Chapter 169: Volume 1, Chapter 169 – Study Hard, Make Progress Every Day (13)

In the classroom.

"Xiao Zhi, do you know? Liu Jian had a car accident last night and went to the hospital!" Upon hearing the news, Wu Wan came over and sat down beside her, speaking excitedly.

Jiang Zhi focused on the problem on the desk, her eyelids not lifting, "Who?"

Wu Wan said helplessly, "Liu Jian, you know, the Liu Jian who brings you breakfast every day, the class 9 bully."

Probably only studies could catch her eye.

Jiang Zhi's motion paused; she lifted her head and asked, "What happened to him?"

Wu Wan whispered, "He drove out with a few classmates last night for a joyride, got into a car accident, now he's in the hospital, his mind isn't quite normal, he keeps muttering that a madman wants to kill him."

Jiang Zhi immediately recalled what happened in the cafeteria yesterday at noon.

The madman Liu Jian referred to should be Li Wen Nian.

Such a thing actually happened last night.

"Miss, could you let me have a seat?" A clear, lively voice interrupted their chat.

Wu Wan heard the voice, and up close saw a face so beautiful it was like a blow to the senses, flawless as a beautiful boy stepped out of a manga; her heart involuntarily pounded violently, and she moved aside as he spoke.

Actually, this wasn't her seat either; the person sharing a desk with Jiang Zhi was someone else.

Jiang Zhi's first glance was caught by the boy's bright gold short hair; her expression froze slightly, and she looked at him in surprise as he slung his bag and sat down beside her.

"Zhizhi~ the homeroom teacher agreed we can sit together, hehe, from today onward we're desk mates." Li Wen Nian happily opened her arms, her smile especially dazzling.

Jiang Zhi gripped the book on the desk tightly, only after a long while did she utter an "hmm."

The fact that they were desk mates quickly spread throughout the floor; the transfer student's appearance was too eye‑catching, especially that gold hair, which stood out even more, and besides Jiang Zhi's unmatched grades, her face was voted number one on the school beauty list.

The top post on the school forum about the two of them reached explosive levels of discussion.

It drew envy and jealousy from everyone.

During all the classes that day, the boy sitting next to Jiang Zhi slept the whole time, slumped over the desk with his face toward her, his sleep quality extremely good.

Slanting sunlight fell in strands on his side profile, making it glow white.

None of the several teachers bothered to manage him, letting him snore loudly.

After school in the afternoon, Jiang Zhi rubbed her sore, dry eyes, her waist and back ached, and the fingers holding her pen developed a callus on the tiger's mouth.

She glanced at the boy still sleeping beside her and slightly frowned.

Did he not sleep all night? How could he sleep from morning to afternoon? Even thunder couldn't wake him, not even a pig sleeps as much as he does.

The classroom emptied of classmates, leaving only the two of them.

When Jiang Zhi had packed her bag and was about to rise and leave, someone grabbed her wrist tightly.

Li Wen Nian, who had been sleeping with eyes closed, now rose, his body slowly drawing near; she unconsciously stepped back until her back pressed against the cold, hard wall beside her, dim shadows enveloping her, the cramped, narrow space giving a sense of oppression.

The boy leaned in like a large golden retriever, deeply inhaling at her neck, sighing contentedly, excitedly saying, "Zhizhi, you smell so good!"

Jiang Zhi tried to pull her wrist back, but his grip was like iron, unmoving; curled up in the corner, she appeared especially petite and restrained, her brows knit, her lovely peach‑blossom eyes flashing with anger.

"Li Wen Nian!"

Li Wen Nian really liked her gaze.

It was as if, when he encountered a wild sparrow on the barren plain while hunting, he broke its wings, cut off its legs, yet it still struggled desperately to escape.

Unfortunately, he can't do that now.

Li Wen Nian decided that, after the senior year semester ends, the first person he will kill will be her.

He will gradually grind down her sharp spikes, treat her like a wild sparrow and break her wings, to see how she will struggle to survive.

How fun that would be.

Gazing into the darkening gloom spreading in the depths of the boy's deep blue pupils, Jiang Zhi felt a creepy sensation rise in her chest, as if a deadly venomous snake had fixed its gaze on her and was coiling around.

At this moment, his Hatred Value had already reached 41 points.

The Hatred Value suddenly rose by 12 points; it's not hard to guess what Li Wen Nian is thinking right now.

Jiang Zhi took the chance when he wasn't paying attention and shoved hard to push her body away.

The boy retreated a few steps, tripped over a chair, and fell to the ground.

"Clang."

The sound of the chair hitting the floor echoed in the quiet classroom.

Jiang Zhi pressed herself against the wall, rubbing her sore wrist, coldly glanced at the boy on the floor, picked up her bag, stepped aside, and left straight away.

Li Wen Nian suddenly sat up, grabbed a handful of hair on his head, looked up and laughed; his laughter drifted through the classroom to Jiang Zhi's ears as she walked to the stairwell.

Jiang Zhi stopped, turned back and glanced, murmuring, "Madman."

777 whispered: "Host, the favorability of the antagonist Li Wen Nian has risen by 9 points, now at 20."

Just a shove knocked him down, yet the antagonist's favorability actually increased.

Jiang Zhi and 777 thought the same thing: "masochist."

She shook her shoulders and suddenly realized that, compared to Li Wen Nian, the Cheng Su she had met in the town was who knows how much cuter.

Just as she stepped out of the teaching building, a flash of lightning streaked across the outside, followed by thunder that rang in her ears.

Jiang Zhi hurriedly turned back to take shelter under the eaves, huddled in a corner, pulled out her phone, and saw the butler's message.

("Miss, I might be late; please wait inside for a while.")

Jiang Zhi put down her phone, sat on the steps behind her, took out a book, and began to read.

A footstep sounded behind her, slowly stopping beside her.

"Zhizhi~"

Jiang Zhi didn't need to lift her head to know who it was; she kept her focus on the book resting on her legs, ignoring the person's voice.

Li Wen Nian had slept comfortably, his mood especially delighted; he sat down close to her, tugged lightly at her sleeve with his fingers, tilted his head, and said, "Zhizhi, I was just joking with you—don't be mad, okay?"

Jiang Zhi glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "Don't do that in the future."

Li Wen Nian smiled, eyes crinkling, nodded, and said, "I swear, I definitely won't do that to you again, Zhizhi~"

"I like Zhizhi the most!"

The voice, like sweet talk, soaked in honey, was sugary soft.

Jiang Zhi pulled back her sleeve without a trace, her expression calm, utterly unaffected by his words.

Li Wen Nian saw that, blinked sadly, and said, "Don't you believe my words, Zhizhi? I truly, truly like Zhizhi! I want to be with Zhizhi forever~"

Jiang Zhi suddenly locked eyes with him, expressionless, and asked, "Do you even know what liking someone means?"

The girl's aloof peach-blossom eyes glimmered with a fragment of light, reflecting his face.

Li Wen Nian was captivated by her eyes, paused for a few seconds, and couldn't speak.

Jiang Zhi said, "I, like, you."

Li Wen Nian felt a faint stir in his chest, the fingers propping against the floor slowly tightening.

Jiang Zhi no longer looked at him and said, "Such words can only be spoken to someone you truly like."

Having said that, she rose and walked into the umbrella held open by the steward, her figure disappearing unhurriedly into the rainy night.

Li Wen Nian, seated on the steps, gently inhaled the lingering scent, easily calming his sullen, turbulent emotions.

The girl's words echoed in his ears.

He followed along, murmuring: "I like you."

A smile blossomed on his thin, cold lips.

He suddenly wanted to hear her say she liked him.

Li Wen Nian, who had found life dull, suddenly found a goal he would achieve by any means.

——