Outside the classroom, even breathing produced white mist, but inside it was relatively warmer.
After all, there were many people, and those coming in or out would casually close the door behind them, preventing the classroom's warmth from escaping.
Shen Nian entered through the front door and the first thing he saw was Chen Qiuyu, propping her round chin on her hand, wearing a look of melancholy.
The melancholy of that day was truly melancholic.
Shen Nian swiftly made his exit. An eighteen-year-old high school boy, afraid of encountering drama.
Ah, I miss the fishing uncle.
During a previous parent-teacher conference, Shen Nian had noticed Chen Qiuyu's father and remembered his name: Chen Guangming.
While he was on stage reading his speech, the fishing uncle kept covering his eyes with his hand. It was hilarious.
He probably thought I was interested in his daughter.
Old man, is my fishing rod safe downstairs?
Coo-coo, cluck-cluck.
Lunch break.
Shen Nian was part of the "eat-first" faction today. He had rushed to the cafeteria early and devoured his food like a whirlwind. While others were still lining up, he had already finished and put away his bowl and chopsticks.
A dozen or so classmates, both boys and girls, were still in the classroom chatting or studying. Even Lan Fukai was there, though he kept to himself, studying alone.
The mock exam was quite important. Even boys who usually wouldn't stick around were using this bit of after-school time. Some were gathered around Xia Yanchun asking questions.
As soon as Shen Nian arrived, those with math questions came over to him.
"Shen Nian, hurry up and hand over your 'Flame Mantra'!"
"I just use the time you all spend resting for studying, that's all. If you only slept three or four hours a day, you'd definitely improve too."
"You're still being evasive, you jerk. I really might have to use the Sea God's Trident on you."
"I tell the truth and you don't believe me."
Shen Nian just wanted to be an honest kid, but no one believed him when he told the truth.
"I want to believe you! But if you really only sleep three or four hours a night, you should at least put on some dark circle makeup to fool us!" Zheng Bu said with a scoff.
Shen Nian shrugged. "Zheng Bu, haven't you heard? People's constitutions are different. I once, in a state of extreme fury, solved ten final, high-difficulty math problems in a row."
Zheng Bu was practically scared to tears.
Faced with a final math problem, he could only be extremely furious in a state of extreme fury.
Fun fact: In a state of extreme fury, it's easier to punch through a wall than to solve a final math problem.
"Xiao Chun, time for lunch."
"Mhm, you guys go ahead. I don't have much appetite today."
"Oh, okay."
Once a few people left first, others gradually followed. Soon, only Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun remained in the classroom.
"Not going to eat?" Shen Nian asked, resting his chin on a pile of books as he looked at her.
"No appetite."
"What's wrong?" Shen Nian looked at her expressionless little face and smiled. "Oh, it's the end of the month."
It was Chun Bao's time of the month.
It was hard for him to forget. He used to tease her and make her angry during her period before.
But it was different now. The grass by his nest needed to be treated well.
Xia Yanchun puffed out her cheeks. "What about the end of the month?"
"Nothing, nothing. I have a few small breads here. Want the purple rice cream one?"
"Hand it over."
"Here."
This was where the benefit of always having various snacks in his backpack came in.
Xia Yanchun ate the one-fifty purple rice bread, washing it down with water. The originally full cup of monk fruit water was almost gone, and what remained was cold. She added more hot water to it.
Shen Nian went and closed the classroom door and drew the curtains. The classroom curtains were quite thick, blocking most of the light. In winter, when the curtains were drawn, the classroom lights were turned on.
"Stomach ache, right?" Shen Nian sat in Li Shiyan's seat, smiling lightly as he brushed aside her hair.
"No, just no appetite."
"Does your stomach hurt during your period?"
Xia Yanchun, nibbling on the purple rice bread, gave a slight nod. "It hurts, but mine is okay, not severe. Some people have it really bad; I've seen online that some even need painkillers."
"We can't worry about others. Want me to make you some brown sugar ginger water tomorrow?"
"Up to you... Don't you have to get up earlier every time you make these things?"
"Not really. Boiling some water isn't hard. I get enough sleep, don't worry."
"Heh, remember to tell your mom you like Orleans roast chicken. If you die from overwork, I'm going to eat it heartily."
"Damn, such a poisonous tongue. I'll punch you to death." Shen Nian made a fist and gently pushed it against Xia Yanchun's cheek, squishing the soft flesh into a lump, making her look like a little pig.
Xia Yanchun was speechless. Whose idiot had escaped and wasn't being watched properly?
The hot water went down her throat, making Xia Yanchun feel warm inside. "Your monk fruit water is really good."
"Of course."
Under the effect of [Cooking Mastery], the natural heat-clearing property of monk fruit was enhanced and also imbued with a warming effect.
Good for drinking when it's cold, and also when you have internal heat.
Even if Xia Yanchun ate extremely spicy hotpot or fried food three meals a day and got internal heat, a sip of this monk fruit water would pretty much take care of it.
Next time he brewed brown sugar ginger water, it would effectively relieve menstrual cramps and keep her warm too.
Over the past two weeks, he had pretty much figured out [Cooking Mastery]. It felt a bit like health cultivation. The usual scammy health supplements, after being processed by him, could genuinely promote health.
After finishing the purple rice bread, Xia Yanchun threw the wrapper into the small trash bag tied between their desks and sniffled.
"Want more?"
"No. I'll read for a bit and then get ready to sleep."
"Still reading? The mock exam is tomorrow. Wouldn't balancing work and rest be better? I'm telling you, the harder you cram before the exam, the more exhausted you'll be during it."
"Then what should I do?"
"Xia Yanchun, I've realized your life is really too dull. Day in, day out, it's nothing but studying. Study, sleep, wake up, study. You'll become a heartless studying machine!"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Let me get close." Shen Nian grinned, leaning in to sniff the girl's hair and nuzzling her tender ear.
Xia Yanchun felt her face itch from his nuzzling. She tucked her chin in slightly but didn't stop him. Nor did she put down her book, instead holding it up for him to see.
"It's a novel, borrowed from someone else. Satisfied?"
"Good Chun Bao."
"Ugh... Don't lift my clothes..."
"I'm helping you massage your stomach."
"..."
Even though she was dressed warmly, Shen Nian's large hand still slipped under her long-sleeved base layer, resting on her stomach over the thin undershirt.
Xia Yanchun kept her legs together, breathing a little heavily. It felt somewhat comfortable. With Shen Nian pressing on her stomach, the slight discomfort from her period actually lessened a bit.
She felt like an emperor, reading comfortably while someone gave her a massage. Mhm, mhm.
"I still have some monk fruit water left. Do you want it?"
"Bring it here."
"Right away."
The monk fruit water had long gone cold. Xia Yanchun added hot water to it before drinking.
Holding the cup, the monk fruit water was slightly sweet and very soothing for the throat.
With no one else around, she didn't feel like putting on an act. It was just drinking from the same cup, after all.
They used to drink from the same cup often before.
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to the Tomato Novel App requesting over 3 million daily visits, which is causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended that you use sources from other big shots/platforms:

shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!