Chapter 415: Giving an Answer Far Beyond Expectations

The side gate, beneath the parasol tree.

"I'm so hungry." Wang Yuhe stood beneath the tree, her one-meter-long legs looking slender and graceful. "Yunyun, when is he coming?"

Chen Yunyun looked a little awkward, her small face delicate and pretty, a snow-white scarf wrapped around her neck, adding a touch of warmth to the cold winter day.

"Should be soon."

"It's already lunch break. Why did he call us over?" Wang Yuhe was clearly starving. "We can't even open the gate."

Chen Yunyun actually didn't know what Jiang Nian wanted either, but since he'd said so in his message, she chose to trust him for now.

"Maybe....."

Wang Yuhe whined for a bit. "That old man at the side gate is way too stubborn—soft or hard, he won't budge. Even if Jiang Nian comes, he definitely won't open it."

Hearing that, Chen Yunyun nodded.

"True, students often get into arguments with the old man over being a few minutes late. But maybe he has something to say?"

"I bet! Yunyun." Wang Yuhe hugged her knees and squatted down. "He called us over just to laugh at us for sure."

Chen Yunyun: "....

After a while, Jiang Nian came over from a distance.

But he didn't walk toward them—just waved at the two girls from afar. Then he turned and went into the house beside it.

Wang Yuhe stood up instantly, excited.

"Yunyun, look at him!"

"He went to find the old man—probably to get him to open the gate." Chen Yunyun broke a sweat, turned around, and tried to soothe Wang Yuhe.

"Let's wait a bit longer. We'll see when he comes out."

Wang Yuhe gave an "oh," then squatted on the ground and started waiting. Facing the side gate's exit, she activated her Sharingan and stared....

Opening the gate, as it happens, has its own set of rules.

But the side gate is manned by a person—rules are rigid, cigarettes are flexible, and the power to interpret the regulations lies in the old man's hands.

Afternoon. The old lime-washed house beside the side gate.

The old man was about to close the window for an afternoon nap when he spotted a student approaching from afar. His face immediately went cold, ready to wave him off.

Plop—a pack of cigarettes dropped in through the window.

The old man saw it was Yuxi, and his whole face instantly broke into a grin. The older a person gets, the more they see through things—he couldn't even be bothered to put on an act.

"You need to go out, right?"

For a moment, Jiang Nian actually felt the old man had become a lot more kindly.

"Sir, I'm the class president of the Olympiad Class Three. Two female classmates need to come in—they just came from the doctor and can't be in the wind."

Class president, just saw the doctor, female classmates—all the elements stacked up perfectly.

This is the political correctness of campus life.

Actually, the old man had already agreed in his heart, all for the sake of the Yuxi. Hearing such a flawless excuse, his hands moved a few beats faster.

"Then you really do need to be careful. The flu's been serious lately."

Saying so, Jiang Nian and the old man walked side by side to the side gate. He pointed at Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe in the distance and said something.

Outside the side gate.

Chen Yunyun was stunned—she had never seen the side gate old man like this. Keys in hand, face full of kindness, ready to open the gate.

She vaguely remembered how, before, the moment she stepped in, the side gate would lock behind her the next second.

One boy didn't make it in time and begged the old man to open up. No matter how nicely or firmly he asked, he was refused, and in a fit of rage started cursing back.

Because the argument got so heated, it drew quite a crowd.

From then on, almost everyone knew—the side gate old man had a fierce temper; except for teachers, once lunch break was over, he wouldn't open.

"These two girls, right?" The old man waved kindly at them. "Come in quick, it's windy outside. Chen Yunyun: "?"

Wang Yuhe was even more dumbfounded, her face wearing the exact same shocked expression as Anya, squatting on the ground like a little dirt-covered chick.

"Huh?"

Clang—the side gate closed.

The two girls were led away by Jiang Nian, and before leaving, they even thanked the old man.

"Have you eaten?"

But Chen Yunyun and the other girl didn't answer, and instead asked,

"How did the old man... open the gate?"

"Secret."

Wang Yuhe: "You-you-you... you wouldn't happen to be his grandson, would you?"

"I'm not his grandson, I'm the Inspiration Star." Jiang Nian said. "I revealed my identity, and the old man was so moved he nearly cried."

"Liar!" Wang Yuhe leaned right up to his face, staring intently into his eyes. "The Inspiration Star wouldn't work!"

Indeed, it was all thanks to Old Man Yuxi's help.

"Believe it or not, you unambitious person." Jiang Nian couldn't be bothered with her, turned to look at Chen Yunyun, and asked again.

"Have you eaten?"

Chen Yunyun blinked, then shook her head.

"No."

"Alright, perfect timing—I just happened to pick up a meal card for the faculty cafeteria on the way." Jiang Nian pulled Chen Yunyun along, heading toward the faculty cafeteria.

"No idea which poor sap dropped it. Let's spend it while it's hot."

After lunch break, the only food still being served in the whole school was at the faculty cafeteria.

"We won't get caught, right?" Wang Yuhe closed her eyes, already starting to feel scared.

"Coward."

"You're the coward!" Wang Yuhe tugged Chen Yunyun's hand, persuading her, "This isn't right, is it?"

Chen Yunyun didn't know what to say, wanting to say that marry a chicken follow the chicken, marry a dog follow the dog.

The words reached her lips, then she swallowed them back.

"Then there's no choice, once caught you can only find a way to compensate."

Wang Yuhe: "?"

Jiang Nian, hearing this, was also a little

hard-pressed to keep a straight face; the way Chen Yunyun spoke was as if she'd been stuck with a husband who was a gambler capable of every evil.

"Two hundred fifty, this is what Old Liu gave me."

Wang Yuhe immediately hissed, "You're the two hundred fifty!"

Beep beep.

Jiang Nian swiped two meals, carried them over to the two people who were nearly shrinking into the corner to eat.

"No way, are you guys this timid?"

Chen Yunyun pressed her lips together, took the tray.

"This is the faculty cafeteria..."

"So what?"

"My courage isn't small, I just don't want to fake it." Wang Yuhe sat across from Jiang Nian, perfectly blocking his line of sight, a genius at CS

"You fucking rock." Jiang Nian was speechless.

Chen Yunyun bit her lower lip, smiled softly,

and as she lowered her head to eat, her heart was likewise a tangle of five flavors. From yesterday to today, it was completely like having lived an illusory dream.

Probably because Jiang Nian's reliability far exceeded her expectations.

Even spilling over quite a bit.

At noon, the three quietly slipped into the classroom.

Jiang Nian, having accompanied the two girls for the meal, had wasted quite a bit of time. So after working on the test paper for a while, it was about time for the afternoon nap.

Still, clearly this was worth it.

Whether money or cards, they're all dead objects. Spent on the right person, they often produce unexpected effects.

For example, Li Hua's cousin, giving a phone to his blind date.

The girl didn't even look at him favorably, and it directly became a toy in Li Hua's hands, forced to shuttle through countless shady websites.

In another half year, this little bit of money might not be able to leverage much of anything.

So timing is very important.

After the afternoon nap, Jiang Nian slowly woke up.

He stuffed a palm-sized little bear into Zhang Ningzhi's desk, then placed a few hair ties on the class monitor's desk.

Bought on a whim, altogether not even worth as much as Liu Yang's pack of Yuxi.

After coming back from watering, the corridor was bustling.

The boys of Class Three leaned there letting the breeze dry their hands. Most of them had peed too much, the stream had forked, and they'd peed on their own hands.

"Hua, both hands got peed on?"

"Eat shit, get lost!" Li Hua pulled his hands back, and in quite a flashy manner asked, "What'd you take the afternoon off for?"

"Went to see your cousin." Jiang Nian leaned against the railing, squinted his eyes, "Believe it or not, the real person is prettier than the photo."

"You animal!" Li Hua grabbed Jiang Nian by the collar.

"What cousin?" Lin Dong poked his head out.

"A middle schooler."

"Oh oh, then forget it." Lin Dong immediately lost interest, and went back to chatting with Sun Zhicheng, sharing strange tales and anecdotes. Among the circle of boys, Liu Yang asked a question.

"A real cousin?"

"Genuine, you animals stay away from my sister." Li Hua instantly turned into a crazy sister-protector, "One comes, I kill one."

Jiang Nian looked at Liu Yang, grinning.

"Socially savvy, Yang-ge."

Liu Yang knew he was talking about the Yuxi matter, and immediately felt a bit guilty.

"Occasionally, occasionally."

"Speaking of which, is there tug-of-war this afternoon?" Luo Yong had some brute strength, and was also picked, "The girls all seem pretty weak."

Li Hua immediately scratched his head, starting.

"I think... it's alright."

Jiang Nian: "You just need to hear the name?

Hearing this, the crowd who knew perfectly well burst out laughing. The corridor was instantly filled with happy air, along with one wildly barking stray dog.

After class.

Jiang Nian returned to his seat, his sleeve tugged by Zhang Ningzhi.

"Mm?"

Zhang Ningzhi blushed, pointed at the little bear plushie.

"Thank you."