Chapter 653: Stop Touching, Let's Listen to Some Problems

"The cafeteria?"

"Hmm~" Zhang Ningzhi shook her head in denial.

"Then... the tuck shop?"

"Not that."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian was speechless. The school was so big, how was he supposed to guess? He couldn't exactly say the women's restroom.

"I don't know then."

"Guess again, there's a reward." Zhang Ningzhi kept her hands in her pockets, her body swaying slightly.

It was only because it was Zhizhi.

If it were anyone else, Jiang Nian would have just reached out and snatched it.

Dilly-dallying.

"Outside the school."

Hearing this, Zhang Ningzhi's grape-like eyes widened. Looking dazed and silly, she froze on the spot.

"How did you know?"

"Guessed."

"Definitely not, you secretly followed..."

"Hey! Don't go spouting nonsense." Seeing that he was about to be branded a pervert, Jiang Nian quickly reached out to interrupt.

He was an honest man; his brain was just a bit more useful than most.

"You bought something, right?" he explained. "Since you didn't go to the tuck shop, you must have left the school."

He wasn't curious about how the two girls got out; with Yao Beibei there, nothing that happened would be too strange.

Class Three never lacked for wild antics.

"Fine, you guessed it." Zhang Ningzhi sighed, then added happily, "Then here is your reward."

Jiang Nian felt something wasn't quite right; why did this feel like training a dog?

Women were truly terrifying. Could it be that once they reached a certain age, they started awakening some unspeakable talent?

PUA techniques, innate and natural.

Of course, it was also possible that the big yellow-haired girl was just a coward. That person was purely insidious, always watching the chaos without fearing the scale of it.

He could only pray that one day she wouldn't fall into his hands.

"Zhizhi."

"What is it?"

"This reward of yours..." He rubbed his chin. "It wouldn't be some kind of Pavlovian experiment, would it?"

Zhang Ningzhi blushed and shoved the red bean bread into his arms.

"Don't... don't talk nonsense!"

Actually, this was a method Yao Beibei had taught her. She said it was about building a habit to bring friends closer.

As for why they didn't use it themselves, it was because this trick didn't work on best friends.

"You'd better hope so." Jiang Nian pointed at Zhizhi, and sticking to the principle of not wasting food, asked, "It's red bean, right?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Ningzhi blinked, feeling slightly nervous. "Do you not like it?"

"It's nothing, red bean balls are just incredibly gross," he said. "Too sweet and cloying, but the bread is alright."

Zhang Ningzhi was confused, but she didn't mind.

Xibao had arrived, and she was blowing on a little bee. Hu—

A whistling sound rang out, accompanied by crisp footsteps.

"Class begins!!"

With a rustle, all the students in the classroom stood up. The excitement of someone in the class winning the championship hadn't faded yet.

Even if no one mentioned it, the pressure of the hundred-day countdown had already begun to influence the people in the class, whether they realized it or not.

Youth and the future, confusion and blankness.

In such a situation, it was the most primitive victory that could dispel the confusion in one's heart and refresh the beacon of one's will.

"Good morning, Mrs. Zhuang!!"

The sun slanted slightly, and the morning classes passed bit by bit.

As soon as school was out, the sounds in the classroom suddenly became noisy. Conversations, laughter, and urging voices overlapped.

"Where are we eating?"

Behind his seat, a hand reached out, tapped Jiang Nian on the shoulder, and then slowly retracted.

They had agreed to have a tutoring session at noon.

Jiang Nian thought it made sense; there were only two hours for the lunch break. Eating separately was a complete waste of time.

"Isn't that just you delivering food to my door?"

"I didn't ask you to make it," she said, then stared at Jiang Nian. "We're eating out at noon, with you."

"Alright." Jiang Nian glanced at the classroom, where most people had already left. "Let's go early too."

"Mm."

The two went downstairs, passing the swaying little grove. The green trees were growing new buds; after a few more rains, they would be shooting up.

There was plenty of food at the school gate, but there were too many people.

To save time, Jiang Nian headed straight for the main entrance of the Jingfu district. At a small shop, he managed to snag a table.

Li Qingrong sat there, watching him go off to order.

The small shop stir-fried dishes to order and had no menu. Customers had to stand in front of the refrigerated cabinet, pick their ingredients, and then specify how they wanted them cooked.

Jiang Nian ordered skillfully, then saw a soy milk advertisement on the refrigerator.

Hey, soy milk.

Isn't that a coincidence?

He took a photo and sent it to Cai Xiaoqing. The latter replied with a string of periods, indicating she was speechless.

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

"I want to drink water."

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

"Here, Qingqing."

He only bought one bottle, planning to drink some tea in a moment. The kind of tea boiled in large barrels had a very strong flavor.

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

It certainly couldn't compare to the Golden Eyebrow tea Old Liu brewed in the office, but strong tea was quite thirst-quenching once it cooled down.

All he could say was, it was very flavorful.

"Mm." Li Qingrong took it, drank two sips, and seeing Jiang Nian about to get up again, she asked.

"Where are you going?"

"Thirsty, there's tea over there..." Before Jiang Nian could finish, he saw Li Qingrong move the mineral water she had taken two sips from toward him.

"If you're thirsty, there's tea over there..." Jiang Nian hadn't finished speaking when he saw Li Qingrong slide over the mineral water she had taken a few sips from.

Was the class monitor really this frugal?

Growing up, he really hadn't drunk imported mineral water.

Li Qingrong didn't speak, her gaze looking elsewhere. The expression on her face didn't change, but her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Li Qingrong didn't speak, her gaze shifting elsewhere. The expression on her face didn't change, though her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Hearing this, Jiang Nian paused for a moment before saying solemnly.

"Suddenly, I'm not thirsty anymore."

Just as he finished speaking, his foot under the table was kicked. He looked up, but Li Qingrong had an expression as if nothing had happened.

Just as he finished speaking, his foot under the table was kicked. He looked up to see Li Qingrong wearing an expression as if nothing had happened.

Damn, was I just kicked by the class monitor?

Her Wind God Kick is terrifyingly powerful.

He thought for a moment and came up with a better plan.

"Hiss~ ha, hiss~" Jiang Nian clutched his lower leg, crouching under the table pretending to be in pain, but after hissing for a long time, he didn't hear a sound.

He straightened up and found Li Qingrong drinking water in small sips.

He straightened up and noticed Li Qingrong drinking water in small sips.

"Qingqing, you have such a cruel heart." Jiang Nian looked heartbroken, then felt a bit of regret; he had been too greedy.

If he had known, he would have quit while he was ahead.

Li Qingrong drank in small sips, ignoring him. She watched him dilly-dally and bring back a cup of tea.

Li Qingrong drank in small sips, ignoring him. She watched as he dawdled and eventually returned with a cup of tea.

Jiang Nian deliberately made a loud noise while drinking the tea, looking at the class monitor sneakily, sighing and lamenting after every sip.

Li Qingrong said, "Tissue."

"Going to the bathroom?"

Li Qingrong: "..."

"To wipe my hands."

"Wipe your hands."

"Oh, oh, alright." Jiang Nian stood up, didn't ask the boss for low-quality paper, and ran next door to buy some.

Jie Rou, a high-quality spell-casting material.

Li Qingrong watched him head out, the corners of her mouth unable to help but lift. Thinking of his recent behavior, she couldn't help but smile.

By the time Jiang Nian returned, one dish had already been served.

Having missed out on the imported mineral water, he didn't have much of an appetite. He shoveled down a few bowls hastily, finished all the dishes, and left.

Before the lunch break.

Wang Yuhe stood in front of the metal cabinet, cautiously observing her surroundings. Only then did she open the cabinet and count the duck feet one by one.

Chen Yunyun held her forehead, "It's locked, they won't get lost."

"He has a way!" Wang Yuhe said.

"Alright." Chen Yunyun turned her head to look at the classroom, "Hmm... he doesn't seem to be here."

"He might be hiding behind the door," Wang Yuhe said seriously, "As soon as you let your guard down, he'll pounce over."

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

Chen Yunyun:

"..."

These two were truly childish, but Jiang Nian was actually capable of doing such a thing.

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

"I see the racket is still hanging at your seat."

"He already has one," Wang Yuhe said.

"Hmm?"

"The second-place winner gave it to him, and even showed off to me!" Wang Yuhe was furious, wishing she could give him a couple of whacks.

The two of them had rackets that were twice as expensive as the one awarded by the school.

Before the competition, the two girls had discussed it. If they made it into the top two, they would give the racket to Jiang Nian.

They kept one thermos cup to leave in the dormitory as a spare.

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

"Yeah!"

"Oh, I see..." Chen Yunyun pursed her lips; height was a sore spot, and the other party was also very good-looking.

That aura of hers, one could tell at a glance she was raised in wealth.

"Don't you think he's hateful?" Wang Yuhe was simple-minded and continued to complain, "He even showed off on purpose."

"It made me so mad I didn't give it to him, despite how hard I worked!"

But after she finished speaking, she didn't think it through. She put her mind back on the cabinet, thought for a moment, and changed it to a combination lock.

"Yunyun, what password do you think I should set?"

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun came back to her senses.

"Your birthday, maybe."

"No, he'll guess it," Wang Yuhe said, "He has the information sheet in his hands; he can open it just by taking a look."

"I've got it!"

Chen Yunyun had no heart to care and silently returned to her seat. She propped up her head to do problems, but was somewhat absent-minded.

Outside the window, it was sunny and cloudless for ten thousand miles.

She rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly, her worries as shapeless as the clouds.

On the other side.

Jiang Nian was struggling with a physics problem; he had been working on it for a long time without a clue and subconsciously wanted to flip to the answers.

His hand moved, but then he realized.

This wasn't his own test paper, but the advanced practice paper the class monitor bought.

"Hmm."

Li Qingrong was sitting not far away, holding a magazine to read. Hearing the sound, she tilted her head and glanced at him.

"Finished writing?"

"Need to pee." He stood up.

Li Qingrong: "..."

Since entering the door, this person had been sighing the whole time. After being stared at a few times, he finally started honestly doing the problems.

His brain was honest, but his hands were not.

She was just sitting nearby watching, but felt a hand crawling on her leg, and couldn't help but feel speechless.

Consequently, the two were now sitting at a distance.

"Then go ahead."

"..."

"Oh." Jiang Nian nodded, turned and walked a bit, then came back, "Qingqing, do you need to pee?"

Li Qingrong looked up and rolled her eyes at him.

"Not in a hurry."

This was truly speechless.

"Alright, I saw you drank a lot of water," Jiang Nian said, "I was afraid you wanted to go but were too embarrassed to say."

Li Qingrong raised her eyes and said faintly.

"I don't."

"That's good." Jiang Nian ran off to relieve himself, and while at it, checked his phone; Wang Yuhe had sent a message.

"I changed to a combination lock. 【Image】 (Smug) (Grimace)"

Jiang Nian couldn't be bothered to look; elementary schoolers were truly childish. A mere four-digit combination lock, and she thought she could keep him out?

To deal with her, he had three hundred...

Forget it.

He clicked on Chen Yunyun's interface, glanced at her message, which mentioned the badminton racket matter.

Hmm?

That elementary schooler's racket was originally meant to be given to him?

This made Jiang Nian feel a tiny bit of guilt. He had judged a noble heart with his own petty mind.

A bit touched; next time he would steal fewer of her duck feet.

Jiang Nian thought for a moment and replied to Chen Yunyun.

"Is that so?"

"I was originally thinking of tricking Wang Yuhe out of her racket. I didn't expect a friend to give me one first."

He finished relieving himself and prepared to head out.

Buzz!

Chen Yunyun suddenly replied, "Mm-hmm, then your friend is quite nice too; you can play together next time."

"Forget it, we aren't that close," Jiang Nian typed, "I've been doing some small jobs outside of school."

"Mainly finding work through her, short-term business partners. No personal friendship, it would be too presumptuous to invite her."

Chen Yunyun replied instantly: "(Confused) Ah?"

"You said last time it was just small stuff, and you rented a single room. I thought you had given up; so you actually started doing it?"

Splash, Jiang Nian washed his face. He left the bathroom and typed a reply.

"The single room just didn't get much use."

Chen Yunyun: "Oh, oh. (Cute)"

Jiang Nian found it a bit strange; why did the other party seem to be in such a good mood? Did she pick up money on the road?

Hurriedly ending the chat, he returned to the dining table.

"Hmm."

Li Qingrong raised her eyes and put down the magazine in her hand. She stood up from the sofa and walked toward him.

Jiang Nian was overjoyed and asked eagerly.

"Qingqing, what's wrong?"

"Going to the restroom."

"Oh." He immediately had dead-fish eyes; so she just drank too much water, but she was still so distant about going to the restroom.

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

Life often regrets that the water flows long to the east.

Was the Northern Hemisphere left-spinning or right-spinning again?

After ten minutes, Jiang Nian finished the problems. He left the ones he couldn't do blank, waiting for the class monitor to impart knowledge and resolve doubts in a moment.

Being inferior to others is like this; one can only be in the lower position.

Wait for the day his grades surpass the class monitor's. Then he could reverse it and impart knowledge and resolve doubts for Li Qingrong.

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

Suddenly, she paused again.

"Stop touching, listen to the problem for a while."

"Oh, oh." Jiang Nian pulled his hand back and slapped it twice, "This damn hand, it's got ADHD."

Li Qingrong: "

Jiang Nian restrained himself a bit and listened attentively to two problems he didn't know how to solve. The last one was a problem he could do.

The class monitor didn't skip it either and explained another variation.

Jiang Nian was listening absent-mindedly, and his hand started getting restless again. The jeans were slippery; the texture was nice.

"Does it feel good?"

"It fee..." Jiang Nian got stuck halfway through and pulled his hand back again, "Ahem, this hand of mine is really..."

Li Qingrong rolled her eyes at him and continued explaining the problem.

"Listen carefully."

"Oh."

Jiang Nian didn't regret touching her; if he didn't make a move himself, would the class monitor's leg come into his hand on its own?

Not to mention, he actually learned something this time.

And he had his fill of touching.

He just didn't dare go too far, lest he make Qingqing angry. If she really ignored him later, he would be full of regret again.

One-thirty.

Li Qingrong stopped explaining the problems and put down her pen to let it rest. At the same time, she stood up and pulled the balcony curtains shut.

"Are you going to the guest room to sleep?"

Hearing this, Jiang Nian looked up.

"Uh... no need, the living room is fine."

"Mm."

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

The resting spots were separated by some distance.

Jiang Nian stood up, feeling a bit sleepy himself. Just as he was preparing to find a spot to lie down, he saw Li Qingrong coming toward him again.

Oh, going to flush the toilet again.

However, as Jiang Nian stood in the center of the dim living room and was about to yawn, he was suddenly embraced by Li Qingrong.