Chapter 88 Weekly Test, the class monitor is next door.

“Why are you looking at me?” Jiang Nian felt a little guilty.

No, what am I guilty about?

I have a clear conscience.

It was just normal mutual help between classmates, and with Chen Yunyun, it was just a hand-off of papers and homework.

The more I talked, the more convoluted it got.

Zhang Ningzhi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she paused for a few seconds, her gaze slightly lowered. After a while, she softly said, “Did you copy someone else’s homework?”

“Huh?” Jiang Nian was stunned.

Is copying homework the only conclusion? Baby, we’re just friends.

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that you and I agreed for you to copy my homework.” Zhang Ningzhi probably noticed the oddness in her tone and quickly added softly, “You suddenly copying someone else’s homework makes my homework seem like it has a very high error rate.”

“Ah, this, you’ve misunderstood.” Jiang Nian pointed to a pile of books and explained, “It’s not me copying theirs; it’s them helping me copy answers. Just mutual help.”

“Them?” Zhang Ningzhi found a blind spot.

“Haha.” Jiang Nian was sweating little yellow beans. He stood up directly and said, “Ma Guojun’s here. I’ll ask him about Li Hua’s whereabouts, see where he’s buried.”

As soon as he stood up, his sleeve was tugged.

“You really dislike my homework and don’t want to copy it.” The girl’s voice was a little sad, as if her efforts had gone to waste. “I wrote it for two days.”

Jiang Nian had no choice but to sit down and explain the whole story. After learning that he didn’t dislike her homework, the little girl’s mood improved a bit.

“Oh, oh, I thought…” Zhang Ningzhi was a little embarrassed.

Jiang Nian felt it was better to take the opportunity to clear things up to avoid future misunderstandings. Zhang Ningzhi seemed to really crave others’ approval, hmm. He needed to avoid affecting her.

“I like copying your homework. Before this, I also copied others’. But yours has the highest accuracy, hmm. And your handwriting is very good, but sometimes I’ll also copy others’.”

“Because you’re my deskmate, if I copy yours for years on end, the teacher will notice. Copying yours, and occasionally copying others’, will make it so the teacher can’t tell.”

“Oh, oh.” Zhang Ningzhi seemed to understand.

Jiang Nian immediately let out a sigh of relief and left his seat to find Ma Guojun. Ma Guojun was looking for something as soon as he entered the door. His gaze lingered on Jiang Nian for a moment before he asked,

“Brother Nian, has Li Hua arrived?”

“He hasn’t, but there’s a test tonight, so he definitely…” Jiang Nian mumbled a few words, his gaze shifting downwards. “Did you pick up this stick on the way too? It’s on par with the one I had last time. Let me play with it.”

“Sure.” Ma Guojun was quite generous, handing the stick to Jiang Nian. At the same time, to show his cautious side, he warned, “Don’t let Li Hua see it.”

“I got it. You can trust me to handle things.” Jiang Nian thought, ‘A good buddy’s favoritism is sweeter than a girl’s! He lets me play but not Li Hua. So awesome.’

The classroom gradually filled up, and the sky outside the window slowly darkened. Some people carried buckets out to dump trash, while others took water cups to get water.

There was a water dispenser in the back row, which provided filtered purified water. Of course, whether it was clean or not was up to the old men; students just thought it tasted sweet and that was that. You had to swipe a card to get water, about ten cents a bottle.

At the end of the corridor on each floor, there was a water boiler. Students who wanted hot water had to swipe another card. Filling a thermos cup cost about thirty cents, which was ridiculously expensive.

Lin Dong, Chen Yunyun, and Wang Yuhe’s group was by the water dispenser.

Chen Yunyun was bored. She turned her head and saw Jiang Nian playing with a small stick, so she blurted out without thinking,

“Hey, Jiang Nian, let me play with your little stick.”

In an instant, the classroom was still noisy, but several gazes converged on Jiang Nian. Most were just watching the spectacle and moved on a moment later.

Lin Dong looked up, a little confused. How had his group member defected?

When did Chen Yunyun get so close to Jiang Nian? Could it be that they also added each other as friends and chatted online? It’s over, with Chen Yunyun doing this, Tom’s heart will be shattered.

Wang Yuhe buried her head, not daring to turn to look at her socially outgoing best friend. The ambiguity of the word’stick’ was too obvious. She really wanted to pretend she didn’t know her.

In the first large group, Luo Zhongping looked up, his gaze calmly sweeping towards Chen Yunyun’s direction. He also glanced at Jiang Nian playing with the stick, then continued writing his homework.

Did they get close in just one afternoon?

Zhang Ningzhi turned her head, looked at Jiang Nian and the branch in his hand, then silently turned back.

So, he got together with another girl.

Tom, no, Sun Zhicheng had just entered the classroom. Hearing Chen Yunyun’s words without understanding, and then detecting the keyword “Jiang Nian,” his world instantly collapsed.

Is she sick? Why is Jiang Nian everywhere!

Jiang Nian also thought Chen Yunyun was sick. How could a girl speak so crudely? What did she mean, ‘let me play with your little stick’? My stick is never little.

After thinking about it, Jiang Nian simply imitated her and shouted loudly,

“Brother Ma, Chen Yunyun wants to play with your little stick!”

“What the f—” Ma Guojun almost jumped up in embarrassment, turning around with a slight blush. He said to the two of them, “No, are you two sick!”

“Hahaha.” This time, it was Jiang Nian’s turn to laugh.

Chen Yunyun also realized the ambiguity of her words. She was socially outgoing, not a pervert. Girls were still thin-skinned; her face flushed, and she silently buried her head in her seat.

As evening self-study approached, the classroom was brightly lit and bustling. Most of the class had arrived, but Li Hua was still absent.

It wasn’t until the class bell rang that Li Hua sneaked in through the front door. His eyes darted around, his left foot entering the classroom first; one look and you knew he had a guilty conscience.

Before he could even reach his seat, Ma Guojun and his crew dragged him out, bringing the sticks with them.

“Class Monitor, we’re going to the restroom!”

The subject for evening self-study was Biology. Li Qingrong was reading her Biology book. Hearing the noise, she merely glanced at them, then her gaze returned to the page, calm as an ancient well.

After the evening self-study, everyone in the class cleared their desks.

The Chinese class representative, who was also the academic committee member, went to the office to get the test papers and arranged everyone to sit according to their student numbers, starting from the door and moving backward. A long snake-like formation—this was the test seating arrangement.

“Everyone remember your positions. All future weekly tests will be arranged this way,” Academic Committee Member Tao Ran announced loudly. “No changing positions allowed. If caught, your score will be canceled.”

The three students who moved up inherited the student numbers of the three who moved down.

Zhang Ningzhi inherited number 13, which didn’t sound very lucky. But this was an ancient civilization of Huaxia; those Western punks should stay away. Only 4 was unlucky.

Other numbers were taboo-free.

Jiang Nian inherited number 28, and his position was fixed in the middle large group. Yu Tongjie inherited number 52, and he could only huddle in the back row by the water dispenser to write his test paper.

When changing seats, Jiang Nian turned his head and saw the student with number 34 next to him.

“Class Monitor?”

“Mm.” Li Qingrong nodded.

The classroom was noisy, the air a bit stuffy. Long fluorescent light tubes illuminated every corner of the classroom. Some people were replying to messages on their phones, others were listening to music with headphones.

The absurd thing was, someone was digging a hole in the wall with a pen refill!

What the f—, Li Hua?

This darn kid, he must have been driven crazy by the aruba.

The Olympiad class was like this; management was relaxed.

Old Liu had said something in a class meeting, roughly meaning that the school implemented a class-division system because it had different expectations for different levels of classes.

The expectation for the key classes was to keep them from going bad and to aim for vocational college.

The expectation for parallel classes was to get into an undergraduate program, aiming for a second-tier university.

For the Olympiad class and above, the expectations were different: a non-211/985 first-tier university was the baseline, an old first-tier university was considered average, and a Double First-Class university was the goal. Key universities were considered a sprint.

Popular universities and popular majors were ideals, and Tsinghua/Peking University were dreams.

Old Liu always used this rhetoric, but in reality, according to past data, not many students from the Olympiad class could get into Double First-Class universities, about one-third.

Most people ended up in first-tier non-211/985 universities, and occasionally there would be a few unlucky ones who got into second-tier universities.

Jiang Nian knew all this from overhearing Old Liu chatting with other homeroom teachers in the office.

But the rest of the class didn’t know.

The pressure in the third year of high school was immense, and Old Liu deliberately instilled a sense of pride in them. It was as if entering this class made them different from other students, with goals of key universities and direct aims for Tsinghua and Peking University.

Seventeen and eighteen-year-olds loved to show off; they hadn’t seen Old Liu’s tactics before.

The pressure in the third year of high school was immense, and Class 403 was the high-pressure among high-pressure classes. Old Liu truly put his mind to it for that bonus. He simultaneously fostered a sense of pride and promoted a results-based ideology.

He gave some privileges to those with good grades, making them completely infatuated and study like crazy.

This also led to two very special phenomena in Class 403: first, their overall scores were the highest in the Olympiad class. Second, they loved to show off a little; every top student had a bit of personality.

Listening to music, pretending to be profound, being niche, telling dirty jokes, being abstract, being foul-mouthed, being gay, being aloof, dating, being a simp, fishing.

One could only say this was the tip of the iceberg; everyone in the class was like a deity, each displaying their Divine Ability like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.

Old Liu, you played it well!

The evening self-study bell rang, and the weekly Chinese test began.

Jiang Nian looked up again after two hours had passed. Stopping his pen didn’t mean he was finished, but that he didn’t want to write more. The essay was 800 characters; he stopped once he crossed that line.

He vaguely went through the motions, feeling nothing.

There was still half an hour left until the end of the exam. He was bored and wanted to pull out his phone. But this time was a bit sensitive, as the grade head was patrolling outside the door.

Moreover, there was a Class Monitor next to him.

Speaking of which, county high schools were pretty boring, especially the Olympiad class. It wasn’t at all like the turbulent campus novels, filled with fights, school bullies, or outside hooligans.

In reality, “Big bro, you smoke? So cool, so cool.”

There were no spring or autumn outings, no special beach programs, nor visits to museums, nature museums, or aquariums. To put it bluntly, the county didn’t even have a library; only mountains of books and seas of questions.

There were only milk tea shops, rental houses, riverside parks, and mountain climbing. Students’ conversations always revolved around dorms, studying, dating, morning exercises, self-study, and holidays.

However, fights weren’t entirely absent; they happened if you got close to those idiotic rotten people.

For example, Zhou Yuting’s disgusting little circle, with their painful youth literature, playing games, and emotional manipulation. Liu Feipeng, that idiot, also played his damn youth courtyard literature all day long.

Staying away from rotten people was the smartest choice he had ever made.

Hmm? Speaking harshly?

So what? I’m even harsher.

He was lost in thought.

Li Qingrong next to him caught his attention. The Class Monitor seemed to have finished too. She put away her pen and stared at the Chinese test paper, checking it without looking away.

Jiang Nian rested his head on his hand, staring at her profile.

If the Class Monitor turned to question him, Jiang Nian would reply that he was looking out the window, using the angle.

Li Qingrong seemed unaware, her clear, cold eyes fixed on the test paper. She turned a page every few minutes. After watching for a long time, Jiang Nian changed his posture and continued watching.

Rip.

A faint sound caught Jiang Nian’s attention. He leaned closer for a look and kindly reminded her,

“Class Monitor, your test paper is torn.”

Li Qingrong turned her head, glanced at him, and hummed in response.

There were twenty minutes left until the papers were collected. Some had already finished. Plus, there was no proctor at the podium, so more and more people started talking and chatting.

The Chinese class representative, Tao Ran, called for quiet, and the classroom was silent for a few minutes. Then, the chattering sounds started again, gradually becoming a chorus.

Jiang Nian, amidst the noise, propped his head and turned to Li Qingrong, praising her.

“Class Monitor, did you change your hair tie again?”

Under the light, Li Qingrong was checking the classical poetry appreciation. The test paper, pressed by her thumb, showed a few tiny creases, which immediately smoothed out again.

“Mm.”

Jiang Nian had some habits from his first and second years of high school, having mingled in an unhealthy, distorted circle and learned many useless, trashy skills.

For example, complimenting people: just find a detail and praise it. Praising from detail to the whole, using the small to see the large, was the most common method, and it wasn’t difficult for him.

“The creamy white bubble hair tie suits you well, Class Monitor.” Jiang Nian was truly bored. He wasn’t in his own seat, couldn’t use his phone, so he resorted to chatting to pass the time.

Unfortunately, the Class Monitor ignored him.

As expected of a class cadre, she didn’t speak during self-study, leading by example.

Chatting failed. He started spinning his pen, *pat-pat*. After several drops, he finally endured until collection time.

The Chinese class representative, Tao Ran, stood up, walked to the podium, and asked for the test papers to be passed forward. A group of people stood up with a rustle and began to return to their original seats.

As he passed Li Qingrong, he seemed to hear a clear “Thank you.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Nian paused for a few seconds, then saw Li Qingrong had already walked away. He thought, ‘The Class Monitor is so principled, she even waits until after class to say thank you. She’s too disciplined.’

After returning to his seat, only twenty minutes of evening self-study remained, roughly until dismissal.

Zhang Ningzhi seemed to be catching up on some homework, hunched over her desk, writing and drawing.

Jiang Nian had finished all his homework, and even hired others to copy it, so he was happily resting with his head on the desk. The little girl at his desk saw him resting and couldn’t help but puff out her cheeks.

The bell rang, and Lin Dong eagerly pulled out his phone to reply to messages.

To his surprise, Yaoyao was actually an art student.

Damn, art students are rare. This time, he had to firmly grasp her! He would add Yaoyao to his ‘battle achievements’ folder, where he kept photos from his online relationships.

He!

Was going to build an Online Dating Valhalla!

He’d put real-life relationships aside for now; this was a rare art student. If he could get her to join his Valhalla, he would have no more joy or sorrow in this life.

Liuli?

Forget about Black-Skinned Liuli. Lin Dong had already banished her to the uncharted lands. In fact, afterwards, to be cautious, he even hired a first-year junior to help him confirm her situation in B203.

For safety, he kept a distance. He watched from afar as the junior was hugged by Black-Skinned Liuli, unable to move, and was directly slammed against the wall by her heavy weight.

Black-Skinned Liuli wailed and howled, calling out Shen Cong’s (Lin Dong’s pseudonym) name, while smearing snot and tears all over the junior. No one could pull them apart.

Alas, how miserable.

The junior’s terrified and despairing expression was still unforgettable to Lin Dong.

Lin Dong was glad he hadn’t gone into the bush himself, or he would have been the one traumatized. Feeling too guilty, he voluntarily gave the junior an extra ten yuan for his errand afterwards.

However, the junior swore so much after taking the money that Lin Dong couldn’t handle it and blocked him directly.

So, Black-Skinned Liuli was out; she wasn’t worthy of defiling his Valhalla.

Buzz, buzz. Yaoyao replied.

“(Hehe) What kind of movies do you like?”