Chapter 450: The Teacher Is Here, Tell Me

"Then I won't do it either." Jiang Nian was quite straightforward about it.

Love can be deceiving, but physics cannot.

"Actually you can skip it, the third sub-question..." Li Qingrong tried offering another solution — just don't do it.

"I'm going to score 650." Jiang Nian said.

Hearing this, Li Qingrong raised her eyes and glanced at him. She said nothing more about giving up on the third sub-question, and began explaining for the fourth time.

During the afternoon meal.

Jiang Nian didn't bring up the matter of finding a room — those close to the sun stay steady. He planned to find a suitable place first, then tell the class monitor; it wouldn't be too late.

Not even sure if it's needed, what if... right?

"What are you thinking about?" Li Qingrong shot him a glance, set down her chopsticks, "You were spacing out just now, something bothering you?"

"Nothing, Qingqing, you're really pretty."

"Mm."

During the evening self-study break, the classroom was a hubbub of noise.

Lin Dong yawned — yesterday afternoon's championship match had nearly drained him dry, and even after two days he still hadn't recovered.

Class Three's championship win, he had an indelible contribution.

"Brother Dong."

Someone patted him.

"Mm?"

He turned his head and saw it was his deskmate Sun Zhicheng. Most of the group had gone out, only the two of them remained at their seats.

"A-Cheng, what's up?"

"I have a question, Brother Dong." Sun Zhicheng hesitated for a long time, and only asked after seeing no one around, "Do I look like a simp to you?"

Hearing this, Lin Dong sucked in a sharp breath.

Damn, a simp seeking validation.

When a person grows green on their head, although they can't see it themselves, they can feel it, so they go online asking everyone.

8u们, did I just get cheated on?

Simps are the same.

"A-Cheng, why do you ask something like that?"

"Just asking casually." Sun Zhicheng gave an awkward laugh and explained, "A guy like me couldn't possibly be a simp."

In reality, he was just replaying Yang Qiming's cold mockery from that day.

He wasn't even chasing anymore, how could that be a simp?

Compared to him, Yang Qiming was the real simp. The girl wasn't even interested, yet he clung on shamelessly and went to confess.

Pure idiot.

Undeniably, he had done similar things himself.

But could that be the same?

At least he was a slow-burner — his actions were built on two years of acquaintance, not the kind who'd confess and bare his heart to just anyone.

So, he hoped to get an answer from Lin Dong as confirmation.

Lin Dong glanced at him, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Doesn't count, I guess."

Hearing this, Sun Zhicheng's heart leaped with joy, though

it didn't show on his face.

"I knew it."

Lin Dong: "

A simp has to actually make a move — Sun Zhicheng is clearly just unrequited love. Chen Yunyun was already almost at that point, and he was still slow-burning.

However, Lin Dong didn't care about any of this.

Christmas Eve was coming soon, and he had his eye on the apple wholesale business. But out of pride, he didn't want to personally get his hands dirty with the smell of money.

But alas, the smell of money was too enticing.

As far as he knew, a guy from the parallel class downstairs had wholesaled apples and sold them at school last year, earning a thousand bucks in one night.

And that guy still didn't know how to sell — if it were him... he'd have made a killing long ago!

Jiang Nian did homework all evening, never once lifting his head.

He was working so hard mainly to make up for the time wasted on the football match these past few days, but in others' eyes it might not seem that way.

Li Hua's take was that Jiang Nian was putting on an act — every time he saw Jiang Nian studying, he thought of those eight points he was behind, and immediately felt uncomfortable.

"Nian, what are you doing?"

Jiang Nian said nothing, pretending he hadn't heard.

Some idiot trying to disrupt my studying?

Get lost!

This made Li Hua even more uncomfortable, and he sighed.

"Bro, you've changed. Back in the day you'd occasionally browse Taoist forums during breaks. How are you like a robot now, no feelings left."

Browsing Taoist forums was already outrageous — who'd do that during class breaks!

"Group leader, stop bothering people while they study!" Zhang Ningzhi poked her head out eerily, "You don't study and you won't let others study either,

that's too much."

"I..." Li Hua's face flushed red.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Nian, thinking, "Damn it, say something. How is it that in a war between men, you're still hiding behind a woman?"

When your buddy does well, it hurts worse than killing him.

You can't possibly try any harder!

Jiang Nian looked up, glanced at Li Hua. Without a word, he just made a figure-eight gesture under his chin.

"Red Stone!" Li Hua's defenses broke.

Huang Fang was used to this, but she also felt a trace of pressure. So she studied even harder, continuing her internal rat-race behavior.

Ma Guojun had no opinion either; he was still copying Li Hua's math homework.

Currently the school's pace is the second round, focused on checking gaps and filling them in. The materials are also thinner than the first-round ones, absolutely streamlined in style.

Then what about the third round?

The third round is the strong stay strong, nothing else. Top students are godlike, bottom students slack off waiting for vacation, the ones in the middle are anxious.

Do some test papers, zone out a bit, and the day is gone.

Empty head, lost in life.

Zhou Yuting is pretty lost right now, getting an early taste of the third round's pressure. Fortunately, for now there's only the provincial joint exam,

and still time to catch up.

As for the target to overtake, naturally it's the 616-point Jiang Nian.

When she passed by from the back row, she saw Jiang Nian not even look up between classes. She instantly felt oppressed—the guy was actually working harder than her.

How high do you want to climb?

This kid's ambition is terrifyingly so.

After school.

Jiang Nian walked home with the two girls, which was also why he buried his head doing problems during evening self-study.

He thought, if only Li Hua could see this.

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Qianqian glanced at him. "You've been grinning since school let out, and you haven't stopped."

"It's because of Xiao Song, more people, livelier," Jiang Nian said casually.

"Huh?" Song Xiyun was a little flustered.

Xu Qianqian didn't mind. That guy's mouth rarely speaks truth—most likely he ran into something good tonight.

"Bumped into a romantic encounter?"

Hearing that, Jiang Nian nodded.

"You won't believe it, but these past two days there really have been. Basically all junior girls, and some bold ones directly invited me out to play at night."

He wasn't lying, but he hadn't agreed either.

Boys going out have to protect their kidneys—getting drained is one thing. But if someone digs them out, who do you complain to? "Oh, why don't you go?" Xu Qianqian swayed.

"Hey, because I'm not into girls." Jiang Nian said frankly. "Not much fun, better to go home and cook you guys a late-night snack."

That was pure nonsense.

Xu Qianqian gave him a look, silent.

She thought, he's not into girls, then... what does that make her? That night in the pitch-black stairwell, treating her like a bro?

Then he's pretty fruity.

Song Xiyun trembled the whole way through, not daring to speak.

Whether Jiang Nian was lecherous or not, she wasn't sure. Because between Jiang Nian and her things were pretty pure, yet didn't seem like normal friends either.

As for herself, her feelings toward Jiang Nian were hard to put into words.

But... occasionally she'd think, if she really got together with him, they'd probably be a pair unforgiven and unblessed.

A hundred swirling thoughts, gone in a flash.

Like a dragonfly on the water's surface, leaving faint ripples.

After getting home.

All three stayed at Xu Qianqian's place; Jiang Nian busied himself in the kitchen. It wasn't complicated—boil water, prep ingredients, dump them in the pot, a few minutes.

The rest of the time, he leaned against the kitchen doorway playing on his phone.

Occasionally he'd peek at the two girls laughing and horsing around in the living room, eyes slightly narrowed. Unconsciously, he placed an order for sucking jelly and popping candy.

Last time he raided Qian Bao's jelly and hadn't returned it yet.

What's the popping candy for?

Eating in class, kids keep out.

"For Christmas Eve next week, are you guys buying apples or not?"

"Huh?" Song Xiyun suddenly looked at Xu Qianqian, then at Jiang Nian.

"Not buying." Xu Qianqian shook her head. "Chinese people don't celebrate foreign holidays, and the whole Christmas Eve thing is too boring anyway."

"Same here." Jiang Nian put away his phone. "That stuff's a scam—how could Christmas Eve involve eating apples?"

"If Christmas Eve means eating apples, then Valentine's Day would have to mean eating lovers. But then again, Christmas Eve really does mean eating lovers."

Song Xiyun: "

"Ignore him, he's being perverted again." Xu Qianqian rolled her eyes. "Apples aside, nobody really eats them anyway."

"True." Song Xiyun nodded, instinctively including Jiang Nian. "So none of us are buying this year?"

Xu Qianqian nodded, gave Jiang Nian a look, hinting at something.

"I'm definitely not buying, so nobody else will know. Back then, a certain someone was pretty generous—twenty-yuan apples, peeled them just like that."

The cued Jiang Nian turned to look at her.

"And then?"

"Twenty yuan?" Song Xiyun gasped, face full of disbelief. "Are apples really this expensive? Who are you wrapping them for?"

Buddy, are you trying to kill me?

Jiang Nian was already starting to feel awkward — who could a twenty-yuan apple be wrapped for? Obviously for Tingzi. Who else could it be for?

Tingzi in her first year of high school was really something — heaven's chosen girl.

Your buddy may be clueless, but he's not blind.

"Ahem, uh... the kitchen's almost done. Let's have a late-night snack first. What would you two like to drink?"

Xu Qianqian pouted. "Coke."

The guest follows the host's lead — the three of them simply drank Coke together.

Winter night, the living room bright with lamplight. At the dining table, three glasses clinked together, ringing out crisply.

"Cheers!!"

Jiang Nian slept until the middle of the night, groggily opening his eyes. Thinking it was dawn, he fumbled for his phone and squinted.

One look at the time — three in the morning.

He figured dawn was still over two hours away — plenty of time to get more sleep.

Perfect!

The next day.

Jiang Nian finished washing up with hot water and came back, glanced at Friday's class schedule. He sat down and started working problems until his phone buzzed.

Weird, this early in the morning.

Who sent it?

He looked up at the empty classroom. Huang Fang in the seat ahead instantly covered her ears, looking every bit the part of "hear no evil."

Unnecessary, Empress Fangfang.

The message was from Lin Dong. He said he'd been mulling over selling apples last night. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, and he couldn't fall asleep the whole night.

Selling apples at school is like opening a gym in the countryside.

But can they actually sell?

If sold.

Mainly depends on two things — whether the grade-level group bans apples, and whether you can find good-looking boxes.

Christmas Eve apples are basically the real-life version of buying a house just for the pearl inside.

Nobody eats them — they're for showing off.

Coincidentally, Jiang Nian was a pro at showing off. Lin Dong had asked the right person, so he offered some reference suggestions.

At the end, he typed another question.

"Are you planning to sell alone?"

In an instant, Lin Dong replied to the message.

"Haven't found anyone yet, though Hu Nianzhong came to me yesterday. I don't really trust that kid — last time he screwed me over."

"Nian-ge, you interested?"

"No." Jiang Nian refused.

He figured the next task should be earning ten thousand yuan — Christmas Eve apples couldn't make ten thousand, the market's a bit small.

Even if each apple earned twenty, it'd take forever.

Besides, if you get classmates to help, you have to give them a cut. Can't have them treat me like a brother while I treat them like wage slaves.

All in all, more harm than good.

Besides, on Friday, 【Lucky Draw】 had already refreshed. 【Good News】 was also unused — he planned to finish the apartment hunt first before using it.

"I won't join, but if you're going to do it," Jiang Nian typed, "I've got a reliable person on my side who can help."

Sister Feifei might be introverted, but she wasn't opposed to finding a way out. All-round observation showed she wasn't the花瓶 type — pretty but useless.

Lin Dong: "Who?"

"A girl. You can't just get guys to help, right?" Jiang Nian replied, giving a rough rundown of the situation.

Said her family was in tough shape, dependable and hardworking.

Lin Dong: "Sure, I could use that."

Jiang Nian: "Let me ask first."

Morning self-study.

Li Hua had memorized two words, was drowsy as hell, patted Jiang Nian and said.

"Wake me when the teacher comes."

"Sure."

Hearing that, Li Hua flopped right down. Finding the desk too hard, he padded it with an English textbook and started snoring away. A few minutes later, the grade-level leader dragged him up.

"Wake up!"