Chapter 48: Dining Accompaniment

The afternoon sun was just right, and there was no sister upstairs.

The classes on the fourth floor were all in session, making the corridor seem empty. A set of tables and chairs was placed at the entrance of each classroom, commonly known as the special seats for evening self-study tutoring.

These were generally used for students with good grades but severe subject imbalances to catch up during evening self-study.

Jiang Nian held his breath, walking past other classrooms with a straight back, trying to appear less conspicuous to avoid being scrutinized by students from other classes.

Uh, his’stealth’ was a bit too obvious.

Classroom A403 was quiet, with seven or eight students scattered around. Their desks were piled high with books. They glanced up at him, then lowered their heads to continue solving problems.

Jiang Nian didn’t see anyone familiar. He returned to his seat and settled down to tackle math problems.

He hadn’t looked closely at the System’s tasks, nor had he thought much about them. Work was work, study was study, and he clearly understood their priorities.

Firstly, the System tasks had no time limit and wouldn’t run away on their own. Secondly, as long as he didn’t get married, in a sense, he had simply and brutally completed the ‘comeback’ at its root.

Finally, the so-called comeback of his thirty-eight-year-old self in another timeline was essentially using the System to correct a life that had taken many detours.

No matter how much he dieted, reconnected with his unforgettable childhood sweetheart or ex-girlfriend, and constantly tried to correct and salvage things, what had happened had happened. No matter how hard he tried, it was only damage control.

Jiang Nian hadn’t experienced any of those things; he didn’t need the System. Just by doing nothing, he had already surpassed his thirty-eight-year-old self in another timeline.

He always treated the System as an always-on auxiliary cheat, but he didn’t fully rely on it. He also tried to explore his future direction on his own.

Xu Qianqian was right: ‘Realize that what is past cannot be mended, and know that what is to come can still be pursued.’ One cannot constantly dwell on the past, nor can one blindly pin hopes on the future.

A cheat is just a tool; the path still has to be walked by oneself.

Memory Bread helped him fill in the basics. To maintain his grades in the end-of-month exam, and to get into a better university next summer, he still had to rely on his own efforts.

He was eighteen, at an age where he felt capable of anything. He didn’t need to choose between completing System tasks for money and studying; he wanted both.

He would earn money with one hand and study with the other, possessing both the fragrance of knowledge and the power of money.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

His phone alarm rang at 11:50. Jiang Nian immediately put down his pen and stood up to leave.

Are you kidding? No matter how fragrant knowledge was, it wouldn’t fill his stomach. The college entrance exam wasn’t a one-time thing, and fake effort was useless. He should sleep when he needed to sleep and eat when he needed to eat.

Besides, he truly loved the cafeteria aunties; he always ran to see them. And the younger students loved them even more deeply; if he didn’t run, he really wouldn’t get any food.

They would run the moment class ended, their legs longer than their lives. Even romance had to be put aside; one could be single, but not go hungry. Getting food two minutes earlier could even move one up in the family tree ranking.

Physical education, a rare and endangered class for third-year high school students, was even scheduled for the free fourth period in the morning. Losing priority for eating would be a complete waste.

Just as he stepped out, he unexpectedly bumped into the class monitor, Li Qingrong.

They met eyes for a moment, and Jiang Nian felt strangely awkward. He quickly averted his gaze and greeted her.

“Monitor, are you… going home?”

Jiang Nian knew Li Qingrong’s family was wealthy and she generally didn’t eat in the cafeteria. Yao Beibei had told him this; that flirtatious girl seemed particularly interested in Li Qingrong.

He had no time to understand Li Qingrong; he just wanted to eat.

“To the cafeteria.” Li Qingrong’s eyes were deep, and her tone was unhurried. “I haven’t finished my problems, so I won’t go back at noon.”

“Oh, oh.” Jiang Nian’s mind was on the cafeteria. Hearing her say “cafeteria,” he was already hungry. “Me too. Monitor, you’d better hurry, or there won’t be any food left.”

He was just being kind; usually, Jiang Nian wasn’t so benevolent.

It took six minutes to walk from the fourth-floor classroom to the cafeteria, and two minutes to run. All things considered, Jiang Nian could even spare six minutes to do good deeds.

Ultimately, he was just being polite.

Unexpectedly, Li Qingrong nodded and said,

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian thought, “I’m such a good person,” and then walked down the stairs. After a few steps, he suddenly felt something was off. He turned around, and Li Qingrong was following him.

“Monitor, aren’t you going back to the classroom?”

“No, I’m not going back. I ran out of tissues.” Li Qingrong nodded. “I was going to go back to get some, but what you said makes sense.”

???

Jiang Nian wondered if the monitor had an antenna on her head, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Since things had come to this, let’s eat first.

They walked down the stairs, one after the other. After leaving the teaching building, they walked side by side. There was actually some distance between them, but it wasn’t noticeable from afar.

As dismissal approached, most of the students from the classes having physical education on the basketball court had already dispersed.

Day students went home, and those who ate in the cafeteria went to the cafeteria.

Boarding students returned to their dorms in the North District. Girls were busy getting water to wash their hair at noon. Boys either ate in the cafeteria or went out the North Gate for a six-yuan buffet.

For day students like Jiang Nian, the North Gate dorm complex was an entirely new map. It was a Sect’s Forbidden Land, with only a few day students entering the school through the North Gate.

Ultimately, it was because the North Gate connected to the bus station leading out of Zhennan County.

The street outside was dark and the roads were dilapidated. Repair shops, late-night BBQ, old rental houses, all stood in stark contrast to the bustling front gate of the school.

The alleys were dark, with messy power lines crisscrossing the sky, possessing a kind of ‘Little India’ aesthetic.

Bang!

A dull yellow basketball flew high, arcing gracefully, and landed accurately in the hoop. The court immediately erupted in cheers.

The remaining eight or nine boys were drenched in sweat. Li Hua ran wildly across the half-court, thrilled by a three-pointer.

He turned his head and saw that scene, his jaw almost dropping to the ground.

“Jiang Nian! Monitor!”

“Are you crazy? Do you really want Jiang Nian to be the monitor?” Someone teased, “But our monitor is indeed a bit rigid. If it were Jiang Nian…”

“No, you motherf***er, look for yourself!” Li Hua cried tears of joy.

The three-pointer was great, but he wouldn’t shoot it next time!

On the almost empty sports field, Jiang Nian and Li Qingrong walked side by side. From a distance, they looked like a young couple, yet Li Qingrong didn’t seem to find anything amiss.

Her expression was normal, as if she was just walking a short distance with someone.

Right, she was the monitor after all.

“Holy crap! How did Jiang Nian end up walking with the monitor?” Another boy with a buzz cut said, “Didn’t he go up to do problems? Hooking up with the monitor?”

“Don’t be so agitated, you guys act like NPCs every day.” The tall sports committee member waved his hand. “Maybe they’re just walking together. Haven’t you noticed the monitor’s face has no expression?”

Several people were speechless at the same time. “Bro, do you really observe that closely?”

Li Hua immediately exclaimed “Holy crap!” again, his finger trembling. “She smiled, damn it! How can she smile at Jiang Nian! A virgin! Damn it, a virgin!”

】

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