Chapter 463: Night Rain Atmosphere

Jiang Nian guessed Ji Ming was patrolling the fourth floor right now, so he activated his 【Fishing】 skill.

"Hua, how do villagers close their eyes?"

"You don't even know this?" Li Hua closed his eyes, "Just like this—shut your eyes and wait for God to say 'open.'"

Ji Ming appeared at the classroom door, his expression serious.

"Li Hua!"

"What's gotten into you lately? You sleep all through self-study!"

"Come out!"

Li Hua opened his eyes, utterly bewildered.

"Huh?"

He slowly stood up, lowering his voice to mutter at Jiang Nian.

"Wait, you can actually get caught doing this?"

Jiang Nian pinched his chin, recalling every sad thing from his entire life, before barely suppressing his laughter.

This Fishing skill is so useless—not using it to torment Li Hua would be a waste.

Li Hua's cute classmate glanced at him, seeing through it all.

"You're so mean, tricking the group leader again."

Jiang Nian slapped the side of Zhang Ningzhi's thigh and pointed at her.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Zhang Ningzhi rubbed her thigh, shot Jiang Nian a glare, then turned back to her problems.

Total scumbag.

Jiang Nian really wasn't a good person. After half of evening self-study, seeing Li Hua returned, he goaded him into playing cards.

Li Hua never did homework, relying purely on talent to coast. Hearing this, he perked up immediately and called everyone around to join.

He asked a few people; all shook their heads.

"Play cards? I've got a mountain of homework unfinished."

"Get lost! How are you gonna play during self-study?"

"Want to show off? Come on, let me show you how. Fuck, Li Hua, not having to do homework feels great, huh?"

"Forget cards—after self-study, let's just A-Lu-Ba Li Hua."

"Agreed."

Li Hua's attempt to show off was exposed and drowned in a flood of insults. He clutched his head and let out a shrill scream.

"Chi Shi! Chi Shi!"

With no other option, he had to write some homework to kill time.

Jiang Nian was quite pleased.

Show-off!

Monday evening self-study had no other task—just checking answers. The next day they'd review the weekly test, but exceptions happened.

For example, if the test paper was poor quality, they'd just go over a few questions and be done.

Or in other cases, like Qian Bao, a salary thief—key concepts couldn't be skipped, so Jiang Nian simply went up to teach them himself.

In contrast, Qing Bao was diligent and hardworking.

Jiang Nian checked answers while discussing mistakes with Zhang Ningzhi; evening self-study slipped by, and before long, dismissal was near.

He still felt unsatisfied.

He turned his head and saw Li Hua asleep on his desk.

He choked on his breath—fuck, his talent really is amazing.

After dismissal.

Jiang Nian met the two girls on the third floor; they still entered and exited together, inseparable.

Song Xiyun only had to decide whether to live with Xu Qianqian, but Jiang Nian, this lecher, had far more to consider.

Students flooded out of the school gate after evening self-study, bustling and noisy.

The two girls walked ahead, whispering softly, their shadows stretched long under the streetlights. Apparently they'd reached an agreement, they stopped and waited for someone.

Xu Qianqian stared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes.

"You walk like a turtle."

"If only I were a turtle—I'd at least not fear knives," Jiang Nian muttered, "You got something to say?"

"Yeah, Xiyun's mom's planning to move out of town," Xu Qianqian said. "Her home's far from school, so..."

Song Xiyun: "My mom suddenly told me this afternoon..."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian was slightly startled.

He'd assumed such a big decision would take Zhao Qiuxue at least some time to consider—he hadn't expected her to decide so quickly.

But upon reflection, it made sense. Delaying further meant waiting until year-end; leaving after the New Year would mean at least two more months.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a few days, not finalized yet," Xu Qianqian replied. "But at least now I'll have company at home."

Jiang Nian nodded.

"True."

Xu Qianqian often stayed alone at home; holidays were fine with Song Xiyun, but nights were unbearable.

Even the most cheerful person sometimes feels down.

Though he didn't mind offering himself as a pillow, Xu Qianqian seemed to mind greatly—having a girlfriend roommate was better.

Jiang Nian was glad to see it happen; after all, three people made for a livelier scene.

The group wandered to the mouth of the alley.

Jiang Nian stopped at the convenience store entrance. "Since it's basically settled, let's buy something to eat and drink to celebrate."

The two girls exchanged glances, unsure what he was up to.

Xu Qianqian said, "But I'm not hungry."

"Me neither," Song Xiuyun echoed.

"Then let's buy something to drink—at least we have to celebrate," Jiang Nian nearly cracked, still thinking about the back-stepping.

If all else fails, a massage will do.

Back when I memorized "Song of Everlasting Sorrow," I only complained about how long Bai Juyi's poem was. Only after experiencing it once did I understand what a sovereign truly is.

Even a joking back-stepping felt this good—I couldn't imagine how it would feel to watch two beautiful girls dance in private.

A private space, a girl's soft limbs. Her dance, alluring yet refined.

Warmth wove itself openly through the air like threads of honey.

From this moment on, the sovereign no longer held morning court.

"Jiang Nian?"

"Hm?" He snapped back to reality, realizing he stood inside the convenience store, the two girls staring at him in confusion.

"W-what's wrong?"

Xu Qianqian was speechless, and scolded him.

"It's you who's wrong—you just froze in front of the shelves."

"Yeah, you suddenly started laughing," Song Xiuyun added, "then drooled. We were terrified."

"Hey, don't overreact," Jiang Nian coughed. "I'm just hungry. Thought of something tasty—what's wrong with zoning out?"

Hearing this, the two girls exchanged glances.

"Like an idiot."

"Exactly."

"Chi Shi! Chi Shi!" Jiang Nian mimicked Li Hua's catchphrase. "Why are you staring at me? Pick yours."

"Pick this drink—you two take two bottles."

Xu Qianqian shot him a look. "No way."

"I'll have cola," Song Xiuyun grabbed a bottle of cola and rushed to pay for the whole purchase.

"Jiang Nian got off easy—he should've paid!" Xu Qianqian said.

"What's wrong with eating soft food?" Jiang Nian protested.

Song Xiuyun spoke nervously, stammering, "S-since this is to celebrate that... I-I think it's more meaningful if I pay."

"That's fair. Then let's go," Xu Qianqian linked arms with Song Xiuyun and stepped into the alley first, whispering excitedly.

Jiang Nian followed behind, carrying the bags, thinking they still needed more bonding.

After going upstairs.

The three went straight to Xu Qianqian's home and spread out the snacks and drinks on the living room floor.

The ping qishui bottle popped open, gurgling into a glass cup. Under the light, the three colored cups clinked together.

Ding—one sharp chime.

"Cheers!" (3)

They clinked glasses and chatted, Jiang Nian never mentioning back-stepping—he knew bringing it up would kill the mood.

Too obvious a goal made the atmosphere awkward.

Once awkward, nothing else would follow.

Who knew? He might end up not getting the back-stepping at all, then struggle with homework, wake up in the middle of the night, sit bolt upright, and slap himself.

Too damn stupid!

But saying nothing at all wouldn't work either.

Even if Xu Qianqian remembered, she'd never bring it up herself—not because she was Xu Qianqian, but because all girls were like this.

Reserve was the first law.

Han Xiao was the exception.

Atmosphere was strange—the more you tried to push it in one direction, the less it cooperated, sometimes even reversing.

If you plant a flower with intent, it won't bloom; if you plant a willow without care, it grows lush.

Call it a lucky accident.

Jiang Nian's method: speak less, observe more, let the two girls talk. Interject only at the right moment—or during a lull.

The atmosphere stayed neither too hot nor too cold, yet remained pleasant and satisfying.

Everyone has a desire to speak, especially after a day stifled at school—they want to talk, and they can talk. Boarding students sometimes held late-night dorm chats.

The current atmosphere was just like a dorm night talk.

When they returned home, the sky was overcast. Soon after they raised their glasses, heaven smiled—a roll of dry thunder, then night rain fell.

Whishhh—pattering against the window.

"Qianqian, it's raining!"

"Really?"

The two girls ran excitedly to the balcony to watch the rain. Jiang Nian followed but stopped short, keeping his distance.

Chinese people loved this kind of subtle, half-rejecting charm.

If you want to eat red dates, don't say red dates. Mention something else—make them guess, and let them eat the red dates along the way.

"It actually rained?" Jiang Nian said.

The two women were still lost in the excitement of watching the rain; at the sound, they turned their heads. Seeing him standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, they paused, startled.

Too close would feel "ambiguous"; three people's ambiguity would break the scene.

Breaking the scene was awkward.

Jiang Nian stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, able to see the rain, neither too near nor too far—in the two women's perception, they held the upper hand.

Instantly, Xu Qianqian and Song Xiuyun exchanged a glance.

They burst out laughing.

This amusing emotion, like night rain, silently became a lubricant among the three.

Like threads, it guided the "controller" to make bolder moves than usual.

"Can you see clearly from there?"

"Rain is drifting in."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian nodded.

"My vision is 5.0 in both eyes. I heard nearsightedness is hereditary. I just don't know if good vision is too."

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian snorted.

"Dreaming again."

Song Xiuyun merely turned back with a smile, the dark night behind her. Her hair, stirred by wind and rain, fluttered softly and clung to her lips.

"Probably not."

The two women returned from the balcony and slammed the floor-to-ceiling window shut. The howling wind and rain gradually faded into muffled distance.

Yet the previous atmosphere hadn't ended—it had been skillfully sustained.

"I don't know why, but rain always excites me," Song Xiuyun said. "Especially... when we're in class."

Jiang Nian, lying on the sofa, replied.

"It's freer, right? Class is so boring. Even ancients loved writing about rain—after all, when it rains, lots of things get interrupted."

Xu Qianqian suddenly spoke.

"What I remember most is this: 'One leaf of parasol tree, one note of autumn; one drop on banana leaf, one thread of sorrow. The lamp wick falls, the game remains unfinished.'"

What I remember most is this: one leaf of the parasol tree, one note of autumn; one drop on the banana leaf, one thread of sorrow. The lamp wick falls, the game remains unfinished.

The atmosphere was thus lifted. Song Xiuyun had no objections; Jiang Nian said nothing but agreed.

He played two rounds, alternating, the living room filled with lively noise. Seeing the two women's spirits remained high, he finally revealed his true intent.

"Hey, Xu Qianqian, where's my back rub?"

"Hey, Xu Qianqian, where's my back rub?"