Chapter 390: Study Hard and Improve Every Day 31

Under the warm sunlight, the young man's already handsome appearance became even more striking—he looked like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

Oh my god! So handsome it's drool-worthy.

He wore a gentle smile, his deep eyes glistening like polished gemstones, radiating a warm glow. His perfect features seemed like they had been kissed by the heavens.

Standing by the window, backlit by the sun, his slender hand lifted slightly, gesturing toward her.

For a brief moment, Qing Tian felt as if she had been struck by Cupid's arrow.

Blushing, she quickly lowered her head, feeling shy.

Seeing her adorable reaction, Jiang Boyang became even more convinced that what she had said yesterday was true.

If she didn't like him, why would she react so cutely?

Meanwhile, standing behind him, Miao Xue felt like he was about to be completely obliterated by their public display of affection (￣⊙￣).

Jiang Boyang was in a great mood, and his steps were naturally lighter and quicker.

Miao Xue had originally planned to give his "Jiang Bro" some wisdom about love and relationships, show off his knowledge a little—

But judging by how things were going, it seemed like Jiang Boyang didn't need any help at all.

Sigh~! But wait—hasn't Jiang Bro never been in a relationship before?

Who would have thought that Jiang Bro was even better at flirting than he was?!

Walking beside Jiang Boyang, Miao Xue kept up a constant inner monologue of complaints.

I must be out of touch with romance... I should hurry up and get a girlfriend before I fall too far behind.

—

In the Classroom

Before they walked in, the class had been relatively quiet, with everyone focusing on their own work.

But the moment Qing Tian stepped into the room—

The entire classroom erupted into chaos.

The school heartthrob and the campus belle—bringing bubble tea together!

666666! (Internet slang for something impressive)

Wasn't it rumored that Jiang Boyang had already given up on pursuing her?

Apparently, that was false!

Since Jiang Boyang hadn't been around for a while, the top student had taken the chance to make his move...

Could this be the beginning of a love-triangle drama?

The gossiping crowd was hyped.

The whole classroom was buzzing, but Qing Tian didn't really pay attention to the chatter.

"Why did he bring you bubble tea? When did you two start dating? Spill everything, right now!"

Qiao Yanran put on a serious face, though inside, she was absolutely dying of curiosity.

"I don't know! I also want to know why he brought me bubble tea! ⊙⊙"

Judging by her genuinely puzzled expression, it didn't seem like she was lying.

Qiao Yanran knew her well—Qing Tian wasn't the type to make things up.

"Alright~_~! But remember what I told you yesterday! Otherwise, you'll end up at a disadvantage!"

"Mhm, mhm." The girl's round eyes blinked as she nodded earnestly.

"What did she tell you?" Two other classmates leaned in, curious.

Just then, the teacher walked in.

The classroom fell silent in an instant.

Everyone rushed back to their seats.

Qing Tian quickly pulled out her textbook for the lesson.

—

P.E. Class

Even though the weather was hot, gym class continued as usual.

An 800-meter run—Qing Tian felt like she was about to die.

By the time she finished, she was completely exhausted, her mind blank.

Her body felt weak and limp. Qiao Yanran had to drag her to a shady spot under a tree to rest.

"Feeling better?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. But I'm pretty sure my legs are done for tomorrow," Qing Tian sighed. As someone who rarely exercised, she had at least enough self-awareness to expect sore muscles.

"Want me to massage them for you?" Qiao Yanran offered kindly.

"I'm good. Just let me rest against this tree for a bit, and I'll be fine."

"Alright." With a fond smile, Qiao Yanran gently patted the girl's head. "Thirsty?"

Shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand, Qing Tian glanced up at the sky and nodded honestly. "Mhm."

"Wait here. I'll go buy some water."

"Thanks!"

As she watched Qiao Yanran run off, Qing Tian couldn't help but feel like she had met an actual angel. She was just too nice.

If I were a guy, I'd totally marry her. Having such a thoughtful and energetic wife would be amazing! ^o^~

Sitting under the tree, she let herself relax.

The tree wasn't very big, so sunlight filtered through its branches, casting dappled patterns on her.

She was surrounded by fragments of golden light.

/

Chapter 391: Study Well and Improve Every Day 32

Just then—

Dun dun dun dun! "I'm back!"

The system appeared, even spinning in the air for dramatic effect.

"Welcome! Welcome! A warm welcome back! Didn't you say you'd only be gone for a short while? Why did it take so long?" Qing Tian asked, worried.

"Well, uh~!" The system rubbed its hands together awkwardly. "It's a bit hard to explain... but in the end, because we completed our mission so well, I got a 1000-point bonus!"

After speaking, the system floated down, sat in front of Qing Tian, and pulled out a black pouch. Under the sunlight, it opened the pouch, revealing a pile of dazzling gold coins.

The golden glow was so intense that Qing Tian instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes. "Ahh! Close it! It's blinding me!"

"Hehe, from now on, we can consider ourselves middle-class citizens," the system said proudly.

"Cool~ >'!" The girl's bright eyes curved into crescents, full of joy.

The frustration from running earlier melted away.

The system obediently put the gold away and casually asked, "Nothing major happened while I was gone, right?"

The girl shook her head honestly. "Nope, nothing."

"Oh~! Then I'm going to buy two ice creams to celebrate!" The system jumped up from the grass, its eyes gleaming with excitement. Even though it wasn't touching the ground, it still patted its mechanical backside out of habit.

Qing Tian leaned against a tree, hugging her knees. "Just buy one for yourself. I'm still at school, and besides, Qiao Yanran already went to buy me some water." Her voice was sweet and relaxed.

The system shook its head. "Then let's eat together tonight!"

Qing Tian: "Don't you want to eat now?"

"I do, but I'd rather eat with you! ╯^╰"

For a moment, Qing Tian felt a warm wave of emotion wash over her.

But before she could fully appreciate it, the system completely shattered the moment.

"Besides, I already ate ten just now, so I'm not in a rush!"

And with that, the system vanished in an instant.

Qing Tian: ...

"System?"

"Currently asleep. If you need me, burn some paper. Sweet dreams!"

Qing Tian: ............

—

Inside the system space, the system quietly patted its belly.

Honestly, it had lied earlier—it hadn't actually eaten any ice cream.

But when it saw Qing Tian's touched expression, it couldn't resist messing with her.

Smack smack. It'd think about ice cream again after a nap.

Sigh~! Alone again.

Even gym class was boring!

She wasn't about to play basketball—what was she, crazy?

Qiao Yanran had returned, but after handing Qing Tian her water, she ran off to join a group playing badminton.

And as a certified lazy person, Qing Tian had no intention of moving.

"You go ahead! Go! I just want to sit here and admire some handsome guys. Don't block my view—hurry up and go!"

Qiao Yanran: "Handsome guys? In our class?"

Qing Tian: "You're overthinking it. I meant the guys from other classes."

"Ugh! You scared me! I almost thought you'd lost your eyesight. There isn't a single person in our class that qualifies as 'handsome.'" Qiao Yanran spoke boldly.

"Mmm, mmm." Qing Tian nodded along.

"Hurry up! They're calling you!"

"I'm going then~!"

"Mm~."

Qiao Yanran ran off, and just as she reached the court, she unscrewed her water bottle and took a huge gulp under the blazing sun.

**Qing Tian: So bold! **

But honestly, their class did have a few decent-looking guys.

It's just that after seeing them every day, they didn't seem all that special anymore.

The ones from other classes, whom they didn't see as often, seemed more attractive simply because of the freshness factor.

So... was her attraction to Jiang Boyang just because of that same freshness?

Resting her chin on her hand, Qing Tian thought about it carefully.

Just then—

"So serious. What are you thinking about?"

A familiar, pleasant male voice spoke near her ear.

Startled, Qing Tian turned around.

Since she was sitting on a sloped surface, the young man stood a little higher, making his long, straight legs look even more striking.

/

Chapter 392: Study Hard and Improve Every Day 33

With a lazy smile, he slipped his hands into his pockets.

His fair skin, thick black hair—any girl would envy his looks.

"N-No, I wasn't thinking about anything."

Faced with his striking presence, for some reason, her heart started beating wildly again.

Damn it, can't it calm down? It was making her nervous.

Absolutely no sense of teamwork here.

"Hmm."

Jiang Boyang chose a spot slightly ahead of her and sat down, blocking most of the sunlight so she was wrapped in his shadow.

Qing Tian glanced at her short legs, then at his long legs.

Yep, comparisons really were the root of all suffering.

She almost wanted to crawl into a hole.

In a small voice, she asked, "Uh... what are you doing here?"

"Same as you—gym class."

Jiang Boyang lowered his gaze, looking at the delicate nape of her neck.

This was actually the first time he had sat this close to a girl, and he was a little nervous... but the excitement in his heart quickly drowned out any tension.

He no longer wanted to hide his feelings like before.

His deep eyes softened as they rested on the small figure before him.

She was tiny. When she spoke, her round little head bobbed slightly.

He had the sudden urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her gently.

His breathing grew heavier, his eyes darkening.

Qing Tian, on the other hand, didn't dare look at him, so she kept her gaze fixed downward on the vibrant green grass.

"Oh~."

—

Not far away, under another large tree, Miao Xue was watching them excitedly.

He wasn't even the one in a relationship, but for some reason, seeing those two sitting together made him feel strangely hyped.

That pure joy—this was the good stuff!

—

Meanwhile...

Upon hearing the news from his friend, Yu Jia's expression darkened.

As a good friend, he felt it was necessary to remind his bro—gently, of course.

Sure, the campus belle was gorgeous, but she was supposedly already with his best friend. Yet here she was, still accepting milk tea from another guy?

That was just too much.

Damn it! He really hoped the news was false.

But a good friend of his was in Class A and had secretly told him about what happened this morning, worried that Yu Jia would be heartbroken.

Of course, it wouldn't stay a secret for long.

Soon, the whole school would know, and then, Yu Jia wouldn't even need him to break the news.

Looking at his friend, who was still buried in his books, completely oblivious to the world outside, the guy sighed heavily.

"Yu Jia! Put down the book. Achieve enlightenment, my friend!"

"Rejected."

The young man cast him a cold glance, adjusting his glasses with his middle finger.

"Come on, bro! I have something really important to tell you!"

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

Yu Jia flipped the page, his tone utterly indifferent—completely different from how he acted around Qing Tian.

The guy twitched at the contrast.

This two-faced bastard.

When it came to Qing Tian, he was like an overenthusiastic puppy, eager to follow her everywhere.

But when it came to his friends? Cold as ice.

Even convincing him to play basketball took some serious begging.

If he weren't such a damn good player, they probably would've kicked him out of the group already.

The guy sighed.

"This isn't easy to explain. I need to describe it properly."

Yu Jia didn't even look up, still flipping through his book.

His friend lost patience. Time for the ultimate move.

"I saw Qing Tian."

Yu Jia instantly put his book down and stood up.

"Where?"

He adjusted his glasses, his dark eyes hidden behind the glare of the lenses.

His friend: Oh shit.

Saying her name still works like magic.

"Uh... bro, look outside! Don't you think the trees look so lush? The grass is so green! The air is so fresh!"

"Let's take a deep breath and enjoy this wonderful, natural atmosphere!"

Yu Jia didn't move.

"Okay, okay. Let's just appreciate the greenery, alright?"

Still no reaction.

Then—

CRACK!

The pen in Yu Jia's hand snapped clean in half.

His friend was stunned.

"Dude! Your pen just broke."

...

What the hell was he even staring at?

Following Yu Jia's gaze, he looked outside.

"...Holy shit!"

Damn.

He didn't even need to explain anything now.

/

Chapter 393: Study Well and Improve Every Day 34

"Jiang-ge! Time to gather!" Miao Xue waved from a distance.

The young man stood up and gently patted Qing Tian's head with his large, warm hand.

"I'll go join them now," he said softly.

"Mm-mm." The girl quickly nodded.

Watching him leave, Qing Tian unconsciously touched her head.

Mama mia~ He's such a flirt!

If he kept this up... she might actually fall for him!

She cautiously whispered, "System~? Are you there~?"

Silence.

No response in her mind—looks like the system was really asleep.

Sitting under the lush green tree, she patted her chest in relief.

"Good thing the system's asleep. Otherwise, with its personality, it would've nagged me about this all day."

She let out a deep sigh.

Back when she went to the bookstore with Yujia, the system had nagged her about it for an entire night.

Just thinking about it was painful!

She picked up a leaf, holding it up to her face as a makeshift cover, and peeked toward the group in the distance.

He was standing right there.

—

Upstairs.

"Hey, Yujia! Bro, I was just about to tell you about this, but now you've seen it for yourself. Sigh~! If you wanna cry, go ahead. I'll lend you my shoulder." The guy dramatically patted Yujia's shoulder in a show of comfort.

"Take your hand off me," came a cold and sharp glance.

The guy immediately withdrew his hand!

"I was just trying to comfort you! After all, the girl you worked so hard for turned out to be so fickle."

"If you keep insulting her like that, I might not be able to hold back from punching you," Jiang Gao casually tossed the crumbs from his snack into the trash.

His eyes darkened with irritation.

"Besides, she's not even my girlfriend yet."

The guy: ???

"Wait, weren't there rumors that you two were together?" His face was full of shock.

"Seems like my efforts weren't in vain. Rumors really are easy to manipulate," the young man removed his glasses, revealing deep, calculating eyes filled with strategy.

He opened his glasses case and carefully wiped the lenses with a cloth.

The guy: ??? "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he replied indifferently, putting his glasses back on.

—

After school.

As usual, Qing Tian was the fastest to pack up.

Since some students were already sweeping the classroom, and dust was flying everywhere, she habitually waited outside.

"Qing Tian, are you free tonight? Want to go for some tea?" Yujia approached her with a warm smile, radiating youthful energy.

"Uh... I'm afraid I can't. Actually, you really don't have to treat me to milk tea. We're classmates, and helping each other with studies is just natural," she responded politely with her usual sweet smile.

"But I still want to treat you as a thank-you. It's the right thing to do," he said, shifting the heavy books in his hands. He pushed up his glasses, looking slightly embarrassed.

One lens caught the light, reflecting a bright glare, while the other showed a faint reflection of Qing Tian's figure.

His deep eyes were locked onto her.

Seeing her hesitate, he added, "Am I bothering you?" His voice carried a hint of apology.

"No, no, no!" She couldn't possibly say yes to such a polite person—doing so might hurt his pride.

Sigh~!

"Um... Yujia, I already have plans today. Maybe another time? I promised Qiao Yanran and the others that we'd go to the milk tea shop together."

"Alright." He nodded slightly.

"Oh, by the way, I heard from a friend that Jiang Boyang confessed to you. Is that true? If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine! I'm just... a little curious," he said with a faint smile, as if it were a casual topic.

"There's nothing to hide because... it didn't happen," Qing Tian said, feeling a bit helpless.

It must've been this morning's event, getting exaggerated and spread around.

Rumors sure had a way of twisting things!

Honestly, this school was way too good at spreading gossip—one tiny incident, and it spread like wildfire!

/

Chapter 394: Study Hard and Improve Every Day 35

Awkward...

"Oh, I see. Looks like those rumors aren't reliable. I knew it—someone as dedicated to studying as Qing Tian wouldn't waste time on dating."

Qing Tian's thoughts: Actually, I still have time to play games.

"Qiao Yanran's coming out, so I'll head off now! See you tomorrow!" She raised her small hand and waved, eager to escape this painfully awkward conversation.

This guy was just too obsessed with studying.

He used to come find her every day, dragging her to the bookstore and asking her all sorts of questions.

At first, she didn't mind. But after a while, she got tired of it—it was seriously cutting into her relaxation time. He was way too clingy. Rejecting him outright felt too harsh, though, since he really was just trying to learn.

Sigh... it's my own fault for being too smart.

It felt like everyone used to ask her for help with their studies. But lately... for some reason, it was only Yu Jia who still came to her with questions.

That meant she couldn't even show off her study god aura anymore.

How boring.

With that thought, she shook her head, sighed, and linked arms with Qiao Yanran.

"Why are you shaking your head? What are you thinking about?" Qiao Yanran asked.

"I was just thinking... how is Qiao Yanran so beautiful~?"

"Of course! I do have an absolutely stunning face, after all. What's wrong? You jealous?" Qiao Yanran smirked, brushing a slender hand across her cheek while raising a teasing eyebrow.

"Mhm!" Qing Tian nodded. "I'm so jealous I want to bite you."

"Go ahead! Bite me all you want!" Qiao Yanran laughed and pinched Qing Tian's soft, chubby cheeks before letting go and dashing away.

"Oh, you're so asking for it now!"

Qing Tian bolted after her.

—

While they were busy playing around, elsewhere...

As soon as Qing