Chapter 49: Brother Nan Can Do Anything!
By the time Mu Xiangxiang returned to the classroom, the second exam had not yet begun.
There was no trace of tears left on her face. As she made her way back along the corridor, everything before her eyes felt strangely novel.
The same familiar hallways. The same familiar campus. The same familiar Yingcheng students brushing past her in their school uniforms.
Yet now that she was no longer walking with her head lowered and her gaze fixed on the ground, those familiar things somehow seemed completely unfamiliar.
For example, the inspirational quotations hanging from the ceiling of the corridor—she had no idea when they had been put up. Or the peach blossom grove that stretched across nearly an entire hillside inside the campus grounds, blooming in soft pink splendor beneath the spring sun. Or the Yingcheng students she passed, people whose faces had never left any impression in her memory, who now greeted her from time to time as they crossed paths.
The first time someone greeted her on the way over, Mu Xiangxiang had actually frozen for a moment.
By the time she was heading back, however, she could already respond calmly with a smile and a nod.
Before she even reached the classroom door, she could hear her own name drifting out from inside—
“Damn, when I followed them to the office earlier, I sneaked a peek. Guess what? The entire office was crowded around Mu Xiangxiang’s exam paper!”
“Spends every day playing basketball instead of taking notes, turns in random homework, and then dominates every exam she takes. Yep, that’s so Mu Xiangxiang. If only she’d lend me half her brain.”
“Get a grip. She was the third-highest scorer in the high school entrance exams. Honestly, I already knew she was insanely good back in first year. Her entrance exam score was almost a third higher than mine, guys. On the first day of school, I saw her standing at the door with that huge backpack, expressionless. The posture, the aura—without even introducing herself, I knew this woman was no ordinary person.”
“Cut the crap. Before this semester, I never saw you voluntarily say more than a few words to her.”
“That’s because my heart was willing but my courage wasn’t, okay? Besides, compared to the current Mu Xiangxiang, who starts throwing punches whenever someone annoys her, the old Mu Xiangxiang was way gentler. QAQ”
“But she seems to be in a pretty good mood today. I ran into her on my way back from the restroom earlier. I greeted her and she actually nodded and smiled at me.”
Staring at the class sign hanging above the door, Mu Xiangxiang blinked. The moment she pushed the door open, the discussion abruptly died.
The sight of the entire class falling silent and turning to look at her was no different from before. But this time, Mu Xiangxiang did not lower her head and quietly return to her seat. Instead, she took a deep breath. Her cool fingertips dug into her palms. Carefully, awkwardly searching for the words, she spoke in a dry voice: “...What are you talking about?”
Her voice was still somewhat quiet, but the clumsy greeting landed like a drop of water in hot oil, instantly shattering the frozen atmosphere.
“Ahahaha—” Several boys—the very same ones who had rushed to grab chairs the fastest earlier—shot to their feet, wearing guilty smiles. “Talking... talking about the next exam, of course!”
Meeting the calm gaze the girl directed at them from the doorway, they recalled the oppressive conditions under which Class One’s boys had been living recently. For a brief moment, they were already mentally prepared to be beaten up one by one. Yet after a long wait, the girl standing by the door did not get angry. She merely curled her lips slightly and said evenly, “Oh? Is that so? I see.”
Then she calmly returned to her seat. The smile on her lips never faded.
Still smiling faintly, she began tidying her desk.
The boys, who had never expected to escape disaster, stared at her smile in stunned silence.
A moment later, a hushed voice drifted from a corner of the classroom—
“Hey... have you guys noticed?”
“Why does Mu Xiangxiang seem even prettier than usual today?”
*****
Suddenly sensing someone standing nearby, Mu Xiangxiang looked up and found herself facing several girls she had barely spoken to over the past year and a half.
The girls stood together, looking somewhat embarrassed. They nudged one another. “You say it.”
“No, you say it.”
Perhaps it was because Mu Xiangxiang was smiling and seemed approachable at the moment that they finally found some courage. In the end, Gao Yan blurted out, “Ah, whatever,” and stepped forward. “Um, Mu Xiangxiang. School gets out early after the exams today. Everyone in class was talking about going out together this afternoon. Want to come with us?”
Looking at Gao Yan standing beside her desk, Mu Xiangxiang felt slightly dazed. In her memory, there had always been a clear boundary between herself and these girls. Just like that birthday party back in first year—the one she later learned about from others, where everyone in the class had attended except her.
Perhaps because she did not answer immediately, the other girls, who had been hanging back quietly, grew anxious as well. Class committee member Lin Long stepped behind Gao Yan and joined in persuading her. “Come on, come with us. The weather’s so nice today. We’re just taking a stroll around the city. It won’t be too tiring.”
“Exactly. There’s a huge food expo in town these days. I heard it’s really large-scale and professionally organized. People from neighboring provinces are even coming specially to attend. It’s such a rare opportunity.”
“Sure.”
“Come on, come on—”
Gao Yan was about to continue echoing the others when she suddenly realized she had heard something. She looked at the girl sitting before her. The short-haired girl had already turned back to continue tidying her desk. After a moment of confusion, Gao Yan asked, “Did you just say something?”
Maybe it was her imagination, but earlier that morning she had once again sensed that long-familiar distance from Mu Xiangxiang. Ever since the birthday gathering, none of her invitations—whether “Let’s go to the restroom together” or “Want to go shopping this weekend?”—had ever succeeded a second time. When Mu Xiangxiang remained silent just now, Gao Yan had been nervous. Amid the noise, she wasn't even sure whether the answer she heard had really come from her.
The usually calm girl paused her movements, turned back, and smiled. “Yes,” she said, the amusement still lingering in her eyes. “I said sure.”
“Now then,” she continued, her clear gaze sweeping toward the classroom, “hurry back to your seats. The exam’s about to start.”
Watching the girls laugh and chatter as they returned to their desks, delighted that they had succeeded, Mu Xiangxiang let her gaze linger on their backs. For a moment, her focus drifted.
Memories flickered rapidly through her mind like slides in a projector—scene after scene of walking alone, one after another. In the end, they dissolved into a self-mocking chuckle.
Really. Everything had changed.
And she had a certain someone to thank for that.
The moment she thought of Qiao Nan, however, a flood of thoughts exploded in her head again. Suppressing them with great effort, she accepted the exam paper handed out by the proctor.
The second exam was Physics. The instant she received the paper and saw the questions, Mu Xiangxiang suddenly felt as though she had forgotten something.
What was it?
Too much had happened that morning. Emotions and experiences were tangled together inside her head, making it impossible to sort through them quickly.
Only after the starting bell rang and she lowered her head to tackle the first question did inspiration suddenly strike.
Oh no!
Before switching bodies back with Qiao Nan, she had signed up at No. 12 High School for City A’s high school biology competition!
How had she forgotten about that?
Then again, it was hardly surprising. Ever since childhood, in order to earn prize money and help support her family, entering competitions had been as routine to Mu Xiangxiang as eating and sleeping. And a biology competition was exactly the kind of event she barely needed to think about—generous prize money, relatively low difficulty. She had simply recommended herself, registered, and promptly forgotten about it, intending only to keep an eye out for the competition notice later.
Was the competition notice supposed to come out today?
The thought instantly gave her a headache. She still hadn't told Qiao Nan about it. So she immediately reached out, intending to grab her phone.
The moment she pulled her phone out of her pocket, however, the proctor pacing around the classroom spotted it. “Hey, hey, hey!” The teacher's eyes widened. He strode over and immediately held out a hand.
“The exam's started! What are you doing?!”
Mu Xiangxiang: “...”
The proctor recognized her face and paused for a moment. A quick glance at the untouched exam paper on her desk relaxed his expression somewhat. He certainly didn't suspect last year's provincial high school biology competition gold medalist of cheating. Even so, rules were rules. He couldn't allow a student to violate exam regulations. Keeping a stern face, he stuffed the confiscated phone into his pocket. “No electronic devices after the bell rings. I'll let it slide this time, but I'm confiscating the phone for now. Come get it from me after you hand in your paper.”
Mu Xiangxiang: “...”
Under the curious gazes of her classmates, she might have become much more open-minded lately, but she still hadn't cultivated the ability to argue shamelessly with teachers.
Forget it. The message wasn't that urgent anyway.
Besides, with Qiao Nan's personality, if there was something he didn't want to do, he would refuse outright. Anyone who had seen him fighting or cursing would know how forceful he could be.
He was the school tyrant, after all. There wasn't anyone at No. 12 High School who could push him around.
Thinking this, Mu Xiangxiang finally relaxed and stopped worrying.
*****
Standing at the entrance of No. 12 High School, Qiao Nan felt absolutely heroic.
Damn it. After such a long absence, I, Hu Hansan, have returned again! ("I, Hu Hansan, have returned again" is an internet meme originating from the 1974 film "Sparkling Red Star.")
His sharp gaze swept over the little animals around him who had no sense of impending danger. With a cold laugh, he stepped through the school gates. The instant he crossed into No. 12 High, he finally felt, truly and completely, that his life had returned to its proper course.
No more being stuck in a girl's frail, slender body. No more having even the attack area of a slap reduced by a whole size when beating someone up!
He needed to vent! He needed to wreak havoc! He was never again going to spend his days and nights studying like he had recently! He was going to lead the pack of equally arrogant, lawless little hyenas in his class and have a proper good time!
But the moment the thought settled in his mind, he witnessed a scene that left him speechless.
An electric scooter rolled silently to a stop outside the school gate. Seated on the back, Guo Zhi slid off before the scooter had fully stopped and was immediately steadied by someone. “Hey! You little brat! The scooter hasn't even stopped yet. Be careful, would you?”
His cast-covered leg touched the ground lightly. Taking the crutch handed to him, Guo Zhi smiled at the man driving. “Dad, you can head back. I can get in by myself.”
His father, whose face was as fierce as ever, had already removed the key from the scooter. After getting off, he picked up a shopping bag from the footrest and smacked the back of his son's head. “You're holding a crutch. How are you supposed to carry the thermos container? What if you bump into something? Your mother will cry all night again.”
As he spoke, he pulled the oversized backpack off his son's shoulder and slung it onto his own broad back. “Let's go.”
Then he turned and froze upon seeing a familiar face. Guo Zhi immediately waved. “Brother Nan!”
Qiao Nan, silently staring at the little hyena who had just finished acting out a touching father-son scene: “...”
Guo Zhi's father was very familiar with the young man who had pulled his wayward son out of the gutter. The instant his son greeted him, recognition dawned. A twisted smile immediately appeared on his fierce-looking face. At the same time, he began rummaging through the shopping bag in his other hand and pulled out a plastic container. “It's Xiao Nan! Long time no see. Your auntie still talks about having you over for dinner all the time. This is a local specialty she brought back from her hometown over the weekend. Homemade qingming cakes. They're stuffed with this year's fresh spring bamboo shoots. She says they taste fantastic and asked Xiao Zhi to bring some for you to try. What a coincidence running into you at the gate.”
Xiao... Nan...
Qiao Nan paused as the words washed over him.
Everyone around him was in their rebellious phase. Their relationships with their families usually involved either arguments or fights. The things they spent their time doing together weren't exactly respectable either. It wasn't hard to imagine the impression they left on one another's parents.
Qiao Nan had almost no experience interacting normally with his friends' parents. Even when groups of them gathered at someone's house, the looks they received were usually anything but welcoming. Never mind being treated like this for no reason.
Who the hell are you? Since when are we that close?
And what's with this cheap-looking disposable plastic container? Can that suspicious green stuff inside really be eaten?
He felt deeply uncomfortable. Yet when he met the man's awkwardly stretched smile—clearly trying his best to appear warm and sincere—he ultimately said nothing. He reached out and took the plastic container from the rough hand. “Thanks.”
Neither of the other two noticed anything unusual. Guo Zhi's father chuckled. Meanwhile, a light bulb suddenly went off in Guo Zhi's head. “Dad, you really don't need to walk me in.”
His father had just opened his mouth to protest when Guo Zhi continued, “We happened to run into Brother Nan. He can carry my stuff for me.”
Qiao Nan: “???”
What?
His gaze slowly shifted toward the younger brother who had uttered those words with complete sincerity. Has this kid eaten the guts of a bear and a leopard? How dare he order me around so confidently?
“Eh?” Guo Zhi's father looked at the obviously cool and rebellious-looking Qiao Nan. “T-That doesn't seem appropriate—”
“It's fine, it's fine.” Ever since breaking his leg, Guo Zhi had frequently received considerate help from his big brother. Don't be fooled by Brother Nan's appearance, he thought. He's actually super gentle inside and has absolutely no idol baggage. “Brother Nan and I are practically family. No need to be polite with him. You've been running the night snack stall all night. You should head home and rest.”
Guo Zhi's father really was exhausted. He hesitantly looked toward the young man who seemed so unruly. “R-Really? Is that okay?”
Qiao Nan: “............”
His fingers twitched. Suppressing the urge to teach his little brother a lesson, he swept his gaze across the dark circles beneath the man's eyes. Then he silently held out a hand.
Wow! What a warm-hearted young man! Completely different from his appearance and aura!
After repeatedly thanking him, Guo Zhi's father handed over the backpack and the bag containing the thermos. Following another round of instructions to his son, he finally mounted the scooter and left.
Watching his father depart, Guo Zhi turned around with a gentle expression. Seeing his big brother standing there with a bag in each hand, completely lacking any sense of dignity, he couldn't help recalling all the care and consideration he'd received recently.
Brother Nan really isn't nearly as intimidating as he looks.
A warm feeling quietly spread through his heart. But when he raised his head, the face that greeted him was wearing a smile that didn't reach its eyes.
“...” Guo Zhi paused, confused. Then, before he could react, the other party lifted one arm and looped the handle of one shopping bag over his head.
“Ah! Brother Nan, what are you doing?!” The sudden weight hanging around his neck made him look up in shock. Then he saw the now-free arm rise high into the air— And come crashing down.
“Aaagh!”
Pain exploded across his forehead. Guo Zhi couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd received this treatment. Completely dumbfounded, he could only clutch his forehead and stare blankly at the man looming over him, chin tilted upward as he looked down from the corner of his eyes.
A familiar sense of tension—one he hadn't felt in a long time—suddenly enveloped him. He shivered. “B-Brother Nan?”
The Brother Nan who had recently been so gentle, so tolerant, so approachable, so understanding, so compassionate, so saintly— Slowly stretched a vicious grin across his handsome face.
“Guo Zhi.” The voice that had recently sounded so bright and pleasant while teaching them lessons suddenly dropped low, becoming as terrifying as a death warrant crawling out of the underworld.
Very slowly, enunciating every word, he said: “I think you've gotten a little too comfortable lately.”
After thoroughly disciplining his disabled little brother, Qiao Nan returned to the classroom carrying that ridiculously heavy backpack, still fuming.
Can this continue? Can he show a little respect to his big brother?!
After tossing the backpack back onto its owner's seat, Qiao Nan sat down and sulked. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. At the same time, he was getting a little hungry. His eyes drifted toward the cheap lunch container he'd received. Opening it, he grabbed one of the green dumpling-shaped things and took a bite.
The soft wrapper carried a faint alkaline flavor along with another distinctive fragrance. Inside, diced young bamboo shoots and preserved mustard greens had been mixed into a filling that was slightly spicy and surprisingly tasty.
It wasn't as good as Father Mu's cooking, but it was still a pretty decent savory snack.
The blow to his authority as the eldest brother eased somewhat. Forget it. After all, Guo Zhi was a special case. That little bastard just needed a proper beating once his leg healed.
With that thought, he finally looked up while continuing to eat. His gaze settled on the ceiling.
Class Nine. Everywhere here were the signs of an aging public high school—old school buildings, old desks and chairs. Compared to Yingcheng High School's Class One, the facilities were worlds apart. Yet compared to the latter, Qiao Nan still found the former much more comfortable.
No other class could possibly offer the freedom of Class Nine. The back rows where playing cards flew through the air. The warriors who slept through entire lessons. The privilege of showing up late without teachers bothering to pursue the matter. Here, no teacher cared enough to monitor your grades. Listen in class if you wanted. Do homework if you wanted. Hand in exams if you wanted. It was like the Third World. Completely lawless.
This was paradise for rebellious teenagers.
Closing his eyes, Qiao Nan took a deep breath of paradise's air. The scent of qingming cakes. The scent of earth from outside. The scent of old desks. The scent of chalk dust. The scent of ink and paper.
He listened to the sounds of paradise. Students shouting outside. The janitor sweeping the grounds. Basketballs pounding against the court. The scratching sound of pen tips moving across paper somewhere nearby. Several voices reciting English vocabulary...
...Wait.
His eyes snapped open. The scratching of pen against paper hadn't disappeared. The students memorizing vocabulary were still going—
“A-n-a-l-y-s-i-s—”
“W-i-t-h-i-n—”
Qiao Nan froze. Slowly turning his head, he discovered in astonishment that the classroom's empty seats had somehow been filling up one after another.
At this hour during morning self-study, most people normally wouldn't even show up!
Yet right now, before the self-study bell had even rung, more than ninety percent of Class Nine was already present. And every single one of them had pulled out an English textbook and was memorizing vocabulary.
Qiao Nan experienced roughly the same level of shock as if he'd spotted a flasher in broad daylight.
For a long time he couldn't recover. Sitting upright in a daze, he suddenly felt that his own laid-back image seemed horribly out of place amid such a hardworking atmosphere.
A figure suddenly charged into his field of vision and threw himself onto Qiao Nan's desk. Looking closely— Oh. Yan Zhiyang.
The boy raised his head, his dog-like face radiating the carefree joy of an idiot. “Morning, Brother Nan!”
At last, Qiao Nan saw a familiar dumbass face. His heart immediately relaxed. For once, he even responded pleasantly. “Morning.”
Then he glanced around at the horrifying scene in the classroom again. After thinking it over for a moment, he still couldn't tolerate it. So he simply stood up and started gathering his books. “Let's go.”
“Huh?” Yan Zhiyang looked confused. “Go where?”
“Anywhere. Basketball. Cards. Drinking. Or we could go to an internet café and game together like before.”
Those were the things Yan Zhiyang and the others used to talk about every day. Qiao Nan wasn't particularly fond of any of them, but as long as he didn't have to stay in this bizarre atmosphere, he'd go anywhere.
Yet before he could finish packing, Yan Zhiyang—still sprawled across the desk—looked at him as if he were crazy. “Brother Nan, are you joking?”
Then he cheerfully slipped into the seat behind him, pulled out an English textbook like everyone else, and announced energetically: “What a wonderful morning. Of course it's meant for memorizing vocabulary!”
Qiao Nan: “........................”
“Brother Nan? Brother Nan?”
A soft female voice finally snapped him out of his shock. Turning stiffly, he found himself facing a shy-looking girl. Her hands were hidden behind her back, apparently holding something. She lowered her head slightly and stood beside his desk, hesitant to speak.
Qiao Nan had seen scenes like this countless times.
A handsome guy who had shone brightly since the moment he emerged from the womb, he was a campus celebrity no matter which school he attended. The number of girls who confessed to him every day could practically be counted by the truckload. Their methods were always the same. Love letters. Like this. Honestly, Qiao Nan found it incredibly annoying.
And with the classroom's strange transformation already battering his nerves, he was even less interested in dealing with admirers. His tone turned impatient. “What is it?”
Seeing his expression, the girl became even more nervous. “Um... um...”
Qiao Nan waited. Nothing followed. He waved a hand and cut her off directly. “I already have a girlfriend.”
The girl, who was still stuck on "um," froze. She looked up at him blankly. “Huh?”
Qiao Nan tapped the desk. Frowning, he repeated himself. “I said I have a girlfriend. Didn't you hear me?”
“I heard you.” The girl nodded blankly, still confused. “But... why are you telling me that?”
“Huh?” Qiao Nan was now the confused one. Then the girl suddenly brought her hands out from behind her back. In them was… An open textbook.
Blushing a little, she placed it on his desk, pointed at a problem, and asked softly: “Um, Brother Nan... I don't really understand this question. C-Could you explain it to me?”
“Oh right!” Yan Zhiyang, who had already been preparing to memorize vocabulary, suddenly remembered something. He bent over his backpack, rummaged around, and pulled out a workbook. Flip, flip, flip. After turning several pages, he thrust it in front of Qiao Nan. “Brother Nan! I worked through that reference book you recommended last night, and there are a bunch of questions I don't know how to solve either!”
Two pairs of bright, eager eyes stared at him like curious little animals thirsting for knowledge.
Qiao Nan looked at the two faces that practically had the words— "Brother Nan definitely knows everything!" —written across them. “..................”
Wait. Wait a second.
Excuse me?
------------------
Author's Note:
Qiao Nan [heartbroken]: Why have my territory and my lackeys turned into this?!
Qiao Nan [screaming at the top of his lungs]: Wake up! Wake up, all of you!!! #cry
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