Chapter 24: The Young Lady of Nanjiang Bay

Dropping the heavy basket of books onto the floor, Jiang Nian straightened his back and wiped away sweat that wasn't really there.

Zhang Ningzhi handed him a tissue, which he promptly shoved into his pocket. This move left the young girl stunned, her mouth hanging open, momentarily unable to find words.

Jiang Nian was in a good mood. "Oh, I'm just saving it to wipe down the desk later. I'm moving up to Class 403, too."

"Really?" Zhang Ningzhi looked pleased. Being suddenly thrust into a strange group, having a companion was certainly a relief. "You can just ask me for tissues from now on."

In school, tissues were a hard currency.

Zhang Ningzhi was genuinely happy. The promotion list only showed students from one's own class; she hadn't realized that the boy sitting behind her during the exam was also being promoted.

As she spoke, she rummaged through her desk cubby and produced an entire pack of tissues, handing them to Jiang Nian.

Having already received the box of fruit-flavored milk from him earlier, accepting things from Zhang Ningzhi felt like a natural progression. Back and forth, their relationship grew closer.

Before long, another boy appeared in front of Class 403. Wearing glasses and appearing somewhat reticent, he caught Jiang Nian's attention. Seeing him carrying his desk alone, Jiang Nian stepped forward to lend a hand.

"Hey, buddy, are you moving up too?"

"Yeah, I'm Yu Tongjie."

"I'm Jiang Nian, and this young lady here is Zhang Ningzhi," he said, introducing them both. "Not many people are moving up to 403; I think it’s just the three of us."

Zhang Ningzhi spoke softly, and Yu Tongjie was a man of few words. After a brief exchange, silence settled over the corridor once again.

Jiang Nian gave up on the conversation and leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance.

Zhennan County High School was located in the heart of the old town's main street, with the old campus situated in the most bustling area. Outside lay a main thoroughfare lined with shops catering to every daily need.

There were two large supermarkets, the People's Hospital's first and second branches, and at the end of the bend stood the Zhennan County Government. The Education Bureau sat diagonally across from the school, and various government departments were scattered like stars across the surrounding streets.

The Bureau of Agriculture, Maternal and Child Health Center, Epidemic Prevention Station, and Tax Bureau all surrounded the school like stars around the moon. There wasn't a single high-rise in the immediate vicinity.

Only a kilometer away could one find low-lying, older residential compounds. Beyond that was the high-end residential area of Nanjiang Bay, where bare-shell property prices exceeded 800,000.

Further out was the riverside, where a branch of the Nanjiang River flowed into Zhennan County, forming an alluvial plain.

The county government had built Nanjiang Park along the banks, and the Zhennan Bridge connected to the distant mountains, leading to Qingmu Ridge—one of the county's most famous spots for hiking and watching the sunrise.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz.* The morning exercises had ended, and the sound of a bustling crowd rose from the stairwell.

The high-achievers from the Olympiad class were back.

Compared to the standard classes, the Olympiad classes were like outer-sect disciples. The "Zero Class" was the inner circle—the apple of the school's eye and the reserve force for top-tier universities like Tsinghua and Peking.

The atmosphere in the Olympiad classes was relatively relaxed, much like the standard ones. A group of boys came up the stairs, laughing, shouting, and chasing each other, while the girls moved in small clusters like a flock of nimble white seagulls.

Before entering their classroom, they cast curious glances at the three people hauling desks and chairs upstairs, mostly understanding that these were the students moving up.

However, whether they were truly "new classmates" remained to be seen, as there were two promotion exams: one at the end of September and one at the end of October. September was the baseline, and October was the joint exam across eighteen counties.

November would bring the joint exam for six cities, and the end of the year would feature the provincial joint exam overseen by the Department of Education.

The homeroom teachers had made these arrangements clear; the opportunity to move up only existed in September and October, though it didn't really affect the internal stability of the classes.

It was difficult for those below to move up, just as it was for those in the Olympiad classes to be demoted. The main flux came from those moving up who either couldn't adapt or had inflated scores and were subsequently dropped.

Ultimately, the October joint exam wouldn't affect the core Olympiad students. It was merely a quality check for those moving up and the final chance for students in lower classes to advance.

Zhang Ningzhi lowered her head under the collective gaze, instinctively hiding behind Jiang Nian like a little ostrich.

Jiang Nian found it amusing and asked curiously, "What did you score this time?"

Zhang Ningzhi looked up and timidly reported a score: "609."

*Holy crap, she's the real powerhouse!* A student from a standard class scoring at the level of a top-tier university!

Even though it was just a baseline exam and the questions weren't too difficult—and she wouldn't rank at the very top of the Olympiad class—in a standard class, she was absolutely in a league of her own.

"What about you?" Zhang Ningzhi asked.

"Lower than you, 573," Jiang Nian smiled.

"Oh, 573." Zhang Ningzhi didn't seem very good at comforting people, whispering, "It's okay, 573 is also very high."

*Sumimasen, Zhizhi-chan, I didn't mean to leave you unsatisfied.*

Jiang Nian didn't feel much about the score; as long as he could maintain a mid-tier level, that was enough. The knowledge was already imprinted in his mind, and a bit of understanding was all he needed to handle the exams.

As for aiming for the absolute peak, he had no such thoughts for now.

*Are you kidding? You want me to fight Sukuna?*

Before long, the homeroom teacher for Class 403 arrived. He was short, thin, with thinning hair and black-rimmed glasses. He introduced himself as Liu Liangsong, the Chinese teacher.

Liu Liangsong asked the three to wait a moment before entering the classroom to announce some matters. He found a few students to help the three who were being demoted move their desks and chairs downstairs, offering them a few words of encouragement before they left.

One boy had a great attitude: "Old Liu, it's a good thing I didn't get into your support group. If I had, wouldn't you have been busy for nothing? Will we see each other again, Old Liu?"

"If we meet again, you must be happy, okay, Old Liu..."

Old Liu was speechless. "Study hard, stop messing around, and get your grades up."

Finally, Old Liu sighed and turned to the three newcomers. He asked for their names one by one, likely trying to match their names to their scores.

"Go on in. Zhang Ningzhi and Jiang Nian, take the empty seats in the third row. Yu Tongjie, the first row."

Near the back door of the classroom, people were already peeking in with curiosity.

Jiang Nian looked at Zhang Ningzhi and offered, "We're both in the third row. Let me help you move your things in first?"

"Okay."

Liu Liangsong had intended to call some class committee members to help, but seeing Jiang Nian's initiative, he dismissed the thought. It was just a desk, after all; nothing major.

And so, in full view of everyone, Jiang Nian moved Zhang Ningzhi's desk inside first, and she followed him out to help him carry his chair.

Meanwhile, Yu Tongjie had also finished moving his furniture, settling into a spot against the wall in the first row.

The English teacher arrived. Homeroom teacher Liu Liangsong gave an apologetic smile, took a few minutes to introduce them, and asked the three to take turns introducing themselves.

Jiang Nian went up first: "I'm Jiang Nian, from Class 303 downstairs..."

With his lead, Yu Tongjie went up second, basically following Jiang Nian's template. The introductions were simple: name, where they came from, and where they lived.

After all, it wasn't October yet, so they weren't fully "classmates" yet; it was enough to just hit the highlights.

Zhang Ningzhi was a bit shy. She went up last and spoke stutteringly:

"I... I'm Zhang Ningzhi. My previous class was 307, and I live over in Nanjiang Bay."