Hearing the words "Nanjiang Bay," Jiang Nian, sitting at his desk, suddenly had his eyelid twitch. Some local students from the county town in the class couldn't help but react, "Oh~~~!!"
"Wow, Nanjiang Bay, large flat near the river!"
"Damn, it's like a young lady's life materializing!"
Nanjiang Bay is the most expensive property in the county town, not by the river but with a view of the Nanjiang River. At its peak, a bare apartment costs 800,000, while at least 200,000 is needed for soft furnishings.
Although this price can't even buy a toilet in Shanghai, it's already top-tier in Zhennan County. Even in Country Garden, it's only over 5,000 per square meter, but Nanjiang Bay is close to 8,000.
Those who can afford to buy a house in Nanjiang Bay aren't few, but they're definitely rare in a single class.
Zhang Ningzhi blushed and faced her classmates' teasing. She hurriedly lowered her head, took out her English textbook, and clutched her pen, not daring to lift her head.
The two were seated in the middle of the third group, filling in for two different small groups. Coincidentally, Jiang Nian sat behind Zhang Ningzhi, diagonally to the right near the aisle.
Sorry, there's no village in the back row by the window.
Being promoted is already good, where do these choices come from?
Jiang Nian reached out and poked the back of Zhang Ningzhi, who was diagonally left and in front of him. She froze initially, then slightly lifted her head; from his angle, her red ear lobes were visible.
The girl seemed to muster up her courage, carefully turning her head while shrinking back.
Jiang Nian rested his hand on the desk in a laid-back manner. With a pen held between his ring and little fingers, he looked at her smilingly and mouthed the word "pen."
Zhang Ningzhi blushed, quickly turning her head away. She started rummaging through the desk drawer, took out a pencil case, paused briefly, and finally handed him two pen refills.
The desk mate beside them looked at Jiang Nian and then at the young lady in the front seat, mouth agape in an "O" shape. He lowered his voice, glanced at Jiang Nian, and asked curiously.
"Do you guys know each other?"
"Sort of."
At noon, after class, Zhang Ningzhi instinctively turned to look for Jiang Nian, only to find he was gone. His seat was empty, and looking at the door, he had already left.
Ugh... she puffed up angrily.
Jiang Nian wasn't aware someone was looking for him. The second the teacher announced the end of class, he stood up. If you're slow at the cafeteria, there won't be any food left; he and Xu Qianqian always solved lunch at the cafeteria.
The two didn't plan lunch together, no point in planning when there wouldn't be any dishes left by the time it's planned.
Childhood friends from the same nest fly off at meal time.
The cafeteria was packed with people. Students from both lower grades were lethargic in study yet highly enthusiastic about eating. Pah, those play-minded things not interested in studying.
He quickly approached and chose a shorter line to queue. With a quick glance, he seemed to spot a familiar figure, or more accurately, a familiar pair of glasses.
Zhou Haifei? Zhou Haifei!
Isn't that my Sister Feifei? Brave T-jie, introverted long-haired glasses girl.
He watched as Zhou Haifei seemed to be heading for the buns, buns, and fried cakes stall, and since there weren't many people heading that way at noon, her figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Nian retracted his gaze, turned his head, and suddenly his pupils shrank.
Damn! Bi Yang's things, someone cut in line!
You mother!
He was so angry his scalp almost exploded, but it was too far away to directly confront them. The student who got cut in front of was also resigned, pretending not to see anything.
Forget it; Jiang Nian didn't want to argue with an idiot before eating.
No hope; even Little Bee's elbow strike wouldn't solve this.
While waiting in line, he took out his phone and roughly checked the balance in his bank account. He had earned 30,000, gave 20,000 to his parents, spent 6,000 on classes, and now has...
Twenty-seven thousand left.
A huge sum; for a third-year high school student, it's already a huge sum of money.
The line slowly moved forward, and Jiang Nian habitually checked what the cafeteria was serving. Scanning through, the cafeteria offers two meat dishes and two vegetables for six yuan; except for cheap meals, everything else at school is expensive.
He got himself a six-yuan meal and found an empty spot to eat chicken leg rice while browsing his phone.
After eating, he went off-campus to buy a room-temperature fruit tea for Xu Qianqian, and took an extra cup for Song Xiyun.
Of course, in Xu Qianqian's name.
This kind of thing with best friends, if not properly maintained, easily ends friendships.
However, Song Xiyun didn't seem too appreciative. When no one was around, she dragged Jiang Nian to a secluded stairwell.
She looked around to ensure no one was there and questioned in a low voice with reddened eyes.
"Why did you buy classes from my mom again! Are you...."
"Wait." Jiang Nian interrupted her before she could finish, "You can talk nonsense about eating, but you shouldn't speak carelessly. Does your mom know you're questioning her VIP customer?"
"No, bro, I was just kidding," Song Xiyun said with a painful expression, scratching her head. "Do you really want to be my dad? You're already my mom's top supporter."
"You've misunderstood; I just want to exercise," Jiang Nian replied with a righteous expression.
Song Xiyun immediately choked, looking suspicious.
"Then why did you buy my mom's classes, ninety sessions at a time?"
"Because I'm kind."
"Go to hell! You really!!" Song Xiyun instantly flipped out, wishing she could rush up and bite him to death. "Jiang Nian, what will it take for you to....."
"Well, that depends on how you perform."
"What do you mean?"
"My shoulder's a bit sore, sigh, the pain of learning is all on me." Jiang Nian stretched his shoulders at the stairway, observing Song Xiyun's reaction.
How could she not understand, gritting her teeth she said.
"Fine, I'll massage it for you."
Saying that, Song Xiyun reluctantly walked behind him, stood on tiptoe, and began massaging his shoulders. Finding her strength lacking, she resorted to a shoulder-knocking method.
"Hey, why aren't you smiling?"
Song Xiyun sneered.
"Not cute at all, not even as much as you..."
Song Xiyun forced a smile of a beautiful girl.
Jiang Nian left, but not before leaving a remark.
"Could you help me with my English homework during the National Day holiday? I really don't feel like writing."
Song Xiyun: "....."
After the lunch break, Jiang Nian returned two pen refills to Zhang Ningzhi. Still, no matter how he looked at it, the young lady seemed off, looking at him with a somewhat resentful gaze.
????
What's going on?
In the afternoon, Zhang Ningzhi kept her head down, constantly doing her homework, adopting an ostrich-like stance. She didn't dare to lift her head; when people around spoke, she just listened, ears perked.
Jiang Nian, accustomed to being carefree, was average in study but maxed out in social skills. By afternoon, he was already joking around with the desks in front of and behind him and to his sides.
"Whoa! You memorized all 3,500 words?"
"Yeah."
"You're unbelievable, it's painful, too painful." His desk mate, named Li Hua, was ordinary-looking, with dark skin, a top student in English essays, but a dazed pigeon in reality.
Jiang Nian was chatting happily and was about to say something when he suddenly glimpsed the young lady in front returning a pitiful gaze back at him.
"?????"
Seems like he didn't offend her, where did it all go wrong?
In the afternoon, perhaps intentionally or unintentionally, Jiang Nian bumped into T-jie Zhou Haifei again in the cafeteria. She seemed to have some impression of him too, her gaze lingering on his face for a second before lowering as she walked away.