Chapter 452: Qingqing: Want a Hug?

Chen Yunyun kept saying "I—" for a long while, never managing to get anything coherent out.

"Nothing, just thinking of a topic."

Jiang Nian nodded and said nothing either.

Not until Wang Yuhe entered the classroom did he turn and intercept Chen Yunyun. He smiled at her, using the moment of stepping aside to block her line of sight.

With a casual tug, he pulled Chen Yunyun along with him.

If anyone in the classroom looked out, they'd only see something like a banquet-table virtuoso—flick a sleeve, sweep away a bottle of Wuliangye.

That's how people with strong gank awareness do it—classic vision-blocking.

"Huh?"

Chen Yunyun was tugged gently to one side and didn't resist.

"What's up?"

"Something came up—that little house off campus." Jiang Nian asked with a smile, "Someone asked about you guys, said the guy renting the place doesn't live there anymore?"

"Yeah."

"Ran into the landlord today, she asked if it had been sublet?" Chen Yunyun said, "I meant to bring it up at lunch, but forgot."

"Forgot? You're dying to know that little secret, aren't you?"

Chen Yunyun was seen right through, and her face immediately flushed red.

"Want to tell me?"

"No." Jiang Nian didn't soften one bit.

"Mm..." Chen Yunyun ran into a wall, and couldn't help pressing her lips together. "Fine then, forget it, I'm not that curious anyway."

Jiang Nian caught the telltale signs—playing the celestial maiden, is she?

"If you're curious, you can ask Wang Yuwei. Let's not get into that." He steered the topic back. "So when the landlord asked, what did you tell her?"

Chen Yunyun bit her lower lip, hesitated a long while before saying.

".... Cousin."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian's expression was a little hard to hold together.

"Well, actually... just tell the truth would've been fine. The second you open your mouth with 'cousin,' people will think I'm Murong Fu."

Setting everything else aside about Murong Fu, he was single-mindedly restoring his kingdom—not into incest.

His medical awareness was pretty ahead of its time, though.

"Huh?" Chen Yunyun was baffled for a moment. "Then what do I do?"

"See through it, don't call it out—the lease is signed." Jiang Nian didn't really mind. "As long as nothing happens, people won't pry."

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun immediately felt a bit embarrassed. But it really was true—she couldn't control how people thought about it at all.

Still... what exactly counts as "something happening"?

After the lunch break.

Ma Guojun walked into the classroom glowing with excitement, pushed up his black-framed glasses with his middle finger, and brought a piece of bizarre news.

"I was just on the road outside the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, saw someone get sent flying by a car."

"That wild?" Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow, leaned in and asked, "So what's the deal, the one who got hit was Li Hua?"

"Eat shit!" Li Hua couldn't take it.

"I heard about it too, so scary." Baby Zhizhi also chimed in, "Seems like they were walking while on their phone and got hit suddenly."

Hearing this, a few boys simultaneously sucked in a cold breath.

"Did they format the phone?"

"If the person passes out and the phone's still lit, they're done for."

"Ceng You, you've gotta be careful crossing the road. Last time I saw you walking with your head down on your phone, strolling along with a little couple the whole way."

"Ceng You, be careful when crossing the road—last time I saw you, you were looking down at your phone the whole way, walking alongside a young couple."

Jiang Nian didn't join the discussion—for one, being a lecher wasn't his weak spot; for two, he didn't need to wait for the police to unlock the phone and check the records.

No need for anything that complicated—just the news of the hospitalization spreading would be enough to kill him.

Sigh, life is but a journey against the current.

An afternoon passed, three classes ended. During the last short self-study period, a huge crowd sprawled across the classroom, listless and wilted.

Li Hua was waiting for class to end, utterly bored. He somehow got his hands on a piece of chalk, ground it into powder, poured water on it, and mixed it into a paste.

Li Hua was waiting for class to end, utterly bored. He somehow got a piece of chalk, ground it into powder, and mixed it with water to make paste.

Jiang Nian was working on problems, looked up to stretch his neck. Turning his head, he caught sight of Li Hua's little craft project, and couldn't help laughing.

Jiang Nian was doing his problems, lifted his head to stretch his neck, and caught sight of Li Hua's little trick—he couldn't help but laugh.

"Yep, for Ma Guojun." Li Hua said without looking up, "Give him a swig after school, and the baby'll be lulled right to sleep."

"Yeah, it's for Ma Guojun," Li Hua said without looking up. "Give him a sip after school, and the baby falls right asleep."

"Group leader, don't you ever do homework?"

"Homework?" Li Hua's face went blank—he broke straight into a Donnie Yen-style grin.

Almost full marks and still doing homework—wouldn't that make the full marks pointless?

Teacher: "Why aren't you turning in your homework?"

"Then let me ask you."

"Alright, quit showing off." Jiang Nian was speechless, then comforted Zhang Ningzhi, "Don't take it to heart, that's just how he is."

"If the child isn't taught, it's the father's fault—I bear responsibility."

"If a child is not taught, it is the father's fault—I am responsible."

Red Stone.

After school in the afternoon, Jiang Nian waved goodbye to Zhang Ningzhi.

This time, he didn't ask the class monitor to help with homework. Instead, he took her out of campus to a small shop for a light snack.

The two then headed to the vicinity of Jingfu Community, letting Li Qingrong browse the supermarket on her own.

?

Night fell dark, traffic weaving like a tapestry.

"I've got something to take care of nearby—I'll call you later." Jiang Nian didn't know how to explain it; the landlord in Daocheng had asked his sister-in-law to deliver the keys.

To be honest, she wasn't bad.

Jiang Nian rented it under his own name, for half a year. The rent was over ten thousand, roughly two thousand per month.

Compared to some shabby neighborhoods near the county, this price was quite reasonable.

In a small county, a one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with a balcony would dare charge twelve hundred—

You believe me?

Also, the prices for internet-famous apartments in the university district on the city's outskirts were insane—places where even birds couldn't fly out, charging over two thousand? Does Nanshi even have a university?

There are brothers. There are.

A provincial-run public school, mixing second-tier and first-tier admissions. Located right at the doorstep, hardly anyone in Class Three wanted to apply to Nan Province Polytechnic.

At the entrance of Jingfu Community, the sky was dim.

Jiang Nian wore a windbreaker on top and jeans below, tall and slender, standing outside the security booth, drawing many glances from passersby.

He was chatting with the class monitor and wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings.

Suddenly, tap-tap-tap.

A crisp sound of high heels striking the tiles reached his ears, making Jiang Nian lift his head—he immediately saw a fiery figure.

A tight red skirt accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her hair cascaded in large waves, her lips painted red.

She wore a mink coat, panting as she stopped at the entrance. Under the lights, she glanced around, finally locking her gaze on Jiang Nian.

"Hey!"

The woman ran while shaking—what exactly shook didn't need explaining.

"You~ are~ the~~ tenant, right? I'm his sister-in-law. We need to go up… uh, which floor is he on?"

Her voice trembled; the sound of running was naturally shaky.

"You're pretty handsome. Are you still in school?" The sister-in-law had long thighs wrapped in black stockings. "I brought the contract too."

In this small place, the contract is just a piece of paper.

Most disputes never reach court, especially when both parties are locals, and the amount is small—it's settled through mediation.

That's one reason the landlord was willing to rent—fewer hassles.

"Senior three," Jiang Nian nodded.

To be honest, he was starting to doubt the landlord's character. With a sister-in-law this beautiful, how could he get cheated on by his wife?

His brother didn't teach him anything—did he even hide things from his own brother?

Whatever.

With a beep, the sister-in-law swiped her card to enter the community, then turned to Jiang Nian.

"Are you of age?"

"?"

Jiang Nian went upstairs, inspecting the place thoroughly—the apartment was better than he imagined.

It must've been truly heartbreaking; the setup clearly looked like a wedding apartment. No recent renovation marks, and little dust.

"My nephew isn't home. We hire someone to clean this place periodically," the sister-in-law walked back and forth in the living room, heels clicking.

Jiang Nian shifted his gaze, checked the bathroom drain, then examined the windows, doors, and whether the balcony had standing water.

Finding no issues, he signed the contract immediately.

Being in the same room with the peach-colored sister-in-law was too intense. He dared not stand too close—didn't want to get her perfume on him.

No delay—keys landed in his hand.

In the elevator going down, the sister-in-law glanced at Jiang Nian, who kept his distance, and pressed her full red lips into a thin line.

"Got a girlfriend?"

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then answered.

"I like beast-girls. Things from 2D."

The peach-colored sister-in-law froze, her interest instantly drained. A few steps out of the elevator, she bent down to pick up a dropped pen.

Jiang Nian kept his eyes straight ahead, silently repeating in his mind.

"Tao Ran, help me!"

"Bye," the sister-in-law said—this time, she truly had no interest.

Jiang Nian exhaled in relief, checked his phone—he'd sent the class monitor the location earlier; Li Qingrong had already arrived at the entrance.

The night wind blew through the community, swirling around.

He'd just climbed up and down—he was already sweating. No time to wipe it off; if he delayed further, he'd miss evening self-study.

At the entrance, Jiang Nian spotted a distant, cold figure standing straight beneath a white lamp, her facial features soft.

"Let's go."

Li Qingrong glanced at him, then reached out and wiped his sweat with her sleeve.

"Mm."

This scene caught the eyes of two guards in the booth—an old man and a young man—who nearly spat out their tea. "Got a boyfriend already?"

"Today's students mature early; it's normal." The old security guard took another sip of tea. "Back in our day, we were having kids at that age."

The young guard stared, too stunned to even scroll on TikTok.

"Sigh."

The old security guard snorted. "Why sigh? Isn't it normal for a pretty girl to have a boyfriend?"

"I'm envious, not because of how she looks." The young guard turned and asked, "Uncle, has Auntie ever wiped your sweat?"

The old security guard fell silent, slurping his tea.

"Shift change is coming soon."

The door opened.

Tap-tap-tap—the lights throughout the house flickered on, revealing a refined, spacious living room, the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window half-open.

The night wind stirred the curtains; outside, Zhennan glowed with bright lights.

Li Qingrong stood in the living room, watching the scene before her. Ever since Jiang Nian took her out in the afternoon, she'd guessed the purpose of this trip.

But even now, seeing it with her own eyes, she was still moved.

"Thank you."

Jiang Nian, used to her expressionless face, handed her the keys.

"Take a look—do you like it? This is your secret little nest now. It's close to school too; we'll keep the lease until late June."

This was returning a favor, sigh... perfectly timed.

At the driving school, if Jiang Nian got this treatment, it would've cost at least ten thousand just to get such a smooth arrangement.

Now, he was even with the class monitor.

Comfortable.

"Want a hug?"

"Huh?" Jiang Nian froze, turning to look at the class monitor, certain he'd misheard. "What did you just say?"

"Hug?"

Damn, zero-frame initiation.

Jiang Nian, suddenly shy, fidgeted. He was a romantic. "Shouldn't there be some buildup?"

No foreplay, no lubrication.

On TV, girls always gasp first, then get moved, then excitedly look around, and finally launch themselves into their boyfriend's arms.

Legs wrapped around the waist—ah, kid, don't ask.

Also, don't touch the middle row of the twenty-six keys.

Li Qingrong wasn't like that—she always had the same expression. She didn't look around either. If not for that one line—want a hug? —

Jiang Nian thought it was perfectly normal; after all, the class monitor never talked much.

Who knew...

Li Qingrong frowned. "What's buildup?"

In the classroom.

Li Hua sneaked a glance at Jiang Nian, slumped over his desk.

"Ssshh~! You're acting weird."

"What?"

"You've been smiling for half of evening self-study. What's so funny?" Li Hua glanced at him, then sniffed. "Did you go get your feet massaged this afternoon?"

Jiang Nian instinctively leaned back, dodging Li Hua's dog-like nose.

"Massaged the feet."

Hearing this, Li Hua was stunned.

"That's that dirty?"

"Where'd you get such a thing?" Jiang Nian changed the subject. "Hey Hua, do you know why you don't touch a girl's head or a guy's waist?"

Li Hua, by nature restless, immediately began thinking.

"Can't touch this, can't touch that. So if I touch a girl's head and a guy's waist—what happens?"

"This can't be touched, that can't be touched. So what if I touch a girl's head or a boy's waist? What would happen?"

"Do girls have one?"

"Of course they do—everyone has one..." Li Hua stopped mid-sentence, his face cracking. "You mean WHICH head!"

Zhang Ningzhi covered her ears, unable to bear the filth.

Jiang Nian flushed.

Of course, she'd never tried it either.

But she'd noticed—he was always pulling dirty jokes, on par with Yao Beibei, perfectly matched. She poked Jiang Nian, interrupting his spell.

But he'd noticed that usually, she was always making suggestive jokes. She was on equal footing with Yao Beibei, completely able to match her. She poked Jiang Nian, interrupting his spell.

"No."

"Then hurry up and do it!" Zhang Ningzhi scolded sharply.

"Alright." Jiang Nian swallowed his pride.

Li Hua burst out laughing, pointing at him. "Pussy boy!"

Jiang Nian didn't care—he'd hugged the class monitor in the evening. Better to stay quiet for now; he didn't want to go to the Small Western Heaven again.

Have to say, the class monitor is really soft.

Jiang Nian didn't care; in the evening he hugged the squad leader. Better keep quiet for now—Xiao Xitian can't be sealed off… he didn't want to go anyway.

Gotta say, the squad leader's really soft.

Even the coldest person feels warm when held; even the hardest mouth is soft when kissed; even the most cynical heart.

That's beyond saving.

Third-period evening self-study.

Lin Dong finished his math homework and handed in a blank chemistry workbook. Someone might ask again.

If you know it's blank, why turn it in?

You just haven't accumulated enough wisdom. Turning in homework is what matters; turning in the wrong one doesn't mean you didn't do it. Teachers are busy too.

What if they really ask?

We'll deal with it later.

In short, he now had a pile of free time.

On the desk was Lin Zong's business blueprint.

The Apple Wholesale Plan.

Despite his vigorous push, progress... had none; every link had broken. He lacked everything except money.

Just from what he'd heard, seven or eight people were preparing to sell apples.

Done for. Competition's coming.

Sun Zhicheng was playing with his phone. After seeking a blessing, he felt much more at ease. Now he was sneakily scrolling through emotional posts online.

He read every comment and gave detailed advice.

Someone replied, "Bro, you sound so professional. What's your job?"

Sun Zhicheng: "Just a guy blowing smoke online."

As soon as he sent it, someone else replied.

"You seem like a jerk."

Seeing this, Sun Zhicheng instantly brightened. He quickly deleted his previous boastful reply, then grinned and typed, "I just like making friends."

After sending it, he felt completely at ease.