Chapter 42

Chapter 42

You Nan returned home, carrying his dinner in a takeout bag from the shop.

He worked from afternoon until evening, and dinner was provided. The original You Nan always brought it home to share with his younger brother.

The dinner wasn’t quite enough, so the original You Nan and his brother would compensate by eating more at school the following day.

The boss and some other staff members had seen the news about You Nan and were aware of his living situation. Strictly speaking, employee meals were meant to be consumed on-site, but the boss turned a blind eye to You Nan taking his meal home to share with his brother.

The original You Nan, of course, appreciated the kindness shown by his boss and colleagues, which was why he enjoyed working there.

When You Nan returned, You Ruan was studying in his small room and didn’t hear You Nan knocking or opening the door.

You Nan glanced into the room as he passed by, choosing not to disturb his diligent brother. Instead, he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time You Nan emerged, his brother had already microwaved the food he brought back and had also retrieved the little cat, 007, who spent about twenty hours a day in slumber.

You Nan couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of 007.

With 007 sleeping all day and You Nan attending school, their time together was scarce. Since 007 hadn’t transmitted the world’s storyline to him, You Nan felt completely lost.

He still didn’t even know who the protagonist of this world was.

He was utterly in the dark.

You Ruan chatted with his brother while eating, “After I got home, I went to check on 007. The old clothes I used to make its bed were all dirty, but it’s actually very clean—it moved itself to a spot that wasn’t dirty. So I picked it up, fighting back the urge to gag, and washed the clothes.”

You Ruan laughed, attempting to convey the cat’s cuteness. However, before You Nan could appreciate it, the boy’s mind had already conjured up the dirty scene he’d witnessed earlier.

You Ruan’s face paled.

You Nan noticed the boy hadn’t even finished speaking before he looked like he was about to throw up.

You Nan couldn’t help but chuckle, “Alright, we’re eating—let’s not talk about that.”

You Ruan blushed, holding his forehead, and waited until he felt better before continuing to eat.

He poked at his rice with chopsticks and glanced over at the kitten, “Yeah, I won’t talk about it anymore. Just thinking about it makes me lose my appetite.”

After they finished eating, it was already late.

You Nan told You Ruan to go to bed quickly, while he used his brother’s small desk to copy down and try to understand the contents of Yi Jiahe’s notebook.

You Nan had cultivated an excellent habit in the previous world: a high level of focus when working on tasks. Even though he feared unknown difficulties, he would still grit his teeth and tackle them head-on.

By the time You Nan put down his pen, it was almost midnight. He glanced at his brother sleeping with 007—the boy looked peaceful and well-behaved under the soft, warm glow of the desk lamp.

The interplay of light and shadow created a cozy atmosphere.

You Nan’s heart softened, and he pulled the blanket up tighter over You Ruan.

.

You Nan spent several days living the same routine of school and work, gradually adapting to this life.

Whenever there was something he didn’t understand in class, he would circle it and look up explanations online after school. He listened attentively, and if he didn’t grasp it the first time, he’d listen again. If that still didn’t work, he’d go to online forums to find someone to answer his questions, but he only sought those charging less than ten yuan—anything more was out of the question.

You Nan’s progress wasn’t obvious at first, and almost no one noticed. Since they were learning new things every day, everyone started from the same point.

It wasn’t until after the unit review test organized by the grade that everyone realized You Nan had improved in the rankings.

There were over 300 students in the senior year. The original You Nan had ranked fifth from last in the previous exam, but this time, You Nan moved up to within the top 200.

The significant improvement surprised the teacher, who made sure to praise You Nan after class.

“You Nan did very well on this test. It’s clear that you’ve mastered the content of the latest unit very thoroughly,” the teacher praised. “You just need to review the previous material a bit more. I believe you’ll do even better next time.”

You Nan nodded.

This test covered not only the recently learned material but also content the original You Nan had studied earlier. You Nan had reviewed some of the earlier topics but hadn’t fully grasped them yet—he’d need more time for that.

Moreover, his good performance this time was largely due to his recent focus on these topics. If the test had covered different material, he might not have performed as well.

He still needed to adjust his priorities.

However, he was no longer working as a waiter at the restaurant—he had been switched to hosting duties, which gave him more breaks and was less tiring. He also had more energy to study at night.

After having him fill in once, the boss noticed that people tended to linger longer at the entrance when You Nan was there. Some even stared as he walked by. So the boss made a snap decision to assign him exclusively to that role.

You Nan adapted well to the new job. He didn’t mind being stared at—after all, it didn’t hurt him any, and he was used to it by now.

The only thing You Nan feared was not having enough money to support himself, his brother, and 007.

After the test, most classmates still ignored You Nan. Upon hearing the results, they showed no reaction. Only Yi Jiahe paid some attention.

But to him, You Nan was just incidental.

Yi Jiahe thought about Jiang Songen’s recent behavior and couldn’t help but wonder.

Was You Nan improving so quickly because Jiang Songen was tutoring him?

Starting from some unknown day, Jiang Songen had begun paying more attention to You Nan.

You Nan usually ate alone in a corner on the first floor of the cafeteria, but recently, Yi Jiahe often saw Jiang Songen and Li Qiutian going over to eat with him, sharing the first-floor meals.

Yi Jiahe thought about it carefully but couldn’t figure out when You Nan and Jiang Songen had started interacting.

Yet he found it hard to believe that Jiang Songen would approach You Nan for no reason.

He had liked Jiang Songen for so long, and Jiang Songen had never once eaten with him. Why would he suddenly show such friendliness toward You Nan for no reason?

It was clearly strange.

Yi Jiahe’s pen pressed down too hard, tearing the paper. He gathered his thoughts, calmly moved the pen, and continued writing.

At noon, You Nan went to the first floor of the cafeteria as usual. Just as he turned around with his food tray, he saw two people walking toward him together.

You Nan smiled, his eyes crinkling, “You’re here.”

Jiang Songen spoke first, “I saw the test rankings. Compared to last time, you’ve improved a lot. I feel like it won’t be long before you catch up to us regular students.”

Li Qiutian nodded in agreement.

He wasn’t originally close to You Nan, and lately, he had no idea what was up with Jiang Songen, who kept insisting on hanging around You Nan. It showed in how he would immediately go over to greet him whenever he saw him, as if worried You Nan might miss him.

They even had to eat lunch together, sometimes going to the upper floor to buy extra food—two portions, one for himself and one to share among the three of them.

While they called it sharing, Li Qiutian could tell Jiang Songen was specifically getting the extra portion for You Nan.

He wasn’t blind—last time, he had eaten too much durian, finishing all three pieces, including You Nan’s share. Jiang Songen’s expression had instantly darkened.

That was pretty creepy.

Li Qiutian couldn't help but shiver at the memory—it was the first time he had ever seen someone with such a good temper give someone that kind of look.

And today, Jiang Songen had spent a long time searching for You Nan's name on the ranking list and even wrote down all his grades for each subject.

Li Qiutian rubbed his arms nervously.

Jiang Songen was being a bit too clingy and overeager. Even girls who are always hanging out together weren't as intense as Jiang Songen was being.

Sometimes, he even wondered if Jiang Songen was gay. But if Jiang Songen were gay, then he might be in some danger himself.

But after all these years of getting along with Jiang Songen without anything happening, it probably meant Jiang Songen wasn't gay.

Li Qiutian nodded to himself. In that case, Jiang Songen must just genuinely likes You Nan!

He also thought You Nan was pretty likable.

So Li Qiutian nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Jiang Songen's words, "Yeah, I think you're really smart. You have to attend classes, work, and take care of your younger brother every day. Handling three things at once and still finding time to study hard and make progress—you're really impressive!"

Beside him, Jiang Songen tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it.

Wow, Li Qiutian was good at giving compliments. How had he never noticed that before?

You Nan had no idea what the two of them were thinking. Hearing such praise, of course, he was very happy.

You Nan quietly thanked them, and the three of them sat together to eat.

You Nan had also seen Jiang Songen's ranking—the boy was first in the grade again. He was envious and hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Jiang Songen, do you have your class notes from freshman and sophomore year? I'd like to borrow them to take a look."

Jiang Songen said "Yeah," his expression natural and gentle. "Yes, I do. If you want them, I can grab them for you once we're back in the classroom."

Li Qiutian couldn't help but interject, "You Nan, why aren't you asking him for his senior year notes?"

You Nan said "Oh," swallowed a bite of food, and said, "Yi Jiahe already lent me his senior year notebook."

Jiang Songen hadn't expected to hear Yi Jiahe's name from You Nan's mouth.

You Nan hadn't asked to borrow his senior year notes, and he had even mentally made excuses for You Nan.

It must be because You Nan wanted to build a solid foundation step by step, starting from freshman and sophomore year. He never expected that someone had already lent him the senior year notes.

Li Qiutian was puzzled and spoke for Jiang Songen, "Are you and Yi Jiahe really close?"

You Nan shook his head. "No, he just lent me his notebook earlier. Probably the teacher asked him to help me out."

He continued, "I was planning to return it to him after I finished, but he said I could just keep it."

Jiang Songen's chopsticks accidentally pressed down too hard, smashing his fried egg to bits.

The boy, with his good-looking face, smiled at You Nan.

"I have senior year notes too. I already have everything memorized in my freshman and sophomore year notebooks, so there's no point in keeping them—you can have them. I'll give you my senior year notes too. I just filled up one notebook, so you can take a look at it first. No need to return it."

You Nan glanced at Jiang Songen's fried egg, then at Jiang Songen's expression. He could tell that Jiang Songen's mood didn't seem quite right.

You Nan didn't get it. He drank some soup and, along with it, swallowed the follow-up sentence, "I'll still return it to Yi Jiahe."