Chapter 60

At the sound, everyone fell silent.

Chen Yunyun, Wang Yuhe, and Sun Zhicheng all stared at Lin Dong in shock; the rest of the class turned their gazes toward the source of the voice, including Jiang Nian.

Lin Dong realized he'd spoken out of turn and awkwardly tried to backtrack.

"Who can handle three thousand meters?!"

As soon as he spoke, the tension instantly eased.

Lin Dong hastily retracted the word "mom"—he didn't want to clash with Jiang Nian.

It wasn't fear; he just didn't want Jiang Nian to lose face. After all, he was the one representing the class in the three-thousand-meter race; if he looked bad, it would hurt class unity.

Alright, alright, you little brat, you've walked yourself into a dead end.

You'd rather drag down class unity than mention you're a Communist Youth League member—next time, you'll do double the youth study sessions.

Most still viewed it as entertainment; after all, Gao San life wasn't exactly colorful—it was downright boring, and everyone had fully embraced the role of entertainment-seekers.

Fight! Fight! I love seeing blood flow like rivers!

Seeing no more entertainment, they stopped paying attention.

Jiang Nian didn't care much about Lin Dong; the dorm area in the North Zone was still an unexplored map to him—he hadn't interacted much with the boarding students since the class upgrade.

He only knew Lin Dong was the math class representative, always surrounded by a few people; he spoke with a faintly condescending air, like he'd swallowed Chen Beixuan whole.

From afar, Jiang Nian glanced at Lin Dong, not bothering to lower his voice, and turned to the PE monitor, Liu Yang.

"Just sign him up for the three-thousand-meter—skip the rest. Give others some breathing room."

At this, the running squad burst into laughter.

Lin Dong grew even more embarrassed but didn't want to lose face, so he forced himself to stare back.

He turned his head—and found Jiang Nian still staring at him, as if waiting for him to speak.

Forget it, forget it—running drill's about to start. I'll let him off this time. But Jiang Nian, remember: I'm your classmate, not your stable boy!

"Wait, add long jump too—too few people signed up," Liu Yang changed the subject. "Most get eliminated in the preliminaries; we need full entries to have a shot at finals."

Jiang Nian signed up for the three-thousand-meter—this delighted him immensely.

He'd been struggling to trick someone into running the three-thousand-meter; nobody wanted it. It was exhausting, unglamorous, and if you collapsed halfway, you'd be humiliated beyond repair.

Every year, someone starts too fast, runs two or three laps, then collapses from exhaustion—either gives up mid-race or vomits violently at the finish line.

Liu Yang himself didn't want to run either—it was pure self-torture.

Jiang Nian didn't care; if he was going to show off, he'd do it fully.

A shrill whistle blew—the morning run began.

The third period was English.

Qian Bao rushed into the classroom with her lesson plan, took a few steps, then nearly collapsed onto her knees beside the podium.

"What the hell is this smell in your class?!"

The boys cheered, "Manly scent!"

"Open the windows! Open them!" Qian Bao covered her nose. "Going to work is like becoming a monk—surrounded by mud, yet holding a lotus. I never thought I'd end up with a work injury."

The classroom windows all flew open with a rustling sound.

Jiang Nian propped his head on his hand, heard Qian Bao's voice, and instinctively yawned—before she caught him mid-yawn and called him up.

"Come up here and explain the cloze test."

"Huh?" Jiang Nian froze. He dragged himself up slowly. "Teacher, Li Hua did it too—call on him."

His desk-mate Li Hua slowly gave a questioning look—dare you let your brother have one second of peace?

Qian Bao rolled her eyes. "You talk too much. Get up!"

The entire class—forty-five minutes—Jiang Nian spoke for twenty-five. Qian Bao giggled for five, summarized for five, and focused on essay writing for ten.

As soon as class ended, she took Jiang Nian straight to the office.

In the sun-drenched hallway, this scene repeated itself.

The last time he was dragged to the office was over a minor clash with Yu Tongjie. This time, it was for teaching—Qian Bao said she'd give him some snacks.

"Teacher, I'm past the age where I like snacks."

Hearing this, Qian Bao, who was walking ahead, turned around in surprise.

"Really? I still love them."

You're already a mom—still? Seriously? Damn, you made that cute face—I'm genuinely worried for your husband. High school… wolves surround him!

"Then never mind. Teacher, you might… still be underage," Jiang Nian lied, uttering those last four words.

Qian Bao's reaction was immediate—she covered her mouth and laughed.

"Naughty! I'm not that young—I'm already a mom to several kids!"

Jiang Nian suspected Qian Bao had singled him out just to hear those flatteries, to play the cyber empress.

Or perhaps just for good luck—year after year, eighteen years old.

Fuck, I'm really eighteen—so now I'm your cyber prayer tablet?

The English office was next to the Science Office. As Jiang Nian passed by the door, he noticed Biology teacher Zhong Qing look up—and her gaze locked onto him.

Weird. It was a look… how should I arrange you, kid?

In the office, the break lasted ten minutes.

Qian Bao got straight to the point, pulled several small snack packs from her drawer, and pushed them toward Jiang Nian. Seeing he didn't react, she kept staring at the half-open drawer.

Her expression changed instantly—she clutched the drawer protectively.

"Mine!"

Jiang Nian was speechless. How the hell did this idiot become a teacher? Did she sing "Baby Happy Song" to the interview panel for her teaching certification?

"Teacher, I don't like snacks—I'm just curious why you love those Suction Candy Jellies?"

"Huh? You're mistaken—there's no such thing." Qian Bao swiftly pulled out several sealed envelopes, slammed the drawer shut, and lowered her voice, "Don't go blabbing outside!"

Jiang Nian: "......"

"By the way, did you sign up for the sports meet?" Qian Bao changed the subject casually, continuing her bribery, "How about I cheer for you, teacher?"

"Three thousand meters," he said.

Ding ding ding—the bell for the fourth class rang.

Qian Bao's emotions were plain on her face; she instantly brightened. "Go to class, and do your best."

"Alright." Jiang Nian stood up, picked out a few easy-to-carry snacks from the desk, and left—still hedging his bets, "I really don't like snacks—I'm not refusing them all."

She gave too much; taking everything would seem uncouth, but taking nothing would be a loss.

A man who always strives to be strong.

After Jiang Nian left, Qian Bao leaned against the English office, opened a pack of Suction Candy Jelly. She was humming as she packed up to leave when suddenly she remembered something.

"What did that kid Jiang Nian just say he signed up for?... Nah, I'll ask him another day."

As soon as he returned to the classroom, the snacks were divided among Li Hua, Ma Guojun, and Yao Beibei—he hadn't taken much, only five items total.

He looked up—Zhang Nianzhi showed no reaction, her head down, writing homework.

You really have a lot of homework, Baby Zhizhi.

Before the teacher arrived, he tapped Zhang Nianzhi's back and passed her the snacks.

Zhang Nianzhi merely turned her head, glanced at the snacks with pursed lips, then quickly turned back.

Huh? So reserved?