.

Heartless, shady bastards!

Jiang Nian remained composed, pulling a tissue from his pocket and handing it to Li Hua.

"Wipe the oil off your mouth."

Qian Bao could stand no more, rubbing her temples.

"Li Hua, get to the back. Stand and listen to the class."

Then she looked at Ma Guojun and asked.

"And you?"

Ma Guojun said honestly, "Jiang Nian said he's treating."

Qian Bao nodded. "Mm, at least you're honest. Go back to your seat."

Li Hua, standing at the back of the classroom, felt the sky had collapsed; he stared blankly at Fatty waddling back to his seat.

"Why?"

Still, it made sense—although Ma Guojun always had a foul mouth, he was an honest man and rarely pulled cons the way Jiang Nian did.

Whatever. Standing here at the back-row blackboard, surrounded by the strong.

Having Jiang Laogou standing here with him wasn't a bad way to pass the time.

I'm Gangben. What can I do for you?

If Heaven had not given birth to me, Li Hua, English would have been an eternal night!

He was lost in thought when he looked up and suddenly saw Jiang Nian pull a box of throat lozenges from behind him. With an utterly shameless look on his face, he set them calmly on the podium.

"The throat lozenges the teacher wanted. I bought them."

Qian Bao glanced at him, thinking this cheeky kid actually knew how to pay tribute. Remembering his 140 in English, she waved him off.

Back row, by the blackboard.

Li Hua: Sadness, forgot love.

Two periods passed, and the running-exercise bell rang.

Sun Zhicheng still wore his hoodie up, his whole aura gloomy and listless. Slumped over his desk, like a lonely rat back on its throne in the sewer. "Good morning, Ah Cheng." Lin Dong clapped Sun Zhicheng's hood. "Let's go, down for the run."

Even though he'd been attacked by the psychology committee member last night, his mindset was still rock solid. All in all, the savings from fleecing the sheep were still doing their job.

That sum was enough for him to live on for the rest of his life without eating or drinking.

"Let's go." Sun Zhicheng stood up.

"Wait, Ah Cheng, you're running in a hoodie?" Lin Dong asked, surprised, reminding him, "The sun's still out there. You're gonna be cooked in a bit."

"Doesn't matter. Someone like me is already used to the cold of the sewer." Sun Zhicheng rose, hood still up, looking like a grey impact drill.

Lin Dong nodded. "Then let's go. The sports committee's gonna take attendance soon."

He was about to leave when he turned his head and got a fright.

"Holy shit, Cousin Qiming?"

Yang Qiming looked up, face pale as a ghost.

"What's up?"

"Why do you look so rough?" Lin Dong asked curiously. "You sick or something?"

"I'm fine." Yang Qiming's expression said otherwise.

He couldn't exactly say he was starving but couldn't go eat—too embarrassing. He also didn't want to drag Huang Cailang into it, in case it tanked Cailang's reputation.

This suffering, let me bear it alone!

"So how are you gonna run? Get an exemption?"

"Got one."

Hearing that, Lin Dong was a little surprised.

"When I went to ask for leave, that bastard Liu Yang wouldn't let me no matter what. How'd you get yours? He actually agreed."

Yang Qiming lay weakly on the desk, muttering.

"I said, 'Bro, you smell amazing.'"

"Holy shit." Lin Dong bolted.

Jiang Nian stood up, took off his hoodie, and looked left and right with no place to put it.

He turned his head and spotted the bag Zhang Ningzhi used for her school uniform, grinning.

Perfect spot! He stuffed it in.

While Zhang Ningzhi and Yao Bei Bei walked downstairs arm in arm, he quickly folded the hoodie.

Then, carefully and smoothly, he slipped it into the bag hanging on the side of her chair, cheerfully whistled, and walked out of the classroom.

On the field, most people who'd just finished the run were a little sweaty.

Wu Jun Gu's skin was very fair. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue under the warm sun. Turning to look at Ceng You behind him, he saw that Ceng You's face was even paler, and his eyelid twitched.

"What time did you sleep last night?"

Ceng You raised an eyebrow. "Six."

"You just… went straight into cultivation." Wu Jun Gu stood in the sweltering running formation, a little embarrassed. "Take it easy on the all-nighters. I heard sudden death is a real risk."

Ceng You thought for a moment, then said.

"So I didn't pull an all-nighter. I just went straight through till morning. No illness, no disaster."

Wu Jun Gu: "…What a talent."

He paused briefly, then couldn't help but advise again.

"I read it in a magazine. Scientific data shows sudden death is trending younger. You better watch out. Better safe than sorry."

Ceng You nodded. "Next time, don't read scary books like that."

Wu Jun Gu was speechless and turned his head away. Then he spotted Yu Zhiyi chatting with Lin Dong and the others, and his mood soured further.

He couldn't help turning in another direction and saw Jiang Nian talking with Ma Guojun and the others, waiting for dismissal.

After a shrill whistle, everyone dispersed and headed toward the teaching building.

Zhang Ningzhi was still walking with Yao Bei Bei. She glanced up at a certain someone walking through the early winter sunlight in the crowd—clean and upright through and through.

Like a little poplar tree in spring.

The cold wind moaned, blowing sideways across the basketball court. Zhang Ningzhi pulled her neck in.

Back in the classroom, she suddenly noticed an extra piece of clothing in her bag.

Zhang Ningzhi suddenly remembered Jiang Nian had asked before if he could put things there, and she'd agreed. But he didn't do it often—occasionally he'd toss his clothes on the desk or the stool.

Only when the temperature was a bit high and he was sure he wouldn't put it back on would he put it in the bag.

She heard footsteps in the aisle behind her, turned, and sure enough it was Jiang Nian.

So she scooted into her seat, and as she sat down, asked curiously.

"Aren't you cold?"

"I'm not cold. Are you?" Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the bag hanging on the side of the chair. "There's clothes there, you can use them to cover your legs."

"No need, I'm not cold either." Zhang Ningzhi smiled.

November was stuck in the early winter period; the area south of town was hilly, and the temperature was even more changeable. Running drills outside was hot, but returning to the classroom brought an immediate chill.

If you broke a sweat, one gust of wind and you'd easily catch a cold.

Jiang Nian nodded, sat down, and began rummaging through the drawer for a book. Without looking up, he asked,

"What class is next?"

Zhang Ningzhi vaguely remembered it should be those two classes, but she still glanced at the schedule clipped to the bookend.

"Math and Biology."

The midday classes passed in a flash, and school was nearly out.

Yang Qiming sat at his desk patting his cheeks, drinking water nonstop.

He was starving to death.

He glanced at his watch—still eleven minutes until class ended. Silently doing the math in his head, the biology teacher wouldn't hold them over, so there were 634 seconds until the bell.

Damn it, a six-hundred-second countdown.

Forget it, hold it in for a bit, it'll pass soon.

Yang Qiming began silently holding his breath. At thirty seconds his face started flushing red; at forty he began scratching his ears and fidgeting; at fifty he was already shaking his leg like crazy.

Zhou Yuting was feeling annoyed, worried about the alt account business in her heart. Suddenly she felt the desk shaking, and looked at her seatmate acting like a big baboon.

Yang Qiming's eyes were wide open, his face flushed red from holding his breath, head wobbling.

Huang Cailang picked at his mouth, spacing out.

Her: "."

Damn it, pick a good day to leave, would you?

I'm begging you all.

(End of chapter)