Chapter 75?

During the last period of evening self-study, the movie hadn’t completely ended yet.

The lights suddenly flickered on.

There were still three minutes left until the end of evening self-study, and the group of people who were most excited about the movie being shown had already started packing their bags.

It was all about being sweet before watching, and a ‘madam’ afterwards.

Jiang Nian greeted the person next to him and left, with Wu Jungu happening to leave with him. The two parted ways at the entrance of the adjacent classroom, one stopping in the hallway and the other heading towards the stairwell.

Before going downstairs, Jiang Nian looked back.

A well-built girl emerged from the next class, approaching Wu Jungu with a pink bag on her back.

Hmm. A friend’s wife is not to be trifled with; he was just curious, so he quickly glanced.

Her face looked average, but… wasn’t this sister-in-law’s best feature a bit too obvious?

Damn, did he really manage to get a Monday girlfriend?

No, buddy, do you still live at school with a girlfriend like that?

You two aren’t sharing a dorm, are you? When did the school get dorms like that? I don’t mean anything else, I just have too much money and want to book a room temporarily.

Xu Qianqian had taken leave, so he didn’t linger in the third-floor hallway.

He returned home, arriving around 9:50 PM.

Before opening the door, Jiang Nian had originally planned to ask about the memorial service. In previous years, his parents would go in person to pay their respects, and if they were truly busy, they would ask someone to light incense on their behalf.

How should he bring it up, say he suddenly had a change of heart?

Although that was the truth, people always mature, and everyone has their own awkward phase. But he would probably be misunderstood as being in heat, thinking about someone’s daughter.

He pushed open the door.

Jiang Nian walked into the living room and found both his parents on the sofa. His mom was scrolling through Douyin, with the sound on loud, and Old Jiang was watching TV, seemingly waiting specifically for him.

“You’re back?” Old Jiang glanced at him.

“Yeah.” Jiang Nian tilted his head.

“Come here, I have something to tell you.” His mom put down her phone, lowering the volume of the cheesy background music and canned laughter, her expression serious.

Jiang Nian put down his schoolbag, “What is it?”

“Your school is having its sports meet these two days, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

Hearing this, Jiang Nians mother turned and exchanged a look with her husband, then spoke.

“Are you busy with the sports meet?”

“I’m not busy, I signed up for one or two events.” Jiang Nian’s throat tightened slightly, as if he had a premonition. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, “Anyway… everything will be done by tomorrow afternoon, why?”

The living room fell silent.

“Well, Xiao Nian, if you’re free tomorrow, please take two days off and go back to your hometown. These two days are for your aunt; you go back and light incense on behalf of your dad and me.”

“Be quick about it, and stay a bit longer even if you can’t stand it. If you really can’t stand it, at least stay one night in your hometown before coming back. I’ll give you the key tomorrow.”

His mom kept chattering, talking about where the quilt was in their hometown, where the blanket was. Who to find if the circuit breaker was broken, and which house to borrow a water pipe from if the water pump was broken, and so on.

Jiang Nian’s gaze drifted elsewhere, and he started to space out.

He was actually quite willing to go; Xu Qianqian’s mom used to be very kind to him. However, his purpose had deviated a tiny bit: Auntie is good, and her daughter is good too.

Mama-chan, this hardship, I can actually endure for two and a half days.

Yay! Didn’t expect that, did you!

Old Jiang, who was beside them, suddenly spoke.

“The child is grown up; he can handle it.”

“What the hell do you know!” Jiang Nians mother turned and retorted, displeased, “It’s not your flesh and blood, so you don’t care, is that it? Going to the countryside alone, what if there’s no water or electricity?”

“Isn’t there still Old Xu?” Old Jiang said indifferently.

“Is that a human thing to say? Old Xu is already like that, taking care of Qianqian is hard enough, and you want him to take care of your son too?” Jiang Nians mother looked speechless.

Jiang Nian stood to the side, grinning as he watched his parents bicker.

The living room light was bright, and occasionally, for a fleeting moment, he wondered if it was his imagination, but he seemed to see wrinkles at the corners of his mom’s eyes and white hairs growing on Old Jiang’s head.

The next morning.

There was no morning reading class for the sports meet, so Jiang Nian slept in and put a piggy bank into his schoolbag before leaving.

It felt strange without Xu Qianqian around.

Although they didn’t go to school together every day during this period, mainly coordinating for going home after evening self-study, at least he knew she had left first.

When he left in the morning, Jiang Nian glanced at the shoe rack opposite their door. The pair of sneakers Xu Qianqian usually cherished was gone; she must have worn them back to her hometown.

He slowly went downstairs to buy breakfast.

At school, the “Athletic March” was already playing. Under the blue sky and white clouds, students in summer white school uniforms were everywhere, interspersed with a few people carrying colorful flags.

The weather was clear, and the autumn wind was gentle.

In Class Three, the sports representative Liu Yang was carrying the class sign out of the classroom, shouting back.

“Everyone hurry up and go downstairs, assemble, assemble!”

Sharp whistle blasts came from downstairs, mixed with the deafening background music. Sunlight covered everyone, and the short-sleeved school uniforms gleamed white.

Liu Yang turned around and nearly collided with Jiang Nian, who had just come upstairs.

“Brother Nian, why are you so late?”

“Ha, I overslept.” Jiang Nian, carrying his bag and wearing his summer white school uniform, stood outside the classroom door and asked, “Do we need to bring chairs downstairs?”

“No need, just stand there and listen to the idiotic leaders preach.” Liu Yang waved his hand, “The events start this morning. Oh, right, prepare for the athlete’s entrance parade.”

“A parade of a dozen people?” Jiang Nian was slightly taken aback.

“No, the third-year science Olympiad Class will form a parade together.” Liu Yang suddenly smiled mysteriously, “Do you know who is holding our parade sign?”

He didn’t know just now, but now he did.

So expressions really could make sounds!

“Is it the Class Monitor?”

“That’s right!” Liu Yang grinned, moved a bit to the side of the hallway, and excitedly gesticulated, “We’ll go watch together later, how about it!”

“You didn’t know, did you? Our Class Monitor is the one who holds the sign every year at the sports meet.”

Generally speaking, only the prettiest person is qualified to hold the sign.

Of course, provided they are willing.

“Isn’t that not good? What if we get caught, wouldn’t that be awkward?” Jiang Nian instinctively wanted to refuse, not wanting to be a creep, but he couldn’t push it off and eventually agreed.

What’s there to see about the Class Monitor? Just a white short skirt and long legs. How good can a high school girl’s legs be? Just white… Hmm, maybe it’s fine to take a look.

There was no particular reason, mainly because he wasn’t short on time.

Nine o’clock.

On the sports field, the leader’s speech lasted from eight until nine. The autumn sun overhead grew brighter and brighter, and dissatisfaction was already brewing in the ranks.

“Damn it, why can this guy talk so much?” Ma Guojun fanned himself with a book in the line.

In the Class Three line, almost everyone had a book or a vocabulary notebook.

Fat people are always afraid of heat. After two minutes of cursing under his breath, he unilaterally sent the leader’s mother to the afterlife.

He turned around, didn’t see Jiang Nian, and upon asking, found out that all the athletes had gone to form their parades. He then looked for Li Hua and saw him holding a thick copy of Dragon Clan.

Ma Guojun left his spot and leaned over.

“Reading a novel?”

Li Hua looked up blankly, made a sound, and his face didn’t look too good.

“Yeah, I’ve been saving up the plot for almost a week, couldn’t bear to read it. Since I woke up this morning, I’ve been reading it, from ‘The Great Escape’ all the way to ‘The Path of Ghosts’.”

Looking at the rambling Li Hua, the big fatty Ma Guojun was utterly bewildered. He looked left and right, but no one was talking to Li Hua. Who was he talking to?

No, we’re all buddies, don’t be so scary.

“Oh, Dragon Clan…” Ma Guojun said casually, “I heard it’s pretty good, but I haven’t read it. Is it good? Let me read it when you’re done.”

Li Hua fell silent, he had a bad premonition, and nodded.

“Okay, wait until I finish it.”

Jiang Nian was currently forming a parade in the shade; athletes had privileges and didn’t have to suffer in the sun.

The leader hadn’t finished speaking, and everyone was scattered, sitting down.

Jiang Nian sat on the edge of a shady flowerbed playing on his phone, holding a bottle of mineral water in his left hand. Liu Yang was restless, sometimes scrolling through the class group chat on his phone, sometimes standing up and pacing.

He looked up at Liu Yang.

“Sports Representative, are you very hot?”

“Not hot, it’s quite cool here, and there’s a breeze.” Liu Yang sat next to him and whispered, “Brother, I’m not hot, I’m anxious.”

“Anxious about what?”

“Hey, hey, hey, you know perfectly well.” Liu Yang showed a Donnie Yen-esque meme expression, “You kid, have you forgotten? Our purpose for being here!”

“What? To line up and participate in the long jump!” Jiang Nian coughed once, then again.

“Okay, okay, still pretending, huh!” Liu Yang’s mouth curved into a Nike-like smile, “Why isn’t the Class Monitor out yet? If she doesn’t come out soon, we’ll have to line up for the parade!”

“Cough, cough.” Jiang Nian looked up at the sky.

“Holy crap, you’re still pretending to be embarrassed here.” Liu Yang looked incredulous, patted him, “Don’t tell me you don’t want to see, you’re the most—”

Mid-sentence, Liu Yang suddenly realized something, and the smile on his face instantly vanished. His finger froze in mid-air, and cold sweat had already started to trickle down his forehead.

“Huh? You’re scaring me, right?”

“Oh, Brother Nian, we’re all brothers. Don’t always make jokes like that, someone could die.”

Jiang Nian turned to look elsewhere, with a ‘take care, buddy’ expression.

Liu Yang’s fingers suddenly trembled, and he timidly looked back. A figure in a white short skirt stood quietly there, with no expression on her face.

Her hair seemed to have been styled, and she wore light makeup, looking no less stunning than a celebrity.

“Cl-Class Monitor…” Liu Yang’s legs almost gave out. Getting caught by Li Qingrong in person, he thought something like this only happened in movies. Damn it!!!

Li Qingrong didn’t speak. Her calm gaze swept over him and then looked at Jiang Nian behind him. The latter was looking down at his phone, pretending to be busy.

Throwing his buddy aside so decisively? As expected of a guy.

Jiang Nian felt no psychological burden at all; he had hinted several times. Sports Representative, you had no reaction at all. I can’t possibly take the blame for you, can I?

“What were you trying to see just now?” Li Qingrong asked.

“N-Nothing, it was all Jiang Nian!” Liu Yang was too soft; he immediately backstabbed, “He said he wanted to come and watch, but he didn’t dare alone, so he insisted on dragging me along!”

What the heck!

Jiang Nian was stunned. Can you please stay away from me when you’re snitching on the spot!

You sold me out before I even got three hits!

Twelve volumes of crimes, and my name is in every one!

Alright, alright!

Li Qingrong glanced at Liu Yang, “The parade is about to start. Aren’t you supposed to help with the lineup?”

“Oh, oh, right, right!” Liu Yang felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He looked back at Jiang Nian with a guilty expression, thinking, ‘Brother, take care,’ and then scurried off.

Jiang Nian felt a bit awkward. Watching Li Qingrong walk over, he instantly felt like kneeling.

He had misjudged Liu Yang.

It wasn’t that he was weak-boned; it was just that Li Qingrong’s aura was too intimidating.

In three seconds, Jiang Nian thought of five ways to apologize and finally decided to speak first.

At the same time, Li Qingrong also spoke.

“I’m sorry.” (“Have you seen enough?”)

The takeout was late, and I was so hungry I rewrote what I had confusedly written. It’s late, my apologies.