CHAPTER 344: CHAPTER 302: THE GIFT I GIVE WILL NOT BE TAKEN BACK

"Jiang, check out this trench coat, isn’t it cool?" Li Hua strutted around in his trench coat.

"Not sure if it’s cool, but..." Jiang Nian rubbed his chin, "you look like one of those perverts who flash people."

"Chi Shi, you have no taste," Li Hua said, showing off to Ma Guojun, "Old Ma, you put on your coat too, let’s form the head of the Power Rangers."

"Get lost, you lunatic," Ma Guojun said, goosebumps all over.

Jiang Nian listened to the laughter around him, feeling it was too noisy.

He didn’t get up for evening study but continued to work on exam papers at his desk.

Being relentless in his study efforts, he recited a motivational proverb to himself.

If he couldn’t score above 600, he would remain a stray dog at 500.

It was only about eight or nine exam papers; he planned to finish them three days early, enough to shock Qingbao.

Jiang Nian’s state of mind startled Zhang Ningzhi.

Honestly, it was a bit exhausting to keep up.

She initially wanted to chat with Jiang Nian during the late self-study, but seeing him so engrossed in his tasks, she just pouted.

She had to pull herself together or risk falling behind.

The evening self-study session flew by, and Jiang Nian had finished nearly three exam papers. His mind felt a bit swollen, but he had gained a lot.

As the bell rang, he got up to buy some late-night snacks downstairs.

Just eating bread and biscuits wasn’t enough, given the high-intensity problem-solving. His brain and body quickly consumed energy, necessitating plenty of carbs.

That’s why some people gain weight in their final year of high school, to the point they could take on mixed martial arts.

Some simply eat and don’t exercise after the evening self-study, snacking due to anxiety after school.

Getting fat makes you tired, and being tired makes you both sleepy and hungry.

Jiang Nian wasn’t keen on snacks and didn’t eat much, just consumed pure carbs daily. Coupled with intensive studying, he didn’t gain weight at all.

In the cafeteria, Jiang Nian, Li Hua, and another classmate each ordered a serving of rice noodles and noodles, along with various fish balls, tofu, pancakes, and tiger eggs, a feast for the eyes.

The three sat side by side, their food piled like small mountains.

Ma Guojun didn’t eat much, his weight was already high.

Even though he hadn’t eaten since picking up clothes in the afternoon, he only ordered a bowl of noodles with a fried egg.

"You two sure eat a lot?"

"Starving, I didn’t eat this afternoon," Jiang Nian said, devouring noodles and nibbling on the bouncy fish balls and juice-filled tofu. "Ah, finally feel alive."

"Three bites for a pig’s worth, I’m not lying." Li Hua munched on a pancake with his left hand and rice noodles with his right, swallowing a tiger egg. "Damn, if I started streaming, I’d surely make money."

"You need to eat some exotic stuff, like chicken butts," Ma Guojun suggested.

"Shut up!" Li Hua said, pointing at Ma Guojun, but then noticed something was off, "Jiang, why aren’t you saying anything?"

Li Hua turned to see Jiang Nian reading a folded exam paper while eating.

He was stunned, his lips quivering.

"For heaven’s sake! Enough with the exams, man!"

....

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaofan went up to the fourth floor after the end of the first evening self-study session.

Dressed in branded clothing and AJ sneakers, he looked quite ostentatious, standing outside the Olympic class three classroom with a small follower, stopping a random boy.

"Hey, can you call Zhou Yuting for me?"

"Which Yuting?" Sun Zhicheng asked.

"Zhou Yuting."

"Zhou...what Yuting?"

"Zhou Yuting."

"Huh? I didn’t catch that, which Yuting did you say?"

Zhang Xiaofan’s expression changed instantly; he realized he was being messed with.

But he still maintained his composure, forcing a smile.

"I’ll ask someone else then."

"No need, I can call her for you," Sun Zhicheng said, but his feet didn’t move, standing right in front of Zhang Xiaofan.

"Go on, call her."

Sun Zhicheng looked puzzled, "Call who?"

With a bang, Zhang Xiaofan felt a surge of anger.

All his life, he’d played pranks on others, never the other way around.

He looked at the skinny guy before him, wondering if students from the Olympic class thought they were superior.

He had money and would deal with anyone who crossed his path!

"Are you out of your mind?"

Sun Zhicheng quickly lowered his voice, humbly explaining.

"Calm down, it’s just a joke."

Zhang Xiaofan: "...You’re quite funny, really. Just get Zhou Yuting out here."

Sun Zhicheng nodded, walked to the classroom door, and peeked inside.

Almost instantly, he pulled back and said to Zhang Xiaofan,

"Zhou Yuting isn’t here; I heard her say she was going to the snack shop between classes."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan was stunned.

"You knew she went to the snack shop, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"You didn’t ask, so what should I have said?" Sun Zhicheng retorted, glanced at Zhang Xiaofan, and turned to leave, "Crazy person, doesn’t even know how to ask questions."

"Ah!!!" Zhang Xiaofan could no longer tolerate it, kicking Sun Zhicheng from behind, "Say that again! Bastard, if I don’t beat you up, I’m no Zhang..."

At this moment, Zeng Yunde, the little follower, quickly held Zhang Xiaofan back. Seeing onlookers drawing near, he anxiously urged in a low voice.

"Bro, let’s get out of here!"

Liu Yang and a few others were chatting in the corridor, hearing the commotion, they looked over.

"Who’s fighting?"

"Oh crap, looks like someone from our class is getting beat up."

"Let’s go check it out."

Seeing a few guys crowding around, Zhang Xiaofan realized the hallway was dim, and he couldn’t see their expressions clearly.

Frightened, he realized he had been impulsive.

Knowing his status, he shouldn’t stoop to the level of commoners.

He didn’t bother with anything else, fearing he’d be surrounded if he didn’t run fast enough. In a fluster, he took off, accidentally bumping into someone, almost tripping.

"Damn, watch where you’re going," Lin Dong dusted himself off, looked around, "Moron, why run so fast? Did you commit murder or something?"

He cursed and continued walking in, noticing a crowd in the hallway.

"What’s going on?"

Sun Zhicheng, just getting up from the ground, was being questioned by the crowd. Both furious and embarrassed, he followed Lin Dong into the classroom.

Although he did selfishly want to avoid calling out for Zhou Yuting for Zhang Xiaofan, seeing someone more flamboyant than himself was intolerable, and he hadn’t expected a beating.

He took off his now dirty coat and sat down.

Silently vowing revenge.

"Brother Dong, can you help me find out about someone..."

The second evening self-study had just begun for ten minutes.

Stuffed and refreshed, Jiang Nian and his two companions leisurely strolled into the classroom, entering brazenly through the back door since the teacher wasn’t there.

"That hit the spot!" Li Hua said as he sat down, patting his full stomach.

Jiang Nian, wanting nothing to do with Li Hua, sat down and looked inside the desk compartment. He found a pack of stuffed cookies and a box of milk there.

No guessing needed, they were Chen Yunyun’s reserved snacks.

But now they belonged to Jiang.

He glanced at Zhang Ningzhi, who was focused on completing exam papers. On a small blackboard-style sticky note were today’s tasks one, two, and three.

All densely filled out.

Jiang Nian was bewildered, "Do you really think you can finish all these tasks today?"

Zhang Ningzhi heard and paused to reply.

"I should finish about half."

"If you can’t complete them all, why write so many?" Jiang was even more surprised, "If you never finish, isn’t it just frustrating?"

In a soft voice, Zhang Ningzhi replied, "Because... it’s for others to see, so they feel frustrated, too, when they see my tasks."

Jiang Nian: "....."

During the second evening self-study break.

Zhou Yuting was called outside; the one who called her was Zhang Xiaofan, the guy who had run off during the last break.

Jiang Nian and Lin Dong were chatting together, also aware of the incident where Sun Zhicheng was beaten. Jiang wasn’t affected, simply observing like a spectator.

Zhou Yuting stood by the corridor pillar, a short distance from the third class’s door.

"You looking for me?"

Zhang Xiaofan was there to give Zhou Yuting a gift, but couldn’t find her during the last break.

From afar, he spotted Jiang Nian and smiled even more.

Last break, he’d encountered a lunatic.

Here came the main event; the timing, location, and circumstance were perfect.

He wanted to let Jiang Nian watch helplessly as the girl he desired was won over by his wealth and humor.

And Jiang could do nothing.

Ultimately, in anger and bitterness, he would wallow in self-pity, leaving behind a shadow.

"Brother Nian, do you know that guy?" Lin Dong asked, "Why does he keep looking this way, grinning like a fool?"

Jiang Nian rubbed his face, "Nope, I don’t know him."

Zhou Yuting was growing impatient but still managed to smile sweetly.

"So, what’s up?"

"Oh, tomorrow’s the coming-of-age ceremony, right?" Zhang Xiaofan snapped out of his thoughts, offering a gentlemanly smile, "I thought you might need a necklace."

Zhou Yuting thought to herself that she was wearing a qipao, so a necklace... might be fitting.

"Thanks, what kind of necklace?"

Zhang Xiaofan brushed his hair, taking out a beautifully wrapped small gift box.

"You’ll know once you see it, my lovely lady."

Zhou Yuting felt a hint of vanity rising, starting to anticipate a jewelry necklace. She took the box and opened it, only to find a...

Simple-looking handmade necklace.

"You know, since I saw you last time, I haven’t been able to forget about you," Zhang Xiaofan said earnestly, looking into Zhou Yuting’s eyes.

"Yuting, this is a necklace I handcrafted especially for you. It embodies all my unspoken words for you; I hope you’ll like it."

Zhou Yuting was stunned. She glanced at the box in her hands.

"Thank you, but..."

The next second, the handmade necklace and its box were pushed back into Zhang Xiaofan’s hands.

"...my mom always said I shouldn’t accept expensive gifts from others, so I’ll remember your thoughtfulness," Zhou Yuting said with a forced smile, "You should take back the gift."

Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback, his expression awkward.

Who did she think she was turning down!

He wanted to tell Zhou Yuting outright that not just anyone could deserve his handmade gifts.

She was clearly unappreciative, such a country bumpkin.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofan had a flash of inspiration.

Recalling a TV drama plot, he said loudly.

"I won’t take back a gift I’ve given; if you don’t want it, just throw it away."

With a smack, Zhou Yuting threw the gift to the ground and apologized.

"I’m sorry, truly, but I just can’t accept it."

With that, she turned and walked away with no further ado.

Leaving Zhang Xiaofan in a daze in the breeze.