Chapter 357: Ice Cream (Thanks to Living in a Prosperous Illusion for the Bai Yin Alliance tip!)

The classroom was brightly lit.

Jiang Nian turned around and rubbed his chin.

The worries of ordinary people are: scraping and saving a little money, cleverly walking into plenty of traps, and cursing while doing a mountain of work.

After finally scraping together a bit of money, wanting to spend it where it counts, only to find that life is full of razor-sharp edges that bleed you dry.

In the end, you can only sit on the ground, sulking and wronged, and shout at the sky.

"Why the hell?!"

Passersby then heap a round of praise on him. "This is the soft persimmon, the good old sap, acknowledged by everyone for ten miles around."

And the worries of a genius?

Because the class monitor is unsociable?

Geniuses do seem to be somewhat unsociable themselves, but that isn't Li Qingrong's problem.

Jiang Nian mulled it over for a long time and still couldn't figure out the reason—after all, he wasn't a genius.

Just like a broke guy can't write a story about the ultra-rich, the richest man in South Province gets married and hires a line of BYDs to pick up the bride, handing out White Rabbit cream candy along the way.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and patted Li Hua, who had been duped.

"Hua, do you have any worries?"

Li Hua gritted his teeth, and upon hearing that, turned his head to glance at Jiang Nian.

"You bastard!"

Jiang Nian looked thoughtful. Clearly, Li Hua didn't look like someone with worries—more like a little dimwit going 'ah-bah ah-bah' all day.

"Forget that. Do you know any geniuses?"

"I know a few." Li Hua patted him on the shoulder and said, "I also know a little Wang Ba. Do you have any leads?"

"Who?"

"Still playing dumb, huh?"

"Is his son named Li Hua?"

"You f***ing—!" Li Hua instantly looked like he'd been screwed over, grabbed Jiang Nian by the neck and shook him. "Drop dead, now!"

Cai Xiaoqing couldn't stand it any longer, covered her face, and told the two to stop.

"You two—keep it down a bit during evening study hall."

The commotion stopped.

Class Three, first period of evening study hall.

Sun Zhicheng slowly pulled out his backup phone and brazenly opened an app called "Required Course for Men."

Why use a backup phone? Mainly because Old Liu was way too strict.

Apart from the bold and skilled daredevils who never let go of their phones and can dodge every phone check, everyone else—

In this class, only the class monitor could play with her phone in the classroom without getting punished.

Truly second to one and above ten thousand, infinitely glorious.

Back when the classes were reorganized in the second semester of tenth grade, Sun Zhicheng was extremely puzzled.

He didn't understand how someone who didn't manage a single thing could be class monitor. Was it just because of good grades that she could keep the position forever?

Old Liu was way too snobbish, a pure grade-obsessed middle-aged man.

Later, some outrageously unreasonable holiday arrangement caused an uproar in the whole class. Old Liu had no solution either, said a few comforting words, and left.

Then later, the class monitor made one trip, and the holiday was adjusted.

Sun Zhicheng immediately dropped to his knees in submission; he was thoroughly convinced. He had just spoken a little too loudly and been a bit of a snob.

Even later, the teaching strength of Class Three of the Olympiad far surpassed its neighboring classes. It became number one at its level, invincible below the zero class.

It wasn't that Li Qingrong needed the class monitor position—it was that this class needed Li Qingrong to be class monitor.

Sun Zhicheng was careful as could be, pinching a phone tucked inside a book. He was unusually happy today because his mock-exam scores had gone up.

This is the power of love.

He felt it must be because he had gone through trials and tribulations last month. In the end, returning to simplicity, true to his vows and true to his love, he had achieved this result.

Sun Zhicheng glanced at Chen Yunyun, and his whole being lit up with joy.

In the past, he would have felt sour about it. But now, he held a trump card in his hand and had already won for the next hundred years.

TL; DR: victory in the bag.

He was in high spirits, as if at this very moment a feather fan and silk headscarf had been draped upon him. Zhuge Zhicheng, playing a game of fate and destiny!

I came! I saw! I conquered!

Xie Zhihao was also playing—his watch, pushing the act of showing off to the pinnacle of perfection, fishing without even scattering any chum.

Pure hard fishing.

"This trash game, why is it lagging!" he cursed in a low voice, all because the discipline committee member Cai Xiang had a bit of charm.

He didn't want some small matter to lower his reputation in her eyes.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the classroom door.

Sun Zhicheng noticed at once and, almost without hesitation, shoved his phone into his pants in an instant.

The two devices pressed tightly together, seamless.

If the newcomer had been Old Liu, Sun Zhicheng wouldn't have reacted so violently.

Only because—the newcomer was a great terror from the abyss.

Ji Ming, face stern, walked straight up to Sun Zhicheng. She rummaged inside and outside his desk, and after not finding a phone, walked away.

Then she went over to Xie Zhihao and said coldly.

"Hand over the watch!"

Xie Zhihao's face went pale in an instant, wanting to talk his way out. But unwilling to lose face in front of the new class, he pretended not to care and handed over the watch.

Ji Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his face stern as he reprimanded.

"After the college entrance exam, or whenever you score 650 on a major exam, you can come to me for it anytime."

Having said that, he took Xie Zhihao's smartwatch and left.

The classroom erupted in an uproar.

Everyone had missed the show at Sun Zhicheng's place, but with Xie Zhihao's watch confiscated, it was a thoroughly satisfying sight.

"Holy crap, how much was that watch?"

"Not much, just xxxx."

Actually, nobody really cared about the price—it was just chips for the show. The more expensive the watch, the higher its artistic value after being confiscated.

At this moment, Xie Zhihao finally received the "attention" he had been longing for.

Group Six.

Ceng You scoffed, watched the show for a while, then said with utter disdain.

"That's it?"

He was a veteran who had seen many battles, facing every phone-grabbing attempt without fear. Two and a half years in the game, he had never met a worthy opponent.

He turned his back on all living beings, alone deciding all ages!

Jiang Nian was puzzled, looked at Ceng You, and asked curiously.

"What if the teacher also finds out you guys hide your phone in xx—what then?"

Ceng You let out a strange laugh and said.

"Hide it in the seatmate's xx."

Hearing this, Wu Jungu immediately sat up straight, slowly turned his head, and looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

"What?"

Jiang Nian clapped his hands and sincerely praised.

"Awesome, awesome, awesome."

After class, taking advantage of the moment when Zhang Ningzhi went to find Yao Beibei, Jiang Nian turned around and looked at the class monitor behind him, who was doing homework.

"What major are you thinking of choosing for college?"

Li Qingrong was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, not knowing why he suddenly asked this. As she lowered her eyes, she hesitated for several seconds before answering.

"Physics or chemistry?"

"Your choices are this flexible and broad?" Jiang Nian clicked his tongue.

Li Qingrong didn't know what to say, but felt it wouldn't be polite to stay silent, so she went with the classic counter-question. "What about you?"

A lazy dog like Jiang Nian only wanted to coast—find some business major and slack off. He didn't find it embarrassing either; after all, to each their own.

"I'm planning to pick an easy business major, and then."

Li Qingrong didn't find it strange upon hearing this.

"Mm."

She didn't say much more—she knew all too well that Jiang Nian was the typical lazy dog in words, always thinking about finding a place to lie down.

But if the right bait came along, a little tug would get him working hard again.

Like biology, for instance.

Li Qingrong's biology scores weren't low, but precisely because of that she knew even better how difficult it was to score 97 in biology on a three-hour comprehensive science exam.

Especially jumping from the 60s to near-perfect in just a few months.

Please... bookmark 6191 Book 1!

It's just that she didn't know what Jiang Nian actually wanted. Otherwise, she felt that with a little coaxing, this guy might even be able to score 650?

What do boys like?

Games, or—

"Class monitor, have you been unhappy lately?" Jiang Nian refused to give up, sneaking another question. "Like, anything bothering you?"

Hearing this, Li Qingrong frowned slightly and shook her head.

"No."

"Is that so?" Jiang Nian rubbed his chin, then turned back around. "Not unhappy—then that's good."

Then, he turned back again.

He stretched out a salty-pig hand, and with a speed faster than thunder, quickly pinched the Hukou area of her palm.

"Like this? Would it annoy you?"

Li Qingrong: "???"

Jiang Nian couldn't hold it together under her stare, and stood up saying.

"Suddenly really need to pee."

Seeing Jiang Nian make his pee-escape, Li Qingrong couldn't help but smile. She stared at the classroom door for a while, then lowered her head and continued working on the problems.

When she worked on problems, she had a little habit.

She liked to prop up her face with her hand, her eyes slightly lowered, the whole person like a still lake.

Even Li Qingrong herself hadn't noticed that she had become much more lively lately. No longer cold and wooden, she would occasionally think about things.

Evening self-study was about to end.

Jiang Nian shook his head; he still had no clue about the class monitor's situation. With no leads, he simply stopped thinking about it.

After all, there was plenty of time ahead—no rush.

So, he thought again about tonight's ice cream feast. Instantly becoming happy again, he was going to lick it up to his heart's content.

In high spirits, he snatched the electrolyte drink off Zhang Ningzhi's desk and tipped his head back, draining it in one go.

Zhang Ningzhi was stunned speechless, mouth slightly agape as she stared at him.

"Are—are you a water bucket or something?"

Jiang Nian burped, twisted the bottle into a hemp-rope shape. He patted Zhang Ningzhi's arm and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me show you something fun."

"What?"

Jiang Nian grinned, aimed the bottle at Li Hua. His thumb suddenly twisted the cap, and the compressed gas rapidly expanded.

With a pop, it sprayed onto Li Hua's clothes.

"Shit! What the hell!" Li Hua let out a piercing shriek, turned and saw the bottle in Jiang Nian's hand, and his face went red-hot with rage.

"You bastard, you f—king—!"

The noise drew plenty of attention from the class, but not from Wang Yuhe—she was still utterly focused on her biology problems.

She was determined to prove that a 97 in biology was nothing special.

Jiang Nian was a weakling, while she, Wang Yuhe, could score 98 or even full marks. She'd slap him in the face hard and make him admit defeat on his own.

She heard the commotion and instinctively wanted to look.

But sheer willpower stopped her—the most important thing right now was to concentrate and score 98 on next week's biology quiz.

What? The weekly quiz doesn't count as a big exam?

Nobody said it had to be a big exam!

After evening self-study let out.

Jiang Nian slung his bag over his shoulder and strolled home. As usual, he went down to the third floor, but there was no sign of Xu Qianqian at all.

He smiled. Was hiding even useful?

"Hello, the number you have dialed—"

Jiang Nian heard the busy tone on his phone, immediately asked Zhao-jie for Song Xiyun's number, and without a second thought dialed her.

No beating around the bush—straight to the point.

"Where did your little bestie run off to?"

On the other end, Song Xiyun's voice was a little flustered, but she still braced herself to answer.

"S-she just went home."

"Really? She didn't run off to your place, did she?" Jiang Nian asked. If Xu Qianqian was being that drastic, there was nothing he could do about it.

But... she couldn't avoid him forever.

"No, Qianqian said she had something to do and left first." Song Xiyun cupped the phone. "I-is something wrong?"

"Nothing, her phone's off." Jiang Nian paused thoughtfully. "It's late at night again—do you think she might—"

Hearing that, Song Xiyun suddenly hung up. A moment later, the phone rang back. Song Xiyun's voice was a little urgent.

"She left just two minutes ago, she should be on her way home. If you hurry now, you might catch her."

Jiang Nian hung up and found Xu Qianqian at the mouth of the alley.

He almost let the little ice-cream pop get away.

When he first arrived, he saw Xu Qianqian pacing under the streetlamp at the alley's entrance. He figured she was too timid to go in alone.

"What's the rush today?"

Hearing that, Xu Qianqian was a little embarrassed too.

"No, just had something to do."

She didn't want to say she'd slipped out early because she was scared—didn't dare walk the last stretch home alone—so she stopped herself.

Jiang Nian walked up and gently patted her head.

"Don't run off like that next time. I'll worry."

Xu Qianqian froze, looked up at Jiang Nian, and a flicker of emotion flashed through her eyes.

"C-can we pretend that thing never happened?"

"No way." Jiang Nian's face changed instantly. He licked his lower lip. "Slurp slurp—you're done for today, Xu Qianqian!!"

"Get lost!" Xu Qianqian turned and bolted into the alley.

The two chased each other back and forth. The night wind came rushing at them, weaving through the flying hair of the boy and girl, their shadows flickering and scattered.

Their footsteps startled a dog at the alley's mouth; a few barks rang out in the night. Then it slowly fell silent again, returning to its quiet hush.

At the bottom of the stairwell.

With a thud, Xu Qianqian was pinned against the wall. She turned her whole face away, eyes rimmed red, looking a little embarrassed.

After holding it in for ages, she finally said.

"Forget it. Consider it getting licked by a dog."

These past two days I've had gastroenteritis and a fever, so I haven't been checking the back-end much. Writing is back to normal now.

Thanks to the big shot "Living in a Prosperous Illusion" for the Silver Alliance—my very first Silver Alliance, so happy.

I'll try to update more. Wishing the big shot a healthy back and kidneys.

Seems like there's a chibi design for Zhang Ningzhi and Li Qingrong—when I have time I'll ask the art team how to handle it.

(End of chapter)