Chapter 116 He seems to be starting to enjoy it.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Jiang Nian turned his head and saw Zhang Ningzhi handing him the Chinese test paper.

It was a rough, low-quality paper, a classical Chinese test printed by Old Liu. There were four pages in total, with four classical Chinese texts, but only one was required to be completed.

They had just finished translating the classical Chinese, and the whole class had collectively worked together to complete the test paper.

In other words, this test paper was already useless.

Was an audit team going to be stationed at the school at the end of the year?

How embarrassing, Old Liu. Are you really working this hard to balance the books for the leaders?

Gambling on the glory of an Advanced teacher, his eagerness to progress was perhaps a bit too much. No wonder I heard you playing ‘Mandarin Ducks Playing’ when I passed by the office that day.

The side Zhang Ningzhi handed him was the classical Chinese text they had just discussed, with neat and elegant handwriting.

So, what was he supposed to look at?

Jiang Nian glanced at the test paper, then at Zhang Ningzhi. He wondered if she was going to urge him to copy it, but this test paper didn’t need to be handed in for checking.

Copy it once, then correct it?

Only the wind and the old lady who collected scrap would see this test paper! It wouldn’t get into his head at all, baby.

Zhang Ningzhi saw Jiang Nian staring intently at her and couldn’t help but purse her lips.

Why are you looking at me? Look at the back of the test paper, you idiot!

Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, “Does this test paper need to be handed in for checking? If so, I’ll copy it down.”

Zhang Ningzhi: “…”

Fortunately, seeing her staring intently at the test paper, Jiang Nian, out of curiosity, opened it and turned a page. He immediately saw the handwriting on the back and realized he had misunderstood.

Oh, so it was a small note.

Writing directly on the Chinese test paper? Its concealment was indeed very strong, after all, who would meticulously check if the answers in the Chinese answer section were actually answers?

After all, it was the lowest-grade test paper.

Jiang Nian opened it and found that for the three small questions in classical Chinese, Zhang Ningzhi had written from beginning to end. Although every word had nothing to do with the answers, every stroke was related to him.

It wasn’t a note; it was a handwritten letter.

Jiang Nian was used to playing with his phone.

Suddenly seeing such a handwritten letter interspersed within the test paper rows, a sense of sincerity rushed over him, like seeing a five-colored deer in a mountain valley.

“There are 9 days left until the end-of-month joint exam. I’m always worried about being demoted. But only three people who were promoted have a risk of being demoted, and you and I are both among them.”

“My old class wasn’t bad, it just had fewer friends. It wasn’t as happy as now; I can find Beibei to play with every day after class, and Li Hua and Ma Guojun are also quite nice.”

What about me?

Jiang Nian got a little anxious when he saw this. Are small groups also isolating people?

He’d report them for campus bullying!

Oh, there was more below, written vertically because there wasn’t enough space at the end.

“You too.”

“You too?”

Upon seeing this, Jiang Nian was truly fuming.

This evaluation was purely bottom-tier, what was the difference between this and “small is also very cute” kind of nonsense? Fine, fine, I’ll change seats next week.

He continued reading.

“I don’t want to be demoted, and I don’t want you to be demoted. Or if our scores drop in the next exam, it’s easy for people to think that our promotion scores were inflated or faked.”

Yu Tongjie, that Sword Tomb, is truly a beast. We all got promoted together, and he’s doing this?

What kind of pressure is this putting on Zhizhi baby?

“So, if you can, please also try a little harder. Although saying this might sound a bit forceful, I think as a friend, I have a tiny bit of power to urge you.”

“Forceful, hehe, I love forceful.”

Jiang Nian continued to read, feeling that Zhang Ningzhi had written a bit conservatively.

“I still want to be your deskmate. If our grades fall, we’ll definitely be talked about, and then we’ll have to sit separately, after all, the only value of a third-year high school student is studying.”

Don’t say such realistic things, it’s too sad.

No, my deskmate and I will have our grades fall?

What, bad company corrupts good character?

Jiang Nian looked down and found another line of densely packed small characters. Compared to the main text above, this line of small characters seemed a bit lacking in confidence.

“Saying this seems a bit unreasonable, after all, anxiety is just my own thing. Suddenly asking you to study hard with me is a bit improper.”

Why did she suddenly start with the ‘tea’ talk?

“If you think this is inexplicable, then put the paper away and pretend nothing happened. Or crumple it up and throw it into the trash can like Li Hua’s ugly shot.”

Li Hua’s ugly shot?

Is the word order wrong?

However, Zhang Ningzhi’s casual attack on Li Hua made Jiang Nian happy.

As expected of the number one Prodigy in the group, Fairy Zhizhi, who has the best grades in the sixth group. Old science dogs like Li Hua are already withered bones beneath her!

In the sixth group, attacking Li Hua had become politically correct.

In the dim classroom, the sound of “Aerial China” echoed.

Zhang Ningzhi waited anxiously for a few minutes, clutching her pen repeatedly, her knuckles turning faintly white.

Some students in the class were focused on the projection screen, others were writing their homework, occasionally looking up. In an unnoticed corner, the Chinese test paper was passed unnoticed.

She turned her head and saw Jiang Nian folding the test paper, seemingly about to put it into his desk. Her pupils suddenly widened. So he didn’t accept it? She had done such an embarrassing thing.

She was really going to cry.

Then she saw Jiang Nian make a feint, pull a pen from his desk, and start writing a reply on the table.

Zhang Ningzhi: “…”

She was 95% sure that he did it on purpose. Purely mischievous. He clearly had a pen on the table but reached for the one in his desk.

So naughty.

Then came a long wait, counting every minute and second. The anxiety amplified infinitely, her heart pounded, and there was a sour, sinking feeling in her chest.

As if falling into an abyss, unable to find the bottom.

After an unknown duration of falling, the test paper was handed back to her.

Zhang Ningzhi calmly took the test paper, confirming that her private thoughts were safely hidden. Then she carefully opened it and saw the answer on the other side of the classical Chinese section.

Every sentence had nothing to do with the test paper, but everything to do with her.

“Read.”

The first two words made Zhang Ningzhi jump, and she couldn’t help but purse her lips. The resentment in her heart slowly accumulated; he was definitely doing it on purpose, just loved to tease people.

“Forceful, huh? It’s my first time being an M, a little nervous. Is it the kind of M where I feel wronged, and then you spank me twice as comfort? Sounds a bit perverted, huh?”

After Zhang Ningzhi finished reading, her vision instantly went black.

Is this something a human can write? Why can a high school student write such distorted words? Her eyes felt a bit dirty, they couldn’t be saved.

“To be honest, you, a person with over 630 points, are still worried about failing even when you study seriously. Frankly, this anxiety is truly unreasonable.”

“Then let’s study together, supervise each other (only until the joint exam). Of course, it’ll mostly be you supervising me. If I fall asleep, I hope you can scold me.”

“Scold me more.”

Zhang Ningzhi felt that if she started reading from the second paragraph, Jiang Nian’s reply was quite sincere. Not only did he comfort her, but he also agreed to work hard with her.

But… after reading the first paragraph, and then seeing “I hope you can scold me, scold me more.”

She just felt… he seemed to already be enjoying it.

She thought for a moment and decided to give him a serious reply on the test paper. This time, the stone had fallen, and she wasn’t as anxious, quickly writing a few lines.

“Okay, but that makes me seem too bossy, and I’ll feel guilty. It’s like you’re spending time accompanying me for the exam, a feeling of being forced to study with me.”

“I’ll bring you a drink every day until the joint exam ends. (Flower emoji)”

After writing, she put the test paper into her exercise book, and after layers of disguise, handed it to Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian opened it and glanced at it, getting free drinks.

Not a loss.

He knew his grades wouldn’t drop; he had a fixed minimum score. Even if his math was terrible, he’d still get 100 points, and no matter how he took the science comprehensive, he’d get 180.

Chinese was just so-so, and English would definitely be 130.

Adding it up, even with his eyes closed, he’d get at least 510. Normally, 550 was no pressure, and with a little effort, 580 was also possible.

So, Zhang Ningzhi’s worries about him were a bit excessive, and as for her, it was better not to mention it.

“Okay, I’ll drink whatever you give me.”

Jiang Nian figured the hint was so obvious, she should know by now. Saying some things too clearly wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was easy to be misunderstood as a pervert.

Zhang Ningzhi took the exercise book, opened the test paper and glanced at it, then couldn’t help but smile. She thought, “I definitely won’t just give him anything to drink, that would be too perfunctory.”

Then she carefully put the test paper away, unilaterally announcing the end of their conversation.

As class neared its end, “Aerial China” also lost its appeal.

Jiang Nian still rushed out of the classroom as soon as class ended, like a starving ghost who hadn’t eaten. He wished he could jump from the fourth floor and land directly at the cafeteria entrance.

In fact, for the same amount of money, the food you got was indeed very different.

Zhang Ningzhi returned home with a few books, risking her mother’s complaints. She didn’t go to the dining table immediately but went straight to her room with her head down.

Sure enough, her mother’s voice came in sync.

“Zhizhi, come out and eat!”

“Okay~!” Zhang Ningzhi drew out her response.

The window of her room faced the sun, making it appear spacious and bright, spotless. Against the wall was a milky-white L-shaped desk, with sticky notes plastered all over the acrylic board above it.

After a brief moment of respite, she quickly sat down at her desk. She pulled out a key from an inconspicuous corner and opened the middle drawer.

The drawer contained many letters, all handwritten letters to herself. Spring came and winter went, her grades slowly climbed, and the bitterness and sweat were all hidden in these handwritten letters.

Besides that, there were also some plane tickets, particularly beautiful stamps, movie ticket stubs, printed photos, as well as bookmarks and various pretty trinkets.

She took out the Chinese test paper and looked at it for a while, a genuine smile appearing on her Face. Then she folded it and placed it in the bottom layer of the drawer, pressed down by a thick stack of handwritten letters.

She then spread a circle of miscellaneous items around it before finally feeling at ease.

The dialogue content on the test paper was for the thing she most yearned for at the moment. The college entrance exam was too far away, but the joint exam was in Nine Heavens, visible and tangible.

The small county town was too small, and the third year of high school was very monotonous, yet there were also moments of respite.

Jiang Nian was pressed against the wall by someone.

“Hold on, heroic lady.”

“You die!” Xu Qianqian grabbed his clothes, gritting her teeth, “Give me back my water! I haven’t even had a sip!”

“Ah, you haven’t had a sip?” Jiang Nian’s tone showed no remorse or regret. “You left it aside when you were eating in the cafeteria, I thought you weren’t drinking it.”

“Get lost! You pervert! Go buy two bottles of orange juice!” Xu Qianqian was almost driven crazy by him.

Song Xiyun trembled beside them, weak, pitiful, and helpless. On one side was a bottomless evil creditor, on the other was her furious best friend.

It could only be said that truly, within seven steps there must be an antidote, one thing conquers another.

“Okay, I’ll buy them.” Jiang Nian raised his hands in surrender, then turned and asked, “Hey, can you two drink cold drinks?”

“Get lost!”

“Alright.”

Jiang Nian came out of the convenience store and handed drinks to the two girls.

“Are you two doing some kind of study group lately? I saw you discussing even while eating, and it was even math. People passing by almost fainted listening.”

“What’s it to you?” Xu Qianqian retorted.

Song Xiyun whispered, “Qianqian said your math isn’t good, so she’s making you a simplified guide to improve your score.”

Hearing this, Jiang Nian was somewhat surprised.

So Xu Qianqian had been busy with this all day. He almost thought she wanted to win first place in the eighteen-county joint exam and become a saint on the spot.

“Really?”

Xu Qianqian’s expression was a bit unnatural, but she didn’t refute. The orange juice cap twisted with a loud click, and Jiang Nian suddenly felt his neck itching.

“Thanks.”

“Ahem, it’s not specifically for you.” Xu Qianqian took a sip of orange juice, her eyes wandering, “If you get demoted, I, as a ‘mom’, would lose Face.”

Jiang Nian didn’t argue with her. There would be plenty of time in the future, Xu Qianqian.

A great lord would not care about temporary gains or losses.

After they parted, Jiang Nian went up to the third-year building alone, preparing to do some problems as usual before his lunch break.

With the joint exam approaching, he was actually a tiny bit nervous.

Even though he knew he had a small guaranteed score of 500, he still couldn’t help but be affected by the atmosphere.

The Olympiad class and the parallel class were indeed different, both quite silly. If he had to say, their overall English scores were not bad, allowing them more time to study science.

For them, studying was a completely positive cycle.

This was the steady state of a hexagonal powerhouse, too real. They didn’t need to be exceptionally smart; just English alone could overwhelm a large number of people in the parallel class.

Except for five-sided powerhouses like Li Hua, who were purely anomalies.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he scanned it and still saw a few familiar Faces.

But then Chen Yunyun suddenly got up and ran to his seat. Wu Jun’s spot had almost become Chen Yunyun’s exclusive seat. She straddled it and stared at him.

“Hey, Jiang Nian, how did you and our group leader become so close?”

“What, are you jealous, baby?” Jiang Nian didn’t even lift his head, one hand propping his head, the other solving problems in his math review material. “Where did this x = 4 come from?”

“Oh, oh, let me see.” Chen Yunyun leaned closer, tilted her head and looked for a while. “It was given in the problem statement.”

“Damn, I missed it.”

“Jiang Nian, how far has your relationship with our group leader progressed?” Chen Yunyun pulled the topic back again.

“Hm? Probably… we’ve been talking bad about you behind your back.” Jiang Nian stroked his chin, making a gesture like a lesbian. “He said you’re not feminine enough.”

“You two!! That’s so low!” Chen Yunyun gritted her teeth, completely led astray by him, then suddenly, as if by a ghost’s whim, asked again, “Do you think so too?”