Chapter 33: Is there really no one at school you care about?

As the voice faded, Liu Liangsong’s gaze fixed on the small area where Jiang Nian sat, his expression as dark and gloomy as a storm.

"If you won't step forward voluntarily, then I'll have to call you out myself!"

Zhang Ningzhi turned pale, likely having never been scolded by a teacher before. Her hands trembled on the desk, and the honest girl was just about to bow her head and stand up when Jiang Nian kicked her stool, stopping her. He moved to rise, but was pulled back by Li Hua, who stood up instead.

"Teacher, I'm reporting it. Ma Guojun was talking just now, too."

"Li Hua, damn your mother!"

Ma Guojun muttered under his breath. The stout boy stood up, adjusted his glasses, and kept his head bowed. His lips moved rapidly, likely reciting some sweet incantation.

*I am a Leicesterian, black magic, this is black magic.*

Even after two sacrifices had been made, Liu Liangsong’s expression did not improve. Perhaps in the name of fairness, his face darkened further as he scanned the area around Zhang Ningzhi.

"Are only the boys guilty? I clearly heard a girl's voice. Are you going to stand up yourselves, or should I call you out?"

At these words, Zhang Ningzhi looked like she was about to cry.

Then, Ma Guojun chimed in, "Ahem, Yao Beibei, the teacher is calling you."

"You..." Yao Beibei stood up, a sheepish smile on her face. "Teacher, I was just reciting my lessons; my voice was just a little too loud, that's all."

Liu Liangsong swept his gaze over Yao Beibei and let out a cold, cynical laugh.

"All three of you, get out here!"

***

The second evening study session ended.

Zhang Ningzhi followed behind Jiang Nian as he descended the stairs, trailing him all the way from the fourth floor. The corridor was somewhat narrow, the lighting dim, and the silhouettes of people blurred in the shadows.

"Where are we going?"

Li Hua, Yao Beibei, and Ma Guojun hadn't returned from the office yet, and Zhang Ningzhi was worried about them. She had planned to go to the office to check on them and was about to call for Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian seemed to have something to say, too, and their eyes met just as Zhang Ningzhi, summoning her courage, turned around from the front row. He simply told her to follow him after the study session.

She had assumed they were going to the office, only to find they had left the teaching building entirely.

"Buying drinks." Jiang Nian paused for a moment as he looked back, as if imparting a lesson. "Li Hua and the others bore the brunt of Old Liu’s anger. We’re getting them a drink."

"Oh." Zhang Ningzhi was a bit dazed, but she hurried to catch up and whispered, "Just now... I had intended to stand up."

"I saw, but it’s better if you didn't," Jiang Nian said. "I kicked your stool to stop you. It was better for me to stand."

"Why?"

The two walked out with the crowded stream of students, soon leaving the brightness of the teaching building for the dim surroundings outside.

"You’re new to the class, your grades are good, and you have a thin skin," he said, turning his head to look at the girl walking beside him. The light from the teaching building reflected in her eyes, which were a mix of light and shadow. "Being dragged off by the teacher as soon as you arrive in a new class is an easy way to leave a bad impression. You have to stay here for a whole year; how could you handle that? It doesn't matter for me."

"Then what about Yao Beibei, Li Hua, and Ma Guojun? Is this betrayal?" Zhang Ningzhi asked, feeling a bit awkward, though she knew the word 'betrayal.'

"Quite the opposite. I was going to stand up, but Li Hua pulled me back," Jiang Nian said. "They didn't sell us out, which is why we’re buying them drinks now."

"And them?"

"Their grades are good and they have thick skin. They can even chat with other teachers in the office. They'll be fine." Jiang Nian realized that Zhang Ningzhi was indeed a bit more oblivious to these social nuances.

Zhang Ningzhi carefully glanced at Jiang Nian, noting his straight, ice-like shoulders and back. His nape was clean, his hair dark, and his expression was one of casual indifference.

Walking beside him, Zhang Ningzhi felt a sense of security, as if she were leaning on someone reliable. He was patient, taking the time to explain things slowly, even to someone as clueless as her.

The feeling made her feel at ease, and she had a vague sense that she was about to make some real friends in her new class.

*He’s so good at this.*

Zhang Ningzhi asked curiously, "Are boys born knowing how to make friends?"

Jiang Nian glanced at her. "Not really. I have a unique set of tips. I attended an advanced training course at the Friendship Academy for a while."

"There’s a training school for that?" The girl gasped in wonder.

"Do you want to know how to make friends?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm."

Seeing the campus store getting closer, Jiang Nian paced himself and spoke with a serious tone.

"The prerequisite for friendship is mutual trust. For instance, if I offer to scrub your back, you just say 'thank you,' instead of asking, 'How did you get in here?'"

Zhang Ningzhi: "......Is there really no one in this school you actually care about?"

Jiang Nian looked utterly indifferent. He only acted out like this in front of people he knew, because strangers would truly think he was an idiot.

"Let’s go. We’ll buy one for each of them. Remember to grab one for yourself, too."

***

"Oh, right." As she entered the crowded store, she suddenly realized a problem. "Jiang Nian, what kind of drinks do they like?"

"Just follow my lead. Two bottles of iced black tea, one bottle of orange juice," he said. "I’m having Sprite. See what you want and grab a bottle for yourself."

Having an expert to rely on made everything faster—it was like just copying the homework.

On the other side of the crowded store, Xu Qianqian was hesitating in the snack aisle. She vaguely heard Jiang Nian’s voice, turned around, and realized it wasn't him. She frowned, thinking to herself that Jiang Nian was truly infuriating.

"Qianqian, have you chosen?" Song Xiyun asked, holding a bag of potato chips.

"Yes, this one. Let's go."

*Ring-ring-ring.* The bell for the third evening study session rang.

The staircase became congested again as a crowd pushed upward. Zhang Ningzhi walked in front of Jiang Nian, who always maintained a small buffer zone of safety around her. When they reached the fourth floor, they happened to run into the three of them coming out of the office.

Jiang Nian called them over and handed out the drinks one by one.

"A small token of appreciation. My dear subjects, take one each."

"Thank you... you guys." Zhang Ningzhi’s face flushed red, and she followed suit. "Beibei, this is for you."

"So polite! Since it’s a 'national treasure,' I’ll gladly accept," Li Hua and Ma Guojun said with grins, taking the iced black tea from their hands.

The two of them swaggered into the classroom, each carrying a bottle in one hand. Anyone watching would have thought that going to the office was a surefire way to trigger a beverage reward.

"Skipped a whole study session and still got a drink. Total profit," Li Hua remarked.

"If the head teacher hadn't kicked me out, I would’ve stayed for another session," Ma Guojun said, shameless. "Damn, Old Liu will probably leave early."

Yao Beibei held the two bottles of orange juice in her arms, hooked her right arm through Zhang Ningzhi’s, and began a vivid recount of her miraculous experience in the office.

Jiang Nian was the last to enter the classroom, carrying a bottle of Sprite. He saw that Zhang Ningzhi seemed to have bought a carton of milk for herself, which she held onto carefully.

When the evening study session ended, Jiang Nian went downstairs as usual to wait for Xu Qianqian to go home, only to find that she had already left.