CHAPTER 837: CHAPTER 494: APPRECIATION

At ten at night, the river dam gradually quieted down.

The room was brightly lit with warm colors, filling every corner.

Xue Yuantong was perched on Jiang Ning’s ergonomic chair, wearing a little white nightgown, her petite feet reflecting a milky hue.

She started a game of LOL, and while waiting for the match, soothing music played from the desktop speakers, her suspended little white feet gently bobbing.

Each time she bobbed her feet, her tender toes unconsciously curled like lotus buds, forming an enticing curve.

Finally matched, Xue Yuantong perked up and retracted her little feet, curling them back onto the chair.

She selected the Little Fishman hero, ready to dominate the game.

Unfortunately, Aunt Gu came knocking. Seeing her daughter’s snacks by her side and noticing that her height hadn’t changed at all, she sighed inwardly, feeling disappointed.

"Have you brushed your teeth?" Aunt Gu questioned.

Xue Yuantong: "Yes, I have."

Aunt Gu put on a stern face, "Nonsense, when did you brush?"

"In the morning," Xue Yuantong answered truthfully.

Dragged off by her mom to brush her teeth, Xue Yuantong sadly told Jiang Ning that on every upcoming Qixi Festival, they should meet on the Magpie Bridge, and in the end, she reminded him to help her play games.

...

Dacheng District.

Once the most upscale district in Yuzhou, with majestic stone mansions, meticulously trimmed hedges, and elegant corridor-style lobbies.

Back then, it made a sudden debut, single-handedly driving up housing prices in Yuzhou, becoming the benchmark of luxury housing in the hearts of Yuzhou people, with prices once soaring to 2000 yuan per square meter...

More than a decade has passed, Yuzhou has developed rapidly, and Dacheng District, after weathering years of storms, doesn’t appear old at all. Even in the next decade, it will remain so.

A room in Building Three.

Xin Youling, having showered, leaned against the bedhead, her youthful wet hair spread out, under the light, the bags under her eyes more apparent, yet looking vibrant.

Xin Youling clutched her phone, she had only been class monitor for a day, but endured too much grievance.

Xin Youling even considered complaining to the class teacher, but she held back, as she was never a whining girl.

She definitely wouldn’t be a coward. Xin Youling believed that with her ability, she could certainly fulfill this role, making her classmates see her in a new light and becoming the leader of Class 8.

She took a deep breath, considering the future arrangements for the class, fulfilling her duty.

’A new semester has begun, classmates need money for drinks and purchases, it’s time to collect class fees.’

She devised two plans, unable to decide, she edited a message and sent it:

"Mr. Shan, the class funds are running low, I plan to ask everyone about class fees during tomorrow’s morning self-study, do you think it’s more appropriate for each person to pay ten or twenty yuan?"

It’s 10 PM now, Shan Qingrong wasn’t asleep, he replied, "Okay."

Xin Youling internally: ??

She was somewhat exasperated, ’What does "okay" mean, should it be ten or twenty yuan?’

...

Xue Yuantong came back after brushing her teeth to find that Jiang Ning had already lost 3 kills.

This match was at the Platinum rank, Jiang Ning had been tricked countless times before, and now he intentionally lost a few kills to give his teammates a bit of a thrill, letting them experience the adrenaline of making a comeback.

However, the teammates couldn’t stand it, asking repeatedly: "How long has it been since the game started and you’ve already lost 3 kills?"

"Ah, tell me, what use are you?"

"Useless, useless!" the teammates cursed.

Xue Yuantong saw the Little Fishman’s performance and the teammates’ curse, and she too paused.

But Xue Yuantong didn’t blame Jiang Ning, she confidently typed on the keyboard:

"Of course I’m useful, and I’m very useful!"

The irritable teammate mocked, "Lost 3 kills in five minutes, you’re very proud of that, huh?"

"Come on, come on, tell me, what use are you?"

Xue Yuantong countered, "Could the game even start without me?"

The teammate was struck silent.

Jiang Ning gave Xue Yuantong the throne, returning to the sofa, waiting for Xue Yuantong to make a comeback.

The class group chat was lively.

Yu Wen stated that she was stuck in traffic on her way home tonight and even heard ambulance sirens.

Dong Qingfeng remarked it must have been a car accident.

Then, Guo Kunnan jumped in, lamenting the fragility of humanity, how a small car accident can easily take a life, and urged everyone to be careful on their way home, especially the new class monitor Xin Youling, to take good care of herself.

Yu Wen: "Every time my family goes out, I remind them to watch out for vehicles, having witnessed an accident scene once before."

Miao Zhe: "I never run red lights."

Wang Longlong: "When I cross the street, I always look left and right."

Zhang Chi: "Hehe, I just cross the street with my eyes closed, once they see me do that, they don’t even dare to hit me and stop immediately."

Dong Qingfeng: "Awesome."

Duan Shigang: "As expected of Chi Zi."

Zhang Chi, fearless of anything: "Just try and hit me to death if you can!"

At sixteen or seventeen, with nothing to lose, he lacked awe for life and viewed life and death indifferently, ready to face anything.

Cui Yu: "Unlike the elders, once at an intersection without red lights, cars rushed by aggressively without yielding, but then there was an elderly man with a cane who didn’t even look, straight-up jaywalking, and I ask, who dares to hit him? Cars on the road waited obediently for him to pass."

Wang Longlong: "Who wouldn’t yield? Who dares to hit, instantly gains a big-uncle relationship!"

The chat swung back to car accidents and finally to death.

Yu Wen: "I heard that when a person dies, they don’t die instantly, but die gradually."

Dong Qingfeng: "That’s true."

"There’s a saying I’ll tell you, after a person dies, their senses may still function briefly, like hearing, so even if the heart stops beating, one might still hear what’s outside."

"But, even if they can hear, they won’t understand what’s being said."

Jiang Yanan: "Really?"

Jiang Yanan is quite popular in class, and her appearance drew out quite a few boys.