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Chapter 575: Chapter 369: Troubles at Home and Abroad
Yu Wen had asked Shen Qing’e because after seeing Chen Siyu’s koi fish jade pendant, she really wanted one for herself, but she had previously dismissed Jiang Ning in front of her friends with an air of disdain.
Where would she want to ask him for a jade pendant?
So, she tried to see if she could find a way through Shen Qing’e.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing’e’s lovely face stiffened at first, and then she said, "Jade pendant? I know about it, didn’t he post about it on his social media feed the other day? Didn’t you see it?"
Yu Wen scoffed with disdain, "Aside from the class president, I directly skip over other boys’ posts on social media. I’ve never paid attention to Jiang Ning’s posts."
Her haughty remarks reflected her devoted heart for the class president, highlighting his exclusivity to her.
Unfortunately, it was a pity that Huang Zhongfei wasn’t in the class to hear her say this.
Jiang Yanan was originally browsing forums on her phone and she asked in confusion, "Yu Wen, you’re not friends with Jiang Ning, are you?"
Yu Wen’s face showed embarrassment.
Shen Qing’e asked, "What do you want with the jade pendant?"
Yu Wen said, "Jiang Ning gave Chen Siyu a jade pendant, did you see it? That koi fish one looked pretty nice."
Shen Qing’e made an "oh" sound, "If you want one, you should just buy it online."
But Yu Wen was serious, if she could easily buy one, she wouldn’t want it.
However, Shen Qing’e’s indifferent stance left Yu Wen struggling to find an angle to pursue.
...
After class in the afternoon, Yu Wen enjoyed the snacks Dong Qingfeng had run out to fetch for her. Today, she and Jiang Yanan bought fried pancakes and spicy clams to eat together.
Shen Qing’e was eating cold noodles alone.
After eating, with twenty or thirty minutes still left before classes resumed, this was the most relaxed time for the classmates. They either went out to have fun or stayed in the classroom to chat.
Yu Wen then wandered over to the south side of the classroom and discovered that Bai Yuxia also had a jade pendant, which upon inquiry, she learned was also given by Jiang Ning.
Yu Wen complained, "Why is Jiang Ning carving so many jade pendants?"
Chen Siyu, sensing Yu Wen’s ulterior motives, said, "Jiang Ning likes to practice; it’s a hobby."
Yu Wen eyed Bai Yuxia’s little tiger pendant and continued to probe, "Did he charge you?"
"No charge," replied Bai Yuxia.
Looking at the white jade little tiger, pure and innocent, exquisite and smooth, Yu Wen was deeply tempted.
Being born in the year of the tiger, she really wanted a lifebound jade piece, and the little tiger was intricately crafted, perfect for her.
"Bai Yuxia, can I take a closer look at the jade?"
Bai Yuxia showed her wrist, "Go ahead."
After looking for a while, Yu Wen’s desire grew stronger; she even thought about touching it, but Bai Yuxia refused her, explaining that "casual touching of jade can damage its spiritual energy."
Once Yu Wen left, Chen Siyu asked in surprise, "Xiaxia, are you serious or just making that up?"
Bai Yuxia calmly replied, "If you believe, it exists; if you don’t, it doesn’t."
Chen Siyu took out her koi fish pendant, "Then how should my sister and I switch our jades usually?"
"Aren’t you two the same person?" Bai Yuxia countered.
"Oh, right," Chen Siyu was reassured, as she and her sister were one and the same.
...
During the evening self-study session, news spread that Jiang Ning had given jade pendants to Chen Siyu and Bai Yuxia.
No one gossiped recklessly, after all, it wasn’t given to just one girl.
Besides, Jiang Ning had a good reputation in Class 8.
Jiang Yanan and the others discussed the jade pendants, while Duan Shigang listened silently.
Through his contacts with Cui Yu, he had begun to understand the dynamics of the Class 8 students, who was kind, who was not, and who was worth befriending—good-hearted Cui Yu had filled him in.
Once a person becomes comfortable, they start craving more, and Duan Shigang was no exception. With his strong adaptability, having been there just one day, he had already taken a liking to Jiang Yanan.
Jiang Yanan had small eyes, but her skin was especially fair, she was quite tall and, moreover, kind-hearted.
She even tried to stop him during his fight with Pang Jiao.
According to Duan Shigang’s judgment, pursuing Jiang Yanan shouldn’t be too difficult.
He pondered whether he should ask Cui Yu to probe further and find out more about this girl.
However, Duan Shigang held back as he was still new and didn’t want to make a big show of it.
Listening to the conversation, he waited for the right moment and decisively chimed in,
"Do you girls like jade pendants?"
...
The week flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was Thursday night.
Xue Yuantong lay on her desk, resting her arms, looking towards Jiang Ning by the window.
Her gaze extended beyond, to the campus swallowed by the night. Faraway teaching buildings lit up one by one, and she could even clearly see the blackboards in the classrooms illuminated by the lights.
Looking closer, the glass surface also reflected the profile of Jiang Ning reading a book.
Jiang Ning quietly read his book, a scene Xue Yuantong saw often.
She shifted her arms, finding a more comfortable position to rest.
"Jiang Ning, what are we doing this week?" Xue Yuantong wanted to know in advance.
With Jiang Ning around, she always found something to look forward to every weekend, whether it was playing games at home, watching movies, doing fun things, or just wandering around the river dam, she loved it all.
Jiang Ning contemplated and thought about the arrangements he had made on Hu Qi Mountain, and then he said, "On Saturday, we’ll have crabs at home."
Upon hearing this, Xue Yuantong ’pop’ straightened up from the desk, her bright eyes filled with joy,
"Are we catching them?"
She stroked her wrist, making a show of wanting to display her skills.
Jiang Ning looked at her.
Xue Yuantong also looked straight back at him.
Then, Xue Yuantong saw the aversion in Jiang Ning’s eyes.
"I’ll go catch them, and you wait at home for me," said Jiang Ning. The crabs were a high-quality breed he had previously arranged with Shao Shuangshuang, and were raised in the streams of Hu Qi Mountain.
Now, in June, the crabs had grown big enough in a place abundant with spiritual energy, and the time had come for them to be harvested.
"Why can’t I go? Can’t I help you?" Xue Yuantong pouted, clearly unhappy.
