Chapter 465: Stance

Facing Qian Bao's bribe, Jiang Nian deliberately leaned back in tactical retreat.

Doll?

You might as well brew a pot of Gao's tea instead—teacher-student affection is too cheaply sentimental.

"What?" Qian Bao noticed Jiang Nian's expression and narrowed her eyes, "Already disgusted?"

"Not at all, it's fine," Jiang Nian grinned.

Forget it, better to quit while ahead.

Lunchtime dismissal.

Zhang Nenzhi gently tugged Jiang Nian's sleeve as most classmates left the classroom, lowering her voice.

"Aren't Lin Dong and the others selling apples?"

"Yeah."

"I was thinking, since buying apples is just for giving away and I don't eat them anyway, why not support our classmate and buy from them?"

Hearing this, Jiang Nian felt a pang of shame.

He had no intention of supporting Lin Dong; he'd even considered slipping a bite of apple during the chaos to make Lin Dong lose a dowry fragment.

Zhizhi is still too kind—the only light in Group Six.

"Ahem, I think the same," Jiang Nian said without hesitation, "but I don't give apples, so I support you."

"Then buy them for me," Zhizhi said.

"Why?"

"Because you're close—he's good friends with you, right?" Zhang Nenzhi blinked, her face delicate.

"Otherwise, why buy from him?"

Jiang Nian paused, startled by her bluntness. At first it felt odd, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

It seemed Zhizhi's kindness had a touch of self-interest.

Even cuter.

"Makes sense. I'll buy them for you," Jiang Nian thought a moment. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve—he probably set up today."

"Really?" Zhang Nenzhi bit her lip, face alight with excitement. "Then I'll go see with Beibei."

A familiar face suddenly selling apples on campus—sounded oddly fresh.

Jiang Nian deliberately asked, "Why not have Yao Beibei buy them for you?"

Zhang Nenzhi pouted. "No, it's different!"

Saying that, she stood and waved goodbye before leaving.

Jiang Nian thought it over—buying Lin Dong's apples for her, spending nothing yet giving him a little jab—sounded kind of fun.

He refocused and solved a few problems, lost in concentration. When he looked up, he noticed the class monitor had also left; he shook his head.

He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Nenzhi's small calendar.

Last New Year's Eve, the male day students in our class—some chose gaming to ring in the new year, others chose champagne.

Gao Er students drinking champagne?

Alcohol?

Of course not—this champagne isn't that champagne. It's

The ambitious youths locked in their rooms at midnight, releasing their descendants.

"How much for this used car?"

One thousand three hundred. Jiang Nian's face darkened and he turned to leave.

"What the hell, are you treating me like a Japanese?"

"Hey hey! Don't go!" The seller called out, hurriedly, "Bro, I'm serious, I'm serious!"

Jiang Nian stopped and turned to him.

"How much?"

The man hesitated a few seconds. "How much do you offer?"

Near one p. m., Jiang Nian stood outside the west gate, inside the courtyard of Yangguang Community near the food street.

The ground was covered with a layer of rainwater, damp.

"Five hundred."

"No way! Who haggles like this!" The man panicked. "It's an electric bike, not scrap metal!"

"Then why'd you stop me? Five hundred's still too expensive!" Jiang Nian cursed, "Fuck, wasting my time."

Saying that, he walked off.

The man stood stunned, frozen, unsure what to say.

"Poor bastard, why buy a car?"

Hearing that, Jiang Nian turned back, staring at him.

"Poor bastard, why sell a car?"

The man, seeing Jiang Nian's 1.8-meter frame and his rough demeanor, fell silent—getting beaten up by a student wouldn't be worth the money.

He wasn't a thug.

Jiang Nian stared at him. "Four hundred. Sell or not?"

The man couldn't leave, couldn't accept. Scared by the student, and with the bike still unsold, he'd be miserable all day.

Suddenly, he felt five hundred might be acceptable after all.

"A bit more."

Jiang Nian thought a moment, then named a number.

"Four hundred and fifty."

"Alright." The man nodded in agreement.

Bets are placed, hands off.

It was lunch break now; he couldn't get into the Ximen.

The side gate could be opened by asking the old man, but Jiang Nian saw no point in wasting money on cigarettes. He could just give it to Liu Yang—he'd call him Dad.

He rode to the North Gate and stopped casually against the wall.

Parking illegally?

If you say that, you don't understand the county at all. This is called rational use of space, adapting to local conditions to set up camp.

Jiang Nian crouched down and glanced at the electric bike's exterior.

After confirming again there were no signs of forced entry, he left it against the wall and simply flipped over the wall himself.

Outside the classroom, Chen Yunyun, who hadn't yet gone to nap, was pulled out.

"What's wrong?"

In the hallway.

"Nothing. I picked up an electric bike." Jiang Nian handed her a key, "If you need to go anywhere, it's convenient."

He didn't count Wang Yuhe, that big idiot, into this—this way it sounded better. This was solely for Chen Yunyun.

People care about emotional value, even if only temporary.

"Oh, okay." Chen Yunyun's happiness was visibly clear, "But I usually don't go anywhere... during holidays..."

Jiang Nian said, "You can go to the riverbank, or the northern town market—both are convenient."

"Then..." Chen Yunyun bit her lip, hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward, her peach-colored lips parting.

"... Will you go with me?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Nian froze. He didn't shut the door completely, hesitated a moment, then said, "We'll see."

After saying that, he vanished in a flash.

Wang Yuhe sat inside the classroom, curious. Seeing Jiang Nian come in without speaking to her, she stared at him with a gloomy gaze.

Unfortunately, Jiang Nian noticed nothing.

Now Wang Yuhe was angrier; she slumped on her desk, glaring at Jiang Nian from all angles, trying to harass him with her thoughts.

Until Chen Yunyun entered, interrupting her stare.

"Huh?"

Wang Yuhe instantly perked up and whispered.

"Yunyun, what were you two talking about outside?"

"He bought an electric bike." Chen Yunyun opened her palm, revealing a key, "But he didn't say where the bike is."

"Ah?" Wang Yuhe immediately grumbled, "He's so dumb!"

Chen Yunyun smiled, saying nothing.

"Maybe."

Lunch break. The classroom was silent.

On her seat, Chen Yunyun took out two keys. The bike and the small storage room together weren't worth much, and they were shared.

But the symbolism was different—the distinction lay between school and a place to rest.

She turned her head toward the cleaning corner, where Jiang Nian was bent over his problems, propping his head up, staring in a daze in that direction.

Sure enough, Lin Dong began selling apples right after school that afternoon.

Besides him, there were two other boys and one girl.

The only girl was Zhou Haifei; she stood there without awkwardness. When she saw Jiang Nian come, her gaze turned to him.

They nodded at each other—that was their greeting.

There were a few other stalls like Lin Dong's, set up along the school's main path. They looked novel, and no one had stopped them yet.

After dark, they stood out clearly.

When Jiang Nian arrived, the school teachers had already arrived with security guards to drive people away; the first two stalls had awkwardly packed up.

"No more stalls! If I see one again, I'll confiscate it!"

"Over there!"

"Why can't we set up?"

"Exactly!"

"Hey, which class are you from? Who told you it's okay to sell apples on campus?"

Arguments broke out; a crowd gathered to watch.

Jiang Nian and Lin Dong stood together, both inhaling sharply in unison. Then they looked at each other and smiled.

But Lin Dong's smile was bitter.

"We're done. Probably won't be allowed to sell."

Jiang Nian had just finished his problems and hadn't eaten yet. He came down to stroll and grab a bite, and watching the commotion wasn't a waste—it helped clear his mind.

"Who knows? Maybe they'll make an exception for you."

Lin Dong nearly laughed in anger.

"You fucking bastard!"

But today wasn't Christmas Eve. Even if the guards didn't come clear the area, Lin Dong expected to sell only a few apples anyway.

Still, if others were selling, they had to join too.

Short-term deals are like this—no time for careful planning.

"Damn, hope I don't have to pay up." Lin Dong wasn't worried, waiting for the security guards to clear the area. "By the way, why are you here?"

"I came to place an order—for my beautiful and kind-hearted desk mate." Jiang Nian pointed at the pile of apples. "Pack six."

"Almost forgot—you've got a pretty girl as a desk mate!" Lin Dong was moved. "Wuuu, I'll raise the price for you."

Jiang Nian pointed at him. "You're cheating. I'm reporting you to security right now."

The sky grew dark as the fat and thin Immortal Children walked over.

"Cheating! It really is you!" Li Hua clapped his hands and cursed, "Fuck, there's a scammer here!"

"Grab this one first—he's no good!"

The fat man Ma Guojun stood there silently, glanced at the apples on the stall, and asked, "Washed?"

Zhou Haifei nodded just as Ma Guojun grabbed an apple and bit into it.

Crack—the sound was crisp.

Lin Dong stared, dumbfounded, unable to speak for several seconds.

"Fuck, you guys are real beasts."

The three members of the Fruit Attack squad stood together, tall, short, fat, and thin—like door gods, completely blocking the security guards' view.

"Bro, stop making money—I'm scared," Li Hua said. "Why not get a real job in a factory and earn a bride price?"

Jiang Nian grinned at this, about to say something.

He caught a familiar cold fragrance—as if someone had drawn near. He turned and found Li Qingrong had arrived without him noticing.

"Embracing Qingqing?"

He froze, asking instinctively.

"Why are you here?"

"I saw you...:::... over here." Li Qingrong hesitated, her expression calm. "So I came to take a look."

"Oh oh, we're supporting Lin Dong's apple sales," Jiang Nian lied. "All picked from his grandfather's orchard."

Lin Dong:

Li Hua and Ma Guojun heard that saccharine term and exchanged a glance, their eyes shocked and complicated.

If summed up in one sentence, it would be...

Cheating!

Li Hua silently formed the words: "Fuck, disgusting."

Ma Guojun nodded silently in agreement.

"Disgusting."

Their silent, cross-space exchange didn't affect Jiang Nian or the class monitor—but Zhou Haifei saw it all.

She pressed her lips together and turned her head away.

Didn't see.