Chapter 423 Cutting Off the Fire at the Bottom of the Blade

“Actually, we’ve already started researching our opponents for the next match.”

Jiang Nian pondered for a moment, then delivered a classic boast.

“The main players in Class Four are poor at dribbling, weak at passing. Their footwork is loose, reactions slow, not a single one of them can play.”

Kings do not meet kings, generals do not meet commanders.

This is a basic piece of knowledge for chess beginners learning the rules.

Besides, the match wasn’t important.

As for why Jiang Nian initially took it seriously, it was because the unknown is the greatest source of fear.

But from the first campus football match, he had roughly figured out the strength of all the teams, which were basically mediocre.

At most, four teams were worth watching, and Class Three was one of them.

Four into two, a little dirty trick would be enough to win.

The truly difficult part would be the final match for the Campus Cup. There was a special class among them, with half their team being sports students.

All he could say was, ‘Damn it.’

Life was already so difficult, why expose it? If the main players died, this year would be Class Three’s most hopeless year for winning the championship.

For both public and private reasons, he had to put some effort in, and not become a useless person.

“Mm.” Li Qingrong seemed a little unwilling.

“It’s fine, watching it next time is the same.” Jiang Nian comforted her, then asked, “Have your parents returned?”

“No.”

“Oh, okay.” Jiang Nian nodded.

Li Qingrong’s parents still had a strong oppressive presence, but he didn’t necessarily have to be at odds with them, especially since the college entrance exam was coming soon.

A general outside may disregard the emperor’s orders, so what’s a mere Zhennan?

“Should I bring you water this afternoon?” Chen Yunyun turned and asked.

Before lunch break.

The girl squinted slightly, the iron railing was warm from the sun, and the wind blew through her long, flowing hair, bringing a faint fragrance.

“Bring what, freshly squeezed juice?” Jiang Nian waved his hand, “Honestly, I’m not used to that stuff, don’t bother, don’t bother.”

Chen Yunyun: “?”

She lowered her head and thought for a while. If she bought juice, she’d have to go out of school. If she didn’t attend the mini-study session and went to the west gate to buy it… If she went right after class, it probably wouldn’t delay her.

“Hehe, look.” Wang Yuhe excitedly ran over from the hallway to show them, “My hair is completely dry.”

Ever since Jiang Nian secured the half-year usage rights for that small room for nine hundred yuan, the two girls no longer had to rush back to the dorm to wash their hair.

Plugging in the hairdryer was completely convenient.

Hearing this, Chen Yunyun also remembered someone saying they might stock up. So she turned and looked at Jiang Nian, asking curiously.

“When are you going to start putting things in there?”

“That… in a while, I guess. Why?” Jiang Nian thought to himself that he’d have to wait until the next System mission was released.

After all, if it was just to earn a thousand yuan, there was no need to stock up so exaggeratedly; he could just flip some cards as a scalper and complete it.

If it was to earn ten thousand, then they could talk about it.

“No… nothing.” Chen Yunyun’s face felt a little hot, and she was even more convinced that the so-called use as a warehouse was just an excuse.

The truth is, no one ever believes it.

“Jiang Nian, does my hair look dry?” Wang Yuhe excitedly rubbed her hair, “It’s the first time it’s dried so fast!”

Jiang Nian lowered his head, “Let me see.”

As he spoke, he picked up a strand of Wang Yuhe’s hair and looked at it for a while. He made a move as if to spit, scaring Wang Yuhe into screaming.

“Get away from me!”

“No way, that’s enough to make you cry?” Jiang Nian pouted, releasing Wang Yuhe, “Be stronger, a man doesn’t shed tears easily.”

“Chin up, don’t be like a woman!”

Then, he received a solid punch.

Lunch break.

Jiang Nian was still writing test papers, the difference being… Chen Yunyun, wearing Bluetooth earphones, sat in Li Hua’s seat doing homework.

He couldn’t help but turn his head and tap Chen Yunyun’s earphone with his finger.

The latter took off her earphones in confusion and mouthed a word.

“What?”

Jiang Nian nodded, then, with his palm facing upwards, he lowered his voice and said to her.

“Let me listen.”

Chen Yunyun said, “Oh,” and obediently handed him the earphones. Her index finger unconsciously brushed against Jiang Nian’s palm, making her heart tingle slightly.

“Here.”

She watched Jiang Nian put on the earphones, and immediately lost interest in her homework. She lowered her head, fiddling with her phone, meticulously arranging her playlist.

After she finished, she cautiously glanced at Jiang Nian, and seeing no expression on his face, she let out a sigh of relief, yet also felt a little disappointed.

On this side, the girl was caught between hope and fear.

Jiang Nian, however, grew sleepier the more he listened, his eyelids feeling heavy. Before even 1:30 PM, he was already slumped on his desk.

Pressing the earphones, he slowly closed his eyes.

Clang.

Jiang Nian slowly woke up, groggily opening his eyes.

“You’re awake?”

What greeted his eyes was Zhang Ningzhi’s face, her gaze curiously fixed on him. A calm smile played on her face, making her a little scary.

Gulp, his pupils instantly constricted.

He only let out a sigh of relief after realizing he hadn’t turned into a girl.

Next, he really had to focus all his energy on studying.

Wine and women will be my undoing!

“Mm-hmm, I’m awake.” Jiang Nian rubbed his face, then glanced at her again, “You changed clothes at noon, it looks quite nice.”

“It is!” Zhang Ningzhi beamed, then added, “Oh, by the way, Beibei will be sleeping with me these next few days.”

“Why?” Jiang Nian feigned ignorance.

“Just a small matter.”

“Oh, okay, then you should protect yourself when you sleep.” Jiang Nian stood up, preparing to leave the classroom to relieve himself.

“Huh?”

Zhang Ningzhi immediately reacted, her small face stern as she said,

“You’re not allowed to talk about Beibei like that. She hasn’t said anything bad about you recently. You two argue all the time, can’t you just get along?”

A girl’s best friend is a magical thing; before dating, they can even subtly influence her romantic aesthetic, but after dating, they tend to encourage breakups more than reconciliation.

Logically speaking, if you want to win a girl over, even if you don’t flatter her best friend, you should at least not be at odds with her.

However, Jiang Nian didn’t listen at all.

Women’s words are just for listening; it’s not hard to get along with Yao Beibei, it’s just that Zhang Ningzhi would be unhappy then.

“Alright, alright, it depends on my mood.” Jiang Nian said casually, “Someday I’ll treat her to a meal and beg her on my knees to stop hitting me.”

Zhang Ningzhi immediately pouted and pinched him.

“Why aren’t you inviting me?”

Okay, that’s a novel point of focus.

“You want to hit me too?”

Just then, Li Hua and Ma Guojun walked in and heard Jiang Nian and Zhang Ningzhi talking about hitting or not hitting.

“Opening strike, what S&M.”

“Don’t understand.”

“City people are all like this. My classmate’s brother went abroad right after college, either to Cambodia or Cambodia.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t be bothered to listen to these people bragging, so he got up and headed out to relieve himself.

A bunch of useless people.

He had put a lot of thought into arranging the afternoon match. But this wasn’t his limit; it was merely an unintended success.

After leaving the restroom, Jiang Nian went straight downstairs to the office.

“Teacher.”

Friday afternoon, the first class was Chinese.

Old Liu was leisurely drinking hot tea when he saw Jiang Nian saunter in from the doorway. He immediately put down his teacup and waved a hand to greet him.

“Jiang Nian, come sit, have some tea.”

During this time, he had truly experienced the joy of being a homeroom teacher. A clean sweep of positive records, the most commented-on playstyle.

Top-tier player, please take a seat.

Hearing this, the teachers in the office all turned to look at the student at the door, their gazes shifting from confusion to scrutiny. “Jiang… what? Is that the student who improved by two hundred points?”

“Class Three also won the Touhu competition a few days ago, right? I heard they even won double championships, truly daring to think and act.”

“Teacher Liu’s luck is really strong this year. Not only does he have a star student, but now he can win any award, completely surpassing Class Zero.”

“The Olympiad class’s level surpasses Class Zero, Teacher Liu’s class is the real Class Zero.”

The teachers in the office spoke with a certain level of skill, some teasing, some Yin and Yang, all mixed together in a harmonious way.

“Teacher, I’m here to talk about the afternoon self-study session.” Jiang Nian ignored what the teachers in the office were saying and went straight to the point.

“Well, it’s just a match. There’s no need to delay the students’ study time in class, so don’t let them go.”

Old Liu often showed off, so he was used to the sarcastic remarks in the office.

“After all, it concerns the class’s honor…”

“Guaranteed win.”

“Then studying is still more important. Let’s talk about it when we’re competing for the championship.” Old Liu’s demeanor suddenly changed, and he couldn’t hold back his smile anymore.

One phrase, “Guaranteed win,” and another, “competing for the championship.” The two phrases, like a crosstalk performance, stunned the teachers in the office.

Encountering a campus show-off, trying one’s best but still unable to defeat him.

The bell rang.

The two show-offs left, and several teachers also left with complex expressions, leaving only a few homeroom teachers in the office.

“Laughable, our school focuses on academics, extracurricular sports are just icing on the cake.”

“Indeed, our class isn’t that keen on winning the championship either.”

“Liu Liangsong has always been very arrogant. This year, he’s really gotten a bit too big for his britches. He stepped on the city sports meet and got good students.”

“Alright, let’s say less.”

“That’s right, next year these things will probably go up. By then, he might already be the head of the Chinese language group.”

“What if he becomes the assistant director of the academic affairs office? Wouldn’t that be even scarier?”

“How is that possible? Unless his class produces a whole bunch of C9 seeds. Something Class Zero can’t even do, just with him, Liu?”

Initially, the teachers were only half-joking, until that sentence came out, and the atmosphere in the office instantly fell silent.

“What if?”

There were still ten minutes until class.

Old Liu stopped lecturing and suddenly scanned the class.

“Listen up, ah, students who are playing in the match this afternoon can leave the classroom. Ah, the rest of you, stay in the classroom for self-study.”

As his words fell, the class reacted differently.

“red stone, no audience?”

“The other class has cheerleaders, but we don’t? What’s the point of playing then, I might as well just hang myself.”

“Indeed.” Jiang Nian nodded, maintaining a neutral stance, “But then again, self-study is only twenty-five minutes.”

“The match will only be less than half over, there will be cheerleaders.”

Of course, some people in the class had lost their novelty. After watching one match, they didn’t want to watch anymore, which was only natural.

Additionally, not everyone cared about collective honor.

For example, the demoted student, Xie Zhihao, had no sense of belonging to Class Three. He inwardly considered himself still in the Class Zero tier.

He was still thinking about meeting Xu Yuanshan by chance this afternoon and employing a roundabout tactic. First, he’d win over Xu Shuang’s brother-in-law, then win Xu Shuang’s heart.

Xie Zhihao was quite proud of this.

He believed this was the proper way to pursue someone, to develop feelings over time and then naturally walk into the halls of marriage. The classroom was noisy, with constant discussions.

Chen Yunyun sighed softly, feeling a little disappointed. If she had to attend self-study, she would inevitably miss the first ten minutes of the match.

“I just hope Jiang Nian comes on a bit later, so I don’t miss too much.”

Sixth group.

Zhang Ningzhi was even more depressed. She couldn’t even see ten minutes of the match. She lay on her desk, cheeks puffed out, like a fish blowing bubbles.

“This afternoon, Beibei and I are going home to get clothes.”

“Then go, there’s no need to watch the match.” Jiang Nian feigned regret, but in reality, he was already struggling to hold back his smile.

With one’s own strength, to save a life.

The afternoon classes flew by.

Jiang Nian put down his test paper and walked out of the classroom under the gaze of everyone. He didn’t dare to look back, fearing that one more glance would make him explode.

Fortunately, the class monitor didn’t follow him.

Today was the well-behaved version.

In the corridor, there was a lot of resentment in the team, all attacking Old Liu.

Jiang Nian remained silent, trying to minimize his presence. He thought that once they finished attacking Old Liu, they probably wouldn’t attack him.

When they reached the third floor.

Before he even looked up, he heard a familiar voice.

“Jiang Nian, over here!”