Chapter 38: Such Intense Aggression

Zhuang Wenqian was no longer young, after all; she was twenty-eight.

She had stood on this three-foot-high podium ever since her university internship. From a novice student teacher to a married woman, she had seen batches upon batches of students come and go, and there was hardly any kind of chaos she hadn't witnessed.

As for the petty thoughts of high school boys, there was no brand of eccentricity she hadn't encountered before.

If one were to assume that all science students were straightforward, uncomplicated creatures simply based on the general impression of science classes, that would be nothing more than a stereotype.

It was fair to say that most boys in science classes possessed a certain natural denseness and easygoing nature, making them generally simple to get along with, but wherever there are people, there is intrigue.

If the premise that "science student does not equal free of malicious intent" holds true, then the idea that "a student saying, 'Big sister, I'm just a student, can you let me copy?' equals innocent" must also hold true.

And what difference was that from saying, "He's still just a child"?

Zhuang Wenqian remained as steady as an old dog. She had been teaching at Zhennan Middle School for six years, and her conscience had diminished just as much as her salary.

If she were a novice teacher, she probably would have taken the opportunity to make Jiang Nian translate on the spot. When he stumbled, she would have put on a stern face and lectured him.

That would have been a disaster.

To trigger a rebellious streak in one of the top English students in the class was a recipe for having him fight against you every single day. And if you happened to run into a ringleader of rebellion, it would be a catastrophe of epic proportions.

"Is that so?"

"Then, Student Jiang Nian, please provide the translation. We happen to be doing an in-depth analysis of this reading comprehension passage." Zhuang Wenqian’s voice was sweet, and she suddenly turned to look at Yu Tongjie.

"That student over there, come up and translate as well. We will compare the sentences one by one as we go through them."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tongjie froze.

Wait, it wasn't like he was the one who hadn't done the test paper; why was the English teacher asking him to translate? He had only guessed his way through about a third of this reading comprehension passage.

On the podium, Zhuang Wenqian saw that Yu Tongjie hadn't moved, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"That new student, would you please come up to the podium?"

The flexible-principled Ms. Qian put on her pretty, stern face. She knew full well that putting on a show of anger was useless against a thick-skinned student like Jiang Nian; he only responded to kindness, not force.

But this tactic worked like a charm on that mediocre-looking, average-performing, forgettable, and honest-seeming student. This was the moment to exert the authority of a teacher!

Sure enough, after being scolded, Yu Tongjie stood up, deathly pale. Clutching his test paper, he left his seat and walked to the podium with his head bowed.

The class saw this and thought, "Oh, look at that—the instigator and the target are going head-to-head on the same stage."

Jiang Nian stood on the podium, to the right of Ms. Qian, near the window by the third row. He turned to look at the nervous Yu Tongjie, thinking to himself that Ms. Qian really knew how to stir the pot.

If he failed to translate it, he would lose a bit of face at most. But Yu Tongjie wouldn't be any better off. This way, she was punishing both sides equally, and Jiang Nian wouldn't blame her.

If he succeeded in the translation, that pathetic Yu Tongjie would be the one to suffer the embarrassment.

Jiang Nian’s mind was agile, and with the knowledge of six subjects absorbed by his "memory bread," he had effortlessly completed a memory palace that others would have to spend ages training to build.

Once his vocabulary was filled in, reading an English test paper was as simple as drinking water.

He stared blankly at the empty paper, treating it no differently than an elementary school essay. At a single glance, the sentences were automatically translated in his mind.

He thought, *Screw you, Yu Tongjie, for targeting me.*

*I’m going to crush you this time!*

"Alright, students, look at the first sentence." Zhuang Wenqian read it aloud and then looked at the two "protectors" on her left and right. "Who would like to start?"

"Oh, oh, oh!!" A group of students in the class were suddenly energized. They could all see that Yu Tongjie’s instigation had personal grudges behind it. "I want to see blood in the water!"

My god, it was a real-life PvP! Ms. Qian really knew how to put on a show.

Jiang Nian said indifferently, "Let him translate first. After all, he can't stand me getting a 140 and has been telling everyone I cheated. If he translates it wrong, I’ll correct him right here on the spot."

"Holy crap!"

"Holy crap!!! That’s badass!"

"So intense, so explosive! He’s tearing off the mask completely!"

As Jiang Nian’s voice fell, the class erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm. Gossip was always human nature, and watching a public confrontation was the king of all entertainment!

Even the few students who usually ignored the world outside their windows to focus on their own work lifted their heads, their faces instantly flushing red.

The feeling of secondhand embarrassment was truly...

Ms. Qian was also stunned. It was a direct, face-to-face offensive!

Chinese people are naturally reserved; even with the deepest conflicts, they are used to resolving things in private. A simple "everyone is watching" is usually enough to soften the blow for those who want to curse each other out.

People care about their image, they fear losing face, and they don't want to lose face themselves, nor do they want to make others lose face in public.

According to the typical Chinese school drama script:

The correct procedure should be that Jiang Nian already knows about the conflict but doesn't make it public. Instead, he uses his real strength to prove he didn't cheat.

Then, he gives Yu Tongjie a disdainful smile, and Yu Tongjie is forced to grit his teeth and admit defeat. The teacher then clears Jiang Nian’s name, and the students whisper about Yu Tongjie.

After the event, surrounded by his circle of friends, Jiang Nian would lightly remark:

"It was but a passing frost."

His classmates and friends would all give him a thumbs up, saying, "Brother Nian is so capable, so cool." In ancient times, he would surely have been a Confucian general—a fierce Confucian general!

But at this moment, who would have thought Jiang Nian would play outside the rules?

He tore the mask off right then and there.

The information density of that one sentence was explosive. The classmates clearly received several pieces of information: Yu Tongjie was jealous, was spreading rumors, and had instigated the conflict.

It was reasonable—too reasonable.

Jiang Nian’s response was also tough. If he corrected every sentence Yu Tongjie translated, it was essentially saying Yu Tongjie was incompetent, which further confirmed the aforementioned information. The hostility was off the charts.

Oh my god.

When had the top students of an elite competitive class ever seen such a fierce person? Starting a fight head-on—the excitement was no less than watching a foreign paternity test show.

The English teacher, Ms. Qian, was now the judge.

The truth would be revealed in a second.

The anticipation was maxed out. Everyone in the class had flushed faces and was in a state of high excitement. Some were standing up; some were pounding on their desks.

Li Hua stood right on his chair. "Brother Nian! Badass!!"

Did their circle of friends not know how good Jiang Nian’s English was? Sometimes, even Zhang Ningzhi would turn and ask Jiang Nian directly when she forgot a word.

Damn it! He had lived for eighteen years, and this was the first time he’d seen a "cool novel" plot unfold in real life!

The chubby Ma Guojun also stood up, his face so flushed with excitement he looked like a ripe tomato. He adjusted his glasses three times in a row and shouted:

"Brother Nian, badass!"

Ma Guojun was incredibly excited. Who the hell would dare to imagine this? If it were himself—there were so many people he wanted to tear down, but he didn't have the guts. He would never be able to pull off a stunt like this in his entire life!

Yao Beibei was also egging them on. Who the hell was Yu Tongjie? They only recognized Jiang Nian!

At her seat, Zhang Ningzhi’s eyes were misty with tears of physiological reaction; her old habit of feeling secondhand embarrassment had flared up again. She thought that if she put herself in their shoes, regardless of which side she was on, she would have already burst into tears.