Jiang Han let out a soft huff at Lu Xing.
"You'd better keep your word."
With that, he made an "I'm watching you" hand gesture.
It sent a shiver down Lu Xing's neck, making it feel remarkably stiff.
The two returned to the classroom, acting completely unfazed on the surface, but in reality, Lu Xing didn't dare spare An Yangning even a fraction of a glance.
For the first time in his life, the girl he had a crush on had met a thoroughly dismal and pathetic end.
No sooner had Jiang Han taken his seat than the sports committee member, Zhao Dongling, who had been waiting for him for a while, walked over.
"Jiang Han, I think we have something we can discuss."
Zhao Dongling was ruggedly handsome and stood close to 190 centimeters tall.
Every time Jiang Han looked at him, he was reminded of Akagi Takenori.
He wondered if the guy had a younger sister, and if she was as pretty as Akagi Haruko.
"What is it?" Jiang Han asked politely.
Zhao Dongling flashed an intensely honest and naive smile.
"The sports meeting is coming up right after the monthly exams, and I have a few events that I need you to join."
At a single glance, Jiang Han saw right through the craftiness hidden beneath that innocent smile.
"A few events? Do you take me for a donkey turning a millstone?" He rolled his eyes at the other guy.
Zhao Dongling let out a helpless sigh.
"Just look at the boys in our class—is there any hope of them winning anything?"
"Besides, none of them want to do it."
Following that cue, Jiang Han looked around at the boys in the class.
And promptly rendered himself speechless.
Most of them were scrawny little chicks whose meager nutrition had all gone straight into their brains, goddamn it.
It really wasn't just a stereotype about honor students.
Looking at students all over the world, the type who were both athletic and academically gifted was truly a rare breed.
Even so, Jiang Han had no intention of working himself to death.
He politely declined, saying, "Count me out. I just want to coast through my senior year in a low-profile way. Nobody cares about the Rocket Class's ranking in the sports meeting anyway."
The Rocket Class hogged all the spotlight in academics, so as for sports, they could let the students from the regular classes flex and have their moment of glory.
It wasn't too much to leave the others with a few happy memories of high school.
But how could Zhao Dongling possibly let Jiang Han off the hook?
Instead, wearing the expression of someone who had suffered long enough from trying to act cool, he said, "I know, it's not easy doing what we do."
Jiang Han couldn't help cursing out loud, "Damn it, speak like a normal human being! Anyone overhearing you would think you were up to something shady."
Zhao Dongling paused, then continued, "I know that whenever good-looking, athletic guys like us try to do anything, people accuse us of showing off. It troubles me deeply."
"How about this? If you can help me get the boys in our class to actively participate in the sports meeting, the moment the competition ends, I will personally drape the dragon robe over your shoulders for you."
This bit of negotiation actually tempted Jiang Han quite a bit.
What boys wanted was simple: they just wanted to bask in the envious gazes of their bros.
Nobody could resist the sheer thrill of showing off.
Jiang Han thought it over.
"Well, I suppose I can reluctantly agree. Just wait while I think of a way."
Knowing the magical pulling power Jiang Han possessed, Zhao Dongling left happily once he got his agreement.
After school, An Yangning sent Jiang Han a message in advance.
"Do you want to go to the study room to study tonight?"
Jiang Han replied with a "hang on."
As soon as he sent the message, he caught Zhao Dongling's eye.
Catching the hint, Zhao Dongling stood up and announced in a booming voice, "All the boys in the class, stay behind!"
The moment the boys saw this setup, they knew they were about to be press-ganged.
They bolted for the door faster than Usain Bolt.
Quick as lightning, Jiang Han locked the door from the inside and flashed a sinister smile.
"Damn it! Brother Jiang, you've betrayed the organization! How are we supposed to have the energy to compete with those brutes from the regular classes?" complained a group of chubby boys led by Sun Deming.
Jiang Han patted Sun Deming's roll of fat.
"Don't worry, I bring good news."
With that, he looked around at everyone and declared, "As long as you all agree to participate in the sports events, I'll get the girls in our class to wear JK uniforms and dance."
Zhao Dongling looked at Jiang Han in shock.
Wasn't he pushing things a bit too far? Would that group of girls ever agree to that?
Not only was Zhao Dongling astonished, but the other boys in the class were equally flabbergasted.
"Jiang Han, stop shitting us. Go ask the girls who haven't left yet—do you think any of them would be willing to wear a JK uniform?"
One of the girls raised her hand timidly.
"I... I'd be too embarrassed to wear one."
Jiang Han brushed it off with a laugh. "I'm just asking if you guys want to see it or not! Those who want to watch, come sign up!"
"When have I, Jiang Han, ever failed at anything I set out to do?"
The boys were won over by this inexplicable wave of confidence.
Indeed, Jiang Han had always been remarkably reliable when handling things.
Which boy didn't want to add a little spice and fun to this dry and boring student life?
They looked at each other and nodded.
"Sports committee member, bring the sign-up sheet over. We'll give it a try." Sun Deming was the heaviest boy in the class.
Yet, he took that courageous first step.
"Classmate Sun Deming, way to go! Everyone should learn from his passionate spirit for sports."
Jiang Han took the lead in applauding.
During their school days, everyone loved this kind of rowdy, egging-on atmosphere.
The sound of clapping rose in wave after wave.
Sun Deming felt immensely proud, convinced he was adding a vibrant, heavy stroke of color to his youth.
Yet, the next second, he couldn't laugh anymore.
Jiang Han snatched his sign-up sheet right out of his hands.
"You don't need to take part in these events."
Sun Deming's face fell instantly into a sour, miserable grimace.
But Jiang Han continued, "I've lined up a badass event for you. I guarantee it'll instantly become the absolute center of everyone's attention."
Having lived in the shadows as a background character for years, Sun Deming also wanted a moment of glory.
Hearing Jiang Han's words, his heart warmed right up.
"Brother Jiang, I love you! Heart fingers!"
Making a sickeningly cute hand gesture, he happily shouldered his backpack and walked off.
At that moment, Zhao Dongling quietly asked Jiang Han, "What on earth do you want him to do?"
Jiang Han smiled with utter malice. "Make him hula dance in the spectator stands to cheer everyone on. With his chest and hip measurements, wearing a skirt should look pretty sexy."
"By then, it's bound to throw the other classes' morale into complete chaos."
Once again, Zhao Dongling was struck with awe at Jiang Han's talent.
"You motherfucker are truly a dog—no, calling you a dog is an insult to dogs. You're the number one beast of our modern era."
Jiang Han replied with modest humility, "Thank you for the compliment."
With chubby Sun Deming leading the charge, the other boys began signing up as well.
The event with the lowest turnout was basketball.
There was no help for it; that event genuinely required a bit of real skill.
It happened to be the most popular event with the most girls watching.
Yet the Rocket Class was full of boys whose limbs lacked coordination; in the heat of the moment, some of them might even end up kicking the basketball with their feet.
Looking at the pitifully small number of basketball sign-ups, Zhao Dongling couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"Including the two of us, that's only three people total. We can't even scrape together a team."
Jiang Han began to worry as well.
After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly struck him. "Actually, I do have an idea—we can change the format of this basketball tournament."
"Who's in charge of scheduling our sports events? I'll go talk to that P.E. teacher."
Zhao Dongling said, "Our P.E. teacher... who else could it be?"
Jiang Han nodded. "Alright, I'll have a heart-to-heart with him during P.E. class."
"For now, you'd better figure out how you're going to keep your promise," Zhao Dongling advised kindly.
With absolute assurance, Jiang Han replied, "What's so difficult about that?"
"Just wait. Tomorrow, I'll definitely get those girls to agree."