Chapter 178: School Life Secrets

They agreed to discuss it further during the afternoon PE class, then the four headed to the cafeteria for a meal.

Although the news about Lin Zheng Ran made the three little ones jealous, they still served him food as usual during meals.

They made sure to pass him water when needed.

They didn’t stay upset; after all, Lin Zheng Ran had already explained the basic background.

Though the details weren’t out yet, he wasn’t hiding anything, and the three little ones fully trusted him, knowing if he’d dated someone, he’d say so.

If he had, he’d just admit it outright.

After lunch, everyone returned to the classroom early for extra study, aiming to get into the same university next year. Han Wenwen, Heqing, and Lily were all working hard this year, focusing on studies except for weekends with Lin Zheng Ran.

Once the four reached the teaching building and parted ways, Lin Zheng Ran headed to the restroom.

On his way out, he unexpectedly spotted Jiang Qian, with her black hair and icy demeanor, waiting outside the restroom for him.

“Class Monitor, do you have a moment? I want to talk to you,” she said, her cool gaze softening slightly as he appeared.

Lin Zheng Ran had a pretty good idea what she wanted to discuss.

Before he could speak, Jiang Qian pulled a bank card from her pocket. “I know your time is valuable, so consider this buying five minutes. There’s 20,000 in here—it’s all my allowance for the week, though it might not be enough.”

“20,000? You really think my time is worth that much,” Lin Zheng Ran remarked with a sigh.

Jiang Qian explained, “I’m afraid you’d turn me down. The questions I have might seem trivial to you.”

Lin Zheng Ran turned and started walking away.

Jiang Qian watched him go.

She thought he was refusing, but then he said, “Let’s find a spot to chat.”

Better to clear this up quickly; since he was already involved, Lin Zheng Ran figured he’d help out as a friend and maybe enjoy some system rewards along the way.

Now, it seemed like the system always summed things up afterward, different from how it used to pop up right away.

Surprised, Jiang Qian murmured in agreement and followed him.

At noon, the school had few quiet spots—people were everywhere except the first-floor piano room.

Lin Zheng Ran didn’t visit there much in his senior year, but in first and second year, he’d hang out there with those three little ones when they had nowhere else to go.

A few times, Han Wenwen had begged to hear him play the piano.

After he played, Little Fox clapped in admiration, “Amazing! You’re incredible, Lin Zheng Ran!”

Now, as Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Qian entered the piano room, he looked for a seat.

“Go ahead, speak,” Lin Zheng Ran said.

Jiang Qian, straightforward as always except in matters of the heart, jumped right in: “Have you slept with Fang Meng?”

Lin Zheng Ran’s motion to sit froze mid-air.

He turned back, stunned, to see her serious face.

“Where did you get that idea?”

Jiang Qian stared at him expressionless:

“I saw that video during lunch, and it got me thinking. KTV is a place for that sort of thing, right? They say it has condoms and stuff. Since you two went there, I figured you’d done it.”

Lin Zheng Ran wiped sweat from his forehead: “Where are you getting this messed-up info? KTV is just for singing.”

Jiang Qian was honest:

“I know it’s officially for singing, even though I’ve never been. But from books and movies, KTV is where criminals or couples hook up—no exceptions. Same with bars, internet cafes, underground parties…”

Lin Zheng Ran sat down, exasperated: “You’ve been poisoned by TV shows. That’s just for drama—real KTV is for singing, and not all have criminals.”

“Is that so? But what about last week when you took down that criminal in one?”

Lin Zheng Ran: “.”

He had to admit, that was a rare stroke of bad luck.

In real life, police busts aren’t that common.

He let out a breath: “It’s a low-probability event. You can’t judge something by outliers—we covered that in elementary school tests.”

Jiang Qian sat in front of him:

“True, but even if you did sleep with her, it’s fine. Fang Meng’s eighteen and can do what she wants. I just didn’t expect Xiao Meng to get pregnant so soon…”

Lin Zheng Ran shot her a disdainful look:

“What nonsense are you spouting? Did you even listen to me?”

“I did, but you dodged the question with other talk.”

Unbelievable.

“We didn’t do anything like that, and even if we had, didn’t you get full marks in junior high biology? Didn’t you learn about reproduction? Pregnancy’s also a low-probability thing.”

Jiang Qian widened her eyes in surprise: “Pregnancy is low-probability? I had no idea. We covered it in junior high biology, but that chapter was only two pages, and the teacher skipped it saying it wouldn’t be tested, so we self-studied. I only know the basics.”

Lin Zheng Ran thought China’s sex education still had a long way to go.

Most schools leave it to self-study, but Jiang Qian being this naive was unexpected.

She’d really poured all her time into proper studies.

Seeing Lin Zheng Ran stare, Jiang Qian confirmed: “So… you really haven’t?”

“No, and we’re not even dating. We’re just ordinary friends.”

“Really? So the boyfriend rumor is false too? Have you done it with any other girls at school?”

“No.” Why was he even answering this?

Jiang Qian was taken aback, then suddenly smiled, feeling oddly happy for some reason.

Lin Zheng Ran asked, “Why are you so pleased?”

Jiang Qian looked puzzled, her smile fading: “Pleased? Was I?”

Lin Zheng Ran sighed again:

“Is the only reason you wanted to talk about whether I slept with Fang Meng?”

Jiang Qian’s expression shifted, her voice losing its chill:

“It’s one of them. I thought you two weren’t close, so this surprised me.”

Lin Zheng Ran stayed silent.

Jiang Qian clenched her slender fingers into a fist, still watching him:

“The main reason I came is to talk about me and Fang Meng. It’s not your business, but I can’t handle it alone anymore—it’s messing with my studies and sleep. I haven’t slept well for days, and I think you’re the only one who can advise me. Could you listen? As payment, you can ask for anything.”

“Anything at all.”

Lin Zheng Ran was reminded of Fang Meng; these two best friends were so alike.

Both said ‘anything goes’ except that.

He echoed Fang Meng’s words: “Anything except sleeping together?”

Jiang Qian was surprised he’d say that to her. Blushing slightly, she replied:

“Sleeping together? Do you mean you want me as your girlfriend? That’s a big ask—I need to think about it. You’re the only guy I don’t mind, but… okay, we can try dating.”

“Ah?”