Chapter 64: You

After evening self-study ended, Jiang Nian grabbed his bag and left.

The night was thick; far off, Xu Qianqian seemed to be holding a phone, standing motionless amid the stream of students leaving school, as the grade director walked past her.

She glanced once, then clocked out.

Old guy, you're in a hurry to turn into a pretty girl after work, huh? Can't you see such a big phone?

Jiang Nian approached. "What are you looking at? So focused?"

Xu Qianqian slightly furrowed her brows but didn't hide it—she held the phone up to his face.

"I got into an argument online and lost."

"Let me see." Jiang Nian took the phone. He wasn't as bold as Xu Qianqian—he looked left and right, confirmed no teachers were nearby, then carefully glanced at the screen, scrolling through over a dozen replies.

"Let's walk and talk." He slipped Xu Qianqian's phone into his pocket.

"Oh."

The two blended into the crowd descending the stairs; specks of light fell upon the school path.

"I told you not to lecture others on studying online—when they post, they're seeking comfort." Jiang Nian scrolled through her phone's comments, watching the blogger's sarcastic replies.

【Hehe, although my grades aren't great, I can't accept advice. I'm the type who values process more than results.】

【Sis, your tone carries such superiority—do you have zero emotional intelligence?】

"Is it my fault?" Xu Qianqian looked puzzled.

"Of course not your fault—look at the caption." Jiang Nian pointed at the screen as they walked, patiently explaining, "Look what she wrote: 【So what? What's two years of effort?】"

"Her highest score started in the single digits—she never scored above 40 in any subject. Over these two years, if she'd just played one less match of Identity V, she wouldn't be at this level."

"Oh okay, I won't reply then." Xu Qianqian seemed a bit slow on this kind of thing.

Jiang Nian clicked his tongue. "No need—I already replied for you."

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian's pupils shrank, and she snatched the phone back.

"Don't reply randomly—you'll get banned!"

She opened it—and nearly fainted.

【If I have to check your mood to go online, I might as well just go on your mom.】

"How come you replied with something so vulgar again? Seriously..." Xu Qianqian punched him, but didn't delete it—she quietly logged out. "Good thing I registered this fake account using your avatar and username."

In an instant, Jiang Nian's smile froze.

"What?"

"Huh? Did I say something?" Xu Qianqian looked innocent, her eyes glowing softly under the streetlamp. "Oh dear, we should head home early—we've got a test to finish tonight."

"Xu Qianqian! Give me the phone!" Jiang Nian lunged.

"Nope, nyah!"

The two chased each other along the dim street, their shadows stretching, then blurring at the corner.

The next morning, light rain.

A fall rain brings a chill; Xu Qianqian stood before the mirror, putting on a light khaki cardigan. She carefully re-fixed her bun, then grabbed her bag and umbrella and stepped out.

Click—opposite door, Jiang Nian also stepped out with his bag.

Only part of the package arrived; no one was home to receive it, so we'll pick it up together tomorrow.

In the mottled stairwell, dim light from the rainy weather made the girl's bun look even cuter, adding a touch of reserve she hadn't shown before.

"Ah, new hairstyle? Looks nice." Jiang Nian reached out, wanting to poke it.

Xu Qianqian swatted his hand away. "Touch it once, you lose a year of gaming."

"Damn, you're brutal!" Jiang Nian yanked his hand back. "You know your dad better than your daughter—I helped you handle your online relationship nicely yesterday."

"Pfft." Xu Qianqian sneered but said nothing.

Still, watching that blogger break down and post ten long essays last night? Definitely satisfying. Even if it's not nice to say it... whatever.

The karma's on Jiang Nian.

The two descended, opened umbrellas, and stepped into the rain—a black one and a blue one blooming in the downpour. They walked through alleys full of puddles, entering Zhennan Street's main road in minutes.

The cracked pavement tiles were hidden landmines—you never knew what would happen when you stepped down.

"The sports meet's in two days—will they still hold it in this weather?" Jiang Nian mentioned it, shaking water off his umbrella, and immediately got punched by Xu Qianqian beside him.

"Don't shake water on my side!"

"I just thought you're wearing three layers—I didn't want you overheating." Jiang Nian grinned mischievously; whenever he walked with Xu Qianqian, he couldn't resist teasing her.

"Who told you to wear only a short-sleeve shirt? Serves you right!" Xu Qianqian sneered. "If your eyes are bad, donate them to the cafeteria—I only wore two..."

Mid-sentence, she realized what she'd said, and her face flushed red.

"You want to die, Jiang Nian!"

Jiang Nian quickened his steps, pulling ahead—the black and blue umbrellas shifted to front and back, then vanished into the sea of other colors.

On the fourth floor, they ran into Li Qingrong, who seemed to have just come from the corridor water dispenser.

"Class monitor." Jiang Nian shook his umbrella, letting rainwater drip into the corridor.

"Hmm." Li Qingrong nodded, then suddenly stopped. "The sports meet sign-ups are already submitted—you signed up for the 3000 meters, right?"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Jiang Nian looked confused.

"Nothing. I signed up for the women's division too." Li Qingrong's expression was calm, her lips slightly parted. "Need a pace setter?"

"Huh?"

Yu Tongjie stepped into the Gao San building under his umbrella, closed it, and let rainwater drip steadily down its surface—after all, the corridor and stairs were already soaked.

He slumped, his mood as gloomy as the weather.

He never really wanted to oppose Jiang Nian—he just despised cheaters. The moment he realized it was a misunderstanding, he already felt regret.

But now it was too late to say anything, and he didn't like Jiang Nian's aggressive attitude either.

Hum.

His phone vibrated; Yu Tongjie pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it.

Zhou Yuting: "The sports meet is the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow night's self-study, we're planning to take leave and go out for a gathering. Are you coming, Yu? Liu Feipeng will be there too."

Yu Tongjie lowered his head, thought for a moment, and replied.

"Yeah."

He wasn't close to Zhou Yuting—only connected through a nodding acquaintance with Liu Feipeng. To be honest, he didn't like Liu Feipeng's circle.

He only spoke with her occasionally because her grades were decent.

As for anything else, Zhou Yuting didn't come close to one percent of Li Qingrong.

Thinking of Li Qingrong, Yu Tongjie sighed involuntarily.

If it had been two years ago, he still had hopes. After all, although Li Qingrong was rigid in character, she was beautiful, and more importantly, she had a unique aura.

But after Li Qingrong's uncle was transferred to the city, Yu Tongjie essentially gave up.

Now, with the class promotion, they'd coincidentally become classmates.

If not for that argument in English class, there might still have been a chance. But after what happened, and since Li Qingrong was such a rigid person, her impression of him was probably...

Fortunately, he'd signed up for the sports meet—the men's 3000-meter race was one person short, and no one had registered.

This move of his was, in a way, helping her out.

Perhaps, it might change her impression.