Chapter 123 Senior Year of High School: Craving Food Like Dogs

“Okay,” Jiang Nian agreed.

Li Hua was straightforward; as a group leader, he was quite competent.

Having been around him for a while, I had developed a stereotype, almost forgetting that ‘his’ good social skills weren’t just for show.

Jiang Nian then thought, he seemed to have a good relationship with both the male and female social butterflies of Class Three.

Although he wasn’t a social butterfly, he was a social butterfly’s social butterfly.

That sounds a bit like a cuckold, never mind, Class Three was already a dog-eat-dog world.

It was like raising Gu, the winner was king.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but recall an abstract meme he’d seen on a forum: “Decide who’s superior, the loser is the female,” which he found unforgettable to this day.

He shook his head as the bell rang, signaling the end of school.

At the podium, Zhong Qing finished her lecture and closed her notes.

“Alright, class dismissed. Jiang Nian, come with me for a moment.”

In the brightly lit corridor, Jiang Nian walked beside Zhong Qing, listening as she shared tips related to biology problems and mentioned that she would give him a test paper soon.

Currently, it seemed that the eighteen-year-old reward was indeed limited. It could only attract the attention of familiar people around him, and only once for a single second; it was ineffective for those he wasn’t familiar with or didn’t know.

It was like a splash screen in reality, fitting the etiquette.

“Can you find time to finish the test paper before tomorrow?” Zhong Qing asked, turning her head.

Although he still had half of yesterday’s biology test paper in his drawer, he hadn’t used his daily fatigue-eliminating ability, so he could just skip his nap.

This kind of special tutoring was extra work for Qingbao. Since Qingbao was willing to make time, he had no reason not to.

“No problem, Teacher.”

“Mm.” Zhong Qing narrowed her eyes, feeling a bit better.

She was considering replacing Yu Zhiyue, as the tasks she assigned her these past few days were consistently not completed on time.

At first, she was worried about Jiang Nian, but as it turned out, you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

First floor of the third year building, office corridor corner.

“Goodbye, Teacher.”

“Mm, be careful.”

Zhong Qing waved, then walked into the science comprehensive office.

The office was on the first floor, and upon entering, a cool sensation was felt. Along the wall, a row of desks held stacks of physics, chemistry, and biology test papers, all delivered from the small printing room.

After school, the corridor outside was noisy, but the office was exceptionally quiet.

Zhong Qing wasn’t in a hurry to go home; she sat at her workstation by the window. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on a corner of her desk, a scene she particularly loved.

The office was undisturbed, a quiet haven amidst the noise, with perfect sunlight.

Most of the comprehensive science courses were scheduled for the afternoon, so such moments occurred only once a week. Thus, she greatly cherished this brief tranquility after work on Friday noon.

After leaning on her desk for a while, she pulled out two achievement ranking lists from a folder.

Oh my god, a death list.

No, it was just a favoritism ranking list.

With so many people in two classes, over a hundred students in total, and only one Zhong Qing, even if her heart shattered into pieces, it would be impossible to distribute her attention equally.

However, she had no intention of giving up on any student. As long as she noticed students who were working hard in biology, she would check their names on the list or make a note in red pen.

She was still young, and her passion for the education profession had not waned.

Although Zhong Qing often heard the old-timers in the office complain, she believed in doing her part and shining her light. Future matters could be dealt with later; at least, she would try her best.

The students in her two classes were like two vibrant green vegetable patches to her.

Teaching was quite similar to playing farm games in college, with regular watering, pest control, and sunlight.

She would monitor the growth of the cabbages, then wait for the exams to harvest them.

A sense of happiness welled up.

She thought for a moment and put a checkmark next to Jiang Nian’s name, similar to a kindergarten gold star. She had originally expected him to be quite mischievous, but he was unexpectedly well-behaved.

After this action, she then went to the list for the adjacent class and placed a question mark next to Yu Zhiyue’s name.

An excellent teacher does not deny students; there is only a question of their current state.

During the growth process, not every cabbage will grow strong. One must first observe, then apply the right remedy, and if that doesn’t work, then it can only be temporarily set aside.

Bang!!

The basketball was thrown high, bounced a few times on the court, and rolled to Jiang Nian’s feet.

“Buddy, pick up the ball.”

He had just come out of the cafeteria, casually bent down, hooked the ball with his hand, and tossed it. The basketball arced gracefully through the air, clanked against the rim two or three times, and then dropped into the hoop.

In an instant, those two or three boys exclaimed in surprise.

“What the hell are you shooting at your hoop for!”

“Throw it over here, you bastard!”

“I’m so mad! I thought I met a kind person! I met a lunatic!”

Jiang Nian didn’t look back, completely ignoring the exasperation of the younger students, because people from Zhennan never looked back at explosions.

Besides, once the ball was in his hands, wasn’t it up to him which hoop to shoot at?

Steamed bun? Any objections? Come and kill me!

After Jiang Nian went upstairs, he pulled out his biology test paper and started writing.

He wrote for about twenty minutes, just as the 12:50 nap bell rang, and Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe entered the classroom door.

Wang Yuhe returned to her seat, while Chen Yunyun, with her hair down, walked towards him. She sat directly in Wu Jun’s usual spot, facing backward, and leaned on his desk.

By the window in the sunlight, her hair spread across the table.

Jiang Nian, pure of heart, smelled the shampoo and pushed her head away.

“Hey, get out of the way, don’t disturb my studying.”

“What are you doing? Can’t I even dry my hair here for a bit?” Chen Yunyun snorted, got up, walked to the window, and fiddled with her hair.

This scene fell into the eyes of another boy.

Luo Yong was originally a boarding student, but in his third year, he switched to day student and rented a house outside school. He was a laid-back ‘island guy’ every day, with a rather simple and honest appearance and personality.

“Hahaha, Chen Yunyun, you’re getting what you deserve today.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Chen Yunyun said, speechless. She returned to her seat, grabbed her charger, and went to the podium to charge her phone. “Hey, whose phone is fully charged?”

She quickly changed the subject to avoid Luo Yong joking with her using the ‘you’re feeling guilty’ kind of ruffian remark.

“Mine,” a girl in the classroom responded.

“I’ll unplug it, okay?”

“Sure.”

This trick was indeed very effective, quickly cutting off the topic and talking to a third person. Luo Yong, that little bastard, never mind, they were all classmates.

Luo Yong, that annoying guy, just couldn’t find an opportunity to attack her.

She didn’t feel embarrassed about being pushed away; Jiang Nian was just like that, treating everyone equally. However, she couldn’t waste time explaining to Luo Yong.

After charging her phone, Chen Yunyun returned to the window and found Jiang Nian still working on his biology test paper. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself, wondering why he was so engrossed in biology after being obsessed with math.

“Hey, what’s the name of that gym?”

“I forgot, let me check.” Jiang Nian said this, but kept looking at the test paper. “It’s about a genetics pedigree chart, where the child was swapped. What kind of Chen Hansheng is this!”

“Let me see.” Chen Yunyun leaned over. “Huh, I haven’t seen this test paper of yours before.”

“It came with Identity V.”

Chen Yunyun: “…”

Finally, she got the answer from Jiang Nian. Although she knew Jiang Nian wouldn’t go, she was still quite happy, as she could go with Wang Yuhe tomorrow afternoon.

“Oh, right, remember to do the homework in the big biology book too,” she reminded him at the end. “And the small physics book; I saw both of yours at the very bottom.”

“OK.”

Jiang Nian didn’t even lift his head, doing problems until the afternoon.

Fortunately, there was a Chinese class in the afternoon, and he managed to finish all the test papers just in time. At five o’clock, during the last short self-study session, he stretched and yawned.

After resting for a few minutes, Jiang Nian turned to ask Zhang Ningzhi.

“Do you have any extra hair ties?”

Zhang Ningzhi had also been busy all afternoon, either listening to lectures or sleeping. She was diligently doing her homework when she suddenly heard him say that, and couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

“Ah, yes, do you need to tie something?”

“No, just playing.”

“Playing?” Although Zhang Ningzhi was puzzled, she still pulled out a black hair tie from her drawer and gave it to him.

But very quickly, she understood what Jiang Nian meant by “playing.”

Snap, a crisp sound rang out.

“Ah!!!” Li Hua immediately let out a painful scream, sucking in air as he said, “It’s my turn, you bastard!”

Snap! Then came Jiang Nian’s painful gasp.

The two were playing rock-paper-scissors. The loser would put the elastic band on their wrist, and the other person would pull it hard, build up tension, then release it directly with a’snap’ sound.

Zhang Ningzhi: “…”

Li Hua was in agony, then after learning, he went to find Ma Guojun.

Zhang Ningzhi returned in the afternoon and found five or six boys playing rock-paper-scissors with elastic bands. They were even the thick kind, and Ma Guojun was even holding a tourniquet used for injections.

She was speechless; Jiang Nian was having the most fun among them.

Had they gone crazy from studying?

During evening self-study, Xi Bao couldn’t take it anymore.

“It’s autumn now, why are you guys swatting mosquitoes in class?”

At her words, the successive slapping sounds ceased.

After a while, another’snap’ sound rang out, accompanied by gasping. This sound was completely uncontrollable, as if it came from the Soul.

Xi Bao lost her patience. “Stand up! Why is someone still eating spicy strips in class?”

A boy awkwardly stood up, his face flushed, making it even more obvious that he was hiding something.

“Teacher, I’m not eating spicy strips.”

“Still saying you’re not eating? Do I have to confiscate it?” Xi Bao walked over to the boy, saw the elastic band on his hand and the red mark, and then saw another boy’s nervous expression.

“Eh?”

Xi Bao also blushed, covering her mouth and giggling, as if to say, ‘You guys actually…’

Not far away, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but shake his head.

Tsk tsk, old folks from Jinjiang.

They see everything as rotten.

Then he took out the tourniquet Ma Guojun had brought from his drawer, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. The movement attracted Li Hua’s attention from nearby, and his expression immediately changed.

His hand was already starting to hurt.

After the second evening self-study session, the classroom was brightly lit.

Li Qingrong was doing problems when she suddenly remembered something. She lowered her eyes for a moment, then patted the back of the boy in the front row.

The latter turned his head in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Group members wouldn’t call her class monitor, probably because distance creates beauty. Being too close, although not as face-blind as Dongzi, their mindset had already been dulled.

The class monitor is so pretty!

Yes, yes!

She’s your group leader too!

Oh.

Li Qingrong said, “We’re changing seats next week, I want to swap with you.”

Crack!

Li Qingrong’s deskmate, a soft and gentle girl, directly snapped her 2B pencil. Her heart also shattered; was she going to be abandoned by the class monitor?

Wuwuwu, might as well die.

The boy’s heart was still a little happy, after all, although he wasn’t deskmates with the class monitor. But… if he swapped and could be deskmates with a girl, that would be excellent.

“Why?”

“Because…” Li Qingrong’s face was expressionless. Just as she was about to say something, her arm was grabbed.

Her deskmate, Nie Qiqi, whimpered, “I was wrong, group leader, I’ll change.”

Discipline Committee member Cai Xiaoqing walked over and slapped Nie Qiqi’s arm away.

“Don’t take advantage of the situation, you vixen.”

“Hmph, mind your own business! I will.” Nie Qiqi stuck out her tongue, then turned back to complain tearfully, “Group leader, please forgive me.”

“Don’t change seats, I’ll do anything.”

With their commotion, Li Qingrong didn’t need to give a reason. The boy in her group had also just asked casually and wasn’t that concerned about the answer.

The bell rang, and Cai Xiaoqing returned to her seat.

She was curious why the class monitor would suddenly change seats, then she suddenly heard people in her own group also discussing changing seats, but it was only Saturday today!

Were they that in sync?

On Monday, when seats were changed, Li Qingrong’s seat was in the middle of the third row of the first large group. In front of her were people from the sixth group, who had moved over from the third large group.

Sixth group, second row.

Zhang Ningzhi, Jiang Nian, Li Hua.

Hmm? Jiang Nian?

Discipline Committee member Cai Xiaoqing was stunned for a moment. Could Li Qingrong be changing seats for Jiang Nian? The two didn’t seem to have much interaction, except for playing badminton once.

They had a brief interaction during the sports meeting, but there were two people who ran the 3000 meters that time. Later, Jiang Nian took leave and didn’t even go to watch Li Qingrong run the 3000 meters.

Not loyal at all!

Pah, he doesn’t deserve loyalty at all.

In any case, this possibility was small. Even if they took a step back, intense confrontations like badminton indeed easily breed feelings, but usually, it leads to animosity.

Like wanting to smash the shuttlecock into the opponent’s face.

But Li Qingrong had always been slow-witted, not to the point of holding such a grudge.

Excluding all possibilities, Cai Xiaoqing was confused.

After evening self-study ended.

Jiang Nian was utterly exhausted; finishing all the problems was truly meaningless. Besides that faint sense of fulfillment in his heart, and slowly improving problem-solving skills, what else was there?

And Zhang Ningzhi’s warm greetings, what else could there be?

No studying tomorrow afternoon!

Just as he was about to say goodbye, Zhang Ningzhi suddenly lowered her voice and spoke first.

“Wait for me after school tomorrow noon.”

Oh, right, Sunday afternoon is a holiday.

Date, smida.

Actually, it wasn’t really a date, just a free meal. He wondered how the match he made for Zhou Yuting was going; were they in love every other week?

Suggest they be locked together!

“Okay, sigh, the school too, forcing third-year students to have extra classes on Sunday.” Jiang Nian complained, then cleverly transitioned, “I’m leaving, goodnight.”

Zhang Ningzhi blinked, the corners of her mouth slowly turned up, and she waved, saying,

“Okay, goodnight.”

This feeling of saying goodnight after evening self-study in the classroom was so strange, a bit like unfamiliar spouses, a simple probe before entering their respective rooms before bed.

Hehe, marriage first, then love.

Akashi! You’re from Jinjiang too!

Here’s a punch for you too!

Jiang Nian slipped away, and once he was out of the classroom door, he stopped thinking about the meal. He just considered it an ordinary meal, and instead, was more looking forward to what dishes he could eat tomorrow.

Third year was nothing but pure exhaustion, pure hunger, craving like a dog.