Another half hour passed before Jiang Nian finally dared to continue playing with her phone under the cover of the student seated in front of her.
Messages gradually appeared in the dorm group chat, but no one replied to Jiang Nian’s breakfast bounty request.
Instead, Lu Zhiheng sent her a message.
[Lu Zhiheng: How many Babies do you have?]
Jiang Nian clicked into the chat and only then realized that, with one careless slip of her hand, she had mixed up the pinned dormitory group chat with Lu Zhiheng’s private chat.
She had sent the voice message to Lu Zhiheng.
Just as Jiang Nian was about to explain herself, Lu Zhiheng sent another message.
[Lu Zhiheng: The delivery arrived. This is where the Delivery Rider hid it. Sneak over to get it or wait until break time.]
[Lu Zhiheng: image.png]
Jiang Nian looked around and quickly found the exact spot shown in the photo.
When she saw someone quietly slip in through the back door, she immediately crouched down like a sneaky little thief and slipped out through the rear exit as well.
Then she swiftly grabbed the jianbing guozi she had been thinking about so dearly. Lu Zhiheng had even paired it with soy milk for her.
Jiang Nian had not expected the class schedule she previously sent Lu Zhiheng to actually become useful like this.
Hehe, not bad at all!
Jiang Nian secretly lowered her head and took a selfie to send him.
One hand held up the jianbing guozi while she opened her mouth as if about to bite into it, looking utterly greedy for food.
[Disguised Potato: Ahh, the other Babies are my roommates. I accidentally sent it to the wrong chat QAQ]
[Disguised Potato: But now I officially declare that you are my most beloved Baby hehe ^-^]
To show her sincerity, Jiang Nian even changed Lu Zhiheng’s contact name and sent him a screenshot.
True · Most Beloved Baby.
After sending the message, Jiang Nian happily prepared to eat.
Halfway through the meal, System 999 suddenly popped out to announce again:
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng’s dislike value +2. Current dislike value: 52.】
System 999 even condensed its glowing little body into the shape of a heart.
【Niannian, you’re amazing! You’re truly the most outstanding Host I’ve ever guided!】
Of course, it would never tell Jiang Nian that she was actually the very first Host it had ever guided.
Still, based on what it had seen on the forums, a Host who completed half the mission progress bar within three weeks was already extremely impressive!
Though the further the dislike value progressed, the harder it became to earn more.
Simple little antics would definitely not be enough anymore.
A dislike value of one hundred percent could practically be called hatred.
Jiang Nian replied:
【No exaggerated praise allowed!】
After class ended, Jiang Nian returned to the dormitory and stopped by a pharmacy to buy an anti-inflammatory spray for Su Shishi’s ankle.
After finishing her nap, she woke up again at one-thirty in the afternoon, only to realize she had not even eaten lunch yet.
There was one new message on her phone.
[Fish: Grandma’s being discharged from the hospital today. Are you coming?]
Jiang Nian rubbed her eyes and replied.
[Disguised Potato: What time?]
[Fish: Five in the afternoon. She also wants to stop by the Welfare Institute.]
Jiang Nian still had one afternoon class with Xu Yuner, and after class she could head directly to the hospital.
[Disguised Potato: Okay.]
…
After class ended, Jiang Nian returned to the dormitory to drop off her backpack before taking a taxi to the hospital.
Right outside the ward entrance, Jiang Nian surprisingly received a message initiated by Lu Zhiheng.
[Most Beloved Baby: Want to meet tomorrow?]
After thinking for a moment and realizing she had nothing else planned, Jiang Nian replied.
[Disguised Potato: Sure! Where are we going?!]
[Most Beloved Baby: Want to watch a movie?]
[Disguised Potato: Yes!]
Jiang Nian was extremely supportive.
Soon after, Lu Zhiheng sent her a movie list.
[Choose one.]
[Disguised Potato: Mm-hmm, let me take a look.]
While Jiang Nian was choosing, a warm male voice suddenly sounded beside her.
“Standing here like a wooden statue?”
Jiang Nian turned her head and saw Lin Xiangyu glancing at her sideways.
“Why aren’t you going in?”
Jiang Nian gave him a fake smile. “Replying to a message. Please, go ahead.”
The corners of Lin Xiangyu’s lips twitched. “So polite.”
Jiang Nian patted her chest proudly. “Of course. I respect the elderly and cherish the young.”
Lin Xiangyu: “……”
Why was this girl so sharp-tongued? He had not even provoked her.
Jiang Nian ignored the now-silent Lin Xiangyu. She selected a movie that looked very interesting and sent it to Lu Zhiheng.
[Disguised Potato: I want to watch this one.]
Lu Zhiheng quickly replied:
[Okay. The tickets are bought.]
[Most Beloved Baby: I’ll pick you up tomorrow.]
Jiang Nian suddenly felt the same excitement as an elementary school student preparing for a spring outing.
The moment she looked up again, she noticed Lin Xiangyu was still standing there.
“Waiting for me? Let’s go then!”
Lin Xiangyu raised a brow. “Do you know the way you were grinning at your screen just now looked pretty creepy?”
If he had not seen wrong, that contact name alone was enough to give him goosebumps.
Jiang Nian widened her eyes. “Was it really that bad?!”
It had been so long since she last went to a movie theater. Was she not allowed to look forward to it a little?
“At your age, studying properly should be the important thing.”
Lin Xiangyu gave Jiang Nian a meaningful look before pushing open the ward door and walking in first.
Jiang Nian quickly followed after him. The moment she entered, she heard Grandma Ji exclaim in delight:
“Oh my, Xiao Nian, you came too? Aren’t you busy today?”
Jiang Nian smiled. “Not busy. I came after class. Grandma, your waist is really alright now, right?”
“The doctor already said there’s no major issue. I just need to recover at home for a while longer.” Grandma Ji patted Lin Xiangyu’s shoulder. “Xiao Zhou finally agreed to let me leave.”
Lin Xiangyu replied helplessly, “I was just afraid you’d overexert yourself.”
Grandma Ji hurriedly said she understood, then looked toward Jiang Nian and cautiously asked, “Do you want to come with us to the Welfare Institute?”
Ever since entering high school, Jiang Nian had moved into the school dormitory. She only returned occasionally during winter or summer breaks, and after entering university, she had appeared even less often.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Nian nodded. “Sure.”
She also wanted to see the place where the original owner had grown up.
…
The Spring Welfare Institute was not located in the city center. In fact, it was in a rather remote area.
Because the land there was spacious and the rent was cheap, Grandma Ji had been able to keep the place running.
Jiang Nian rode in the same car as Grandma Ji and her family, while Lin Xiangyu drove separately.
By the time they arrived, Lin Xiangyu had already gotten out of his car and was fooling around in the yard with several children.
Grandma Ji worriedly called out, “Slow down, all of you! Don’t run outside once it gets dark!”
Lin Xiangyu waved at Grandma Ji. “Don’t worry, Grandma! I’m watching them!”
Then he immediately ran off with the children in a puff of smoke.
As Jiang Nian stepped into the courtyard, the locked memories in her mind seemed to gradually awaken as well, and a strange familiarity with the little yard surged over her.
Jiang Nian pushed open the door. Several children inside were studying. Some shyly glanced at her, while others curiously stared at her.
One child directly asked, “Pretty Older Sister, who are you?”
The next second, the children’s attention was stolen by the people behind her.
“Grandma, you’re back!”
Cheers rose one after another.
After Ji Chunlan calmed the scene down, she introduced Jiang Nian briefly before saying, “Xiao Nian, how about helping tutor them for a bit? Your uncle, auntie, and I are going to cook.”
Jiang Nian originally wanted to help in the kitchen, but Ji Chunlan said cooking such a large meal was difficult enough already, and Jiang Nian going over would only create more chaos.
Seeing that most of the children were elementary and middle school students, Jiang Nian decided to stay, figuring she probably would not mislead anyone too badly.
Soon, sounds of washing vegetables and preparing ingredients came from the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nian sat in the room watching the children do homework, occasionally answering their random off-topic questions before urging them to continue writing.
“Older Sister, Older Sister, how do you solve this problem?”
After sitting there for twenty minutes, Jiang Nian finally received an actual tutoring request.
She glanced at the question before asking, “Little sister, this is a ninth-grade problem?”
“Mhm! It’s an Olympiad problem,” the little girl replied innocently. “Older Sister, you’re a university student, so you definitely know how to solve it!”
Jiang Nian fell silent.
First, Older Sister feared math the most, because what she did not know was simply what she did not know.
Second, the moment Older Sister became a university student who no longer needed advanced mathematics, all the knowledge in her brain had already been returned to the factory.
Suddenly, Jiang Nian remembered she still had Study God Lu Zhiheng in reserve, and immediately regained confidence.
“Little sister, wait a moment, okay? Older Sister will go take a closer look.”
As Jiang Nian slowly walked toward the front row, she secretly snapped a picture of the problem and sent it to Lu Zhiheng.
[Disguised Potato: Oh my god, you hit the jackpot!]
[Disguised Potato: There’s only one chance to win the lottery, first come first served! Whoever discovers the secret hidden in this image first will receive the grand prize!]
Jiang Nian anxiously waited.
Lu Zhiheng had a full day of classes today, so she had no idea whether he would even reply.
Still, she had already done her best to make sure he would open their chat window.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Nian’s marketing-account-style tactic actually worked.
Two minutes later, Lu Zhiheng replied.
[Most Beloved Baby: Revisiting middle school knowledge?]
Jiang Nian immediately confessed.
[Disguised Potato: Not me. I’m tutoring a child with homework…]
Less than thirty seconds later, Lu Zhiheng sent back an image.
[Most Beloved Baby: This explanation should be easier to understand.]
Lu Zhiheng appeared to be in a meeting. The paper in the image was filled with English words and strange symbols Jiang Nian could not understand.
Beneath that, however, was the answer written neatly for the little girl, complete with detailed steps.
His handwriting was vigorous and powerful, clearly something he had practiced before.
[Disguised Potato: Thank you, mighty hero!]
Jiang Nian showed the answer to the little girl, who immediately looked as though enlightenment had struck her.
“Wow, thank you, Older Sister! I know how to solve it now!”
Jiang Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If the little girl still had not understood, Jiang Nian would have had to beg Lu Zhiheng for help again.
Just then, another message from Lu Zhiheng popped up.
[Most Beloved Baby: Where’s my reward?]