Chapter 9: The Diagnostic Exam

All morning long, Jiang Nian’s mind buzzed incessantly.

What was going on?

A girl?

Xu Qianqian’s words from the morning echoed in his ears: “The ID card name is Zhou Haifei. Because the college entrance exam is approaching, she hasn’t changed her name yet. Usually, she goes by Haifei.”

Damn it, Zhou Haifei is a girl!

No wonder she never showed any signs of affection from high school through college, Jiang Nian thought. What else could one say? Could it be that my chemistry skills are so good that this is some kind of aluminum-copper reaction?

But on reflection, it made sense.

Jiang Nian knew Xu Qianqian well; her orientation was definitely not in question. Forget about successful careers— even if a CEO showed up, she wouldn’t have the chance. That was a fact.

This system was modeled after his future self from another dimension, a floundering 38-year-old loser just starting out, competing against a successful person.

Besides, the reward for this task was so low—only five thousand yuan.

After the second class, during the big break,

Jiang Nian wandered around Xu Qianqian’s classroom and, seeing no teacher present, slipped inside. Usually, hopping between classes was forbidden, unless you had a thick skin.

After all, Xu Qianqian excelled in the Olympiad class and was a beautiful girl. No class monitor would suddenly lose their mind and jump out, forbidding outsiders in.

“Hey, Qianqian, your little childhood sweetheart is here,” joked a female classmate familiar with Xu Qianqian, sparking a burst of laughter. This was a common interaction among high school girls, pointing at a boy and teasing, “He’s your husband, he’s your husband.”

But this wasn’t some teenage idol drama—no one actually used foolish phrases like "campus heartthrob" casually, and being called “husband” was rarely a flattering title.

Xu Qianqian blushed and lightly tapped her deskmate.

“Don’t say nonsense.”

Jiang Nian seemed indifferent and stepped into the aisle. He started chatting with Xu Qianqian’s deskmate, teasing her with a few words until she brightened visibly.

One of the perks of moving in social circles was knowing how to engage with people.

Though it didn’t help much—apart from Xu Qianqian’s deskmate, no one cared about this boy from a parallel class.

It wasn’t discrimination per se; reality was that schools judged by grades or family background. Either one would suffice to gain popularity.

“What are you here for?”

“Oh, just asking about a math problem. This one...” Jiang Nian wrote the question on her scrap paper. Since he really didn’t understand the math, he had to ask more.

Xu Qianqian tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned over to take a look.

“Oh, for this, you use...”

Her deskmate, Song Xiyu, had bright eyes that darted between the pretty and clean-cut Jiang Nian and Xu Qianqian, her lips twitching into a smile.

At the end, Jiang Nian asked one more question.

“Which one is Zhou Haifei?”

Xu Qianqian’s brow twitched ever so slightly, but she still whispered the answer.

“Third group, fifth row by the wall, the one with glasses... Don’t stare directly at the girls, Jiang Nian, are you a pig or what?”

Jiang Nian glanced over. There was a bespectacled girl on the side of the classroom, thin, head down doing homework, hair covering half her face, making it hard to see clearly.

By some stroke of fate, the girl with glasses looked up in their direction. Their eyes met for a brief moment, revealing an ordinary face, then she casually lowered her head again.

After Jiang Nian left,

Song Xiyu poked Xu Qianqian’s waist. “Hey, Qianqian, you two really grew up together?”

“Something like that.”

“I heard when Li Bai married his childhood sweetheart, he didn’t even look back entering the bridal chamber. Must have been too awkward,” Song Xiyu teased, making Xu Qianqian blush.

“What are you talking about!”

“Li Bai.” Song Xiyu looked innocent but her eyes twinkled with mischief. “What? You thought I was talking about someone else? Are you...”

“You’re dead, Song Xiyu!”

Jiang Nian returned to his class. As for the system task, he had no good ideas for now. Since Zhou Haifei hadn’t even talked to Xu Qianqian, what could he do?

The most straightforward way was to make Xu Qianqian’s name exclusive to one person (Zhou Haifei).

But such things were just fantasies, mere daydreams.

Better to observe quietly for the time being.

For three consecutive days, Jiang Nian busied himself with math tutoring.

The first monthly exam of senior year—the so-called baseline test—was tomorrow. Compared to the system’s five thousand yuan, this was clearly more important.

He didn’t want to stay in this class. The first baseline test allowed for class transfers. Top and bottom students could swap classes—this was a tacit rule.

As for why he didn’t study physics, let’s just say the physics examiners had a slightly twisted sense of humor, and the class often produced a bunch of students scoring in the single digits.

His physics grade was not bad—around sixty points—so there was no need to waste time on it.

“Jiang Nian, since when did you start studying?” Le Zhi swaggered over, sitting across from him with a sly grin. “What happened to shock you?”

Jiang Nian looked up, pondering how to reply. He couldn’t very well say he wanted to distance himself from these jerks.

“Oh, nothing. Just studying for fun.”

“Nice tough talk. That’s a classic sign after a heartbreak,” Le Zhi said with a voice as rough as a goose’s, resembling a character from Fruit Troop’s “World’s Greatest Thief.” “Still thinking about that thing?”

Jiang Nian smiled on the surface, muttering curses at all of them in his heart.

“Everyone’s just joking around. Find a chance to talk it out, and it’ll be fine,” Le Zhi said with a chuckle, crossing his legs. “It’s weird without one person around.”

“Here’s the deal: after the exam day after tomorrow, Zhou Yuting said we’ll go for barbecue at night. Are you coming?”

Jiang Nian didn’t even raise his head. “No.”

Le Zhi lost interest and left immediately.

Jiang Nian sat at his desk, clutching his pen tightly. Suddenly, memories from the past surfaced, and he felt like a complete fool for hanging out with these people.

After all, this group just got together to show off, freely judging others one moment.

If someone was in a bad mood and others kindly inquired, they’d immediately put on a cold face like an idiot.

They admired this sudden coldness, thinking it was cool, feeling superior, looking down on others with pure dog eyes.

In the end, they were just fools, and hanging out with them would only make him one too.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Nian resumed his studies.

The next day, the baseline exam arrived.

On weekends, the first-year students had days off, freeing the teaching building for the senior exams. Because class reassignments were involved, the school took it very seriously, and the supervision was stricter than ever.

Jiang Nian carried his pencil case and found his exam room early.

The exam was arranged exactly like the college entrance exam; the first subject was Chinese. Seats were spaced widely apart.

The girl in front of him wore the summer uniform, quiet and demure, with fair arms.

When the papers were distributed, she turned around.

Her face was delicate, her brows gentle. She wore jeans paired with the summer white uniform, her skin exceptionally fair.

As she handed over her answer sheet, tendrils of hair hung like fine brush tips on either side of her cheeks, as if cutting a cool, refreshing scene into the stifling summer air.