Chapter 430 Climbing the Real Mountain

At noon, four people walked home from school.

The warm sun poured down, feeling especially comfortable on their shoulders.

Jiang Nian squinted his eyes, casually rambling.

“When I was little, I saw my dad smoking and, curious, I stole a cigarette. I lit it and took a puff, my mind went blank, and I fainted.”

Hearing this, Xu Shuang’s expression became slightly serious.

“That scary?”

“Yes, when I woke up, my mom was holding me and crying. She kept scolding my dad, asking why he hit me so hard!” *Pfft!*

Xu Shuang couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“You were knocked out?”

Jiang Nian didn’t reply, walking lazily forward. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a gaze, feeling a little puzzled, and turned his head to look.

“Hmm?”

He saw Xie Zhihao occasionally turning his head to look their way, his gaze somewhat sharp. A hint of displeasure was evident on his face.

Jiang Nian scrutinized himself, thinking he hadn’t done anything.

How strange.

He hadn’t even thought about asking for Xu Shuang’s WeChat; he was just walking the same way. He was simply bored and wanted to chat with a normal person.

Seeing Jiang Nian not speaking, Xu Shuang also followed his gaze.

Just as Xie Zhihao was chatting with Xu Yuanshan, he habitually turned his head, his face drawn, looking towards… and met two pairs of eyes.

Perfectly aligned, they met simultaneously.

Jiang Nian’s expression was normal; he was just chatting casually. There was nothing to hide, nor any particular intention.

Xu Shuang also had no expression on her face; she was only worried that her foolish younger brother wouldn’t get the real card and would cry for three days and nights at home.

Crying was fine, and being scammed out of money didn’t matter.

From childhood to adulthood, Xu Yuanshan had suffered countless losses. Fortunately, the family didn’t care about these things; she was just afraid of annoying idiots.

Once she got the card, she would go home.

She felt nothing for Jiang Nian or for her brother’s playmate, Xie Zhihao, seeing them only as gray NPCs.

It was Xie Zhihao, however, who suddenly blushed with embarrassment.

“Ahem…”

Child, if you’re sick, go get treated.

“Haha, you two seem to be having a good time chatting.” Xie Zhihao flashed a sunny smile, “What were you just talking about?”

Xu Yuanshan was displeased, chatting while straddling two boats.

Jiang Nian withdrew his gaze, saying nothing. A joke repeated a second time would make him look like an idiot in people’s eyes. So, the question was pushed to the next person.

Xu Shuang clearly didn’t want to repeat the joke, and she felt her telling of it wouldn’t be as funny as Jiang Nian’s, so she said lightly.

“Nothing.”

Unexpectedly rebuffed, Xie Zhihao became even more awkward.

“Alright… alright.”

Jiang Nian felt nothing; he was merely the “hand of God” for ruthless card drawing. He hadn’t said he’d provide chat services before coming.

Nohara Shinozaki, we’re just walking the same way.

The awkward atmosphere continued until they reached the front of a boutique shop. The shop sold small trinkets and also trading cards.

“Welcome, please take a look if you need anything~”

A young female shop assistant stood by, smiling broadly and clearing the way. At the same time, her gaze swept over the three men and one woman before her.

Finally, her gaze landed on Xu Shuang and Jiang Nian.

For no other reason than pure delight.

“How do we do this?” Xu Yuanshan was already getting excited, his breathing quickening, his eyes wide, “How long do we have to wait?”

The female shop assistant was utterly bewildered. What on earth?

The next second, she saw the group walk towards the area where the cards were displayed. She thought to herself, *Oh, so they’re a bunch of card players, then it’s fine.*

If they don’t get a hit, she’ll just wait to check them out.

“Begin your performance.” Xie Zhihao said this deliberately, as if he were the one in charge, “I’ll be watching.”

Jiang Nian was too lazy to listen; he just wanted to finish this job and go eat.

With 【Jackpot】 activated, his eyes scanned the pile of cards. Relying on his sixth sense, he grabbed a pack that looked pleasing to the eye.

With a *slap*, he turned and threw it to Xu Yuanshan.

“Go pay.”

“Huh?” Xu Yuanshan was stunned.

That’s it!

“Um, is there anything else to do?” He scratched his head, struggling, “Shouldn’t we buy a few more packs? Single packs are cheaper.”

“No need, trust him.” Xie Zhihao smiled, defending, “He said just pay, so it must be fine.”

Jiang Nian: “…Are you two Guo Degang?”

Xu Shuang watched the entire time, her face devoid of expression. Recalling his movements when picking the card, he didn’t seem to make any marks.

Perhaps, this was an insider trick?

Hmm, it must be.

With a *ding*, the payment was complete.

Xu Yuanshan suddenly realized, turning sharply.

“Wait, why am I paying?”

“Then I’ll scan you.” Jiang Nian made to pull out his phone.

“No, no, that’s not necessary.” Xu Yuanshan didn’t care about the money, interrupting, “I was just asking casually.”

“Alright.” Jiang Nian pushed his phone back into his pocket, “I never really intended to pay; I just casually pulled out my phone.”

Xu Yuanshan: “.”

This person was truly despicable.

Xie Zhihao, however, felt an unexpected burst of joy. Jiang Nian had committed a major taboo: first, he was stingy and cheap; second, he loved to take advantage.

It was well known that such behavior was very demeaning in the eyes of girls.

At the shop entrance.

“Open it and see; I’m in a hurry to eat.” Jiang Nian urged, his eyes fixed on the bag of cards.

“Oh, oh, okay.”

Xu Shuang hadn’t paid attention to the cards the whole time, mostly looking elsewhere. Her peripheral vision occasionally caught Jiang Nian, then slowly moved away.

She was intrigued by Jiang Nian’s trick, vaguely curious.

The shop assistant clearly didn’t know Jiang Nian, and even if it was a disguise, her acting didn’t need to be so superb; she could pursue an acting career.

How could there be an insider trick without collusion? Could he just pull it directly?

Xu Yuanshan was visibly nervous. As he tore open the bag, he realized this pack of cards was brand new and factory sealed, his hands trembling.

Bro, is the insider trick that deep?

Jiang Nian stood by, glancing at the time on his phone, highly displeased with the foolish younger brother’s dilly-dallying.

“Did you get it?” Xie Zhihao also leaned in.

The sunlight fell on the steps outside the shop, casting short, stubby shadows.

“I… I got it…” Xu Yuanshan’s voice trembled, holding up a golden card, “Ah! I got it!”

“Dark Night Rose!!”

Little Brother Xu danced on the spot, excitedly gasping. He even started to contort, a bit too unrestrained.

Jiang Nian: “?”

He looked at Xu Shuang, giving her a worried and questioning look.

As if asking, *Is your son always like this?*

Quite eccentric.

Xu Shuang silently turned her head, looking at the bustling pedestrian street. She seemed indifferent, but her ears subtly turned red.

Xie Zhihao was used to it; it was normal for top students to have some quirks.

He couldn’t beat him in exams, nor could he out-quirk him.

No matter.

“Alright then, if you see no problem, just…” Jiang Nian made a gesture of counting money, “…settle the hard work fee for the connections.”

In reality, there were no connection fees.

Jiang Nian said this simply to prevent arguments.

It was the same principle as a homeowner calling a locksmith. If the locksmith opened the lock in three seconds, the homeowner would start to grumble.

*It’s so simple, no need to pay so much, this money is too easy to earn!*

*No, I have to haggle!*

Same principle. If Jiang Nian made it sound too easy, if the other party felt unbalanced, an argument would be unavoidable.

Never test human nature.

Jiang Nian mentioning “connections” implied that he wasn’t the only one involved in the process. This put more psychological pressure on the other party. Try to renege on the payment?

He’d beat them until their little ‘jiji’ retracted!

Sure enough, Xu Yuanshan was very satisfied with the service. He even felt it was excellent value for money and wanted to give an extra two hundred, which Jiang Nian refused.

“We agreed on a thousand, so it’s a thousand.”

Hearing this, Xu Yuanshan’s face showed even more admiration.

“You have principles, next time…”

“Let’s talk about next time; this time was just a coincidence.” Jiang Nian bluffed, “It just so happened I had this opportunity; I’m only earning a bit of errand money.”

Xie Zhihao started to feel uncomfortable again; having principles was a bonus.

He would rather Jiang Nian had taken advantage and accepted Xu Yuanshan’s two hundred, thus solidifying a negative image.

“Alright, I’m out.” Jiang Nian heard the System prompt that the task was complete, turned to leave, and suddenly ran into a few people.

“What a coincidence, you’re here too?” Lu Xuan looked shocked.

“Are you f*cking stalking me?” Jiang Nian quickened his steps, lowering his voice, pointing at her, “Pervert on the train.”

“My Sekiro play is mediocre.” Lu Xuan shook her head.

“You also…” Jiang Nian hesitated, “I’m a cloud gamer, but if you really have it, you can give it to me, because I’m a student.”

While the two whispered closely nearby, Xie Zhihao awoke as if from a dream.

*Damn, who is this girl again?*

He looked at Jiang Nian with a complex expression, thinking this person was too strange. How did he know so many pretty girls?

And they seemed to have a good relationship.

“By the way, what are you doing here?” Lu Xuan glanced at Xu Shuang not far away, frowning, “You’re disloyal.”

Jiang Nian was mortified, “Are you playing f*cking everything?”

“I know a bit about Warhammer too, but that’s not the point.” Lu Xuan lowered her voice, “What’s going on with you?”

“None of your business, asking so many questions.” Jiang Nian was speechless, pointing at her, “Behave yourself, understand?”

“You deserve to die!!”

After hearing the girl’s curse, Xie Zhihao fell silent. How many, exactly, had this person provoked?

Jiang Nian never explained, too lazy to listen.

Ten thousand yuan arrived, and he happily found a noodle shop to eat a quick meal. Feeling full of ambition, he then headed to the classroom.

No matter how much he earned, he still had to do test papers.

The classroom was empty, the desks old or new. The wind blew, and only the rustling sound of test papers turning over filled the air, providing a sense of peace.

Jiang Nian sat down, put his phone in the drawer. He took out his folded test papers, one by one, and started writing from the beginning. “Where are you?”

“Classroom.” Jiang Nian replied to a message. Chen Yunyun asked him where he was, and he added, “Doing test papers.”

A few seconds later, Chen Yunyun replied.

“We’re at the house by the West Gate. We’ll be there after washing our hair. About twenty minutes. Do we need to bring anything?”

“Sprite.”

Chen Yunyun: “Okay.”

Jiang Nian put down his phone, thinking to himself that it was good to have people thinking of him.

Zhang Ningzhi was most likely taking a nap; top students usually had regular routines. Unless there were special circumstances, they rested according to habit.

Only getting a full night’s sleep once a week wasn’t easy.

The class monitor had sent a photo of a yellow duck plushie at noon, seemingly in a mall, and then there was no more news.

During the golden six hours, almost everyone was resting.

Of course, a small number of bad kids would choose to go on dates. Cuddling and kissing at a milk tea shop, or having a ‘naked’ outdoor adventure by the river.

Naked outdoor adventures, Jiang Nian liked those too.

Too bad it was just a thought.

Xu Qianqian sent him a red packet containing only sixty-six cents. Then she sent a speechless emoji, adding.

“Lost a game to Song Xiyun, this is for you.”

Jiang Nian was also speechless, privately messaging Song Xiyun.

“What are you guys playing?”

“Box pushing.” Song Xiyun replied instantly, sending a picture of the living room, “It’s a game on the TV. I play it often.”

He suddenly remembered that Song Xiyun seemed to love playing games. But because her phone wasn’t good enough to run games, she studied instead.

One could only say that top students were quite incredible.

Jiang Nian thought for a moment and sent Song Xiyun a message.

“Treat me to a Sprite.”

【Transferred 3 yuan】

Not bad, quite generous.

He hadn’t asked about her mom’s work in a long time. But for him to ask seemed strange, and it wasn’t appropriate now.

Forget it, he’d ask her in person next time.

About half an hour later, a soft patter of footsteps came from the classroom door.

“Slow down, don’t spill it.”

“Yunyun, I walk very steadily!” Wang Yuhe’s voice was highly recognizable, along with her stubborn tone, “Look!”

Soon, the two appeared at the front door of the classroom.

Jiang Nian was originally scrolling on his phone, resting, but hearing the voices, he very genuinely put down his phone and pretended to be diligently working on problems.

He looked up, a bewildered expression on his face.

“What time is it now?”

“Half past two.” The two girls, assuming Jiang Nian had been working on problems until half past two, instinctively lightened their footsteps.

The benefits of showing off were evident.

The two girls were carrying packed wontons. Wang Yuhe’s bowl was already open, presumably she had eaten some on the way.

“Hmm? How did you eat on the way?” Jiang Nian noticed a blind spot.

“I ate while walking!” Wang Yuhe grumbled, carrying her disposable bowl to the back row, “Such a country bumpkin.”

Chen Yunyun also wanted to go to the back row, but Jiang Nian called her back.

“Is it good? Let me try some.”

North District, boys’ dormitory.

Huang Cailang slept until three and was woken up by someone shaking him.

“Huh?”

“Want to play cards?” Yang Qiming stepped on the edge of the lower bunk, inviting, “We’re just one person short. If we lose, it’s on me.”

“Me?” Huang Cailang scratched his head, reluctantly agreed, and then couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Yang, have you finished your test papers?”

“No rush, none of us have finished.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

The classroom was mostly empty in the afternoon.

After finishing his problems, Jiang Nian joined Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe for a few rounds of poker. If you lost, you got smacked on the palm.

“You lost.”

He played all his cards and turned to look at Wang Yuhe.

“It’s you again. Hand out.”

Wang Yuhe was furious, feeling like the game was rigged.

“That doesn’t count, you must have cheated!”

“Nonsense, how do you cheat at cards?” Jiang Nian lied without batting an eye, grabbing her hand and turning her fair palm upwards.

*Slap!*

With a crisp sound, Wang Yuhe’s small face immediately crumpled into a bun.

“Ouch!”

“You can hit back if you win, provided you can win.” Jiang Nian chuckled, “Lose one round and I’ll let you hit ten times?”

Wang Yuhe frowned, clenching her fist.

“Okay!”

“I’m tired, I’m not playing anymore.” Jiang Nian threw down his cards, stood up, and yawned, “You guys play, I’m going to wash my face.”

Hearing this, Wang Yuhe was utterly dumbfounded.

“You! You, you, you!!!”

Evening, the sky gradually darkened.

The classroom was brightly lit, bustling with the sounds of people copying homework.

“Did you write it?”

“No.”

“red stone! Then what is this!”

“Who did my test paper? I really don’t know. My ancestors have always had bad grades, I’m afraid of falling behind.”

Outside the corridor, only a sliver of light remained in the sky.

Jiang Nian leaned on the railing, enjoying the breeze. The evening wind gently ruffled the hair on his forehead. A girl stood beside him, cool and aloof.

“By the way, Qingqing, have you ever climbed Qingmu Ridge?”

“No.” Her expression was cool and clear as she looked at the distant, hazy Qingmu Ridge, “Someone organized it once, but it was too noisy, so I didn’t go.”

“Oh, climbing mountains is quite fun.” Jiang Nian, having nothing to do, murmured, “There’s no signal on the mountain either.”

Li Qingrong lowered her eyes. She remembered Cai Xiaoqing seemed to have said that you had to hold hands when climbing a mountain.

“When… when are we going to climb a mountain?”

“Not climbing. A small hill isn’t worth climbing.” Jiang Nian thought for a moment, “How about we go climb a real mountain during the New Year’s holiday?”

Hearing this, she was stunned.

“Where?”

“I don’t know, maybe within the province.” Jiang Nian mused, “Let’s find one nearby first, but we’ll need to stay overnight then.”

“You can find people to go with you; it’s quite lively with more people.”

Li Qingrong was actually a bit distracted, her mind on Cai Xiaoqing’s phrase “climbing a mountain requires holding hands,” and she barely hesitated.

“Mm.”