Chapter 369

Outside the Gao San building.

The rain had stopped before noon dismissal, so there was no need for an umbrella.

The playground was littered with puddles of all sizes, and the stone paths were filled with water in holes the size of coins.

The cold wind blew, stirring tiny ripples.

Wang Yuhe walked on the right, carefully stepping only along the edges of the puddles.

Jiang Nian walked in the middle, side by side with Chen Yunyun on the left; the clouds had cleared and the rain ended, and they walked toward the cafeteria while talking.

The snack shop opened right outside the cafeteria, tightly adjacent to the west gate.

"Aren't you going out to eat?" Chen Yunyun asked.

"It's about to close, too lazy to go out," Jiang Nian glanced at her, "if you haven't eaten either, then let's go out together."

This remark delighted Chen Yunyun, her eyes smiling into two curved slits.

"Really?"

"Fake. I don't care whether Wang Yuhe ate or not."

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun couldn't help laughing out loud, scolding him.

"Don't talk like that—the cafeteria won't actually close at noon, it just removes the dishes from the serving windows, shuts the windows, and turns off the lights."

Inside the dim cafeteria.

Zhang Xiaofan had packed a pile of food and dumped it all on a cafeteria table by the window, feasting with his two sidekicks.

Several cans of beer and soda stood upright on the table, all priced above three yuan.

Beside Zhang Xiaofan stood two bottles of Ri0; he showed little interest in the large bowl of crayfish and braised meat, sipping only chicken soup.

Dog Strategist Zeng Yunde devoured the braised meat in big bites, while the tall Cao Yang kept sucking on crayfish, his taste buds thoroughly satisfied.

"Xiaofan Brother, why aren't you eating?"

"You guys eat. I'm not in the mood," Zhang Xiaofan tossed his chopsticks aside. "Twice now—my bike's been damaged again."

"Last time it was the keyhole. This time, both front and rear tires were punctured."

Hearing this, Cao Yang clenched his fist, indignant: "Who the hell did this? If I find out, I'll smash him so hard I'll break his balls."

His enthusiasm earned Zhang Xiaofan's approval.

"Good!"

At this moment, Dog Strategist Zeng Yunde spoke up: "No one knows who did it. The shop won't even cooperate with checking the surveillance."

"Xiaofan Brother, think—have you made any enemies lately?"

Zhang Xiaofan thought for a while. "There are plenty."

Zeng Yunde:

Even so, Dog Strategist Zeng Yunde said nothing. After all, the more enemies Zhang Xiaofan had, the more he needed followers.

The messier, the better.

At this moment.

A person entered through the cafeteria's side door, holding a bowl of instant noodles; a girl followed him, looking around for a table to sit at.

Soon after, another girl walked in.

"Yunyun, look—I bought a bag of oranges before they closed. Impressive, right?"

Jiang Nian was waiting for the hot water to soak the noodles, and couldn't resist retorting:

"Why didn't the security guard lock you out?"

Wang Yuhe smirked proudly.

"Because I was brilliantly clever—I showed the security guard a time that I'd deliberately slowed down. As for brains, I'm way smarter than you!"

Jiang Nian: "????"

He figured the guard probably thought this girl was a bit stupid, and just let her in to avoid trouble.

But it didn't matter—there were oranges to eat anyway.

Awesome.

Zhang Xiaofan's table fell silent; they all turned their heads to stare at the neighboring table—Jiang Nian and the two girls—eyes nearly popping out.

Chen Yunyun had a gentle face, a typical southern girl: slender, with a clean, lively, translucent charm.

Wang Yuhe was the same—a doll-like face made her look youthful. Her long legs were tucked into jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail.

Together, they were 100% magnetic.

Sitting between them, Jiang Nian held a bowl of instant noodles; on the table sat a bottle of Sprite, looking utterly uninterested.

Zhang Xiaofan glanced at his own table—crayfish and braised meat—then at Jiang Nian's single bowl of noodles, and flew into rage!

"What the hell is his excuse?!"

"Bro, calm down!" Cao Yang panicked, grabbing Zhang Xiaofan's arm. "We can't beat him, bro—don't be reckless!"

He clearly remembered that night at the late-night stall.

Jiang Nian had been sitting with two girls, then turned around and dragged Zhang Xiaofan and him away by the neck—they nearly passed out.

Cao Yang was big, but not dumb.

One lesson was enough—he didn't want to relive that dark chaos. If he passed out again, his face would be completely lost.

Dog Strategist Zeng Yunde said nothing and vanished into the background.

Before entering the cafeteria, Jiang Nian had noticed Zhang Xiaofan—that idiot—but he couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention, afraid his eyes would grow thorns.

A dumbass—someone who punches you in the mouth and you stop barking.

Instant noodles were the kind of thing that, after not eating them for a while, tasted like an imperial banquet again. The flavor was decent, even quite good.

"Want an orange?" Chen Yunyun had already peeled the oranges and removed the white filaments, "I tried one—"

Not sour.

You fucking deserve to die!

Zhang Xiaofan's ears twitched in the empty cafeteria; he heard Chen Yunyun's words and gritted his teeth in resentment—until Jiang Nian said, "Fine, but it's too much trouble. Just eat it yourself. No need to peel it for me."

Chen Yunyun said, "It's no trouble at all. I'm bored anyway."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan's grip on his rice noodle bowl trembled.

Keep showing off, and I'll make you fly!

Cao Yang didn't want to clash with Jiang Nian—he was a firm dove. But as he buried his face in the meat, it no longer tasted as delicious as before.

Why exactly?

If he could replace Jiang Nian's position, even eating instant noodles wouldn't be so bad.

Zeng Yunde had no such thoughts; smart people rarely overthink. He said nothing, lowering his head to gobble up crayfish.

But the more he ate, the more his lips felt numb.

He didn't pay it much mind, thinking his fellow townsman had used too much Sichuan pepper. Why were his lips swollen and nearly numb?

Wang Yuhe couldn't sit still; her eyes darted everywhere. They landed on the three people at the next table—and froze.

She glanced once, then couldn't help glancing a second time.

She hesitated, holding back, until Jiang Nian finished his instant noodles. Only as the three rose to leave did she finally speak up.

"Hey, look at that guy's sausage lips."

Jiang Nian turned his head and glanced.

"Shit, allergic reaction."

No sooner had he spoken than Zeng Yunde, the dog-headed strategist, collapsed face-first onto the table. Zhang Xiaofan and Cao Yang jumped back, hearts nearly leaping out of their chests.

"Holy shit, Big Brother Xiao Fan, the food's poisoned!"

"Idiot! Get him to the hospital fast!" Zhang Xiaofan, having seen more, instantly recognized it as an allergic reaction—he grew impatient.

He grew annoyed.

At the cafeteria entrance, the three stared at each other.

"So scary—his face is swollen!" Wang Yuhe patted her chest. "Good thing the security guards let them out."

"They had to let them go—they were calling an ambulance," Chen Yunyun said.

Jiang Nian, walking up the stairs, turned his head upon hearing this.

"The People's Hospital isn't far. A taxi will get you there in minutes. Calling an ambulance is expensive—and not necessarily faster."

Enter the classroom.

Before lunch nap, Jiang Nian pulled several tangerines from his pocket. He'd planned to peel and eat them, then thought better—no one peels the silk threads for him—

So he stopped.

The afternoon classes remained dull; the whole class suffered through them.

Zhang ZhiZhi listened quietly, even during class, finding joy in it. She took careful notes in class and napped after.

Even so, she found she still couldn't match Jiang Nian.

During the break of the second math class, she sneakily glanced at Jiang Nian. Seeing him still sharp and alert, she thought it absurd.

Just before the last class, she poked Jiang Nian.

"Aren't you sleepy this afternoon?"

"Good stamina," Jiang Nian said, pulling out a tangerine and shoving it into her hand. "Peel it for me. I'll share half."

"No thanks, I'm sleepy," Zhang ZhiZhi said—but still leaned on the desk, squinting, and peeled the tangerine completely.

The tangerine was peeled. She was asleep.

Three minutes later, Zhang ZhiZhi jolted awake—the class bell rang. She split the tangerine in half and handed one to Jiang Nian.

She swallowed the other half in one bite—after all, she'd peeled it herself.

The tangerine juice burst in her mouth, sharpening her mind.

Zhang ZhiZhi's eyes brightened; her energy returned slightly. She resolved to bring fruit next time—it worked better than coffee.

Each group member had their own way to stay alert: Li Hua licked camphor oil; Empress Fangfang pricked her finger and squeezed out a drop of blood.

Ceng You, when sleepy, slapped himself. Wu Jungu chewed mint candy and washed his face with cold water. Only Jiang Nian, as if he had eight kidneys, was never tired in the afternoon.

He wasn't sleepy at all.

At this moment, he happily enjoyed the hand-peeled service. As he tossed the tangerine into his mouth, he gathered up the chemistry test on his desk.

The third afternoon class was still math. The math teacher paid little attention to Jiang Nian, the poor student, and even preferred to call on Zhang ZhiZhi during questions.

As for why he didn't call on Li Hua—he showed off too much.

During class, Li Hua's showing off made the middle-aged math teacher, an old geezer, suffer. He was so awkward his toes curled inside his shoes—he almost wanted to cancel the lesson.

Fuck this fucking brat.

After math class, Jiang Nian gained a small victory.

Although the first round of review was nominally still ongoing, math class had already begun drilling specific topics in depth.

The low-scoring Jiang Nian wrote a horizontal stroke on the study card he'd stolen from Baby Zhizhi—the card bore several "zheng" characters.

Solve one math topic, write one stroke of a "zheng" character.

Thus, little by little, it adds up.

Will he win?

After all afternoon classes ended, Jiang Nian stuffed his books into his arms. He prepared to greet Cai Xiaoqing, then head downstairs to the office.

After all, he'd promised Qing Bao he'd ask for study help.

"Grandpa only wants the chicken coop!" Li Hua sang loudly amid the post-class chaos. "Nian, let's practice basketball this afternoon."

"The court is wet, what's the point of practicing?" Jiang Nian pursed his lips, unconcerned, his eyes filled only with longing for the 650.

"Holy shit! Do you even have the heart of a champion?" Li Hua grabbed his clothes. "How is the captain this soft?"

"Heart of a champion?" Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, then slapped his hand away. "Compared to that, I prefer the Proof of Leader."

"Where the hell am I supposed to find a Transformer for you!" Li Hua got anxious.

"Then I suggest you learn the Flaming Shot—who knows, you might get an exclusive BGM." Jiang Nian got up, ready to leave.

He patted Li Hua on the way, offering comfort.

"Nobody practiced, so it's like everyone practiced. If it really won't work, just mull over some tactics, bro's in charge of solo runs."

Hearing this, Li Hua instantly couldn't hold it in.

"Shit!!"

Jiang Nian squeezed past Zhang Ningzhi's side, greeted Cai Xiaoqing, then left the classroom, went downstairs, and arrived at the office.

In the Comprehensive Sciences office.

Qingbao had been waiting for a long time, holding a teacup and reading documents.

"You're here?"

"Mm." Jiang Nian brewed himself a cup of tea, added hot water to Qingbao's teacup, dragged over a chair, and sat beside her.

"Teacher, I have some questions about improving my chemistry score."

"Mm?" Qingbao hesitated for a moment, blew on her hot tea. "Tell me about it first, I've got some free time lately."

"Alright." Jiang Nian laid out the whole story of why he couldn't get chemistry to work for him.

Qingbao listened quietly the whole time, her fingers lightly tapping the desk. She didn't give a definite answer, just said she understood.

Jiang Nian rattled off all his problems in one go, and he himself got some ideas too.

"Alright, teacher, I'll head back first."

"Mm." Qingbao nodded, and when he reached the door, called him back. "I've forgotten a lot of high school chemistry."

"Wait for me to flip through some books, and ask the other teachers."

"Ok." Jiang Nian made a friendly little Western-eight hand gesture.

Coming out of the office, he happened to bump into Qian Bao coming down the stairs.

She glanced at the lit-up Comprehensive Sciences office, then at Jiang Nian's empty hands, a slightly suspicious look on her face.

"Going to see the biology teacher again?"

A full-blown Shura field, right on the spot.

Jiang Nian broke out in cold sweat, thinking to himself that old woman Qian Bao was useless, no more knowledge value to squeeze out. "No, I came down to pee."

"I'll ask Teacher Zhong."

"Got some questions about planning my Comprehensive Sciences study, wanted to see if the biology teacher had any tips." Jiang Nian came clean immediately.

The moment she heard Comprehensive Sciences, Qian Bao's head started to throb.

"Fine, fine, fine, off you go."

"Teacher, are you signing up for Subject Two this week?" Jiang Nian said suddenly before leaving. "I'm taking the test next week, definitely passing." Hearing this, Qian Bao's breath hitched instantly. Recalling her failed Subject Two, her head ached even more.

"What's a kid worrying about all that for!"

"Nothing, just letting the teacher know." Jiang Nian lowered his eyes, pretending to be innocent. "I'll have my driver's license by the end of this month."

That one sentence maxed out the pressure on Qian Bao.

"You're pretty pleased with yourself, huh?"

She was so angry her teeth itched, clip-clopping away in quick little steps. Secretly thinking she had to step it up, she had to get her license this month.

The day she successfully makes it ashore, she'll flood her Moments with posts!

Jiang Nian went upstairs.

He never thought about passing the driving test, because he is success's dad.

Do you know what precision means? (Tactical lean back)

But today's events did give him a wake-up call. Time to show some care for the lonely elderly, lest he get branded a Bai Yanlang.

Use people when you need them, ignore them when you don't.

He's not that kind of person.

Qian Bao's help at the start was quite a lot, the only flaw, perhaps, was... this old woman was way too lazy.

She's slacked off until she's addicted, can't quit now.

The afternoon dismissal bell rang.

A huge crowd poured out of the classroom, the corridor instantly becoming crowded.

Yu Zhiyi deliberately bumped into Jiang Nian, who was walking the wrong way, felt like she'd slammed into a slab of iron, and hissed at the pain. "Why are you so hard?"

"Are you sick in the head?" Jiang Nian cursed, then pulled a thick chemistry review book from his chest.

Yu Zhiyi: "???"