Chapter 388: Beating the Cook After a Full Meal

Night fell, and the evening study bell rang.

Jiang Nian lay sprawled across the desk doing his test paper, a thin, snow-bright lamp shining overhead. Soft black hair fell over his face, the line of his profile clean and sharp.

In the bitter cold of the twelfth month, he was wearing only two thin layers.

Li Qingrong reached from the desk behind and poked him. Her face was expressionless. Tilting her head slightly, she showed a puzzled look.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Cold." Jiang Nian sniffed, his gaze dropping to her hand. "My body's not cold, but my hands are a little cold."

Hearing that, Li Qingrong hesitated for a moment.

"Then..."

,

However, she had only just raised her hand.

Who would have thought that his deskmate Zhang Ningzhi would suddenly turn around and, puffed up with anger, toss a pair of pink gloves into Jiang Nian's lap.

"Here you go! No need to thank me."

Jiang Nian snickered, not feeling the least bit awkward, and put them on right away.

"Now it's a little warm."

Hearing that, Zhang Ningzhi's face flushed slightly.

She'd been a little impulsive just now, hadn't thought that much. Those gloves had just been taken off her own hands, so naturally they still held some lingering warmth.

Infuriating! It's all that sneaky little minx's fault!!

"Oh, then take them off, why don't you." Zhang Ningzhi slumped onto the desk and turned her head away. "Ungrateful Smough person!"

"Smo... what person?"

"Petty person!"

"No, Zhizhi." Jiang Nian was dumbfounded. "Mixing Chinese and English is really tacky, don't play like that next time."

"You were already a petty person to begin with, and to think I even brought you something this afternoon...:" Zhang Ningzhi muttered under her breath, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Hearing that, Jiang Nian was a little speechless.

It would've been better if Zhang Ningzhi hadn't brought it up — mentioning it made him recall that afternoon's memory all over again.

Ever since Zhang Ningzhi had delivered the chicken soup, the two sides had kept on playing, and this time Jiang Nian, the main striker, got the star treatment.

A few guys on the other side didn't even bother with the ball — three or four of them swarmed him. Forget dribbling and shooting, he couldn't even touch the ball.

No matter how he tried to break through, he was always surrounded — even by his own teammates.

Li Hua was laughing his head off, roaming the pitch as if he had the place to himself.

"What a marvelous start! Cheer for me, drink...:.. drink to me! I shall treasure this moment!"

After completing a shot, he sprinted around the pitch with arms spread wide in wild celebration. He dropped to his knees and celebrated hard.

Later on, even their own goalkeeper, Ma Guojun, managed to score a goal.

Damn, this is just ridiculous.

Still, it wasn't Zhizhi's fault — it was all Luo Yong's fault. If he hadn't abandoned the team and run off to the milk tea shop for a date, it wouldn't have turned out like this.

Evening self-study was to prepare for the weekly test, evening study

had just ended when Luo Yong returned.

He carried cheap milk tea, going around one by one to offer tribute to the team's six living fathers. But the guys were all holding grudges, and the sight of milk tea left them completely cold.

"Take it away, take it away, we already drank some this afternoon."

"Not drinking anymore, can't stomach any more."

"Ugh, get lost, get lost, you f*cking didn't even train."

Jiang Nian also held a grudge against Luo Yong in his heart. When Luo Yong handed him the milk tea, he pushed it away, thinking that if it really came to it, he'd bring on a substitute.

"Did your date go well?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it." Luo Yong was sick of it. "Her whole dorm came. I was the one paying and I barely got to say a few words to her."

Hearing that, Li Hua couldn't hold it in.

"What kind of sh*tty date is that? Isn't that just a pure ATM machine?"

Luo Yong's face went red from Li Hua's one line, and after a long while managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"She's a little introverted."

Li Hua was delighted, thinking to himself that she sure wasn't introverted when it came to taking his money.

What a shame Luo Yong didn't come that afternoon, otherwise he'd know what a moment of training cost him a lifetime of introversion.

Gotta say, Jiang Nian really is a f*cking bastard!

"It's fine, you learn from your mistakes." Jiang Nian didn't say much more. "Don't sneak off during tomorrow afternoon's match."

"Don't worry." Luo Yong made the promise, but after a moment's hesitation still said, "Nian-ge, I don't want to give up yet."

"Mm, just don't hold up the match." Jiang Nian waved a hand, having already decided in his heart to find someone to swap Luo Yong out.

Nothing wrong with that — better than having him mess things up.

At this moment, Tao Ran walked into the classroom carrying a stack of test papers and answer sheets. With a bang she set them down on the podium, coughed a few times, and said,

"Weekly test. Clear your desks. Sit according to your student number."

The classroom instantly erupted into a clatter, sinking into a sea of noise.

Jiang Nian took off the pale pink gloves, stuffed them into Zhang Ningzhi's coat pocket, and patted the puffed-up Zhang Ningzhi.

"Let's go, weekly test."

"Hmph!"

The weekly test — another chance to sit the same desk as the class president for the exam.

Nice!

The aisle was crowded, and as Yu Zhiyi and Jiang Nian squeezed past each other, she wore a furtive look and whispered something.

"Sent it to you."

"Huh?" Jiang Nian was confused for a moment, then remembered a certain agreement with Yu Huoying. "Oh,

alright."

Dying—Yu Zhiyi's sneaky little expression.

Everything has to be about cows, huh?

Jiang Nian didn't think too much of it, secretly thinking that this place called Zhennan really had something going on—whatever you did, it could be made to feel scandalous.

I have a friend who doesn't really like this kind of steamy stuff.

He had originally wanted to pull out his phone for a look, but found that the class monitor had already gone over. So he

scampered over as well.

"Where's my answer sheet?"

Hearing this, Li Qingrong hesitated for a moment, then handed over the answer sheet with her name written on it.

"Here."

"No, we're short an answer sheet over here." Jiang Nian pushed her answer sheet back. "I'll ask Tao Ran for one."

After a while, Jiang Nian brought back a new answer sheet.

He kept one for himself and passed the rest back. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly noticed there was already an answer sheet on his desk.

On closer look, even the damn name was already filled in.

Li Qingrong (crossed out), Jiang Nian.

The handwriting was neat and pretty, lined up tidily. Just that one diagonal slash was a bit of an eyesore, like a strike-through meant to erase.

No, doesn't that just mean giving me the old answer sheet to use? Even if she's the class monitor, can she bully an honest person like this?

Swallowing his anger, Jiang Nian gave in. These days, if a guy is too honest, he easily gets taken advantage of—getting bullied by girls in all sorts of ways.

"Then I have an answer sheet, where's yours?"

Li Qingrong lowered her eyes, looking at the desk.

"It's gone."

Good, good, good—lying through her teeth with a straight face.

"Fine then, I happen to have a brand-new answer sheet right here." He sat down, thought about it, and wrote her name on it for her too.

He'd originally planned to just write the class monitor's name and leave it at that, but on second thought, he added his own name as well, then crossed it out with one stroke.

There, that's auspicious now.

Although you shouldn't be superstitious, it doesn't hurt to have good luck. It's just a small thing anyway—Old Liu, the lazy guy, never changes answer sheets either.

Li Qingrong took the answer sheet, glanced at it, and her expression turned rather subtle.

"Mm."

Jiang Nian also picked up his pen, and before starting the questions, took another look. Two names side by side—it really did feel... you know.

A phantom voice brushed past his ear: congratulations on your wedding.

He shook his head, feeling he'd been going a bit crazy lately. Must be from not watching enough spicy stuff—more Pochi-chan should fix it.

The language exam ended, and Jiang Nian handed in his answer sheet.

Tao Ran was organizing the test papers at the front, and suddenly saw one that read Li Qingrong (crossed out) Jiang Nian. He instantly struggled to keep a straight face.

Just collecting papers, and he still got force-fed.

But then he remembered that Jiang Nian had always been the type who didn't give a damn about other people's business, so he wasn't too surprised. After thinking about it, he stacked the answer sheet on top.

No way he's the only one getting force-fed—Old Liu has to see this too.

Jiang Nian was unaware. After returning to his seat, he ran to the bathroom to take a leak. He glanced at his phone on the way, and froze on the spot.

Huh?

No, what did she send?

Besides the packaged and organized online physics courses, and some PDFs of key knowledge points and question types,

there was also a video.

Gululu, black stockings.

No, did she misunderstand something?

He had asked her to film a short video under her real name, wishing him 650 points on the provincial joint exam. A perfectly fine bro-level bit between friends—

how did it go rotten?

It's all Yu Zhiyi's fault!

Li Hua was about to leave, turned her head, and saw Jiang Nian dawdling with his belt. She couldn't help feeling speechless and complained,

"Let's go, let's go."

"Mm... you go ahead, my waistband came undone." Jiang Nian lowered his head to fix his belt. "These crappy pants,

how..."

Li Hua: "??? Are you stupid?"

This time, Jiang Nian chose to generously forgive his unfilial child. Silently he took a short break, and only then left the bathroom.

After saving the physics materials, he casually replied to the message.

"You're really out of this world!"

"Huh?" Yu Zhiyi actually replied instantly, proving she was also on her phone. "Hitting the cook after eating, huh,

what kind of person are you!"

"What now?" Jiang Nian criticized a couple of times, then replied, "Keep calling me that and I'll let the class rep take your title someday."

"Bro, I was wrong." Yu Zhiyi dropped to her knees instantly, "You got the physics materials, right? Pull Xiao Yu up a bit in bio."

"That's more like it." Jiang Nian put away his phone.

Weekly test, fourth period evening self-study.

The corridors of every classroom were brightly lit, the noise deafening.

Jiang Nian walked toward Class Three, his expression gradually softening. The physics dry rations had arrived too — everything was ready except the east wind.

650 points, a rather delicate number.

Puncture that thin membrane yourself, and you'll get a sensation more wonderful than ever before. Gotta go hard, slurp slurp slurp!

Cheer.:: for me.

Holy crap, jujube.

In the classroom, Yang Qiming looked up at Jiang Nian. After hearing his words, the whole person seemed slightly off.

"Me, play forward?"

He wore that "I'm going to fight Sun Wukong" expression, his face full of disbelief.

"No, I can't play soccer at all?"

"You can, right?"

"Of course I can't, what do you take me for?" Yang Qiming was getting a bit annoyed too, "An all-star athlete?"

"No... aren't you?" Jiang Nian countered.

Yang Qiming was about to refuse, but turned his head and saw Yu Zhiyi and Zhou Yuting both looking at him, and couldn't help but flash a Zhang Wei-style smile.

"I, indeed, know a little about football."

Jiang Nian was awkward, but kept on inviting him.

"Come on, our original forward is a bit... unable to perform. Without you, the all-star, the class match can't be won."

Hearing this, Yang Qiming

felt thoroughly pleased.

"Roar roar roar, no problem!"

Zhou Yuting glanced at Jiang Nian, then at the big-framed Yang Qiming, thinking this guy really can sweet-talk people.

Still, she didn't seem to have seen him play soccer before.

She'd go check tomorrow when she had time.

Chinese teacher's office.

Old Liu came back from the meeting, ready to grab his keys and get off work. Go home, take a shower, have his wife light him a cigarette, and start the browser game!

Just as he was about to leave, he glanced at the answer sheets collected.

Hm?

What the heck, Li Qingrong... Jiang Nian?

He thought he'd misread it, thinking damn, the meeting gave me hallucinations. This path is like walking on thin ice — can it still reach the other shore?

Looking carefully, his eyes weren't playing tricks.

The name field showed, Li Qingrong (crossed out) Jiang Nian, the handwriting clear. He wiped it with his hand, but the ink had long since dried.

Old Liu was hard-controlled for several seconds, the whole person stunned.

His own class monitor, his hope for promotion and raise. Even the apple of the entire Gao San grade-level group's eye — how... how?!

In that instant, he felt the world spin.

He took several minutes to recover, only then pulling himself together again. He consoled himself that it might just be an accident — the other one couldn't possibly be the same.

He lowered his head to search for Li Qingrong's answer sheet, and pulled one out.

Jiang Nian (crossed out) Li Qingrong.

The sky collapsed.

Old Liu was furious, wanting to storm into the classroom. But the moment his foot lifted, he stopped himself dead — he couldn't do that.

Obstacles are also matchmakers.

Forget it, forget it, he'll call Jiang Nian out tomorrow. Anyway, he still hadn't settled the score with him for leading people to skip self-study last time.

After evening self-study let out.

Jiang Nian returned the gloves he'd worn for one self-study period to Zhang Ningzhi, and at the end tossed out a sharp critique.

"Not warm enough, won't wear them next time."

"You!!" Zhang Ningzhi puffed up angrily, punched him in the waist, "You're the one who insisted on wearing them!"

"So what, if you didn't want to, couldn't you just say so?" Jiang Nian wore a punchable look, and then his waist got punched several more times.

The yandere Baby Zhizhi is too terrifying — if she can't have it, she'll destroy it.