September 12th, 5:00 PM.
Xue Yuantong found it strange that Jiang Ning hadn't left the house all day.
Last night before she went to sleep, she had heard Jiang Ning return, but today there had been no movement next door, nor the aroma of cooking.
This meant that Jiang Ning hadn't eaten all day.
'Could he have overslept?' she couldn't help but wonder.
That didn't seem right. Jiang Ning was a very disciplined man, even though he came back late every night, he always got up on time in the morning.
Not having seen Jiang Ning all day, Xue Yuantong felt like something was missing, yet it seemed like he was always there because she was connected to his wifi.
'Tonight I have evening self-study, Jiang Ning couldn't have forgotten, right? Should I call him?'
Xue Yuantong suddenly remembered she didn't have Jiang Ning's phone number.
This was a bit awkward, she had been riding in his car for a few days, using his wifi, and yet she neither had his number nor was a QQ friend.
'I'll ask him for it tonight.'
Xue Yuantong was planning this when Jiang Ning opened the door.
"Jiang Ning, did you oversleep?" Xue Yuantong asked him.
Jiang Ning nodded. After finishing making the Qi Gathering Pill last night, it wasn't long before dawn, and later, while absorbing the power of the Elixir Pills and enhancing his cultivation, he unintentionally stayed up all night.
He simply slept until now today.
"Have you eaten? I made dumplings, want to try my cooking?" Xue Yuantong said.
"Yes, I'd love to."
"I haven't eaten either, come with me."
It was just Xue Yuantong at home, Aunt Gu wasn't there. From Jiang Ning's observations over the past two days, it seemed Aunt Gu had found a cashier job at a local restaurant, only returning home around 9 PM.
Xue Yuantong cooked portions for three people—she ate half a portion, Jiang Ning ate two and a half portions.
Jiang Ning carried a folding table to the door and moved two small stools.
Xue Yuantong prepared a bowl of dipping sauce for the dumplings, and the two sat around the small table, facing the setting sun, chatting as they ate.
"What's your QQ number, Jiang Ning?" Xue Yuantong asked first, she was never one to hesitate.
Jiang Ning gave out his QQ number, and Xue Yuantong searched it, noting that Jiang Ning's QQ level was two moons.
Her level was one sun and two moons, suddenly feeling like she had won, she didn't hesitate to use up data, leaving QQ running in the background every day.
After Jiang Ning accepted her friend request, she saw that he was online with his prestigious iPhone, her recent feeling of triumph vanished, the dumplings in her mouth no longer tasted as good.
Jiang Ning was unaware that Xue Yuantong compared like this, knowing that in the future everyone would use WeChat, QQ levels and such would become completely unimportant.
After Jiang Ning accepted her on QQ, he realized there were several messages in his inbox.
One of them was from Shen Qing'e the day before yesterday: "Jiang Ning, are you coming home for the vacation?"
Jiang Ning casually replied: "No."
The response came back instantly: "Are you borrowing someone else's phone?"
Shen Qing'e was online and seeing Jiang Ning's iPhone logged in, found it unbelievable. She knew Jiang Ning's family situation well; his parents were workers who didn't earn much money in a year.
His parents couldn't possibly buy him an iPhone, it must be someone else's phone he had borrowed to show off.
Jiang Ning glanced at it and didn't reply, logging out instead. After years of working in the future, he particularly disliked meaningless social interactions. With that time, he would rather eat a couple more of Xue Yuantong's dumplings while they were hot.
After finishing the dumplings, Xue Yuantong went to wash the dishes.
Jiang Ning swallowed an Elixir Pill and sat on a small stool to cultivate.
When going to school, Xue Yuantong facing Jiang Ning's warm invitation, couldn't refuse and 'reluctantly' sat on the back seat of the mountain bike.
Jiang Ning thought the mountain bike his cousin Jiang Junlong had given him was really good, it had a mudguard and an extra soft seat, especially suitable for carrying someone.
Xue Yuantong sat sideways, her slender legs swaying with the wind.
Jiang Ning was very skilled at cycling, no matter how much she swung around, the bike remained smoothly steady,
Looking at Jiang Ning's back, she felt a strange sense of security, as if no matter what dangers might appear ahead, Jiang Ning would shield her, keeping her from harm.
The next moment, Xue Yuantong felt a sense of shame for that thought, she was Xue Yuantong after all.
What a joke, she needs protection?
"Jiang Ning, I'll give you a ride on my bike tomorrow," Xue Yuantong patted his chest, boasting boldly.
"Forget it, Aunt Gu said you can't ride a bike."
Xue Yuantong froze, absurdly thinking: 'Crap, did my mom just betray me?'
Being exposed by Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong was terribly embarrassed; wasn't her image in Jiang Ning's mind now lowered by several levels?
No way, when she got home tonight, she definitely had to make sure her mom wouldn't tell Jiang Ning everything!
"She's wrong, I just can't ride an electric bike, but I can ride a bicycle. Don't believe me? Come down, and I'll show you right now," Xue Yuantong argued.
"Really? This is the first time I've heard someone can ride a bicycle but not an electric bike," Jiang Ning said, exaggerating.
Seeing Jiang Ning's astonishment, Xue Yuantong said proudly, "Of course, I'm pretty special."
"I ride my bicycle super fast."
"I can do a 180° drift."
"I can even ride no-hands."
"You know what no-hands means, right? Not using the handlebars, freeing up both hands."
"I can even make turns no-hands."
Xue Yuantong spoke very seriously, and gradually, she convinced herself.
Listening to her, Jiang Ning felt a headache coming on: "Oh, then try it."
Xue Yuantong... Jiang Ning is really annoying.
Ultimately, Xue Yuantong found an excuse, saying she wasn't up for riding today, and she glossed over it.
...
Yu Zhou Fourth Middle School, garden bench.
Lin Zida handed a can of Red Bull to the guy next to him, asking,
"Wang Yong, you told me the day before yesterday that during the evening self-study after military training, someone in your class had a fight, right?"
"Yeah, Brother Lin, the guy who fought was Song Sheng. He was literally kicked flying out; it was so thrilling," Wang Yong still appeared excited discussing it.
Lin Zida just smiled, he hadn't witnessed it himself, and couldn't empathize as Wang Yong did.
He was asking about this today because his cousin, Ding Shuyan, had asked him for help.
Interestingly, after Song Sheng was sent to the Third People's Hospital yesterday, Ding Shuyan inquired with Uncle Han from the hospital this morning. Uncle Han got a senior orthopedic doctor to check and they informed them, based on the injuries, that Song Sheng's fractures were caused by being struck with an object.
Lin Zida and his friends found it unbelievable because they hadn't seen anyone attack Song Sheng. Surprised by this, Ding Shuyan asked him to inquire about what had happened to Song Sheng.
"Do you remember who Song Sheng was fighting?" he asked.
Wang Yong nodded. Previously, he had shared this story with Lin Zida, who hadn't been concerned about who it was, but now he suddenly asked, and Wang Yong did not hide it.
"It was our classmate, Jiang Ning. He's quite an interesting guy. His military stance during training was exceptionally standard; even Instructor Li praised him. We thought he was only good at holding that stance but never expected he was so fierce in a fight."
Wang Yong had a good impression of Jiang Ning, who had stood up for a classmate that day. He truly admired that sort of righteous behavior.
Pretending to be interested, Lin Zida asked,
"Did he and Song Sheng have a conflict? Why did they fight?"
"No conflict. That day Song Sheng and Dan Kai Xuan were fighting at the back of the classroom. Song Sheng knocked over several desks. He was really fierce; I reckon ordinary people couldn't beat him. The two were eventually pulled apart, and just when it seemed resolved,"
"Jiang Ning stepped forward, asking Song Sheng to apologize to the classmates whose desks he had knocked over, and then they started fighting. Or rather, it was mostly Song Sheng getting beaten up. After being kicked down, Jiang Ning did this."
Wang Yong grabbed a handful of grass from the ground and gave it a gentle tug.
"Jiang Ning just pulled him up like that, it looked painful."
Imagining the scene made Lin Zida feel uneasy.
"Ask around tonight if there's any other conflict between Jiang Ning and Song Sheng," he instructed.
Wang Yong had no objections. His family belonged to one of the lower-tier families in the compound.
Lin Zida, on the other hand, was from the absolute top tier. Wang Yong had always wanted to be part of their circle but just couldn't fit in. Now that Lin Zida needed his help, he couldn't have been more eager!
Despite only being fifteen or sixteen, high school students aren't foolish. Some, having rich experiences, had a maturity level that wasn't lesser than adults. Wang Yong, having grown up in a large compound, had been exposed to societal norms from a young age and early on knew the subtleties of human relationships.