Chapter 118 is good in every way, except it’s a bit of a waste of paper.

“How much is this mat? A little less.”

Wu Jungu’s face was somewhat numb as he haggled with the landlady of the dorm supermarket, head bowed.

His hands hung by his pant legs, his posture loose and slumped, utterly exhausted.

“This one is fifteen, that one is twenty.”

“The fifteen one, then.”

Wu Jungu paid the money and turned to see Jiang Nian standing far away, below Building Two.

After thinking for a moment, he still carried the bucket and mat over to greet him.

“Jiang Nian.”

“Hm?”

Jiang Nian put away his task panel; he had also seen Wu Jungu.

Checking tasks outside was still too dangerous, especially with Chen Yunyun and the other girl from the dorm building potentially coming downstairs at any moment.

He’d find a secluded spot later to secretly check again.

Why did that sound so much like a Daoist temple? Forget it, he wouldn’t worry about it; he’d enjoy it later.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Wu Jungu asked.

Their current state was a bit strange, and their appearance was also a bit strange. In short, with the two of them standing in front of Girls’ Dorm Building 2, almost everyone passing by glanced at them.

One was quite handsome, the other was carrying a bucket and a mat?

The start of the school year had already passed, hadn’t it?

“Yeah, I’m waiting for Chen Yunyun and them. We agreed to eat cold noodles and vegetable rolls together.” Jiang Nian didn’t need to strictly adhere to ‘male virtue’ like Wu Jungu, so he didn’t hide anything.

“I see, that’s good,” Wu Jungu murmured.

He was a little envious of Jiang Nian; being single was so much more comfortable. He could hang out with whoever he wanted, live leisurely every day, and still have time for himself.

Now, he felt neither human nor ghost, constantly dizzy. He no longer had much interest in studying, feeling like he was drifting further and further from a normal third year of high school.

“Are you—” Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, sizing him up, “Did your boarding application go through?”

“Yeah, I’m moving in today, to Zeng You’s dorm.”

“Oh~ Did you bring everything?” Jiang Nian glanced into his bucket, which was full of shower gel, shampoo, and new towels. “Did you bring slippers?”

“I did.”

“What about a pillow?”

“Ah, I forgot to buy one. I’ll get one later.”

Just then, Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe came downstairs carrying thermos bottles, one blue and one pink. Seeing the two boys downstairs, Chen Yunyun paused for a moment.

“Wu Jungu, are you bringing things for your girlfriend?”

“No, I’m transferring to boarding.” He was a little embarrassed, perhaps because Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe were the kind of girls who excelled in all aspects.

Hmm. Girls above eighty points—not a malicious rating from a ‘bottom-tier man,’ but a metaphor.

“Boarding?”

Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe exchanged glances. They knew Yu Zhiyi had transferred to boarding. After all, they used to be in the same class. They hadn’t expected Wu Jungu to follow suit.

It was a bit hard to comment.

“Where can you buy pillows here?” Jiang Nian spoke up, changing the subject. “Preferably good value. The small shop hasn’t monopolized them, has it?”

“Oh, no, there’s a small convenience store ten meters past the North Gate,” Chen Yunyun pointed the way. “Their pillows are cheaper and better quality.”

“Twelve yuan, two yuan more than Pinduoduo,” Wang Yuhe added.

“Alright, thanks.” Wu Jungu felt as if he’d been granted a great pardon and made his escape. “Then I’m going back to the dorm. I’ll buy one when I come downstairs later.”

The three watched Wu Jungu quickly leave, and only spoke when he was a certain distance away.

“Why is he boarding too?” Chen Yunyun asked. “It couldn’t be because of his girlfriend, could it? If so, wouldn’t that be too subservient?”

“Probably, to make it easier to help fetch water and such.” Jiang Nian remained neutral.

“His girlfriend… Yu Zhiyi.” Wang Yuhe recalled for a moment, then lost interest. “She can’t even carry a bucket of water, why is she boarding?”

Jiang Nian casually said, “Well, she’s certainly not as strong as you.”

Wang Yuhe immediately narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and emphasized,

“I can carry a bucket of water up to the fourth floor.”

She actually exaggerated a little; she could only carry it up to the third floor plus a quarter. If she forced herself to carry it to the fourth floor in one go, she’d most likely collapse there like a wild dog.

“Impressive, impressive. One punch to kill a young man,” Jiang Nian said.

“It’s quite strange, isn’t it? Giving up the good life of a day student just to board,” Chen Yunyun took two steps forward, carrying her thermos, then turned her head and tilted it.

“Jiang Nian, why aren’t you boarding?”

“I am, in the same dorm as you?” Jiang Nian looked down, scrolling on his phone, relying entirely on his sixth sense and peripheral vision to walk. “I can offer myself.”

“Dream on, you pervert!” Chen Yunyun immediately distanced herself from him, then asked curiously, “What if it were Yu Zhiyi’s dorm?”

This time, not just Jiang Nian, but Wang Yuhe also turned to look at her. Because of certain advantages Yu Zhiyi possessed, including Chen Yunyun herself, none of the three could hold back.

“Yunyun, you—”

“Damn, your group is full of perverts, aren’t you?”

“Code it, code it, can’t let it out!” Chen Yunyun manually censored, forcing Wang Yuhe and Jiang Nian to forcibly forget. “I-I just said it casually.”

Jiang Nian smiled. “I really like people who go back and forth like you. A world where singles don’t get hurt has been achieved.”

Who got hurt? Oh~ Wu Jungu.

He ignored all that nonsense and followed Chen Yunyun and the others to put away their thermos bottles. On the steps at the edge of the cafeteria aisle, several rows of colorful thermos bottles were already lined up.

“I’m very curious, why don’t you get water and then put it here, picking it up on your way back to the dorm later?” Jiang Nian asked.

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe both turned to look at him.

“Won’t you get very annoyed waiting?”

“No, go ahead.”

Chen Yunyun then swiped her card with Wang Yuhe and entered the boiler room. It was called a boiler room, but it was actually a huge boiler house where water was heated entirely by burning coal.

Yellow-stained walls on both sides displayed hot water pipes. The two girls bent down, opened their thermos flasks, aimed at the army-green faucets, and then twisted them open to hear the rumbling sound.

“Jiang Nian is quite nice, isn’t he?” Chen Yunyun suddenly said.

“Mm.”

The two walked out carrying their thermos bottles, and just happened to see Jiang Nian still standing there playing on his phone. Their hearts couldn’t help but feel warm; this person was really thoughtful.

Until they saw him secretly turn his head and glance at the girls’ dorm balcony.

“Pah! Pervert!”

“Hey, hey, hey, why are you slandering my good name?” Jiang Nian craned his neck. “You two are a bit much. Why are you looking at me like I’m trash?”

“Eww, so you were waiting for us to sneak a peek.”

“Hold on, I said it was a misunderstanding.”

“The boys’ dorm is over there, why don’t you go look at boys’ underwear?”

“Don’t I have my own?”

The three noisily exited the North Gate, and a rough atmosphere immediately assailed them. Tangled power lines crisscrossed the sky, and ahead lay a dark alley flowing from the ‘handshake buildings’.

It was rare to see ‘handshake buildings’ in Zhennan as well.

“Those two sides are shared apartments. Many third-year and fourth-year repeat students rent them together,” Chen Yunyun introduced the two ‘handshake buildings’ with peeling paint.

“How much is it a month?” Jiang Nian asked curiously.

“Two or three hundred, I guess.”

“You know so much, Zhennan’s walking encyclopedia, Chen Yunyun.”

“Tch, I have a lot of friends, what’s so strange about that?”

Jiang Nian nodded. “That’s good. I have fewer friends, so next time I have questions, I’ll just ask you.”

“Okay, good friend, no problem.”

“Ha, you clearly wanted to say that word just now, didn’t you? ‘Bottom-tier woman’!”

The three emerged from the dark alley and arrived in front of a street-side tricycle stall. A circle of students had already gathered, which was the best advertisement.

“Jiang Nian, what filling do you want? I’ll buy it for you.”

“The same as yours, are you two eating the same thing?” Jiang Nian opened his task panel again for a glance. “If you’re buying different ones, then get one of each.”

“Oh, okay.”

After buying them, the three walked back, eating as they went. They also discussed why these vegetable rolls were only sold at the North Gate, concluding that:

Day students, young masters and Young Misses, didn’t like to eat this stuff.

Jiang Nian was collateral damage, but he didn’t mind in the least. He quickly finished his vegetable roll, then stood at the bottom of Building Two, waiting for them to take their thermos bottles upstairs.

However, at Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe’s strong insistence, Jiang Nian was asked to turn around, facing away from the girls’ dorm building.

Damn, what kind of person do they take me for?

They’re really good at judging people.

With nothing to do, Jiang Nian opened his task panel, estimating that the two would take a while. So he directly opened the task, revealing a holographic projection.

Deep Blue Baby had evolved; now it could even play videos.

Tired of high school girls, time for a change of pace.

“Standing at the crossroads of thirty-eight, green rain washes over time, recalling childhood haunts. Small gifts are showing initial results. Congratulations, your intimacy with Xu Qianqian has risen again.”

“In a coffee shop in Shanghai, Xu Qianqian returned the favor with a ‘Green Forest Summer’ music album. You don’t like music, but you accepted it anyway, and you chatted happily.”

“Talking about your marriage brought up a broken past. Ten years ago, Xu Qianqian flew back to Zhennan and had a big argument with you during a blind date. The reasons were always vaguely mentioned.”

“Task: Revisit old haunts with Xu Qianqian, return to the old apartment building where you lived twenty years ago. Reward: Repair physical wear and tear, revitalize flesh and blood (eighteen-year-old state).”

After reading this long passage, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

No, Deep Blue Baby, give me some money!

Repairing his state to eighteen years old? But he was eighteen years old right now, and he wasn’t depleted! Just feeding him goji berries, huh? Only digging holes, not filling them, huh?

No, that would use up so much paper at night!

Unbelievable. Can two eighteen-year-old states be stacked? He just started his counterattack, and he’s already thinking about what happens under the covers with the reward?

Damn it, perverted System!

He hoped he could sleep tonight.

After seeing the reward, Jiang Nian lost interest. He noticed there was still a play button, like on Kuaibo, that he hadn’t clicked. Out of curiosity, he gently clicked it.

A flash of white light, it seemed to be a scene.

The first scene seemed to be first-person, the surroundings appeared to be a living room.

He was pushed and fell to the ground, then a bag was thrown at him. It shouldn’t have been heavy. He looked up and was met with a familiar feeling.

An adult Xu Qianqian?

She was wearing a black women’s suit, her face unclear. She seemed very angry, constantly yelling at him.

He couldn’t hear the sound, only the visuals. Judging by her trembling finger, it definitely wasn’t anything good. However, his perspective seemed to have given no response.

Xu Qianqian was so angry that she kicked him. Just before he suddenly fell, he saw her retreating back.

The scene shifted, becoming a third-person view.

By the bridge, fine rain drifted under the orange streetlights. Damp rain and mist permeated every inch of the air. Two women seemed to be arguing.

One woman held a black umbrella, the other a transparent white umbrella, both appearing tall. Two small cars were parked by the bridge; the two women had probably met late at night.

One car’s lights were still flashing, its sound drowned out by the patter of rain.

The woman with the transparent umbrella was wearing a bodycon skirt, her arms long, and her long, wavy hair, like an older sister, draped over her shoulders. Only… her face was unclear, but Jiang Nian recognized her by her aura.

His ex-wife.

The scene ended, leaving Jiang Nian utterly confused.

Xu Qianqian could argue with anyone, huh?

That didn’t seem to be the point, but the scene was too simplistic. Identifying women by scent—he had no sound, no face, only an aura to identify people.

That was too messed up, who was this for?!

Certainly not him.

Jiang Nian roughly inferred from the task: ten years before the thirty-eight-year-old timeline, which was the time of the blind date at twenty-eight. Xu Qianqian had a big argument with him but wanted to be a riddle-person.

So, the System, while issuing the task, backstabbed Xu Qianqian a bit, revealing some information to his thirty-eight-year-old self.

Direct video evidence, online restoration of the truth. He estimated that the thirty-eight-year-old Jiang Nian would understand it immediately, and it would be a high-definition original sound version, not blurred.

So, for him, it was just a 360p damaged version?

Deep Blue Baby was too biased, playing favorites, huh?

Alright, alright, he’d uninstall it right now.

While watching nothing, Jiang Nian looked up and saw Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe coming out of the entrance to Girls’ Building 2. So he casually closed the task panel.

He’d look at it later; anyway, there would be a save after the task was completed.

They chatted all the way back.

Back in the classroom, Jiang Nian immediately rested his head on the desk.

He slept for twenty minutes, just in time for evening self-study.

Zhang Ningzhi had arrived at some point and was diligently working on problems. Li Hua looked like he’d been drained of all Life Qi, and he still smelled of sweat, probably from playing basketball.

During evening reading, Jiang Nian patted Li Hua’s biceps.

“Not bad, Hua, you’ve got muscles.”

Li Hua immediately became smug, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves to show off his newly trained muscles. Amidst Zeng You’s exclamations and Huang Fang’s disgusted remark, he felt like he was floating on air.

A girl’s disgust was the highest praise for muscles.

“By the way, where’s Brother Jun? Why isn’t he here again?” Li Hua asked curiously.

“Oh, he went to the dorm. I ran into him this afternoon,” Jiang Nian explained, still holding a math paper and looking at it, never forgetting his original intention.

At this moment, Old Liu walked in from outside the door, hands behind his back, and began patrolling the class. When he reached Li Hua’s side, his gaze fell on Wu Jungu’s seat, clearly pausing for a moment.

“Why isn’t he here?”

“He’s probably in the dorm. Didn’t Wu Jungu ask for leave?” Li Hua was confused, then ecstatic. “Teacher, I’ll go find him!”

Old Liu squinted at him, seeing through someone’s trick.

“Stay put.”

One absence turning into two absences, that’s your brilliant idea.

Suddenly, a ringtone sounded.

“Looking back, I still see the moon of my hometown, the dark night…”

“Hello?” Old Liu hurriedly walked out of the classroom. “Yes, when can you come to school?”

They chatted all the way back.