Chapter 63

All afternoon, Zhang Nengzhi kept her head down, staring at her textbook, ears straining.

Pretending to listen attentively, she actually amplified every sound in the classroom like a tide—each word she scrutinized carefully.

Switching seats suddenly is strange, especially right after the homeroom teacher finished the class meeting.

It's like deliberately defying the rules.

But the seat change was already agreed upon with Huang Fang last week, so it's not defying the rules—just premeditated misconduct, catching a crackdown.

Fortunately, after two classes passed, everything remained uneventful.

Zhang Nengzhi quietly exhaled, turning to sneak a glance at her "new desk mate." Jiang Nian was two different people during and after class—mostly quiet.

Right now, he was wrestling with a difficult physics problem.

Today was unusually hot; crimson-gold twilight poured from the clouds, bathing half the class in dusk. Some noticed, pulling their heads toward the windows.

"Holy shit! So beautiful!"

"Holy shit?"

"Holy shit! Take a picture! Take a picture!"

Zhang Nengzhi glanced at the sunset, momentarily tempted. As she turned her head back, she suddenly felt a gaze inches away—her body froze.

She darted a quick look—and met Jiang Nian's eyes. Like touching a thorn, she yanked her gaze away, pressing her face onto the desk, her high ponytail swaying slightly.

Her ears, impossible to hide, slowly flushed red—clearly trying too hard. Her heart churned like wild grass, tangled and scattered, rolling apart at the slightest breeze.

Jiang Nian had actually been thinking about the problem; he turned his head instinctively at the noise. Seeing Zhang Nengzhi slump onto her desk, he slowly came back to himself—hmm... hmm?

Who the hell wrote this problem, your mom!

He sighed faintly, poking the soft, pale flesh of Zhang Nengzhi's arm with his index finger. Cold and smooth, like jelly—if you put it in your mouth...

Ha, forgot someone's watching—definitely not a pervert.

"W-what's wrong?"

"Can I borrow your red pen? Thanks." Jiang Nian smiled, watching Zhang Nengzhi fumble and drop her pen three times before finally handing it to him.

He didn't find it strange—Zhang Nengzhi was always introverted.

That said, it's not that Huang Fang isn't pretty—just that her beauty lay in her demeanor and personality, while Zhang Nengzhi leaned more toward visually appealing cuteness.

Overall, having a cute desk mate wasn't bad.

During the first evening self-study break, the classroom glowed brightly.

It wasn't that no one noticed the sixth row—Lin Dong had spotted Zhang Nengzhi moving next to Jiang Nian that afternoon and nearly fainted.

Dude, you two can't sit together!

How can you sit together?

Right after promotion, you two are already side by side—what's next? I can't even imagine. Isn't anyone else bothered by the school rules? Why isn't Old Liu stepping in?

As he fumed, the niche guy Sun Zhicheng came over to chat again.

"I just calculated the little fish man's..."

Lin Dong had zero interest in the niche guy's breakdown of little fish man stats—he glanced toward the window. Zhang Nengzhi's seat was empty. Maybe he'd overthought it.

Senior year is brutal enough—why waste energy on silly thoughts? Besides, the first and second rows of the third group have terrible visibility to the blackboard; switching seats is normal.

The niche guy chattered on, then noticed his audience had gone silent. He looked up—his best buddy was staring again, at Zhang Nengzhi's empty seat.

Having spent every day together, Sun Zhicheng knew his buddy's feelings well.

To be fair, he liked Zhang Nengzhi too. There weren't many girls in class—male-to-female ratio below 2:1—and only a handful worth looking at.

Class president Li Qingrong, Zhang Nengzhi, Chen Yunyun, Wang Yuhe... forget the class president—just looking at her made you nervous; Zhang Nengzhi seemed approachable.

He liked speaking plainly—Zhang Nengzhi and the class president tied for first.

Ever since learning his buddy liked Zhang Nengzhi, he'd felt disappointed—but still rallied, reluctantly deciding to pursue Wang Yuhe, while encouraging Lin Dong.

He figured: if he failed to confess after the college entrance exam, he'd have another story to tell—something to use as conversation fodder with girls in university.

The niche guy had a conscience—but not much.

"Stop staring, bro—did you add her on QQ yet?" Sun Zhicheng asked.

Between best buddies, names weren't needed—it was encrypted talk. Those who get it, get it.

"Pretty much. Still pending verification," Lin Dong sighed.

"Awesome! You're already halfway there!" Sun Zhicheng blinked his tiny eyes, pouring on the emotional support. "Victory is within reach!"

"We've had two holidays already—should've been approved by now," Lin Dong frowned, feeling gloomy.

"She's just shy—add her a few more times," Sun Zhicheng feared Lin Dong would give up and deprive him of gossip. "Even Emperor Liu Bei visited three times."

"Yeah, true," Lin Dong chose to believe first, question later.

"Don't worry—I'll fully support you!" Sun Zhicheng said earnestly. "Don't act rashly—always consult me before doing anything."

Lin Dong felt touched—having a best buddy as a wingman increased his odds.

We'll win!

Ding-ding-ding—the class slowly returned.

Lin Dong suppressed his thoughts, deciding to focus this class. As math representative, he had plenty of chances to shine—he'd find an opening.

Besides, senior year really matters—he couldn't waste away in this county town.

Even so, after glancing at his test paper a few times, he couldn't help staring at the classroom door, hoping to see Zhang Nengzhi's figure.

Soon enough, Zhang Nengzhi rushed in, holding a carton of milk.

Lin Dong spotted it instantly—it was a slightly expensive brand. His family bought it too; every morning he took one out of the fridge.

Thinking of that, he couldn't help smiling—fate... inexplicably wonderful.

Zhang Nengzhi sat down and saw Jiang Nian working on a chemistry problem. Li Hua at the very edge seemed to be solving the same one—they'd wagered a father-son bet before evening self-study ended.

Boys are so childish—liking to be someone's dad.

Zhang Ningzhi thought for a moment, nudged his arm; she knew Jiang Nian had a good temper. Even if his train of thought was interrupted while solving a problem, he would never snap at someone or show impatience.

Jiang Nian turned his head. "Hm?"

"The convenience store doesn't have the milk I want to drink. I won't drink this one. I didn't want to come back empty-handed..." Zhang Ningzhi spoke the words she had practiced in her mind, without stumbling.

"Do you want some?"

"Yes yes yes!!" Jiang Nian gave the highest emotional value, took it, "The brand of milk you drink is too expensive—it won't sell at school."

"Actually, I'm pretty introverted too—I only dare to walk under high-voltage power lines."

"But when I see something I don't want to buy, I always say, 'Hey, this store doesn't have anything I'd steal—go buy elsewhere.'"