Chapter 32: Putting It to Good Use

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Putting It to Good Use

The next morning, the four of them got up one after another and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After washing up and eating breakfast, the four of them headed to class.

The class schedule was quite reasonable. The first class on Monday was English, which served as a perfect transition between rest and study, much like Chinese class in high school.

’Who takes Chinese class seriously anyway?’

The English teacher’s name was Bai Yueran. She was a woman of few words, with a small chest and a perpetually cool expression—a classic, aloof beauty and a young married woman to boot.

Whether it was her looks, figure, or fashion sense, Bai Yueran stood out among the female teachers at the school. After all, English teachers as a group rarely disappoint when it comes to looks and style.

Her catchphrase was "My husband, blah blah blah..."

During her lectures, she would shoehorn in anecdotes about her own love life.

Although Chen Yuan wasn’t a class officer, he was the English class representative, which meant he had to sit in the front row. The seat itself wasn’t great, but getting to look at her black stockings from time to time was a decent consolation.

You could say Bai Yueran was a person who did as she pleased. Of all the boys in the class, she found Chen Yuan the most agreeable, and she couldn’t care less about his previous English grades.

Bai Yueran walked into the classroom, placed her bag on the lectern, and tucked the long hair at her temples behind her ears, her expression as cool as ever.

The first class after the holiday officially began.

"Before the break, we should have gotten to indefinite pronouns, right? Come on, let’s continue..."

"Unit 3, this group one by one..."

"Okay, any volunteers? No one? Starting with Chen Yuan to answer..."

"..."

"My husband and I..."

One English class, half a romance story.

After class, Bai Yueran picked up her bag and waved her delicate, fair hand.

"Alright students, I’m off. Make sure you review the study methods I shared with you. There will be a test at the end of the semester that will determine if you can register for the CET-4 next term, so don’t slack off."

"Professor, your manicure is so pretty! Where did you get it done?" asked Li Yingying, the arts and literature representative.

"Underground shopping plaza, C131. A friend of mine owns it. If you go, just say you’re my student, and they’ll give you a discount."

"Thanks, Professor!"

Bai Yueran clicked away on her high heels. Students gathered in twos and threes, chatting in their own little groups.

The next class was Advanced Mathematics, and they didn’t have to change classrooms.

The professor was a short old man from Dunhuang, with a face as weathered as a mural.

He always liked to tell little stories from his life.

His catchphrase was: "Back when I was studying abroad, Russia was still called the Soviet Union."

After his opening line, he’d start reminiscing about the good old days, quoting lines about "wielding power over the world when awake, and sleeping on a beauty’s lap when drunk," the fleeting glory of the former Soviet Union, where success and failure vanished in the blink of an eye.

Anyone who didn’t know better would hear all this and think he’d single-handedly orchestrated the collapse of the Soviet Union.

An old hand at this, he’d take a sip of tea and start shooting the shit.

After he was done and realized no one was interested, he’d start lecturing on career planning. He’d tell them not to get caught up in romance, that it was all illusory. "Life will deceive you, women will deceive you, but math won’t. If you don’t know math, you just don’t know it."

Chen Yuan had zero desire to listen to him drone on. Although Bai Yueran’s love life wasn’t much to write home about either, at least her class offered a view of black stockings and high heels. This professor’s lecture, on the other hand, was just plain boring.

Chen Yuan automatically migrated to the back row, planning to catch up on some sleep, but he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

But during this class, he made an unexpected discovery. He could actually understand a little of what the old man from Dunhuang was teaching. Not the crap about the former Soviet Union, of course, but the Advanced Mathematics. He understood a little, but only a little.

After Advanced Mathematics was Advanced Physics in the afternoon, and he didn’t understand a single thing from that class.

’It’s like a top-tier sect’s Cultivation Method showing up in a second-rate university. A total mess.’

He still had a mission to complete. After changing his clothes, Chen Yuan headed to the large athletic field. The mission was his priority.

RING RING RING—

On the way, he got a call from Comrade Li.

"Mom."

"Your dad and I are back. This trip really wore us out. You must be out of money, right? I’ll transfer you your living allowance."

"No rush, I still have some left."

"Don’t be too frugal. Besides your meals, you should buy some fruit to eat, too," Li Fanghui said.

"Someone gave your dad a few boxes of rice, said it’s from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. I’ll mail it to you."

"This is a university dorm, not a factory dorm. I can’t use a rice cooker."

"Who said it was for you to cook? You can’t buy this rice in stores. It’s for your counselor."

"That’s not necessary, is it?"

"Why not? You can never be too courteous. And it’s good stuff."

"Fine."

After a few more words, Chen Yuan hung up.

A moment later, he received a transfer of 2,000 yuan.

"Chen Yuan!"

He had just arrived at the athletic field when he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Jiang Shuyi.

She was dressed coolly in shorts, sneakers, and a small tank top, a style a bit different from her usual look.

"Did you just finish gym class?"

Jiang Shuyi nodded. "Why aren’t you playing basketball? What are you doing here?"

"There’s no one good to play against, so it’s no fun. I came to run a few laps."

"The department is having a dinner gathering today. I told you about it yesterday. You should come with me later."

"I’m not an official member. It wouldn’t be right for me to go."

"It’s fine. Jin Yechao specifically told me to bring you along."

Jin Yechao was the other department head. He’d heard Jiang Shuyi mention him before.

"Alright then. Let’s go after I finish my run."

"Perfect, we have our 800-meter test soon. I’ll run a couple of laps with you to practice."

"Okay, I’ll lead the way."

The two of them went onto the field. Since Jiang Shuyi was with him, Chen Yuan led her through a short warm-up.

"Look, who’s that person up ahead?"

Following Jiang Shuyi’s gaze, he saw a tall girl walking toward them.

The girl had delicate features, fair skin, and long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed similarly to Jiang Shuyi in shorts and a white T-shirt, and it seemed she was also here to run.

Her appearance instantly captured the attention of every guy on the field.

"Who is that?"

"Fang Youning. She can sing and play the piano. The school’s arts department recruited her during military training. There are even threads on the campus forum debating whether she or Song Jianye is prettier."

"Just based on those long legs, she’s qualified to compete with Song Jianye," Chen Yuan said.

"I have a feeling that simp Li Dongyang might start simping for her."

Jiang Shuyi laughed. "I heard about what happened when you two played basketball. Sounds like you really took him down hard."

"Just a little trick, that’s all."

After warming up, the two of them ran on the track for a while.

Jiang Shuyi was a bit of a lightweight; she was exhausted after just one lap. Chen Yuan, on the other hand, felt like he was just getting warmed up after running a full kilometer.

[Mission Progress: 2/5]

’Three more days and I’ll get the reward. I just wonder if Jiang Wanyi will let me use it to help with her postpartum recovery.’

"Let’s go. We’ll head back, change clothes, and go to the dinner."

Afterwards, they both returned to their dorms to change before heading to the External Relations Department’s dinner gathering.

When the two of them arrived, the other members of the External Relations Department were already there.

Based on the seating arrangement, he recognized the other department head, Jin Yechao.

The remaining four members seemed a bit reserved. There were three guys and one girl. The girl wore her hair in a ponytail and had a small, round face that was rather cute.

Everyone introduced themselves, getting to know each other a little.

The girl’s name was He Xiaoxi, and the three guys were Li Yong’an, Huang Shengyuan, and Wang Haoci.

Among them, Li Yong’an was the guy who had gone with Jiang Shuyi to solicit a sponsorship from the hotel yesterday.

The meal was quite pleasant, and the atmosphere was cheerful.

...

For the next three days, Chen Yuan’s life was a simple routine.

On the afternoon of the 11th, he completed Tongzi’s mission.

[Mission Complete: Reward 1,300 yuan cash, Professional-Grade Postpartum Recovery Techniques]

The moment the notification sound faded, the relevant knowledge entered Chen Yuan’s mind in a rather insidious way.

The transmission process was no less intense than watching an uncensored porno.

On the way back to his dorm, Chen Yuan received a message from Jiang Wanyi.

Jiang Wanyi: "Hey, little bro. I’m free now."

They had already made plans a few days ago to go out for dinner tonight and indulge a little.

Chen Yuan: "I’ll head back, take a shower, and then come find you."

Jiang Wanyi: "I’ll be waiting for you at my place."

’You should take a shower too, to save time...’

’Just a fleeting, dirty thought.’

Chen Yuan returned to his dorm, took a quick shower, changed into some fresh clothes, and went to find Jiang Wanyi.

"Come in, quick."

After opening the door, Jiang Wanyi welcomed Chen Yuan inside.

She was dressed casually in shorts and a tank top suitable for home, revealing a patch of her fair chest. Her bottom was round and perky, and her hair was a little messy. But it was precisely this disheveled state that made her even more alluring.

He had classes these past few days, so Jiang Wanyi had been taking care of the baby all by herself. It was exhausting, naturally, but she had managed.

Fortunately, her mother had mostly recovered. Feeling sorry for her daughter and also missing her grandchild, she had Jiang Wanyi bring Mili over. This gave Jiang Wanyi a chance to breathe. She slept for a whole day at home, took care of some work, and had a very relaxing day.

"You must be exhausted from the past few days."

"I’m about to fall apart."

Jiang Wanyi brought her face closer. "Look at these dark circles under my eyes. They’re even worse than a few days ago."

"When is the baby coming back?"

"I have to pick her up tomorrow. My mom isn’t fully recovered yet, so I don’t dare let her watch her for too long."

"Just hang in there. Around her first birthday, she should be able to sleep through the night."

"Let’s not talk about her today. Is there anything you’re craving? I’ll take you."

"I can eat anything. You’re the one who’s been on a restricted diet for so long. Just pick whatever you’re craving."

"Hot pot, then. I haven’t had it in so long."

"Sounds good."

"Wait for me a second. I’m going to go change."

"Mm."

Jiang Wanyi went back to her bedroom and came out over ten minutes later.

She was wearing a light slip dress, paired with a sheer little cardigan and nude-colored stockings. Her long hair was pinned up, with two wisps of bangs falling naturally across her forehead.

The necklace on her neck and the ladies’ watch on her wrist were the finishing touches that accentuated her mature, womanly charm.

In all the time he’d known her, this was the first time Chen Yuan had seen Jiang Wanyi so exquisitely dressed up.

"Let’s go."

They left together and drove to a nearby mall.

"Haidilao or Banu, pick one."

"Banu. Haidilao has been a bit pretentious lately. Let’s give them some pressure."

"Okay, your call," Jiang Wanyi said with a smile. They turned and walked toward the Banu on their left.

The decor inside was nice, and it was quite crowded. He had only heard of the brand before but had never eaten there. With so many people, the food had to be good.

And it was. After they ordered, Chen Yuan took a bite and found it was indeed delicious.

"I’m satisfied after just one bite," Jiang Wanyi said.

"Eat a big meal today, find a chance to eat another one tomorrow, and then when you pick up the baby in the evening, you probably won’t be craving it for a while after that."

"I probably can’t tomorrow. I’m planning to go to the hospital," Jiang Wanyi said.

"Besides, I can’t indulge too much. At my age, I’m different from you guys. My metabolism is slower, so I can’t even lose weight as fast as you young people. I still need to be careful with my diet. Just satisfying the craving is enough."

"Why are you going to the hospital? Are you not feeling well?"

Jiang Wanyi thought for a moment. Their relationship was actually quite close already. There was no harm in talking openly about these things and the problems she was facing. Maybe he could even give her some advice.

But, out of the modesty of a traditional woman, she decided not to go into detail.

She had to try and maintain her "perfect older sister" image as much as possible.

"It’s just about some postpartum recovery matters. I plan to talk to a doctor."

’Putting my knowledge to use so soon?’

Chen Yuan sized up Jiang Wanyi from head to toe, then leaned in conspiratorially.

Jiang Wanyi leaned her ear closer as well.

"Leaking?"