"Hahaha... Jiang Han, did you manage to uproot every single bamboo shoot on the mountain?"
"I can't take it, I'm dying of laughter, but I ate too much today and my stomach is acting up, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it in."
Sun Deming and Cheng Feiyang laughed uncontrollably.
Yet Zhuang Yongzhi, completely immersed in the river of love, was totally oblivious to what his buddies were laughing about.
"A bunch of weirdos, what is so funny anyway, I can't be bothered with you..."
With that, he went right back to chatting with his girlfriend.
As Sun Deming laughed, it suddenly dawned on him what Jiang Han had said the other day.
"No wonder you told us to practice up and get ready to drink with Zhuang Yongzhi."
"Looking at it now, there's really no escaping it."
Jiang Han smiled faintly and gave Zhuang Yongzhi a sympathetic look.
He hoped his guess was wrong.
Otherwise, poor Zhuang Shao was in for a miserable time...
The next afternoon, the monthly exam results came out.
Word had it that all the teachers in the school stayed up all night grading papers just so they could go over the wrong answers the next day.
With the college entrance examination drawing closer by the day, the teachers were feeling a bit anxious themselves.
The students in the Rocket Class weren't anxious, of course.
That afternoon, Xu Guangming came in to hand out the report cards.
First place went to An Yangning as usual, topping the list with 730 points, widening the gap with second place to 35 points.
This time, however, second place wasn't Lu Xing; it had become Xie Lingling.
She had finally gotten back at Lu Xing for treating her like a total sucker.
Several of the girls were happy for Xie Lingling. Wang Baochuan was no longer digging wild vegetables; her story had now turned into a grand heroine narrative of "Zhen Huan returning from the Ganlu Temple."
The most surprising thing was that Lu Xing and Jiang Han tied with identical scores of 680 points.
Jiang Han had now thoroughly cemented his status as a dark horse.
Xu Guangming looked at Jiang Han in a whole new light now.
Cheating? What cheating? This kid was now His Majesty's beloved disciple!
Jiang Han had practically replaced Lu Xing in Xu Guangming's heart.
With a nonchalant air, Jiang Han took his report card, and his very first move was to take a picture and send it to the matriarch, as well as the matriarch's husband.
Upon receiving the photo, Wang Yin generously sent Jiang Han an 88,880-yuan red envelope.
A wealthy mother's love was just that unpretentious and down-to-earth.
Sun Deming said enviously, "Jiang Han, let me be your auntie's son for a couple of days."
Jiang Han curled his lip. "My mom couldn't possibly give birth to a son as ugly as you."
"Bah! We're breaking off our friendship for three hours!!" Zhuang Yongzhi indignantly drew an imaginary boundary line.
Jiang Han couldn't be bothered to entertain his childish antics, happily calculating how he could go on a little spending spree tonight when he went to see his cousin and the others.
A man had to learn to love himself, too.
Unable to wait until class ended, and ignoring everyone else's gaze, he urged An Yangning to hurry home.
Naturally, he kept his voice down just enough so no one else would catch what he was saying.
"Let's go, babe, I'll take you home to change, and then we're going out to splurge..."
An Yangning was driven half-mad by his urging, hastily gathered a few homework books, and followed him out.
The two didn't even take the bus today, hailing a cab straight back to the residential complex.
Holding An Yangning's hand, Jiang Han rushed home at top speed.
As soon as they stepped inside the front door, he shoved An Yangning right into the walk-in closet.
"Put on the clothes my mom bought for you. You never get a chance to wear them for school usually, so dress up to the nines today—the more luxurious and high-end, the better!" Jiang Han said somewhat impatiently.
An Yangning couldn't help finding it amusing.
"What on earth is wrong with you? You're acting just like a peacock trying to show off."
Jiang Han didn't answer; he simply went back to his bedroom to change.
It wasn't that he was vain.
He just wanted to expose Luo Yuqin's true colors and make Brother Jiang Zhe rethink his romantic relationship.
Thinking of this, Jiang Han was truly beaten.
Brother Jiang Zhe was already 26 years old, and he was still waiting for his 18-year-old younger brother to clear away his unwanted romantic entanglements.
Jiang Han sighed helplessly, pulled some of his designer clothes out of the wardrobe, and changed into them.
With this outfit, his rich-kid aura instantly radiated.
Once changed, he sat on the sofa and began calling Jiang Zhe.
"Big bro, remember to bring your girlfriend tonight! Drinks and dinner are on me!"
Jiang Zhe chuckled. "Stop joking around, since when does a younger brother pay? I can still afford whatever my girlfriend wants, besides, didn't you give me fifty thousand yuan last time?"
Jiang Han felt a pang in his heart.
He had let his guard down. Had he known that money would end up in Luo Yuqin's hands, he would rather have donated it.
He managed a forced smile. "Whatever makes you happy, Big Bro."
While the brothers were on the phone, An Yangning came out having changed her clothes.
She was wearing a sky-blue slip dress adorned with delicate cutout patterns.
It made her look both luxurious and elegant.
Feeling that something was still missing, Jiang Han clipped a "miu" brand hairpin into her hair.
By the time the whole outfit was tallied up, it had to cost tens of thousands of yuan.
Jiang Han was finally satisfied. This ought to make someone like Luo Yuqin green with pretentious jealousy.
An Yangning glanced down at her dress, looking somewhat hesitant as she spoke, "Isn't this a bit too over the top?"
Jiang Han shook his head. "Not at all, it suits you perfectly."
When marrying a wife, you really had to pick a pretty one. He was more than happy to spend money on clothes for her, especially since taking her out brought so much face.
An Yangning smiled shyly. "I feel like you're treating me like a prop right now—first making me model the class uniforms, and now using me to spite your cousin's girlfriend."
Jiang Han winked at her playfully. "A husband-and-wife team makes the work light."
An Yangning covered her mouth and smiled, looking all the more vibrant and captivating.
Her full breasts rose and fell with her laughter, looking quite plump and prominent.
Jiang Han suddenly felt his throat go dry.
This was absolute torture...
Sometimes men really don't think with the lower half of their bodies; rather, every other part of them just stops thinking entirely.
Jiang Han stopped thinking and recited a silent mantra in his heart.
Once a little more time had passed, he was definitely going to give his wife a thorough "inspection."
Holding An Yangning's hand as they walked out of the complex, Jiang Han discovered that Uncle Li, the family chauffeur, had been waiting for quite some time.
"Young Master Jiang, Madam asked me to drive you."
Jiang Han glanced at the heavily flexing Bentley and couldn't help admiring his mother's thorough consideration.
Though this was probably just winking in the dark, since Luo Yuqin likely wouldn't even recognize the car brand.
Not just Luo Yuqin; basically no girls would recognize it.
Jiang Han asked An Yangning, "Babe, do you know what kind of car this is?"
An Yangning thought about it seriously. "Volkswagen? Or maybe Mercedes?"
Jiang Han smiled and patiently explained, "This is called a Bentley."
His tone carried no condescension whatsoever, filled entirely with pampering affection for his girlfriend.
An Yangning nodded vaguely.
She hadn't really registered it at all; in her view, a car was just four wheels and an iron box.
The luxury car sped along all the way and pulled to a stop at Huanan Plaza.
This was Haicheng's most bustling commercial district, as well as its highest-end consumption zone.
People without some cash generally wouldn't shop here—at most, they'd come to eat.
As soon as Jiang Han stepped out of the car, he saw Jiang Zhe waving at him.
Luo Yuqin, on the other hand, was eyeing the luxury car behind Jiang Han with a strange expression.
"Jiang Han, did you guys take a taxi here? This car looks so expensive. How did you even catch a ride in it?"
Jiang Han replied calmly, "No, it was sent by my family's driver."
Luo Yuqin wore a look of surprise, followed immediately by her usual aggrieved, down-on-her-luck expression.
"I've lived this long and I've never ridden in such a nice car. Jiang Han, I'm so envious of you, being able to have a driver pick you up and drop you off at such a young age."
Jiang Han rolled his eyes.
Here it went again.
Time for that "I'm so envious of you" routine once more.