Chapter 262: Already Honest, Now Even More So

Under the dark night, the raindrops grew thicker and thicker.

Jiang Nian glanced back; the lit-up Gao San teaching building still stood clear in the rain. Blurred umbrella outlines drifted from far to near, streaming toward the school gate.

Before long, Zhao Qiuxue arrived.

Xu Qianqian squeezed past Jiang Nian, grabbed Song Xiyun's hand, and they shared an umbrella as they drifted that way. The crowd pouring out was thick; the blue umbrella bobbed up and down.

Jiang Nian didn't go over. After watching for a while, he pulled out his phone to kill time.

Since the rain wasn't heavy, it didn't affect the boarding students much.

Chen Yunyun sent him a photo — they seemed to have taken it on the second floor of the cafeteria. The two girls' hair appeared soaked, and they were laughing nonstop.

Swish — a message popped up.

"I left my umbrella in the dorm and didn't bring it to class, so I'm soaked."

"Did you bring an umbrella?"

No need to ask — she'd already confessed without being pressed.

Jiang Nian's hands were empty, but he looked toward the blurred, bobbing blue umbrella in the rain. Xu Qianqian had stopped there, chatting with Song Xiyun about something.

He pulled his gaze back and typed a reply.

"Brought one."

"Did you two run to the cafeteria to grab the thermos?"

Chen Yunyun and the others usually filled their hot water in the afternoon and left the bottles on the long steps outside the side door of the cafeteria. After evening self-study, they'd grab them on the way back to the dorm.

"Yeah, still debating whether to wash my hair tonight."

"There's a huge line outside the hot water room. 【Image】"

"Your hair won't dry, will it?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Nian and Chen Yunyun chatted on and off on their phones. He glanced up, saw the blue umbrella already drifting back, and slipped his phone into his pocket.

After a dozen or so seconds, Xu Qianqian came over.

She tossed the umbrella to Jiang Nian and said with mock gravity.

"I am a precious body of noble birth — I cannot endure a single drop of rain. If you let me get wet, disaster will surely befall you!"

Jiang Nian took the umbrella handle, and the blue canopy rose a bit.

The corner of his mouth curved up. He found it funny.

"Xu Shao, what kind of disaster are we talking about?"

Xu Qianqian gave a cold laugh and shook her fist.

"I'll take your dog life on the spot!"

The rain had been falling for a while now; the road home was slick and wet.

Jiang Nian was a bit taller than Xu Qianqian. The streetlamp's light fell down and he blocked half of it. The other half — a warm golden glow — fanned across Xu Qianqian's face.

Under the umbrella they stood close, and she could smell the warmth radiating through his thin clothes.

"Hold the umbrella lower — you're letting the rain hit me."

Hearing that, Jiang Nian turned his head and said calmly.

"I know."

"Then why not shift it over a bit?" Xu Qianqian gritted her silver teeth, irritated every time she saw this guy. "Are you part dog? This is my umbrella!"

In the rain, the slick wet ground reflected neon-colored lights.

The two were fighting over the tilt of the canopy, so the path they forged through the rain was completely crooked.

"Setting aside whose umbrella this is, am I supposed to get soaked?" Jiang Nian turned to look at her. "If you get wet, it's no big deal — just go home and take a shower."

Hearing such a heartless remark, Xu Qianqian was nearly furious. She tilted the canopy viciously toward her own side.

"Can't you be the one to get wet?"

"No, I'll get a fever and won't be able to shower."

"Scum!" Xu Qianqian trembled with rage. "What, I won't catch a cold or get a fever?"

Jiang Nian thought for a moment and came up with a new idea.

"How about you get rained on instead — if you get a fever, I'll help you."

"Get lost!"

Someone was kicked out, getting a face full of rain on the spot. But the rain wasn't that heavy — just enough to wash his face.

For someone of Jiang Nian's build, it was completely painless.

Heh. Forget catching a fever from the rain — even sneezing would count as his loss.

The next day.

Jiang Nian woke up, his hand still a bit sore.

On last night's rainy walk home, Xu Qianqian had kicked him — but the force was just right, neither light nor heavy.

So he felt like he was tough again.

Going upstairs, he caught a glimpse of her rain-dampened, dewy little face under the motion-sensor light. He mustered his courage, intending to ask if she wanted him to wipe it off for her.

But his mouth slipped, and he said something outrageous.

【You got rain on your face — want me to lick it dry for you?】

Xu Qianqian froze for 0.01 seconds, then went straight in with a beating. Fine, beat him then — but she only hit one side, so honest Jiang Nian's arm was immediately retired from service.

Jiang Nian was already honest — now he was even more honest.

It really was a slip of the tongue. This world is just full of malice toward honest people. Not even a chance to explain — at this rate, he's really going to feel depressed.

Brushing his teeth, he looked down.

American classic with a turned-up toe.

He was impressed too—Gao San was exhausted like a dog. The only thing still brimming with energy was his tail; the moment he entered the classroom, his whole body would sprout red fur.

The whole person was in a daze, rarely lucid.

Jiang Nian headed out, glancing habitually at the shoe rack across the door. He found the culprit, the nice-guy killer—Xu Shao had already left for school early.

My god, sin-buster, one punch to death the nice guy.

He went downstairs quietly, thought for a moment, and changed his QQ signature to 【Body Snatcher】.

Before long, someone sent him a message.

Chen Yunyun: "What kind of signature is that?"

Jiang Nian walked toward the school, typing one-handed.

"Paying this much attention to me? Stayed up all night watching my updates?"

Chen Yunyun: "Pah! You're the one who didn't sleep—your hair was still damp at 3:30. Slept too late, couldn't fall asleep at all, woke up before six. (sleepy) (sleepy)"

Jiang Nian tapped away, laughing as he typed his reply.

"Boarding school is inconvenient, huh? Why didn't you climb over the wall to my place to blow-dry your hair last night?"

Before long, Chen Yunyun replied with a speechless meme.

"Can't be bothered talking to you anymore, heading to the classroom."

Jiang Nian felt satisfied—today's first kill.

He finished his breakfast on the way, and entering the classroom found that hardly anyone was there so early in the morning.

Probably because it was getting colder and colder, and it had rained again last night. So more people were dawdling in bed, and wake-up times were generally a bit later.

Chen Yunyun lay sprawled on her seat trying to catch up on sleep, her head both heavy and drowsy, but she just couldn't fall asleep.

Suddenly, hearing footsteps, she looked up.

"You're here this early?"

"Yep, used to waking up early." Jiang Nian stood at the edge of her desk, reached out and rubbed the ends of her hair. "Hey, you really did wash your hair late at night?"

"You—" Chen Yunyun was thrown off by him, her voice a bit hoarse as she spoke. "I did wash my hair, don't—don't rub my hair."

Then rub something else.

Jiang Nian didn't mind, his gaze drifting elsewhere.

"Why do you look like you've caught a cold?"

"Probably... not?" Chen Yunyun wasn't sure herself, touching her forehead. "Seems fine, just a bit cold."

"I'll give you something good—HP regen at lightspeed." Jiang Nian said.

Chen Yunyun's face was blank, her voice a bit hoarse.

"What?"

Five minutes later, Jiang Nian came back with water. He also brought a disposable paper cup, carried it in his hand as he walked toward Chen Yunyun, and set it on her desk.

"Great news, you're saved."

Chen Yunyun opened her mouth, completely unable to speak—sometimes she really could be infuriated by a cringey guy.

"You're the one who's done for!"

She looked down and found about three mouthfuls of an unidentified brownish liquid at the bottom of the disposable cup. Rings of white halo rising from it, wisps of steam curling upward.

She sniffed it—cold and fever relief granules.

"Where did you get this?"

"Oh, the disposable cup was taken from the class next door." Jiang Nian explained. "The office wasn't open, picking the lock under the surveillance camera felt a bit presumptuous."

"No, I mean the cold medicine granules." Chen Yunyun asked.

"Brought from home, obviously. You don't think I picked it up on the road, do you?" Jiang Nian's mouth still had nothing nice to say, his eyes instantly turning dead-fish, and he waved his hand as he left.

"Drink it while it's hot, hope you don't fall asleep in class."

Chen Yunyun looked down at the medicine in her palm, then at Jiang Nian walking away nonchalantly. She couldn't help but blink, her heart softening like something soaked in water.

He's really a good person, just born with a mouth.

Usually in fairy tales, the evil queen always has a bottle of dark magic potion used to poison the beauty mute.

She shook her head hard—that thought was too "Jiang Nian."

After drinking the cold medicine, whether it was psychological or not, Chen Yunyun felt her body gradually warming up, and her groggy head wasn't so heavy anymore.

Then, by the second half of morning self-study, her eyelids drooped uncontrollably.

Too drowsy to hold on at all, she fell asleep with barely any struggle.

Chen Yunyun, in a half-awake daze, had a brief dream—in it, she became the queen holding the magic potion.

Jiang Nian became the beauty, still going on and on.

"Shit, I just went to shower. Who put my photo online, damn, I've got a million followers now, I really... you guys have ruined me!"

She clearly knew she was dreaming, but was still at a loss for words.

Cheapness runs bone-deep.

"I'm going to poison you mute!" she said.

"Holy shit, that soft?" Jiang Nian sprang up instantly. "Why the hell is life chasing me down and beating me senseless—who the hell is living the good life!"

Ring ring ring, the dream ended.

Chen Yunyun slowly woke to find the teacher had already entered the classroom.

She rubbed her eyes, tossed the absurd dream she'd just had out of her mind. Took a deep breath, fished a book out from the desk's belly, and suddenly realized... her body felt lighter.

Sunday belonged to the school's make-up classes, the students were "voluntary."

Just no one would bother fussing over that much, only keeping in mind the golden six hours in the afternoon. Although nowhere to go, still not wanting to waste a single second.

The first class was English, and Qian Bao didn't look like she had much energy either, forcing herself through the lecture with a yawn.

"Alright, take out yesterday's test paper, look at the first reading comprehension passage."

Jiang Nian pulled out his English test paper and went back to grinding through the science-comprehensive problems.

Suddenly, Li Hua nudged him.

"Nian, let me show you a really wild picture."

"What?" Jiang Nian turned his head and saw Li Hua sneakily pull out his Chinese review book. "We're in English class right now, why are you pulling out the Chinese review book?"

"Just wait, you'll know once you see it." Li Hua raised an eyebrow and skillfully flipped to a certain page.

The moment Jiang Nian looked, he could barely hold it together.

He looked at it again, and still felt it was hilariously absurd.

"Where did you dig this up from?"

Li Hua let out a sneaky laugh and put the Chinese review book away.

"Don't worry about it. Do you have a utility knife? I'll cut this picture out, and when class ends I'll show it to Tao Ran and ask him how he'd critique this picture and write a composition about it."

Jiang Nian: "."

Li Hua was feeling pleased with himself when he was suddenly called on by Qian Bao.