Chapter 367

The next day.

"It really is raining..." Jiang Nian looked up, glancing at the window as a damp, chilly wind swept in, carrying the smell of wet earth.

Oh well, Li Hua's championship dream is over.

The sky was still too early; he glanced again at the ongoing video call. The monitor was clearly still asleep, the other end silent.

Jiang Nian didn't end the video call, leaving the room quietly.

After washing up, he returned to the room and silenced his phone. Then he took cash from a drawer, grabbed his bag and umbrella, and stepped out.

Went downstairs.

He put his phone in his pocket, opened his umbrella, and walked into the misty morning rain.

While buying breakfast at the braised meat roll shop, he ran into Zhou Haifei again. In the light, steady rain, she held an old umbrella.

"Morning."

Jiang Nian said it, then remembered something. He pulled out his phone, checked it—thankfully, the video call was still muted.

On screen, the monitor was still dozing off.

Oh, never mind.

Zhou Haifei had just been about to buy food; hearing the voice, she recognized Jiang Nian. She gave a stiff greeting and returned him a cup of soy milk.

Jiang Nian accepted it and, walking alongside her, asked about the toss-pot game.

"You made it to the finals?"

"Mm." For some reason, Zhou Haifei suddenly wanted to share, "Because the prize money is high."

"True, I entered too," Jiang Nian nodded. "But I heard thirty people from those two innovation classes entered."

Hearing this, Zhou Haifei was stunned.

"One... one class isn't supposed to have more than two people, right?"

That was exactly why she'd taken it so seriously—this rule meant roughly thirty or more girls from Gao San would compete in the finals.

Now, with the number of competitors up by more than half, her chances of winning had shrunk drastically.

"Technically, yes—but..." Jiang Nian said, "That competition was made for them. They are the rule."

Zhou Haifei was speechless; after a hollow chuckle, she said:

"Then I'll aim for a small prize."

No wonder she was a true native of South Town—she accepted the insider setup in seconds. Didn't complain once, just lowered her expectations.

Honestly, if Jiang Nian became her heartless boss, he'd definitely exploit her mercilessly.

You don't want to be unable to pay back your loan, do you?

Just work overtime.

"If you win the big prize, treat me to breakfast," Jiang Nian thought for a moment. "Same if I win—it's risk hedging."

Zhou Haifei thought it over, decided it wasn't a bad deal, and nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

They parted at the third-floor landing; Jiang Nian waved goodbye and went upstairs. Rain dripped steadily onto the stairs, leaving a trail of water.

As soon as he entered the classroom, Huang Fang looked up at him.

"Morning."

"Morning, Empress Fangfang," Jiang Nian said, curious. As he went to fetch two thermoses, he asked, "I didn't see your umbrella out there."

"It's raining so hard—how did you get here?"

Huang Fang was a long-time member of Group Six, the most grounded and normal person in the group.

She thought for a moment, then answered:

"I have a friend in the next class. We came to class together this morning."

"Oh, I see." Jiang Nian took his phone from his pocket and laid it flat on the desk.

As Huang Fang turned to speak, she glanced over—and saw it.

The video call was still active.

She wondered who it was, video-calling so early in the morning. But she quickly looked away, showing no further curiosity.

Knowing too much never helped.

Early morning, the classroom was as empty as always. With the rain, only Jiang Nian and Huang Fang were inside.

Jiang Nian rummaged for his water card and accidentally brushed the mute button.

The phone switched to speaker mode; a crackle came from the speaker, followed by Li Qingrong's muffled voice.

"You're already in class?"

She'd clearly stayed up too late last night; her mind was still foggy. Her tone and voice carried a nasal, sleepy quality.

In the empty classroom, where only the sound of rain could be heard, it sounded especially languid.

Patah—Huang Fang's pen dropped to the floor.

She felt like a maid who'd stumbled into a secret meeting—her face instantly paled, her body trembling involuntarily.

Jiang Nian and the monitor...

In that instant, Huang Fang's mind raced through a thousand thoughts.

Jiang Nian froze too, looking down at his phone. He saw Li Qingrong had sat up in bed, half-asleep.

She wore a thin nightgown, one button undone.

"When did you wake up?"

"Just now." Li Qingrong glanced at the button, preparing to change clothes—then came a soft beep, and the video call ended.

She blinked in confusion, then leaned closer to check her phone.

A chime sounded as Jiang Nian sent a message.

"Changing clothes but not covering the camera?"

Li Qingrong glanced down at her single unbuttoned button, frowned slightly, and knelt halfway on the bed to type a reply.

"Not changed yet."

Jiang Nian: "

No sense of privacy at all."

In the dim room, Li Qingrong tilted her head.

(Smiling).

In the classroom.

Jiang Nian saw the smiling yellow-face emoji and fell into thought.

Could she be trolling me?

But he didn't dwell on it—after all, the monitor was still pretty straight. Unlikely to be trolling; maybe she really was smiling.

Oh dear.

A sudden scraping of a chair broke the silence; the girl in front, Huang Fang, froze.

Jiang Nian looked over and called out.

"Fangfang."

Huang Fang swallowed saliva, turned her head mechanically. A faint awkward smile appeared; she pursed her lips and said, "I didn't hear anything."

"You're making it worse by denying it—heard what you heard," Jiang Nian said carelessly. "I'm completely innocent..."

"Can I tell Baby Zhizhi?" Huang Fang asked tentatively.

"But then again!" Jiang Nian slapped his palm onto Huang Fang's shoulder. "How have I treated you all along?"

"Very... very good," Huang Fang said, feeling guilty.

Jiang Nian said, "I treat you like my own child."

Huang Fang: "

After speaking, Jiang Nian patted her shoulder again—but said nothing more. He trusted Empress Fangfang knew what she was doing.

"Sigh, Nian, how come it suddenly started raining?" Li Hua shook his head, entering with his bag, face gloomy.

Because I prayed for rain.

"Ah, this... I'm not a professional, maybe the weather just changed," Jiang Nian evaded. "I don't really understand—it's not my field, after all."

"Chi Shi, stop this stupid nesting routine!" Li Hua pointed at him. "Everyone on the team is miserable except you—you're the happiest."

"Am I?" Jiang Nian feigned surprise.

"We can't practice, and neither can other classes," Ma Guojun put down his bag and turned to comfort them. "It's like everyone's practicing."

"Hey, still practicing that soccer?" The villain Yao Beibei entered, sneering. "All that practice, and it's still the same?"

Jiang Nian rubbed his chin, puzzled.

"Are you guys acting out an Indian movie? Why are you singing?"

"Morning, Fangfang," Zhang Nenzhi walked into the bustling classroom, backpack on, full of energy as she greeted Huang Fang.

"Morning..." Huang Fang's expression was calm.

Jiang Nian propped his cheek on one hand, watching Zhang Nenzhi approach, a slight smile curling at his lips, waiting for her to greet him.

But Zhang Nenzhi deliberately skipped him.

She slammed her backpack onto the chair, glanced at him, then twisted open her thermos and poured herself a cup of hot water.

She muttered, "The water seems cold."

Jiang Nian instantly cracked—he knew she was baiting him. He reached out, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it hard.

"Fine, don't drink it—I will."

"No, I never said I wouldn't drink," Zhang Nenzhi clung to the cup, but ultimately gave up, unable to outlast him.

"Here," she pulled a small bag of bread and a box of lemon tea from her backpack. "Homemade—want some?"

"Yes!" Jiang Nian extended his paw.

Today's gains: +1.

Morning self-study.

Lin Dong spent the entire morning in shock—he'd heard a rumor. Yu something, was about to become his colleague.

He held one of the Six Ministries' ministerial posts.

He was the most dominant Math representative, far stronger than any Chinese or English or other major-subject reps.

But the Biology rep was a prize.

After all, Biology teacher Zhong Qing was beautiful and young; when she walked past the aisles during class, she left behind a cool, fragrant trail.

Had he not already pledged himself to Math, he'd have taken the Biology rep in a heartbeat.

Otherwise, the moment the former Biology rep stepped down, he'd have rushed straight to the Science Office to volunteer himself.

This time, the moment he heard the rumor, he discovered the rep had already been appointed.

Yu Zhiyi!

Damn it, this treacherous big-chested woman!

How could she hide it so well!

He also realized Class Three's waters ran far deeper—ministerial posts had shifted, yet no one noticed.

Something's off. Too off.

Sun Zhicheng's mood had improved lately, simply because he'd let go. His heart felt lighter, and he had renewed strength to start over.

This time, he awakened early.

Laughing early is not as good as laughing last—Chen Yunyun has always been there. And he never strayed far, and ultimately would claim victory.

At the same time, he noticed Chen Yunyun's interactions with Jiang Nian were not frequent. They had cooled off, even grown distant.

This made him even more energized, seeing the first glimmer of hope.

Sun Zhicheng turned his head and saw Lin Dong frowning; he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Big Brother Dong, what's wrong?"

"Have you heard?" Lin Dong launched into the classic line, "Qian Wenyu, that idiot, he's not biology class rep anymore."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Sun Zhicheng's mind immediately stirred.

The biology class rep position was a coveted one—just by the literal meaning alone. Never mind anything else; the biology teacher herself was quite appealing.

If he could land the position, it would give him an official status and more chances to interact with Chen Yunyun.

Plus, it would bring him face value.

Two class reps from one group—what an honor!

But before he could continue fantasizing, Lin Dong delivered a crushing blow.

"The new biology class rep is Yu Zhiyi—directly appointed."

"Huh?"

Sun Zhicheng uttered "huh" twice, then fell completely silent. He didn't feel as strongly as Lin Dong; he just thought it was fine.

Yu Zhiyi was fine too—at least Jiang Nian wasn't the biology class rep.

If he had been.

Sun Zhicheng figured he'd faint from anger.

After morning self-study ended.

Jiang Nian turned back to glance at the class monitor, who was asleep on his desk, and felt puzzled—had yesterday been a dream or reality?

Half-asleep, he'd even begun doubting himself.

Li Qingrong slept deeply; it was clear she was exhausted. She didn't wake until first period, when she slowly lifted her head, eyes half-shut, and simply kept them half-closed.

Thursday morning had two consecutive Chinese lessons—Teacher Liu's class.

"Ah, class!"

Teacher Liu entered the classroom, full of energy.

Cai Xiaoqing called "stand up," and the students rose lazily, each one as sleepy as a dog—though that was normal.

It was freezing cold, and it had rained in the morning.

The classroom smelled damp, mixed with sweat and shoe odor. Windows and doors sealed shut, people grew used to it.

Teacher Liu was a big man, long plagued by chronic rhinitis.

He didn't care much about it; he entered the classroom without flinching, only occasionally remembering to ask someone by the window to open it for ventilation.

This time, he glanced down.

He ignored Jiang Nian, Li Hua, and others who stood with eyes closed. But when his gaze landed on Li Qingrong, he saw she was drowsy too.

Teacher Liu almost wanted to cancel class and tell Li Qingrong to rest. But then he thought maybe the room was too stuffy, so he spoke:

"Ah, students by the window, open the windows. Winter air gets stuffy and makes you catch cold or feel sleepy—open them for twenty minutes to air it out."

After the window opened, Li Qingrong became even sleepier.

Midway through the first class, she plopped down unconsciously onto her desk with a thud.

This sight struck Teacher Liu, but he dared not slow his pace—he didn't get to fish even once.

Ding dong! Students…

The dismissal bell rang once, and Teacher Liu was utterly drained. A plain morning eighth-period class had turned into a public lesson. Li Qingrong woke up, tilted her head, and realized class was over.

She blinked drowsily at Jiang Nian in front of her, saw him wrestling with Zhang Nianzhi over something, and didn't react.

Last night, she had indeed dreamed.

In the dream, it rained nonstop, yet she slept peacefully—because someone held an umbrella over her, and after that, she never got wet again.

"No, you ate one too many," Jiang Nian reached for the bread, "that one's mine—it has my name on it."

"You!" Zhang Nianzhi was furious.

"Steamed bun?"

"I brought it—I call the shots!" Zhang Nianzhi pinched him, let out a sharp "ah!" and shoved the last piece of bread into her mouth.

Her cheeks instantly swelled, skin so taut it looked ready to burst.

Jiang Nian didn't really want it—he was just teasing Baby Zhizhi. Seeing this, he immediately put on a look of regret.

"Fine, you win."

"Hmph." Zhang Nianzhi felt smug.

Immediately, Jiang Nian pinched her thigh, and she stopped huffing.

Since it was raining, there was no morning run.

During the big break, Li Hua and a few other idiots rushed to the corridor corner to kick a ball.

Jiang Nian didn't join. He sat quietly at his desk solving problems.

After all, he had a bet hanging over him, and no genius-level advantage—just minor perks, barely helping his studies.

Still, the old way: diligence compensates for lack of talent.

He thought it over and decided to start with chemistry—see if he could raise his score a bit, better than obsessing over physics.

Biology, chemistry.

These two general-science subjects could be considered the humanities within the sciences—both are sister disciplines that test the fundamentals.

"Ionic reactions..." Jiang Nian bit the end of his pen, muttering to himself. Hearing movement behind him, he couldn't help turning to look.

He saw Li Qingrong just climbing up from the desk, her gaze meeting Jiang Nian's exactly.

Then, she gently looked away.