Chapter 372: Buy You a Little Bed

Jiang Nian was shoved aside without any reaction; his skin was as thick as bamboo wall.

It was just a sudden whim.

Short for showing off.

But he never actually intended to take advantage of Xu Shao; he just hadn't expected Xu Qianqian to become so sensitive all of a sudden.

They say girls mature early.

"By the way, aren't you going to bet?" Jiang Nian tried to kill two birds with one stone, "How about a wager? Set yourself a goal too."

Xu Qianqian was still replaying that moment in her mind and hadn't heard a word he said.

"Gambling penalty: five hundred."

"I remember there's detention too?" Jiang Nian recalled; plenty of people in Zhennan County did this during New Year, whole gangs of gamblers returning home.

Go home for New Year's Eve, leave again on the third day to go work.

The whole point is bringing money home, leaving with only sixty yuan to work.

"I'll lock you up in this cage for ten days or a month," Xu Qianqian said, exasperated, "so you don't harass people."

"Lock you in my room?" Jiang Nian asked.

"Take this punch," Xu Qianqian raised her fist, "if I knock you out, I'll save on food costs."

"That's so cruel?" Jiang Nian walked out the school gate with her, alarmed, "You won't stuff socks in my mouth, will you?"

Xu Qianqian understood some abstract concepts, but she understood Jiang Nian better.

Just as LPL likes to study opponents, Jiang Nian had figured Xu Qianqian inside out, and Xu Qianqian had figured Jiang Nian out completely.

Conclusion: this guy is a pervert.

"Just stuff some dirty kitchen rags in there; my socks still need to be worn," Xu Qianqian smiled, responding to his move with her own.

She thought: this little boy has quite the imagination—wants to steep his socks in tea?

What if I wore them for two days straight?

Jiang Nian would explode.

Given Xu Qianqian's aggression was a bit too strong, Jiang Nian switched topics entirely, returning to studies and speaking at length.

"In the next provincial mock exam, I will score 650."

"Pfft!"

A burst of giggling erupted—coming from Xu Qianqian. "Sorry sorry, I just thought of something funny," she pressed her lips together, "I'm not laughing at you, really."

"What if I actually score 650?" Jiang Nian asked, not angry.

"Haha, if you really score 650!..." Xu Qianqian began, then suddenly realized, "Then you just score it."

"You keep doing this!" Jiang Nian reached out and pinched hard at her neck and shoulder.

"Ouch!" Xu Qianqian winced, pulling her neck back, glaring at him, "Why are you squeezing so hard?"

She was tired of his increasingly frequent little tricks, and tired of her own needless overthinking, tangled in thoughts that sprang up out of nowhere.

If Jiang Nian just wanted to take advantage of her, things would be simple.

Just kill him.

But the truth was, this guy was indeed a pervert—but before he wanted to take advantage of her, he wanted to be close to her.

Then things became complicated, even dizzying.

She felt Jiang Nian liked her.

But he was stubbornly silent.

She didn't know when this contradiction would explode, or how—when there was nowhere left to hide.

So Xu Qianqian chose to handle it vaguely.

She looked at Jiang Nian, serious now.

"Setting your goal at 650 is indeed bold, but not as bold as mine. My goal is 700. Dare you?"

"Dare not," Jiang Nian said listlessly, hands shoved into his coat pockets, "Let's go home. Share your bathwater with me."

"I'm thirsty anyway; I'll save it to drink at home."

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian realized she'd underestimated Jiang Nian's perversion.

"Only foot-washing water."

"Too bad. Then I'll just boil it and make instant noodles."

"Get lost!" Xu Qianqian couldn't take it anymore, shoving him hard, "Go die, aren't you disgusting?"

"Did you just meet me?" Jiang Nian glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her face for five or six seconds—looking more and more tempted.

He didn't know why, but the green plum wine he'd brewed kept getting richer, nothing like what the internet said about mutual disgust.

Xu Qianqian felt her cheeks flush under his stare, and turned her head away.

"Are you dying? Trying to get one last look at me?"

Jiang Nian struggled to keep his composure. "No, your mouth is 38 degrees, why do you say things that are minus ten every day?"

"How dare you assume my mouth isn't minus ten?" Xu Qianqian huffed twice, covering her mouth.

Then she sneakily stole a glance at Jiang Nian.

"What's that reaction for?" Jiang Nian eyed her sharply, "You're a downer—do you think I want to kiss you?"

"Who knows?" Xu Qianqian shot back.

After saying that, both fell silent. They walked in quiet until just before entering the alley.

Jiang Nian called out to her, "Xu Qianqian."

Xu Qianqian stood under the streetlamp at the alley's mouth, turning to look at him, slightly nervous.

"What?"

"If someone calls out to you in the middle of the night, don't you dare look back.

At those words, Xu Qianqian froze on the spot. Scenes from certain horror films flooded her mind, and she blew up on the spot. "Ahhh!!! Jiang Nian, you bastard!!"

Jiang Nian's face suddenly changed, and he shouted, "Shit, someone's here."

He turned and ran.

The most brilliant thing about Chinese-style horror is that the focus isn't on the words 'there's a ghost,' but on 'there's a person.'

Schrödinger's person.

Before 'it' reveals itself, it could be a person or it could be something else.

So, the moment Jiang Nian ran and passed her, Xu Qianqian panicked immediately. She didn't have the courage to verify anything at all,

and just followed him running.

"You

Jiang Nian ran two steps then stopped, after all he hadn't really meant to scare her.

"Alright, no more playing around."

Xu Qianqian caught up to him and immediately launched into a flurry of punches and kicks.

"I'll get you back for scaring me!"

"I said someone was there, I didn't say anything else." Jiang Nian immediately argued back, "Someone being around at night, isn't that perfectly normal?"

"Drop dead!"

They made their way all the way home.

After washing up, Jiang Nian didn't go straight to bed. Instead, he sat down at his desk and spread out a chemistry exam paper, ready to burn the midnight oil.

He deliberately glanced at his phone—no message from the class monitor.

Chen Yunyun, though, had sent two daily-life messages, first sharing a late-night snack of fruit, then the scene of people lining up for hot water in the evening.

"Had to wait in line forever. (Image)"

"Didn't you guys already get water this afternoon?" Jiang Nian replied curiously.

"Yep, I meant other people." Chen Yunyun said with a grin, "(laugh) I saw the group leader, he's chatting someone up."

"Who?" Jiang Nian asked.

Chen Yunyun: "(sneaky laugh) Ji Jiayu."

"Yunyun, that sneaky-laugh emoji of yours is so shady." Jiang Nian laughed, "Hey, didn't her ex just get a new girlfriend?"

In the girls' dorm.

Chen Yunyun, who had been chatting gossip with Jiang Nian, saw the latest message. Her fingers paused involuntarily, and she frowned as she typed.

"How is it shady! (angry)"

"Well, I wouldn't know, only a green-tea bitch likes to gossip about other people,, (hmph left)"

"Then forget it, I'll ask her in person another day." After sending that message, Jiang Nian turned off his phone screen and got ready to do homework.

With a buzz, Chen Yunyun popped up with a message.

"(smile)."

Jiang Nian was certain—this was a master of passive-aggression.

Still, Chen Yunyun was only a little tough online. Cornered in person, she'd go soft as rice cake—the whole point was being an offline Jerry: "Just wait, I'll arrest you tomorrow."

Chen Yunyun: "(confused)."

Jiang Nian took a photo of his exam paper and sent it to her, cutting short their brief chat.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye it was midnight.

He rubbed his sore, gritty eyes, ready to put away the paper and go to bed. But just then, his phone buzzed with a vibration.

Jiang Nian instinctively unlocked it, thinking it was Chen Yunyun's peace-offering message.

One look—it was from Xu Qianqian.

"Jiang Nian, I think there's some movement outside my room."

He glanced at the message and couldn't help sighing. If only he'd known better than to cause trouble at night; now he was completely asking for it.

He threw on a jacket and grabbed an exam paper.

Jiang Nian left his room, tiptoeing through the living room. As he picked up his keys, he casually sent Xu Qianqian a message.

"I'm coming over, get ready to open your door.

He did have a key to her place, he just normally didn't use it. He couldn't exactly go around with a key doing nighttime raids, but now it was fine.

He opened the door, turned on the lights.

He gave the living room and rooms a thorough look—it was just a casual sweep.

Even though it was an old building, with neighbors of ten years on both sides. But if a thief really did sneak in, you couldn't say for sure.

It's early December now; if it were early January,

the school would repeatedly order and forbid students from going to deserted places, because at the end of the year Zhennan County isn't safe—approaching the New Year, horrifying incidents often break out. Either petty thieves, or affairs and revenge killings.

Passion crimes at barbershops are the classic of classics.

In the end, he knocked on Xu Qianqian's bedroom door.

Knock knock knock.

"Open up, it's me, Jiang Nian."

Then, a burst of footsteps sounded.

Click.

Xu Qianqian opened the bedroom door, revealing a delicate little face, and instinctively frowned the moment she saw Jiang Nian.

"It's all your fault! Who told you to scare me!"

"Alright, alright, I'm wrong." Jiang Nian pushed open the door and glanced around her room. "Now it's fine."

"Outside... you checked everywhere?" Xu Qianqian swallowed hard.

"I checked outside the windows. Don't worry." Jiang Nian crouched down to look under Xu Qianqian's bed, then stood up.

"You haven't checked that drawer yet—I'll pull it open—"

"No!" Xu Qianqian stopped him, her face gradually flushing red. "That's where I keep my clothes. Don't go rummaging."

"You say that like I'd rummage through it," Jiang Nian said. "What if something's there? At night, you want peace of mind."

+

Xu Qianqian was momentarily speechless. After a stunned pause, she watched as he pulled open the large drawer beneath the wardrobe—pink and white underwear neatly folded together.

"Ahh!! You're going to die!" The girl snapped back, shoving him. "I'm telling Li Yi!"

"Do as you like." Jiang Nian, utterly unfazed, pulled out the exam paper from his body. "I'll leave after you fall asleep."

Xu Qianqian had just closed the underwear drawer, her face still flushed. Hearing his words, her expression softened slightly.

"Oh."

Though she usually talked back, she still knew what mattered in critical moments.

"What kind of paper did you bring?"

"Chemistry." Jiang Nian pulled out a chair and sat at her desk. "How do you turn this lamp on?"

"Touchscreen." Xu Qianqian pulled the blanket up, leaving only her head exposed. "Touch the center of the base—you can adjust the brightness."

Click, the bedroom light turned off.

Jiang Nian adjusted the lamp's brightness until the light was confined to the desk area—enough to see the paper, without disturbing Xu Qianqian's sleep.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

At first, Xu Qianqian slept with her back to the desk, seeing only the faint glow of the lamp on the wall and the rustling of pen on paper.

After a minute, she turned onto her back.

Finally, the girl couldn't help sneaking a glance toward the desk. She saw the boy utterly focused, bent over his work.

When he was serious, he actually looked somewhat human.

Xu Qianqian stared at his profile, then pulled deeper into the blankets. Her mind churned with scattered, chaotic thoughts.

She'd planned to say something defiant, to uphold her reputation as Xu Shao. But the words died on her lips—what if he really left?

Without realizing it, she fell asleep.

When Xu Qianqian opened her eyes again, the room was pitch black. She lay there, dazed, remembering the night before—she'd slept soundly.

She assumed Jiang Nian had returned to his room across the hall, though she didn't know when he'd left—she'd slept too deeply.

Suddenly, a sound came from the desk.

Xu Qianqian hadn't gotten up yet; she was still under the covers. She lifted her head in shock, her pupils widening slightly.

"You... didn't go back?"

"Go where?" Jiang Nian sat up from the desk, his head tilted back against the chair. "I fell asleep by accident."

Xu Qianqian let out a quiet, breathy "Oh."

She didn't believe him for a second. That guy loved comfort—he'd never sleep on a desk if he could sleep on a bed.

But whether she liked it or not, she had to accept this favor.

Against her will, she mumbled something.

"It's still early. Why don't you sleep in my bed?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Xu Qianqian regretted them. She cursed herself—still half-asleep, she hadn't thought before speaking.

"I... I'm getting up now. You might as well go home and sleep."

Her reaction was too obvious—too loud in the quiet, dim room. It screamed, "I'm hiding something."

"I'll go wash up." Jiang Nian stood, his shoulders cracking. "Then, let's go to school together?"

"Oh." Xu Qianqian fell silent.

As Jiang Nian turned to leave, she felt she had to say something. But she couldn't say anything sentimental—so she blurted out:

"Next time, don't sleep on the desk. I'll buy you a small bed."

Jiang Nian froze, his hand on the doorknob. He turned back to look at Xu Qianqian in her pajamas.

"Thanks, Xu Shao."

"You're welcome." Xu Qianqian felt awkward, adding quickly, "Actually, I can sleep on the small bed too."

"It's just... I sleep poorly. I might sleepwalk and step on your face."

Jiang Nian didn't bother arguing. He took the completed paper and left the room. He washed up at home, grabbed his bag, and waited by the door.

Soon after, Xu Qianqian stepped out.

She put on her shoes, then felt embarrassed. She wanted to make it up to Jiang Nian, so she volunteered:

"Hey, you buy me breakfast?"

Jiang Nian: "????"

"No, I messed up." Xu Qianqian's neck flushed faintly. "I'll buy you breakfast. What do you want?"