Chapter 476: The Three Treasure Hunters

Li Qingrong doesn't drink bubble tea.

The class monitor has a cold personality and dislikes sweets.

But apart from her cold demeanor and cold hands, everything else about her is warm. Jiang Nian can vouch for that.

The first class in the afternoon is Chinese.

"Alright, I've got a few things to say—about tomorrow's New Year's Eve party..." Old Liu droned on in class.

When the class heard "no absences allowed," they immediately groaned and complained.

The loudest among them were still those few guys.

"Boss, I'm not feeling well tomorrow," Li Hua said hesitantly, "My throat's itchy—I might be coming down with a cold."

Waste! Take this punch!

"You're all just talking big—I really have something to do tomorrow!" Lin Dong wailed, "The skin care promotion's ending soon!"

Can't mock him—he's got a real reason.

In contrast, Jiang Nian seemed perfectly calm.

Whether you can get leave depends on the class monitor and the discipline committee's approval. The problem is, from the class monitor down to the discipline committee, they're all his people.

Do you even need to apply for leave?

Of course, you could just tell Old Liu directly and leave—but bypassing Old Liu brings Jiang Nian greater benefits.

Because Cai Xiaoqing did it too.

Jiang Nian wasn't afraid to trouble Cai Xiaoqing, as long as he could repay the favor. The more debts you owe, the stronger the bond.

Two math classes in the afternoon.

As soon as the bell rang, everyone in the class collapsed onto their desks. The test papers from the day before weren't finished, and now there was another math test.

Zhang Ningzhi opened her test paper, ready to pick up her pen. She planned to finish all her homework before tomorrow's party.

It was her habit—because she couldn't enjoy playing if she had homework unfinished.

"Ugh, can't finish it," Jiang Nian folded the test paper and shoved it into his desk drawer. "When you're done, let me copy yours."

"No way!" Zhang Ningzhi refused.

"What are you cutting fabric for? Are you making a drool bib for Lazy Sheep?" Jiang Nian grinned. "Then make me one too."

Hearing this, Zhang Ningzhi rolled her eyes at him.

"Over my dead body!"

This was free study time—the day's classes were over. Whether they'd paid attention or not, everyone was relaxed.

Zhang Ningzhi heard no sound from the next desk and assumed Jiang Nian was angry.

A quick glance revealed Jiang Nian and Li Hua had turned their jackets inside out, putting them over their heads like birds, flapping their arms in mock battle.

She immediately covered her face and turned away.

Boys are so childish.

Afternoon dismissal.

Hu Nianzhong found Lin Dong, who was heading back to the dorm, with Sun Zhicheng beside him.

"Bro, let's go one more time."

"No, I just went last night," Lin Dong politely declined, waving his hand. "Let my body recover—day after tomorrow."

"No, bro, I mean..." Hu Nianzhong couldn't hold back anymore, "You're a genius at making money—just take the bros one more time!"

Hearing this, Sun Zhicheng gave Hu Nianzhong a second look. He thought: this guy looks honest and upright, yet he can say something like this.

"Ask Year-ge if he's in," Lin Dong said.

When Lin Dong first looked for someone to help, Jiang Nian was his first choice—but Jiang Nian wasn't interested.

"I wish I could," Hu Nianzhong sighed bitterly, "But he doesn't need money—he has no reason to sweat for it."

I want to too, but...:::" Hu Nianzhong sighed bitterly, "they don't lack money—they have no need to struggle to earn it.

As if to prove his point, Hu Nianzhong added another line.

"When lunch break ended today, I saw Chen Yunyun from your group bring Year-ge a box of sliced fruit."

Sun Zhicheng, hearing this, felt a bit shut down and asked reflexively:

"What's so special about fruit?"

The three walked together through the crowd heading to the North Zone. Hu Nianzhong realized he'd spoken out of turn and could only chuckle awkwardly.

"Anyway, Brother Dong, take me along!"

Because of the wool incident, Lin Dong believed Hu Nianzhong couldn't control his greed—he'd never amount to much, and thus didn't trust him.

Later, when no one else was available to sell apples, he gave Hu Nianzhong another chance, and his impression improved slightly.

Upon reflection, poverty robbing one of ambition might not be entirely a negative thing. If he were in that situation, could he have resisted?

So he gave Hu Nianzhong another chance, and his impression of him improved somewhat.

And because Hu Nianzhong had just showered him with shameless flattery, the last lingering resentment in Lin Dong's heart dissolved naturally.

That's right—bro's truly awesome!

"Cough, fine then," Lin Dong had long wanted to brag, but Sun Zhicheng had zero interest in making money.

Damn stubborn bastard—left me nowhere to show off.

If he hadn't feared causing a betrayal wound, he'd have considered partnering with Hu Nianzhong—daily praise would've been guaranteed.

He lowered his voice and signaled Hu Nianzhong to lean in.

"Have you heard of One-Yuan Treasure Hunt?"

He lowered his voice and signaled Hu Nianzhong to lean in.

Have you heard of the One-Element Treasure Hunt?

Before evening self-study.

Jiang Nian deleted a mistakenly tapped post, its title in all caps: "One Yuan Treasure Hunt."

He stared at the screen, lost in thought.

"Hmm... Treasure Hunt?"

This thing only emerged after online lottery was banned last year, designed to exploit bugs and circumvent rules.

Many big companies have jumped in—it's been popular for over half a year.

If traced to its origin, this thing existed three years ago. Two years ago, a major game company began running One Yuan Treasure Hunt.

But Treasure Hunt—how to put it? Fundamentally, it's a lottery, but less thrilling than real lottery. If there's real lottery, why not buy that?

Hmm..::.. There used to be online lottery.

Until last year, a national ban put lottery on the blacklist. Then, the "One Yuan Treasure Hunt" rose to take its place.

As a lottery substitute, Treasure Hunt swiftly seized the market.

Jiang Nian once joined in, too—back then, there was no system. He spent fifty, and won over a hundred and thirty coins.

He used it all to top up his phone credit—effectively, buy one, get two free.

He never tried for more.

First, he had little money; second, it was too random. Pure luck—if you won, it was sheer fortune.

Since the system arrived, completing tasks earns more than Treasure Hunt.

Naturally, he had no desire left.

Now, Jiang Nian looked back and discovered another clever use of Treasure Hunt: cashing out his 【Lucky Draw】 ability.

The advantage is secrecy—luck can't be traced.

Winning the lottery every day—even if he visited every lottery station in the city—this windfall money would inevitably carry risks.

Besides, cashing out doesn't have to mean turning it into money.

It can be favors.

Clearly, Jiang Nian preferred the latter.

Money...

Small change is useless to him. Better to wait for a big one.

Some favors are messy to buy with money. Like Song Xiuyun's broken phone—Jiang Nian disliked it but couldn't do anything.

Let her mom replace it. Probably not until next summer.

Treasure Hunt is simple.

Just a draw.

If luck's good, share a bit with her—let her spend. Jiang Nian casually draws, wins a phone—how do you count that?

Luck, Jiang Nian, split fifty-fifty.

Jiang Nian held his phone, scrolling further. He saw many prizes, including a dress Xu Qianqian would like.

Huh, it's actually nice.

He wondered whether to establish a "Golden Carp" persona first.

Suddenly, someone called him.

"Jiang Nian, someone's looking for you at the door."

Jiang Nian's thoughts snapped back. He looked up at the classroom door but saw no figure, so asked:

"Huh? Who?"

"Dunno. Girl. Pretty."

Jiang Nian glanced at his phone—no messages. First, ruled out Xu Qianqian. Then he stood and walked to the door.

Xu Shuang stood there, standing out among the passing students. Seeing Jiang Nian emerge from the classroom, she glanced at him.

Huh?

Jiang Nian felt annoyed, unsure why the "Zero Class powerhouse" wanted him.

If anything, only the card draw left.

"What is it?"

"Hmm." Xu Shuang brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, slightly embarrassed. "Could you help draw one more card?"

"Not doing it." Jiang Nian refused without hesitation.

Hearing this, Xu Shuang's expression flickered slightly, but she nodded, said "Sorry to bother you," and turned away.

Jiang Nian watched her retreating back, unable to suppress a sigh.

Damn, why don't I have a good older sister?

But he only said it aloud—he mostly envied her brother, Xu Yuanshan. So dumb, yet still protected.

He returned to the classroom and began evening self-study.

Zero Class.

Xu Yuanshan was hunched over, catching up on homework—he'd skipped too many assignments. The homeroom teacher caught him and ordered him to make them all up.

He'd used up half a pen and still hadn't finished copying.

He was about to cry. Then he looked up and saw his sister enter the classroom. Instantly cheered, he dropped his pen and ran over.

"Did he agree?"

Xu Shuang shook her head. "No."

"Huh?" Xu Yuanshan panicked, scratching his head, visibly turning red. "Sis, what exactly did he say?"

"Not doing it."

"Not... not doing it?" Xu Yuanshan frowned, then slapped his thigh in exasperation, "Damn, this guy's a speculator waiting for prices to rise!"

Crack—the back of Xu Yuanshan's head got a hit.

"Don't swear."

"Damn... is that even swearing?" He stared at his sister in shock, then added, "Sis, didn't you raise the price?"

Hearing this, Xu Shuang felt momentarily speechless.

"He's not doing it."

"That's just an excuse—he just wants more money." Xu Yuanshan groaned in despair, "No way, I'm going upstairs to find him."

"Damn middleman, how could he be so rotten!"

"He's not doing it." Xu Shuang paused for two seconds, then added, "I can still tell truth from lies."

Hearing this, Xu Yuanshan completely deflated, clutching his chest.

"My King!"

Xu Shuang:

She fell silent, seeing more and more people filling the classroom. She gave up on talking to her idiot brother and turned back to her seat.

She buried her head in her homework; two evening self-study periods vanished in the blink of an eye.

Break time.

Xu Shuang was thinking about the provincial exam—how many points she needed to catch up to Li Qingrong—rare moments of fantasy.

A girl from her class walked up to her desk and said someone was looking for her.

"Okay."

She stepped out of the classroom and saw a boy from the next class waiting for her. Her eyes flickered with irritation, which she suppressed as she turned her head.

"Uh... are you free on New Year's Day...?"

"Um, are you free to go out on New Year's Day...:::

"Anytime." Xu Shuang finished speaking, feeling she'd made herself clear, "All my holidays are anytime—I'm available to be with this person."

The boy stared, dumbfounded, but understood it was a rejection.

The boy was stunned, but understood this was a rejection.

He watched her walk away, then thought of her brother. He muttered: What a brother-sister obsession—I'm not even that interested in chasing her.

He watched as the other left, then thought of her younger brother. What a brother-slave, he mused—he wasn't even that eager to pursue her himself.

Fourth floor.

Li Hua and his group were standing on the balcony, breathing the air, watching Jiang Nian being approached by a girl from the next class—resentment boiled over.

Li Hua and his group were walking along the rampart, breathing in the wind, watching Jiang Nian being approached by a girl from the neighboring class, and their resentment surged.

"Damn!"