Chapter 369 I Treat You Like My Own Child

The next day.

“It’s really raining…” Jiang Nian looked up at the window, and a cold, damp wind carrying the smell of earth blew in.

Oh well, Li Hua’s championship dream was gone.

It was still early, and he glanced at the ongoing video. The Class Monitor clearly wasn’t awake yet; it was silent on her end.

Jiang Nian didn’t hang up the video call and quietly left the room.

After washing up, he returned to the room and muted his phone. Then he took out cash from a drawer, grabbed his bag and umbrella, and headed out.

Downstairs.

He tossed his phone into his pocket, opened his umbrella, and walked into the misty cold rain of the early morning.

He ran into Zhou Haifei again while buying breakfast at the braised meat roll shop. She was holding an old umbrella in the light drizzle.

“Morning.”

After Jiang Nian spoke, he remembered something. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and glanced at it; fortunately, the video call was still muted.

On the screen, the Class Monitor was still sleeping soundly.

Oh, no problem.

Zhou Haifei was just about to buy something when she heard the voice and realized it was Jiang Nian. She greeted him cautiously and then returned a cup of soy milk to him.

Jiang Nian accepted it and, since they were going the same way, asked about the pot-throwing competition.

“You made it to the finals?”

“Mm.” Zhou Haifei, for some reason, suddenly wanted to share, “Because the prize money for that competition is very high.”

“Indeed, I also participated.” Jiang Nian nodded, “But I heard that thirty people from those two innovation classes are competing.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Haifei was stunned.

“One… one class, isn’t it only allowed two people?”

This was also why she was so serious; this rule meant that the number of female finalists in the third year would be around thirty.

Now, with more than half the number of participants, the chances of winning a prize were much smaller.

“In principle, yes, but…” Jiang Nian said, “That competition was held for them; they are the principle.”

Zhou Haifei was dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, she said, “Then I’ll try to win a small prize.”

As expected of a true old Zhennan native, she accepted the insider information in a few seconds. Without a single complaint, she began to lower her expectations.

Honestly, if Jiang Nian were her black-hearted boss, he would definitely exploit her severely.

You don’t want to default on your loan, do you?

Work overtime.

“If you win the grand prize, treat me to breakfast.” Jiang Nian thought for a moment, “If I win, I’ll do the same. Risk hedging.”

Zhou Haifei thought about it, felt it wasn’t a loss, and nodded in agreement.

“Okay.”

The two parted ways at the third-floor entrance, and Jiang Nian waved and went upstairs. Raindrops pattered on the stairs, leaving a wet trail.

As soon as he entered the classroom, Huang Fang looked up at him.

“Morning.”

“Morning, Fangfang.” Jiang Nian was a little curious. While grabbing two thermoses, he asked, “I didn’t see your umbrella outside.”

“It’s raining so heavily, how did you get here?”

Huang Fang was an old member of the sixth group, the least abstract and most normal person in the group.

She thought for a moment and replied,

“I have a friend from the next class. We came to the classroom together this morning.”

“Oh, I see.” Jiang Nian took out his phone from his pocket and placed it flat on the desk.

When Huang Fang turned to speak, she glanced at it and happened to see it.

Video call in progress.

She wondered who it was, making a video call so early in the morning. But she quickly turned away, not showing too much curiosity.

Knowing more actually brought no benefits.

Early in the morning, the classroom was as empty as usual. Coupled with the rain, there was no one else in the classroom except Jiang Nian and Huang Fang.

Jiang Nian was searching for his water card, and he probably accidentally touched the mute button.

The phone switched to speaker mode, and a crackling sound came from the speaker. Then, Li Qingrong’s soft murmur began.

“Did you go to the classroom?”

Perhaps she had stayed up too late last night, and her mind was a bit hazy from sleep. Her tone and voice were tinged with a nasal sound.

In this empty classroom, with only the sound of rain, it sounded exceptionally lazy.

Clatter, Huang Fang’s pen fell to the floor.

She was like a maid who had stumbled into a secret meeting, her face instantly pale, her body trembling involuntarily.

Jiang Nian and the Class Monitor…

In that instant, Huang Fang’s thoughts raced.

Jiang Nian was also stunned. He looked down at his phone and saw that Li Qingrong had already sat up in bed, looking hazy.

She was wearing thin pajamas, with one button undone.

“When did you wake up?”

“Just now.” Li Qingrong looked down at the button, preparing to change clothes, when she heard a beep and the video call disconnected.

She was momentarily confused, then leaned over to look at her phone again.

With a ding, Jiang Nian sent a message.

“Changing clothes without covering the camera?”

Li Qingrong looked down at the button that was only undone once, frowned slightly, and simply half-knelt on the bed to type a reply.

“Haven’t changed yet.”

Jiang Nian: “.

No sense of protection at all.”

In the dim room, Li Qingrong tilted her head.

(Smiling).

In the classroom.

Jiang Nian saw the smiling yellow face emoji and couldn’t help but fall into thought.

Is she giving me a Yin and Yang?

However, he didn’t think much of it. After all, the Class Monitor was quite straightforward. A Yin and Yang was unlikely; she might genuinely be smiling.

Oh dear.

A sudden sound of a chair moving rang out, and Huang Fang, in the front seat, froze.

Jiang Nian looked and called out,

“Fangfang.”

Huang Fang swallowed some saliva, mechanically turned around. A hint of an awkward smile appeared on her face, and she looked up, pursing her lips, saying, “I didn’t hear anything.”

“You’re being a bit too obvious, ‘protesting too much’. If you heard it, you heard it.” Jiang Nian said indifferently, “I’m innocent…”

“Then can I tell Zhang Ningzhi?” Huang Fang asked tentatively.

“But then again!” Jiang Nian slapped Huang Fang’s shoulder, “How have I treated you usually?”

“Very… very well.” Huang Fang felt a little guilty.

Jiang Nian said, “One could say I’ve treated you like my own child.”

Huang Fang: “.

After speaking, Jiang Nian patted Huang Fang’s shoulder again. He didn’t say much more, believing that Emperor Fangfang knew what was what.

“Alas, Nian, why do you think it’s raining so much?” Li Hua shook his head, walked in with his bag, his face full of dejection.

Because your buddy prayed for rain.

“Ah, this… I’m not a professional, maybe it’s just a sudden change in weather.” Jiang Nian said perfunctorily, “I don’t really understand the specifics, after all, as I said, I’m not a professional.”

“red stone, stop playing ‘Russian dolls’ here!” Li Hua pointed at him, “Of the whole team, you’re the happiest one.”

“Am I?” Jiang Nian feigned surprise.

“We can’t practice, and other classes can’t either.” Ma Guojun put down his backpack and turned to comfort him, “It’s like everyone practiced.”

“Hey, are you still practicing that soccer thing?” The villain Yao Beibei entered, mocking, “No matter how much you practice, it’s still the same, isn’t it?”

Jiang Nian rubbed his chin, puzzled.

“Are you guys acting out an Indian movie here? Why are you singing now?”

“Morning, Fangfang.” Zhang Ningzhi walked into the bustling classroom with her bag, greeting Huang Fang with full Origin Qi.

“Morning…” Huang Fang’s expression was normal.

Jiang Nian leaned one hand on the desk, resting his face, watching Zhang Ningzhi approach. The corners of his mouth slightly curved, waiting for her to greet him.

However, Zhang Ningzhi skipped over him entirely.

She dropped her backpack onto the chair with a thud, glanced at him. Then she unscrewed her thermos and poured a cup of hot water, gurgling.

She muttered, “The water seems cold.”

Jiang Nian immediately found it hard to bear. How could he not know she was deliberately provoking him? He reached out, grabbed her hand forcefully, and kneaded it hard.

“If you’re not drinking it, I will.”

“No, I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it.” Zhang Ningzhi hugged the cup, refusing to let go. In the end, she couldn’t outplay him and simply gave up.

“Here.” She took out a small bag of bread and a box of lemon tea from her backpack, “From home, want some?”

“Yes!” Jiang Nian extended his paw.

Today’s haul, plus one.

Morning self-study.

Lin Dong was unsettled all morning. He had heard a rumor: Yu Zhiyi was going to become his colleague.

Among the Six Ministries’ Ministers of the current dynasty, he occupied one.

He was the most powerful math class representative, much stronger than the class representatives for other main subjects like Chinese or English.

However, the biology class representative was a desirable position.

After all, the biology teacher, Zhong Qing, was beautiful and young. When she lectured, the cold fragrance that wafted by as she walked through the classroom aisle was captivating.

If he hadn’t already dedicated himself to math, making it difficult to serve as biology class representative again…

Otherwise, as soon as he heard that the previous biology class representative was stepping down, he would have been the first to rush to the science office to offer his services.

This time, as soon as he heard the rumor, he found that the class representative had already been decided.

Yu Zhiyi!

Damn it, this scheming big-chested woman!

How could she hide it so well!

At the same time, he realized that the waters of Class Three were too deep. The change in the positions of the Six Ministries’ Ministers had happened so quietly.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

Sun Zhicheng had been in a good mood recently. Only after letting go did he feel much lighter, and he had the strength to start over.

This time, he had enlightened early.

He who laughs last laughs best; Chen Yunyun was always there. And he had never strayed, and he would ultimately win.

At the same time, he found that Chen Yunyun and Jiang Nian’s interactions were not frequent. They weren’t getting along famously; in fact, things had cooled down.

This made him even more excited, seeing a glimmer of hope.

Sun Zhicheng turned his head and saw Lin Dong frowning, so he asked curiously,

“Brother Dong, what’s wrong with you?”

“Did you hear?” Lin Dong started with a classic line, “That idiot Qian Wen-yu, he’s not being the biology class representative anymore.”

“Huh?”

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhicheng’s heart couldn’t help but stir.

The position of biology class representative was quite appealing, after all, purely based on the literal meaning. Besides anything else, the biology teacher herself was very appealing.

If he could secure the class representative position, he would have an additional official identity, and more possibilities for interaction with Chen Yunyun.

Secondly, it would also bring him prestige.

Two class representatives from one group, what an honor!

However, before he could continue fantasizing, Lin Dong’s next sentence struck him like a blow.

“The new biology class representative is Yu Zhiyi, directly appointed.”

“Ah?”

Sun Zhicheng exclaimed twice throughout, and then remained silent. He wasn’t as emotional as Lin Dong; he just thought it was okay.

Yu Zhiyi was fine too, at least it wasn’t Jiang Nian serving as the biology class representative.

If he really got it.

Sun Zhicheng estimated he would faint from anger.

After morning self-study.

Jiang Nian turned to glance at the Class Monitor, who was sleeping on her desk, and couldn’t help but wonder, was yesterday a dream or reality?

Half-dreaming, half-awake, it made even him unsure.

Li Qingrong was sleeping very soundly; it was clear she was truly tired. It wasn’t until the first class started that she slowly got up, her eyes narrowed to slits from sleepiness, and she simply let them stay that way.

Thursday morning had two consecutive Chinese classes, which were Old Liu, the homeroom teacher’s, classes.

“Ah, class starts!”

Old Liu entered the classroom, full of vigor.

Cai Xiaoqing called out’Stand up,’ and the students stood up sparsely. Each one was dog-tired, but this was normal.

It was freezing cold, and it was raining in the morning.

The classroom had a damp smell, mixed with sweat and shoe odor. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and after a while, people got used to the stuffiness.

Old Liu was an old man, with chronic rhinitis.

He wasn’t too particular about it and entered the classroom without changing his expression, only occasionally remembering to ask someone by the window to open it for ventilation.

For example, this time, he scanned the students below.

Seeing Jiang Nian, Li Hua, and others standing up with their eyes closed, he simply ignored them. But his gaze swept over Li Qingrong, seeing that she was also tired.

Old Liu wished he could suspend class and ask Li Qingrong to rest. But on second thought, perhaps the classroom was too stuffy, so he spoke up,

“Ah, students by the window, open the windows. It’s easy to catch a cold and get sleepy when it’s stuffy in winter. Open them for twenty minutes to air out.”

With the windows open, Li Qingrong felt even sleepier.

Halfway through the first class, she unconsciously slumped onto her desk with a thud.

This scene fell into Old Liu’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but feel pleased. However, he dared not slow down his lecturing pace and couldn’t slack off during the class.

Ding-dong! Students…

The dismissal broadcast sounded once, and Old Liu was exhausted. A plain early morning class became an open class.

Li Qingrong woke up, looked up, and realized class was over.

She sleepily glanced at Jiang Nian in the front row, seeing him wrestling with Zhang Ningzhi over something, and didn’t react.

Last night, she had indeed had a dream.

In the dream, she was constantly getting rained on, but she still slept soundly. Because someone held an umbrella for her, and she wasn’t rained on again after that.

“No, you ate one too many.” Jiang Nian reached for the bread, “That one is mine, it has my name on it.”

“You!” Zhang Ningzhi was furious.

“Steamed bun?”

“I brought it, and I say so!” Zhang Ningzhi pinched him, then, with an ‘Ah-ming’ sound, stuffed the last piece of bread into her mouth.

Her cheeks immediately puffed out like drums, her skin delicate and flawless.

Jiang Nian didn’t really want to eat it; he was purely teasing Zhang Ningzhi. So, seeing her reaction, he immediately put on a regretful expression.

“You’re tough.”

“Humph humph.” Zhang Ningzhi was a little smug.

Immediately, Jiang Nian pinched her thigh again, and she stopped humming.

It was raining, so naturally, there was no need for morning exercises.

During the long break, Li Hua and a few other foolish kids ran to the corner of the corridor, cheering and pushing, to play soccer.

Jiang Nian didn’t participate, sitting quietly at his seat, solving problems.

After all, with the bet on the line, he didn’t have a scholar’s cheat. At most, a few small cheats, which had almost no direct help for studying.

Still the old method: diligence makes up for lack of talent.

He thought for a moment and decided to start with chemistry. He pondered whether he could score some points there, which would be better than delving into physics.

Biology, Chemistry.

These two science subjects in the comprehensive science exam were also considered the liberal arts of the sciences; both were sister disciplines that tested fundamentals.

“Ion reactions…” Jiang Nian bit the tip of his pen, muttering to himself. Hearing movement behind him, he couldn’t help but turn to look.

He saw Li Qingrong just getting up from her desk, and their eyes met.

Then, she gently looked away.