Chapter 648: Don

Cafeteria?

"Mmm~" Zhang Nenzhi shook her head to deny it.

Then… the convenience store?

No.

Jiang Nian heard this and was speechless. The school was so big—how was he supposed to guess? He couldn't just say the girls' bathroom.

I don't know.

"Guess again, there's a reward," Zhang Nenzhi said, hands in her pockets, swaying slightly.

Only Baby Zhizhi would do this.

If it were anyone else, Jiang Nian would've just reached out and taken it.

So slow.

Off-campus.

Hearing this, Zhang Nenzhi's grape-like eyes widened. She looked dumbstruck, frozen in place.

How did you know?

I guessed.

It can't be—you secretly followed…

"Hey! Don't say nonsense!" Jiang Nian, seeing himself about to be branded a pervert, quickly interrupted with a hand gesture.

I'm just an honest guy—maybe a bit smarter than most.

"You bought something, right?" he explained. "Since you didn't go to the convenience store, you must've gone off-campus."

He wasn't curious how the two girls got out—Yao Bei Bei was with them. Anything could happen, nothing would be surprising.

Class Three never lacked wild moves.

"Fine, you guessed right," Zhang Nenzhi sighed, then beamed. "Here's your reward."

Jiang Nian felt something was off—this felt like training a dog.

Women are terrifying. Has age started awakening some secret, shameful talent?

PUA skills—innate, aren't they?

Of course, it might just be Big Yellow Girl being sneaky. That woman's pure malice, always loving chaos.

All you can do is pray she never falls into my hands.

"Baby Zhizhi."

"What?"

"This reward of yours…" he rubbed his chin, "isn't it some kind of Pavlovian experiment?"

Zhang Nenzhi's face turned red as she shoved the red bean bread into his arms.

"Don't… don't say that!"

Actually, this was Yao Bei Bei's idea—said it was a way to build habits and strengthen friendships.

They didn't use it themselves because the trick didn't work for best friends.

"You better be," Jiang Nian pointed at Baby Zhizhi, sticking to his no-waste-food principle. "Red bean, right?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Nenzhi blinked, slightly nervous. "You don't like it?"

"Nothing. Red bean dumplings taste awful—too sweet and cloying. But the bread's fine."

Zhang Nenzhi was confused but didn't care.

Qian Bao arrived, blowing on a little bee. Huh

Huh's hissing sound came, accompanied by crisp footsteps.

"Classbegins!!"

Whoosh—the entire class stood up. The excitement from their classmate's victory hadn't faded.

Even without anyone mentioning it, the pressure of the hundred-day countdown had begun, subtly affecting everyone in the class.

Youth and the future, confusion and emptiness.

Under these circumstances, the most primal victory could dispel inner confusion and reset one's will.

"Goodmorning, Mrs. Zhuang!!"

The sun tilted slightly; the morning classes slowly passed.

As soon as school ended, the classroom erupted into noise—voices, laughter, and calls overlapping.

Where are we eating?

From behind his seat, a hand reached out, tapped his shoulder, then slowly withdrew.

We agreed to meet for tutoring at noon.

Jiang Nian thought about it—he was right. The lunch break was only two hours; eating separately was pure waste.

"Isn't that just delivering food to your door?"

"I didn't ask her to," she said, glancing at Jiang Nian. "We're eating out together at noon."

"Alright," Jiang Nian looked around the nearly empty classroom. "Let's leave early."

"Mm."

They went downstairs, passing the swaying little grove. New green buds had sprouted; after a few rains, the branches would stretch out.

There were plenty of eats near the school gate, but too many people.

Jiang Nian headed straight for the Jing Mansion gate to save time, grabbing a table at a small shop.

Li Qingrong sat there, watching him go to order.

The shop cooked fresh—no menu. Customers had to stand before the cold cabinet, pick ingredients, then state how to cook them.

Jiang Nian ordered skillfully, noticing a soy milk ad on the fridge.

Ah, soy milk.

Isn't this just lucky?

He took a photo and sent it to Cai Xiaoqing. She replied with a string of periods, signaling silence.

Li Qingrong watched him quietly, not touching the grimy table.

"I want water."

"Oh oh." Jiang Nian got up, bought a bottle of room-temperature mineral water, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her.

"Here, Embracing Qingqing."

He bought only one bottle, planning to drink tea later—that strong tea boiled in a large barrel.

As for hygiene, a splash of boiling water was good enough.

It couldn't compare to Lao Liu's Jin Jun Mei brewed in the office, but cold strong tea was quite thirst-quenching.

All you could say was, the flavor was truly rich.

"Mm." Li Qingrong took it, drank two sips, then spoke as Jiang Nian rose again.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm thirsty—there's tea over there..." Jiang Nian hadn't finished when Li Qingrong moved the two-sip mineral water toward him.

"If you're thirsty, there's tea over there......." Before Jiang Nian could finish, he saw Li Qingrong slide over the mineral water she had taken two sips of.

Is the monitor this frugal?

In all his life, he'd never drunk imported mineral water.

Li Qingrong said nothing, her gaze shifting elsewhere. Her expression didn't change, but her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Li Qingrong said nothing, her gaze drifting elsewhere. Her expression didn't change much, but her eyelashes fluttered faintly.

Jiang Nian paused, then said seriously.

"Suddenly not thirsty."

No sooner had he spoken than his foot under the table was kicked. He looked up—Li Qingrong's face showed no sign of anything happening.

The moment the words left his mouth, a foot kicked him under the table. He looked up to find Li Qingrong wearing an expression as if nothing had happened.

Damn, did the monitor just kick me?

The Wind God's Leg is terrifying.

He thought for a moment, then found a better plan.

"Sss~ haa, sss~" Jiang Nian hugged his calf, crouched under the table pretending pain, groaning for a long time—but heard no reaction.

He sat up and found Li Qingrong sipping water slowly.

He straightened up and found Li Qingrong taking small sips of water.

"Embracing Qingqing, you're heartless." Jiang Nian wore a look of profound sorrow, slightly regretful—he'd been too greedy.

If only he'd known when to stop.

Li Qingrong sipped slowly, ignoring him. She watched him dawdle as he brought back a cup of tea.

Li Qingrong drank in small mouthfuls, ignoring him. She watched him dawdle, then made herself a cup of tea and came back.

Jiang Nian drank his tea loudly, sneaking glances at the monitor, sipping then sighing deeply.

Jiang Nian deliberately drank his tea very loudly, watching the class monitor with a sly look, taking a sip and then sighing long and hard.

"To the bathroom?"

Li Qingrong:

"Wipe your hands."

"Oh oh, alright." Jiang Nian got up, didn't ask the owner for cheap paper—he went next door to buy some.

Jierou, top-tier cultivation material.

Li Qingrong watched him leave, her lips curling slightly. Thinking of his earlier behavior, she smiled.

When Jiang Nian returned, one dish had already been served.

Having missed the imported mineral water, he had no appetite. He hastily shoveled a few bites, finished all the dishes, and left.

Having missed the chance to get the imported mineral water, he had no appetite either. He hastily pushed a few bowls of rice around, finished all the dishes, and left.

Wang Yuhe stood before the metal cabinet, cautiously scanning the surroundings before opening it and counting the duck feet one by one.

Chen Yunyun rubbed her forehead. "It's locked—it won't go missing."

"He has a way!" Wang Yuhe said.

"Fine." Chen Yunyun glanced at the classroom. "Hmm... he doesn't seem to be here."

"Maybe hiding behind the door." Wang Yuhe said seriously. "As soon as we let our guard down, he'll pounce."

"Rip open the bag and eat all my duck feet."

"Tear open the bag and eat all my duck feet."

Chen Yunyun: "

These two are childish—but Jiang Nian really would do something like this.

"By the way, did you give him your badminton racket?" Chen Yunyun suddenly remembered and asked.

"I saw your racket still hanging on your desk."

"He has one." Wang Yuhe said.

"Huh?"

"The second-place winner gave it to him—and he even showed off to me!" Wang Yuhe was furious, wishing she could hit him twice.

"Second place went to him, and he had the nerve to brag about it to me!" Wang Yuhe was furious, wishing she could give him a couple of smacks.

They both had rackets, twice as expensive as the one the school awarded.

Before the match, the two girls discussed it: if they made it into the top two, they'd give the racket to Jiang Nian.

Keep one thermos flask for backup in the dorm.

"Second place..." Chen Yunyun recalled—a girl taller than herself, "Do they know each other?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, I see..." Chen Yunyun pursed her lips; height was a disadvantage, and the girl was also very pretty.

That aura—clearly raised in wealth.

"Don't you think he's annoying?" Wang Yuhe, still naive, complained, "He was showing off on purpose."

"I was so mad I didn't give it to him—I worked so hard!"

But after saying it, she didn't think it through. She turned her attention back to the cabinet, then decided to switch to a password lock.

"Yunyun, what password should I set?"

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun snapped back to attention.

"Birthday."

"No, he'll guess it," Wang Yuhe said. "He has the information form—he can open it with one look."

"Got it!"

Chen Yunyun didn't care anymore and silently returned to her seat. She propped her chin up, trying to focus on her problems, but her mind wandered.

Outside the window, the sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight.

She rested her cheek on her hand, lost in thought—her worries shapeless as clouds.

On the other side.

Jiang Nian was struggling with a physics problem, making no progress after a long time; he instinctively reached for the answer key.

His hand moved—but he stopped himself.

This wasn't his own test paper; it was the improvement set bought by the class monitor.

"Huh."

Li Qingrong sat nearby, reading a magazine. At the sound, she turned her head to glance at him.

"Finished?"

"Need to pee." He stood up.

Li Qingrong: "."

Since he walked in, this guy had been sighing nonstop. After being watched for a few glances, he finally started doing his problems properly.

His mind settled, but his hands didn't.

She just sat beside him and felt as if a hand were crawling up her leg—she couldn't help but feel exasperated.

So now, the two sat at a distance from each other.

"Then go."

»

"Oh." Jiang Nian nodded, walked a few steps, then turned back, "Embracing Qingqing, are you in a hurry?"

Li Qingrong looked up and rolled her eyes at him.

"Not at all."

That truly left her speechless.

"Alright, I see you drank a lot of water," Jiang Nian said. "I was worried you needed to go but were too shy to say it."

Li Qingrong lifted her gaze and said calmly.

"No."

"Good." Jiang Nian went to relieve himself, glancing at his phone on the way—Wang Yuhe had sent a message.

"I changed the password lock. 【Image】 (smug) (tongue out)"

Jiang Nian didn't bother looking—elementary school kids were so childish. A four-digit password lock, thinking it could stop him?

To deal with her, I have three hundred....

Never mind.

He opened Chen Yunyun's chat, glanced at her message—she mentioned the badminton racket.

Huh?

That racket the elementary school kid had—was originally meant for him?

This gave Jiang Nian a slight pang of guilt. He'd judged her with a petty heart.

A little touched—he'd steal fewer duck feet from her next time.

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then replied to Chen Yunyun.

"Really?"

"I was planning to trick Wang Yuhe into giving me her racket, but a friend gave me one first."

After relieving himself, he prepared to leave.

Buzz!

Chen Yunyun replied instantly: "Mm-hmm, your friend's nice too—maybe we can play together next time."

"Nah, we're not that close," Jiang Nian typed. "I've been doing some small jobs off-campus."

"Mainly getting work from her—short-term partnership. No personal ties; asking her out would be too forward."

Chen Yunyun replied instantly: "(confused) Huh?"

"You said before it was just small stuff, and you rented a private room—I thought you gave up, but you actually did it?"

Splash—Jiang Nian washed his face. He stepped out of the bathroom and typed a reply.

"I just haven't used the private room much."

Chen Yunyun: "Oh oh. (Cute)"

Jiang Nian found it strange—why did she seem so cheerful? Had she found money on the street?

He quickly ended the chat and returned to the dining table.

"Huh."

Li Qingrong lifted her gaze, set down the magazine in her hand, rose from the sofa, and walked toward him.

Jiang Nian was delighted and asked eagerly.

"Embracing Qingqing, what's wrong?"

"To the bathroom."

"Oh." His eyes went dead—so she'd just drunk too much water? But still, she was being so formal about going to the bathroom.

If they went together, wouldn't that save water?

Life often regrets that water flows eastward forever.

Is the Northern Hemisphere left- or right-handed in its rotation?

After ten minutes, Jiang Nian finished the problems. He left the ones he couldn't solve blank, waiting for the monitor to explain later.

Humans are like this—only fit to occupy the lower position.

One day, when his grades surpassed the monitor's, he could reverse roles and teach Li Qingrong, imparting the Dao, resolving doubts.

Li Qingrong glanced over and began explaining the problems to him.

Suddenly, she paused.

"Stop touching. Listen to the problem."

"Oh oh." Jiang Nian pulled his hand back, slapped it twice. "This damn hand—has ADHD."

Li Qingrong:

Jiang Nian calmed down a bit and listened carefully to two problems he didn't understand. The last one was one he could solve.

The monitor didn't skip it—she explained another variation.

Jiang Nian listened half-heartedly; his hand began to stir again. The denim was slippery—nice texture.

"Comfortable?"

"Comf..." Jiang Nian choked mid-word, yanked his hand back. "Cough cough, this hand of mine is just..."

Li Qingrong gave him a look, then resumed explaining.

"Pay attention."

"Oh."

Jiang Nian didn't regret touching—even if he didn't act, would the monitor's leg come to him on its own?

Honestly, he'd learned something from this trip.

And he'd enjoyed the touch.

But he dared not go too far, lest he anger Embracing Qingqing. If she truly ignored him later, he'd regret it.

1:30 p. m.

Li Qingrong stopped explaining, put down her pen to rest, then rose and drew the balcony curtains shut.

"Do you want to sleep in the guest room?"

At this, Jiang Nian looked up.

"Nn... no need. I'll just sleep in the living room."

"Mm."

Li Qingrong brought out a pillow from her room and handed it to Jiang Nian, then placed her own pillow on the sofa.

Their resting spots were separated by some distance.

Jiang Nian stood up, feeling drowsy. He was about to find a spot to lie down when he saw Li Qingrong approaching him again.

Oh, going to the bathroom again.

Yet, as Jiang Nian stood in the dim center of the living room, about to yawn, Li Qingrong embraced him.