"What else did you expect, why do you think I came to find you?" Jiang Nian didn’t make a dirty joke; whether he did depended on whether Yao Beibei did. Anyway, both of them loved to talk big, like saying, your favorite thing to do is... get up in the middle of the night to do test papers? Then you’re really something. Coincidentally, there were two amazing people standing here. They were staring at each other, looking back and forth, awkwardly stuck. After a little while, Yao Beibei burst out laughing. Lin Dong, having relieved himself, passed by in the corridor, glanced at the two by the railing, and casually remarked. "Did you accept the confession?" "Confess to your mom!" Yao Beibei was not to be outdone, cursing back on the spot, "Say it again and I’ll break your legs." Yao Beibei turned her head, realizing Jiang Nian was still there. He didn’t look embarrassed at all, leaning tall on the railing. The wind blew, and his soft black hair floated with it. She cursed in her heart, then couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Facing the sincerity of this jerk, she weighed her words. "Alright, eye for an eye. I got you into trouble in class, so we’re even." "Okay." Jiang Nian was about to leave but paused, asking, "I’m thinking, should I make it up to you?" "What do you mean?" Yao Beibei raised an eyebrow. "How about I introduce you to an athlete?" Jiang Nian was getting more absurd as he spoke, pretending to pull out his phone to send it to her. "Who?" Yao Beibei looked puzzled. Jiang Nian said, "I took a few PE classes; technically, I’m an athlete." After two boring afternoon physics classes, everyone’s mind in the class was dull, almost collapsing onto the desk as soon as the bell rang. "Bro, wanna play soccer after school?" Li Hua asked. Before Jiang Nian could refuse, Ma Guojun also chimed in. "The match is in just four days, let’s practice a bit." Jiang Nian looked at the two and immediately realized he was still the captain or something, feeling a headache. "After the short self-study, will there even be a field available?" Jiang Nian was a bit speechless, "Either skip the self-study or don’t go." Hearing this, the two were a bit dumbfounded too. "Then what do we do?" "Skip, what else." Jiang Nian thought about it, "Six or seven people sneak out quietly, they won’t penalize us the first time." Li Hua and Ma Guojun exchanged a glance. In the comprehensive science office. Qingbao didn’t have a class with Class Three today and had just returned from finishing a class with Class Two. She leaned back quietly in her workstation chair. She hadn’t even let out a single hum, lasting for three seconds. Suddenly, a male teacher walked into the office. Entering, he called out loudly for Teacher Zhong, then laughed loudly. "Good news, I heard you’re up for the Teacher of the Year award." She sat up straight, looking at the male teacher in confusion. "When did this happen?" "Rumor has it, the year-end evaluation of excellence is this month." The male teacher leaned on the desk, "I heard the calculation method changed." "Based on attendance and outstanding performance in various school teaching projects, like that recent enrichment program." Upon hearing this, Qingbao leaned back again. "That was entirely relying on students being self-driven, I didn’t do much." She finally understood what he was congratulating her for, but she wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic. So, Qingbao responded perfunctorily and didn’t say more. She took out her phone to browse and indeed saw her name in the work group files, but it was just a nomination. She looked around and didn’t see many connected people. She couldn’t help but sit up again, thinking... the chances of actually winning weren’t small. Nobody disliked being recognized, especially young teachers. Qingbao was just cautious, not indifferent. Soon enough, congratulatory messages flooded her phone, making her head hurt. She responded clumsily, then lay back in the chair. Looking at the ceiling, she thought of Jiang Nian again. Thanks to him, otherwise, she might not have even been a candidate this year. Maybe she’d end up with a mediocre evaluation. Having a hugely improved student in the enrichment program meant it wasn’t mediocre anymore. After all, this was the third year of high school; if her method was reliable, it might even be implemented on a large scale after special meetings. She got up to make a cup of tea, its steam swirling upwards. Just as she was about to take a sip, she stopped, contemplating whether to visit Class Three. Seeing the time, the short self-study was almost over. School was about to end, and she figured the students might be planning to eat. After thinking about it, she decided against it. "Sun Zhicheng, what’s wrong with you, man?" Li Hua was heartbroken, "How come you’re already impotent at such a young age!" Sun Zhicheng blushed, stammering on the dusk-lit soccer field. "... Kicked it crooked." "Stop talking, Hua." Jiang Nian wore just a light piece of clothing, "Hurry and play, there aren’t many matches left." The wind howled across the sports field. The exposed dirt soccer pitch wasn’t well lit. Many first and second-year students were standing, but Class Three only had half a field. A small goal on the mini field, seven or eight people were kicking around in the cold wind. The big guy Ma Guojun hadn’t taken off a single piece of clothing, still wearing that deep blue jacket-like leader’s coat. "What if skipping the short self-study got us caught?" Hearing this, Jiang Nian took out his phone and glanced at it. "Lao Liu isn’t here." "How do you know?" P.E. committee member Liu Yang ran over kicking the ball, curious, "Got an informant in the classroom?" Jiang Nian shook his head, "Asked Cai Xiaoqing." Several boys collectively exclaimed in surprise, dumbstruck. "Damn, you got connections everywhere?" "No way, would someone as uptight as Cai Xiaoqing give you a heads up?" Liu Yang scratched his head, craning his neck to see. "Let me see, if it’s true I might as well not live." Jiang Nian thought, Cai Xiang is uptight but not stiff, no girl is immune to male charm. Besides, Cai Xiaoqing is already a bit pretty, usually a little schmoozing can get you some convenience. To be blunt, what’s the point of working hard in a job with no pay? With good relationships, of course, you can cut corners. "It’s true, damn it!" Liu Yang conceded, "Even this requires looks, I’ll try it someday too." Li Hua laughed, and directly tackled the ball from under Liu Yang’s feet. "Clown, taste my sliding tackle! Taishan Meteor Strike!" "Going for sneaky attacks, huh!" "No match for me, I’m out, I’m out." They practiced until 5:50, then went to have dinner. They managed some cooperation, barely resembling a soccer team. Other team members included Luo Yong, Hu Nianzhong, and a benchwarmer Lin Dong, but Lin Dong didn’t come. He was just filling the numbers, to step in if anyone twisted an ankle or something. The other boys in the class, like Yang Qiming and Huang Caicai, were simply not interested in soccer and refused to participate. Others were the same; even if someone had decent stamina, just hearing the match was in four days was enough to make them lose interest. Not wanting to embarrass themselves on the field or be thrashed by the other classes. Various excuses abound, to the point where they couldn’t even muster a proper soccer team, functioning only with difficulty. Back in the classroom. Li Hua and the rest were exceptionally excited, talking a lot about soccer prep. Jiang Nian, however, was barely interested; the team setup was more absurd than a ragtag army. Without some trickery, they couldn’t win against anyone. Clearly, some trickery was needed. Jiang Nian didn’t have any qualms about it. To win a game, shamelessly using tricks, he’d done it many times. The thing was, he didn’t want to practice anymore. So, he took a deep breath, clasped his hands in prayer. Praying for rain today or tomorrow, hoping no one could practice. Zhang Ningzhi, seeing this, nudged his arm. "Are you praying for the team?" Jiang Nian nodded and quickly changed the topic. "So, any homework today?" During the first evening self-study break, Yao Beibei bought snacks and was distributing them. Jiang Nian pretended to be working on problems, waiting to be fed. However, he was the only one skipped. Jiang Nian mimicked Pleasant Goat’s thoughtful gesture, then pointed at her. "Hey, what’s with you!"