Chapter 87: The Pig-Raising Manual

Gu Ting heard a noise at the door and looked up just as it opened. The girl wasn’t in her school uniform today; she wore a short black sweatshirt paired with khaki cargo pants, striking an effortlessly cool figure.

“You’re here. Come eat,” Gu Ting called, his gaze landing on her waist, where a sliver of fair skin showed. The weather had turned, he thought—it was time to remind the little one to wear some warmer clothes.

Shen Qing took her seat at the table. The steamed buns were still warm. Gu Ting handed her a pair of chopsticks, which she accepted with familiar ease.

“Thank you.”

“Hurry up and eat. You still have class later.”

“Mm.” Shen Qing lowered her head and picked up a bun, but before she could take a bite, she felt her hair loosen and the high ponytail fell completely.

“Go ahead and eat, I’ll help you,” Gu Ting said, placing a steady hand on her shoulder and picking up the snapped hair tie from the floor.

Shen Qing paused, sensing the gentle hands smoothing out her hair. Her gaze dimmed slightly, but she said nothing.

Gu Ting’s movements were careful, though he was unused to tying a girl’s hair for the first time. Her hair was fine and silky, and a few rebellious strands kept slipping from his grasp.

“I can do it myself,” Shen Qing said, lifting her hand, but Gu Ting pressed it back down.

“It’s fine, I’ve got it,” he insisted, gathering her hair into a low ponytail and fastening it with a red string he had.

His touch was so gentle that Shen Qing’s scalp tingled, a strange warmth blooming inside her.

“It looks nice,” he complimented her.

Her eyes were clear and bright—usually her high ponytail exuded a bold energy, but now with it tied lower, she seemed almost gentle.

“Mm.” Shen Qing said nothing more, finishing off the last bun.

**

On the podium, Xie Mingming glanced at the girl, noticing something indefinably different about her today.

“All right, that’s it for today. Next week is the second monthly exam, and there’ll be a parent-teacher meeting afterwards. Do your best, everyone.”

“Got it!” came the chorus from the students below.

“Shen Qing, do you remember what I told you?” Xie Mingming asked.

Shen Qing looked up and nodded.

“Good. Class dismissed.”

As soon as Xie Mingming left, Yao Panpan hurried over. “Qing, what did Mr. Xie say?”

“To score a hundred,” Shen Qing replied, picking up a pencil and sketching idly on scrap paper. Soon, the vague outline of a figure emerged.

“A hundred total?” Yao Panpan was startled. Shen Qing never paid attention in class—wasn’t that a bit much to ask?

“Qing, I’ll lend you my notes,” Yao Panpan offered. She was a diligent student herself, scoring 596 on the last monthly exam—a solid mark.

Nie Huan, who’d been looking at her phone, suddenly glanced up at Yao Panpan.

“What’s up, Huan?” Yao Panpan stammered. “I’ll give you a copy of my notes, too.”

Nie Huan paused, then said, “She doesn’t need notes.”

“Oh.” Yao Panpan poked out her tongue. Why did it feel like Huan was being awfully protective? Chu Yu’s status was really in danger.

Nie Huan showed her phone to Shen Qing. “This person just added me.”

Shen Qing glanced at the screen—a user going by the nickname “Handsome Guy Selling Veggies.”

“Go ahead and add them,” she said.

“Okay,” Nie Huan agreed, tapping to accept the request.

Shen Qing put down her pencil and leaned her head on Nie Huan’s shoulder. “Did you read what I sent you yesterday?”

Nie Huan recalled the e-book Shen Qing had sent and nodded. “If there’s anything confusing, there are notes and annotations in it.”

“Good. Read it carefully. You could make a lot of money.”

Chu Yu didn’t catch anything else, but the words “book” and “make money” stood out. “Qing, Huan, what kind of book makes money?” she asked, turning around. Were these two getting pulled into some scam?

Shen Qing cast a cool glance at her, closed her eyes, and replied in a serious tone, “A Pig Farming Manual.”

“…”

**

In the principal’s office, a man sat upright in a suit and tie.

Principal Liu sat behind his desk. “Mr. Nie, we can’t expel Shen Qing.”

“Oh? Because of the Yu family?” Nie Junran smiled, turning the teacup in his hand, though his smile never reached his eyes.

“Not exactly. Shen Qing was indeed wrong to sleep in class, but it was truly Teacher Cao who neglected his duties. If this is pursued, all Shen Qing would face is a self-criticism, but as for Teacher Cao—he may not enjoy a quiet retirement.”

Nie Junran chuckled and stood. “Since you put it that way, Principal Liu, I won’t press the matter further. By the way, I heard that No. 2 High had a few dark horses on the last monthly exam. Someone supposedly scored 736, while at No. 1, only Lin Ruiyang barely broke 700.”

“Mr. Nie, the two schools use different exam papers. There’s no comparison.”

“True, no comparison yet. But when the ten-school joint exam comes at the end of term, No. 1 High has Shen Qing. I wonder if you can still hold on to your top spot then.”

The smile on Principal Liu’s face froze. Nie Junran glanced at him, then left the office with a smile.

Outside, Teacher Cao waited anxiously. As soon as Nie Junran emerged, he hurried over to ask how it went.

Nie Junran frowned, his expression dark. “This is the end of it. No need to worry too much, Uncle. Shen Qing has offended the Yu family—she won’t come out of this unscathed.”

Teacher Cao nodded in agreement.