Chapter 255: Take One Sip and You Won

Below Building D, at the crossroads

"Then see you later," Jiang Nian waved.

They had met at least twice, so their tone was fairly familiar.

"Senior, are you going to eat now?"

She knew Jiang Nian disliked being called "senior," but she simply didn't know what else to call him. She couldn't just use his name—they weren't that close yet.

So for now, she could only improvise.

"What?"

"I'm a bit hungry, and I want to eat too," Lin Yuxi smiled brightly, deploying a small tactic, "So, can you take me with you?"

If it were someone else, they might have agreed.

A pure-hearted freshman, fresh as dew—suck one bite and you won't descend to hell.

Jiang Nian paused briefly, then pointed at her and spoke.

"That's truancy, a violation of school rules—I'll report you."

Lin Yuxi stared, dumbfounded—she'd run into a snitch.

"You—"

Seeing Jiang Nian turn to leave, she panicked.

She grabbed his arm and blurted out without thinking.

"I—I have questions I don't understand. I want to ask you on QQ, Senior."

"Let go. I'll send you our homeroom teacher's WeChat," Jiang Nian said sternly. "First, build virtue. Our homeroom teacher is a truly virtuous man."

"Ask him anything you don't understand."

Lin Yuxi had nothing in common with Old Stick—she was a member of the Beauty Club. In plain terms, she liked handsome guys and hated talking to middle-aged men.

Because she'd read countless romance novels in middle school, she studied hard to get into high school—her goal was to legitimately start a romance, to plunge headfirst into the river of love.

If she could date a cocky school bully, a gentle senior, or a cold genius, she'd even be willing to get into a top 985 university.

Just imagining the cold genius lifting her chin, pinning her against a deserted corner, kissing her—his eyes pitch-black, voice hoarse, nibbling at her lips.

Whispering, "Baby, you've stolen my life."

How intoxicating that would be!

Thinking of it, she cleared her throat and squeaked.

"Can I add your QQ?"

Jiang Nian stared at her flawless face, frozen for a few seconds.

"Dream on, low-scorer."

Saying that, he turned and walked away.

In the sunlight, Lin Yuxi cried. She'd expected high school romance to be difficult—she'd braced herself for misunderstandings from classmates, lectures from teachers, scolding from parents.

She'd prepared mentally for all of it.

But she never imagined the first obstacle to her romance would be… her grades.

The boomerang of her laziness in middle school, years later, whistling through the air, struck her squarely in the back.

Low-scorer! Low-scorer! Waaah!

Yuan Zhengchuan was a bit reckless, not stupid.

Even after Ji Jiayu said not to follow, he still followed instinctively—keeping several meters away to avoid triggering her.

He'd assumed Ji Jiayu was heading to the small grove for a walk, or maybe the outdoor parking lot behind it.

That would've been fine—he could approach and speak to her.

But she went into the cafeteria.

Yuan Zhengchuan stared in disbelief—she said she wasn't dating him!

A man survives on a single straw; when that last hope vanishes, so too does his already meager reason, plunging him into utter madness.

He was already showing signs of a berserker—each thought made him angrier.

Was he wrong?

Where was he wrong? It's always been like this—why can't you ever look at yourself?

Ji Jiayu is always flirting with others—doesn't she have problems?

If I hadn't broken up with her, how many green hats would I be wearing by now?

Thinking of this, the furious Yuan Zhengchuan stormed inside.

As soon as he entered the cafeteria, his vision nearly went black.

Only two people were eating in the cafeteria—who else but Ji Jiayu and Jiang Nian?

Damn it, Cao Cao has dishonored me!

By the window, Jiang Nian scrolled on his phone while eating.

"Where's your husband?"

A thunderclap—Ji Jiayu nearly fainted.

"Your husband!"

"Isn't he your husband?" Jiang Nian looked puzzled, shrugging. "I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Hearing this, Ji Jiayu was utterly speechless. She asked,

"I didn't do anything. Do I have to avoid eating with you?"

"Won't that hurt him too much?" Jiang Nian asked.

"Can you just stop mentioning him!" Ji Jiayu snapped, putting down her chopsticks. "I don't eat with you every day—we just happened to meet."

"Oh oh, don't tell me that—I'm not your boyfriend."

Jiang Nian executed the Eighteen Falls of the Robe-Clutching Technique, making Ji Jiayu nearly dizzy from the spinning.

She was so furious from the loser's behavior that she couldn't speak.

But she still wanted to say more.

Jiang Nian felt nothing about it; after all, it was just a chance encounter.

Classmates avoid suspicion; if you have a boyfriend, you avoid a little; if you're single, you avoid—

Depends on my mood. If I'm feeling meh, I just don't bother avoiding.

As luck would have it, the main character appeared.

Yuan Zhengchuan stood in the aisle, glaring at the two with fury. His eyes, bloodshot, locked onto Ji Jiayu like a beast ready to devour.

Why wasn't he staring at Jiang Nian?

Mainly because Yuan Zhengchuan had just witnessed him with a freshman girl in Building D, so he felt the blame for infidelity should be split fifty-fifty between "the adulterer and the concubine."

Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to say such things out loud.

It was merely out of anger, and from a naive emotional standpoint of love. Under unbearable pressure, he confronted his ex-girlfriend.

"Didn't you say you were going out to clear your head?"

"Who are you to care?" Ji Jiayu was also annoyed. "What are you to me? Do I have to report everything to you? Just what is our relationship?"

Jiang Nian lowered his head and ate.

Yuan Zhengchuan grew desperate and spoke without thinking.

"Now that you've broken up, are you this desperate for men?"

Jiang Nian lowered his head and ate.

Ji Jiayu was genuinely angry. If not for Jiang Nian being there, she would've thrown her chopsticks at Yuan Zhengchuan's face.

Anger surged to her head, then settled into calm.

"If you're hungry, go get food and sit down to eat with us." She looked up at Yuan Zhengchuan. "I'll be returning to the classroom to do problems soon."

Eight minutes remained until noon dismissal; outside the cafeteria, a whistle blew—the signal for the PE class to disband.

This meant that within two minutes, a wave of students would flood into the cafeteria.

Having been warned by the grade supervisor Ji Ming, Ji Jiayu didn't want another embarrassment—she only wanted to preserve her dignity.

"Can you not stand here?"

Jiang Nian was still eating, oblivious to everything in front and behind him—he'd gone full Wang Yuhe.

"Fine."

Thus, the two facing each other eating became three sharing the same table.

Yuan Zhengchuan sat beside Ji Jiayu. All three ate in silence, each absorbed in their own meal.

Ji Jiayu finished first, with no intention of waiting for anyone. She rose naturally and greeted Jiang Nian.

"I can't eat any more—I'm leaving."

"Mm." Jiang Nian murmured in reply.

Jiang Nian hadn't finished eating. He ate without being disturbed by anyone. Even though the task still hung on his system panel, he wasn't in a hurry—he had to eat.

After Ji Jiayu left, Yuan Zhengchuan calmed down.

Yet, for some psychological reason, he still spoke to Jiang Nian.

"You two—"

Jiang Nian gave no reply. The air fell instantly silent. Two minutes later, he finally set down his chopsticks, ignored everyone, and walked off with his tray.

On the Gao San building, before ascending the stairs, he checked the time.

Two minutes remained until dismissal.

Jiang Nian raised his head, ready to climb, when suddenly a figure emerged from the staircase corner between the first and second floors. A single glance was enough to recognize the person.

Ji Jiayu stood above, waiting for Jiang Nian to climb up, then whispered softly.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Jiang Nian showed no reaction.

Ji Jiayu shook her head. "I don't know. Just… thank you."

She knew Jiang Nian wouldn't tell anyone about what happened in the cafeteria. As for what exactly she was thanking him for—

Perhaps it was for preserving her dignity?

But someone who had a secret romance and broke up publicly—could they really care about such things?

Ji Jiayu herself didn't know. Instinctively, she thought she wouldn't care. Yet her gratitude toward Jiang Nian was genuine.

It wasn't just because Jiang Nian wouldn't expose her humiliation—more so because he kept silent.

Later, she briefly reflected on the situation in the cafeteria. In that context, Jiang Nian saying nothing was more effective than anything he could have said.

So, she had, passively, incurred a debt to Jiang Nian.

The dismissal bell rang.

"Classmates, class is over."

On the third-floor corridor.

Jiang Nian leaned against the corridor, occasionally glancing back at the Siban Sect classroom nearby.

Damn it.

Is overtime a Siban Sect culture? Every time I come, they're dragging it out. Teachers like Qing Bao who don't overstay their welcome are getting rarer and rarer.

12:07—a time Jiang Nian found absurd for overtime.

Even though the classroom broadcast was playing safety reminders about drowning prevention, the Siban Sect's math teacher kept lecturing over the speaker's voice.

09. Class Four was finally dismissed.

In the crowd streaming out, Jiang Nian reached out with pinpoint accuracy and caught Xu Qianqian.

"Wait!"

Xu Qianqian startled—she was still holding Song Xiyun's hand—and glanced back.

"Jiang Nian! Are you sick or something?!"

"I'm not sick. Bring me up a bottle of drink." Jiang Nian spoke without thinking, "Hurry up. Once you guys finish eating, I'll come find you in your classroom to pick it up."

"You already ate?" Xu Qianqian was surprised.

"Psychology lecture."

"Oh, oh, no wonder, you're actually a pretty good fit for it." Xu Qianqian said, but quickly refused, "Can't bring it. Xiyun and I are going out to eat."

"To eat what?" Jiang Nian very naturally looked at Song Xiyun.

Song Xiyun had been quietly coasting along on the side, but suddenly being stared at by the big demon lord's gaze, she couldn't help but feel a chill down her neck.

"Mixed noodles."

Too scary, why is this person's gaze so weird?

"What's there to eat about mixed noodles, forget it then." Jiang Nian sidestepped, signaling they could go, "You guys go ahead, I'm heading up first."

"Pfft, so mysterious and weird." Xu Qianqian pulled Song Xiyun and disappeared into the crowd on the stairs.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nian pressed against the flow and squeezed his way upstairs.

He casually tapped open the system's quest panel, which indeed already showed the quest as completed. 300 rmb arrived smoothly, light and floaty, barely registering.

Passing through the sun-drenched crowded corridor, Jiang Nian returned to the classroom.