Chapter 277: The Chicken at Cousin’s House Is Celebrating Its Birthday

The midterm exams for the first semester of sophomore year were just around the corner.

Maybe it was the effect of that last vow.

Over the past few days, Miss Ye had noticeably toned down her usual carelessness.

She wasn’t dozing off in class as much.

Every now and then, she’d even pick up a textbook and follow along behind the teacher, pretending to study in earnest.

Though the questions she asked still left Miss Jiang half amused and half exasperated.

“Jiang Ning! Was Qin Shihuang’s Green Dragon Saber powerful or not?”

“Not bad.”

“How does it compare to Zhu Bajie’s Imperial Sword?”

“No contest. Actually, Yang Yuhuan’s True Tree Thousand Hands is way stronger…”

“Jiang Ning, are you messing with me?”

“You started it.”

…

“Jiang Ning! You lied to me!”

“Huh?”

“Potassium permanganate doesn’t explode at all!”

“You’re missing magnesium.”

“Oh, then I’ll try—”

“Don’t!!!”

…

“Jiang Ning, quick! Help me out.”

During Lao Guo’s class, Little Ye suddenly pulled out an apple and shoved it into Miss Jiang’s hands.

Then she pointed at her own head.

“Hit me with it.”

???

Miss Jiang looked at the Red Fuji in her hand, then at Little Ye, who had already leaned her forehead forward.

She was a little lost.

“…What do you mean?”

“Just hit me!”

Little Ye pointed again at her head.

“Newton got hit by an apple and came up with three laws.”

“I don’t believe Ye Na can’t solve these three big problems after getting hit once!”

After hearing that,

Miss Jiang happily gave her deskmate a flick on the forehead instead.

Then, without hesitation, she took a small bite of the Red Fuji.

Not bad.

Sweet and crisp.

“Jiang Ning! That’s my apple!”

“It’s mine now!”

“No way! What am I supposed to eat for lunch now that you’ve eaten it?”

“The cafeteria. I’ll treat you to a chicken leg.”

“I’m on a diet!!!”

Miss Ye looked furious. She reached out and snatched the half-eaten apple back from Miss Jiang.

“I already bit it.”

“I’ll eat around it!”

“But…”

Before Miss Jiang could finish, Little Ye took a fierce bite out of the other side of the apple.

However,

Miss Jiang pointed at the spot Ye Na had just bitten and said,

“But… I licked that part too…”

…

“Jiang Ning, where did Ye Na run off to again?”

“Oh, she said her stomach hurts. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.”

After Jiang Ning’s explanation,

The whole class burst into laughter.

But Lao Guo on the podium didn’t seem to mind. He just smiled helplessly.

Then he continued explaining the notes on the blackboard.

“Quiet, quiet.”

“Now, let’s continue with 【Coulomb’s Law】…”

…

Today was November 19th.

Monday.

There were four days left, including today, until the Hongsheng Group’s order for Blackrock Group was due.

But just the day before yesterday—specifically, the day after that last phone call—

The Head of Procurement at Hongsheng Group, Huang, reached out again to Sunflower Poultry Farm Company.

He agreed to resume normal poultry supply in exchange for certain confidential terms.

Jiang Ning agreed.

At the time, she had only one request:

Provide the poultry procurement records from Hongsheng Group for the past few months.

The reason she gave was that her own business was in the same field, and she just wanted to understand the purchasing trends of a major corporation.

Even a child wouldn’t fall for that excuse.

But both sides knew exactly what was going on, and the deal was struck anyway.

In the days that followed,

Miss Jiang had her older cousin make a series of requests.

None of them touched on core secrets, but they were all things outsiders wouldn’t normally know.

Until yesterday.

Miss Jiang bared her fangs.

She posed a confidential question to Department Head Huang.

…

Morning.

After two periods.

During morning exercises.

Miss Jiang made up an excuse and skipped it.

She went alone to the balcony at the end of the hallway, phone in hand, gazing into the distance as she patiently waited.

After a while,

The music from the loudspeakers above suddenly cut off, followed by—

“The Eighth Set of Radio Calisthenics for Middle School Students, now begins!”

“March in place…”

At the same time,

Miss Jiang’s phone buzzed in her hand.

She looked down.

It was her older cousin calling.

She answered.

“Ning Ning, I’ve got the stuff. How should I give it to you?”

“I’ll send someone… no, I’ll come back this afternoon.”

“Okay, should I wait for you at home?”

“At the farm. I don’t want too many people knowing about this.”

…

The main business was settled in just a few words.

Since there was still time, Miss Jiang asked a bit more about how the farm was doing.

When she heard that her cousin had already brought several nearby village poultry farmers under her wing,

Miss Jiang couldn’t help but praise her.

“Impressive, Cousin.”

“At this rate, you’ll be the undisputed Poultry Queen of Jiangzhou.”

Hearing that,

The other end of the line burst into hearty laughter.

Which made Miss Jiang a bit puzzled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Ning Ning, have you ever heard of the title ‘Jiangzhou Chicken King’?”

In that instant,

Miss Jiang’s forehead twitched.

“Cousin… don’t tell me… you mean me?”

And then,

She listened to the laughter coming from the other end of the call.

Miss Jiang was starting to regret going with the whole poultry theme.

She should’ve picked a pig, a cow, or a sheep…

Forget it.

A chicken wasn’t so bad after all.

Morning exercises were already wrapping up with the final segment, “cool-down stretches.”

Miss Jiang asked one last question.

“Cousin, when Department Head Huang handed you the documents today…”

“What kind of state was she in?”

…

“Wenwen, under what circumstances do women usually cry?”

During lunch, Miss Jiang posed this question to Qi Wen.

Ever since her cousin had described Department Head Huang’s condition that morning, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Crying one moment, laughing the next.

She could sort of understand the laughing part. After all, she’d provided that woman with days’ worth of poultry, helping her shine at Hongsheng Group.

But the crying? That part was harder to figure out.

Was it tears of joy?

In response to Miss Jiang’s question, Little Qi simply shot her a dramatic side-eye.

“Did you make another girl cry?”

“Hey, what kind of accusation is that?” Miss Jiang muttered, “I’d love to make someone cry, but I don’t even have the ability right now.”

Qi Wen couldn’t quite figure out what Miss Jiang really meant.

But knowing Jiang Ning as well as she did, there was probably more to it.

And in situations like this, the best move was…

A good pinch.

So, right there in front of everyone, Miss Jiang let out a loud “Ah!”

Heads turned.

And this time, it was Little Qi who blushed.

Cradling her lunch tray, she quickly switched to the other food line.

Miss Jiang rubbed her lower back with a helpless sigh.

Wasn’t this woman all quiet and demure in her past life?

Why was she so handsy in this one?

Women.

Truly mysterious creatures.

…

At noon, Miss Jiang headed to the Second-Year Grade Office.

As she pushed open the door, the first thing she saw was a teacher from some class lying on a recliner, snoring like thunder.

Miss Jiang frowned but didn’t have the heart to make a sound.

She tiptoed forward.

Along the way, she saw several teachers either sprawled on chairs or slumped over desks.

The chorus of snores was like frogs croaking in a summer pond—overlapping and unending.

Lao Guo was napping too.

He had dragged over an extra chair, leaned against the wall, and rested his legs on the seat. His sleeping posture looked a lot more comfortable than the guy at the door.

Seeing this, Miss Jiang walked over to his desk.

“Lao Guo!”

“Lao Guo!!”

No response after a couple of calls.

Miss Jiang glanced around, then snatched up the legendary artifact from Boss Yang Mei’s empty desk.

Grinning mischievously, she poked Lao Guo in the stomach with it.

Just once.

Lao Guo jolted awake.

Seeing Miss Jiang in front of him, he blinked in confusion and a bit of panic.

“What? Am I late for class?!”

Two minutes later, Guo Ming stared at the pretty girl in front of him, his face dark with frustration.

He couldn’t help but scold her in a low voice.

“Jiang Ning!”

“It used to be just a half-day leave at most.”

“Now you want to take off the whole afternoon?”

“Even big-shot business owners aren’t as busy as you!”

If it were about anything else, Miss Jiang might not have had a comeback.

But business?

Well…

Forget it.

Now wasn’t the time to get on Lao Guo’s bad side.

She took a deep breath, steadied her qi, and gathered her energy.

Then, with a dramatic squeeze of her vocal cords:

“Aiya, Teacher Guo, it’s just this once~”

“Just once, okay~?”

“Guo~ Lao~ Shi~”

Those words made Guo Ming shiver.

He instinctively looked around.

Everyone was still asleep.

He let out a small sigh.

“Fine, I’ll allow it.”

“But…”

Guo Ming paused.

“Next month, at the city’s model student awards ceremony…”

“You’ll have to represent our school and give a speech.”

Everyone knew.

Miss Jiang hated public appearances the most.

So naturally…

“Okay! Don’t worry, Teacher!”

“I’ll make sure to bring home the Best Performance Award for our school!”

Hearing that, Guo Ming finally scribbled a “Guo” on the leave slip.

But just as he finished, something seemed to occur to him.

He frowned.

“What’s your reason for leave?”

“For half-day leaves like this, if there’s no proper reason, the Dean won’t approve it.”

“The reason, huh…” Miss Jiang thought about where she was headed.

She pursed her lips.

“Let’s say… I’m celebrating my cousin’s chicken’s birthday.”

And with that—

Miss Jiang was kicked out of the office.

If not for her gender, she might’ve been the first student ever physically thrown out of the teacher’s office.

Seriously.

Why so fierce?

No manners at all.

As she went downstairs, Miss Jiang grumbled under her breath.

But just as she reached the second floor, someone blocked her way in the corridor.

“Senior Jiang Ning, I’d like to talk to you.”

“Talk about what?” Jiang Ning looked down at the boy standing below her, brows slightly furrowed.

“I don’t think there’s anything between us worth discussing.”

“It’s about the entertainment company.”

Entertainment company?

So the news really got out?

Little Ge’s words had, after all, piqued Miss Jiang’s interest.

She thought for a moment, then said,

“I’m heading out now.”

“It takes five minutes to walk from here to the school gate.”

“If you can’t say something useful in that time…”

“Then don’t ever expect me to pay attention to you again.”

With that, Miss Jiang turned and headed down the stairs alone.

But Ge Hanwen seemed frozen in place, still caught in the lingering scent she left behind.

Only then did the young man snap out of it.

He immediately turned and ran after her.

By the time he reached the first floor, he’d caught up to her.

“Jiang Ning.”

“Don’t walk so close to me. I’m not used to it.”

“Oh, right.”

Hearing that, Ge Hanwen quickly took a step to the side and then said,

“Jiang Ning, there’s a rumor going around school… that an entertainment company sent you an invitation?”

“Yeah, Lion King Entertainment.”

Miss Jiang didn’t hide it and directly said the name.

Clearly, the young man seemed to know a thing or two about the entertainment industry.

He hesitated for a moment before asking,

“Is it the one from Haicheng?”

Seeing that Miss Jiang had no intention of responding, he spoke up again,

“Jiang Ning, my mom is the co-president of Tenghong Entertainment.”

“You know Tenghong Entertainment, right?”

“It’s one of the top companies in the country…”

Seeing he was about to ramble on, Miss Jiang quickly raised a hand to stop him.

“Get to the point.”

That one sentence made Ge Hanwen pause mid-sentence. He pondered for a moment, then said cautiously,

“The entertainment industry is deep water.”

“It’s nothing like what we see on the surface.”

“If you can avoid it, it’s best not to get involved.”

“But if you’re really interested, I can—”

“No,” Miss Jiang cut him off without hesitation.

“I’m not.”

“Thanks though.”

She waved him off with a casual gesture.

At that moment, Ge Hanwen realized they had already walked out of the school gate and were now standing by the roadside.

Then, right in front of him, he watched as the girl he liked opened the passenger door of a car.

As she was about to get in, Ge Hanwen rushed forward and grabbed the door.

“Senior Jiang Ning, where are you going?”

“You still have class this afternoon.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the driver’s seat—where Tian Wenhao sat.

He suddenly felt a wave of inexplicable hostility.

Tian Wenhao immediately understood what was going on and gave a playful smile.

“Cousin, who’s this handsome guy?”

Seeing her older cousin trying to play it safe, Miss Jiang rolled her eyes at him.

Then she turned to the young man still holding the car door.

“Classmate Ge,”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, and I appreciate the thought.”

“But I have things to do this afternoon.”

“Please let go.”

Ge Hanwen could hear the displeasure in her voice and quickly released his grip.

“Sorry, Jiang Ning, I…”

But all he got in response was the sound of the car door slamming shut.

Then, he stood there and watched as the car slowly disappeared from view.

Ge Hanwen stood in place for a long time.

Eventually, he made a silent decision.

…

Ten minutes later.

Ge Hanwen arrived at a phone booth, pulled out a newly purchased IC phone card, inserted it, and dialed a number.

Beep… beep…

After a moment, a calm voice came through the receiver.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Mom, it’s me.”

…

Tenghong Entertainment.

Located beside the bustling Luofeng Lake in the heart of Ningzhou.

One of the top two entertainment companies in the country.

With countless artists under its banner.

But unlike its rival, Tianyu Entertainment, Tenghong focused almost entirely on actors.

From TV dramas to films, even traditional opera and dance performers were within its scope.

This earned it a nickname among industry insiders—

The Final Stop for Actors.

Today, Du Hong, one of Tenghong Entertainment’s two co-presidents, was in a large conference room giving a lecture to top students from elite performing arts schools across the country.

“An actor must maintain emotional stability and a calm mindset in order to perform…”

As she spoke, Du Hong suddenly felt a vibration from her bag.

She frowned.

Hadn’t she already turned off her phone?

Then she remembered—she’d only powered off her work phone. The one vibrating now was her personal phone.

As a co-president of a major entertainment company, her personal number was never shared publicly.

Very few people had it.

And for someone to be calling at this hour…

“Ten-minute break.”

Du Hong abruptly paused the lecture. Amid the murmurs of the students below, she pulled out her personal phone, stepped outside, and answered the call.

“Hello, who is this?”

The moment she heard the familiar voice on the other end, she froze.

Then—

A surge of anger erupted from deep within, nearly breaking through her composed exterior.

But given where she was, Du Hong forced herself to keep her emotions in check and asked coldly,

“So you still remember you have a mother?”

“The mighty CEO of Tenghong Entertainment’s son, completely bewitched by a single photo and a video. What a joke.”

“Crossing cities in search of true love.”

“What now? You finally won her over and called to share the good news?”

And then—

A single word from the other end of the line: “No.”

Du Hong, who had just managed to suppress her anger, felt it rise again in an instant.

“You didn’t get her? Then why are you calling me?”

“Looking for help from the sidelines?”

“Sorry, your mother hasn’t sunk so low as to help her son chase after a girl!”

“If you really need help, go find the one who helped you transfer schools in the first place.”

On this side of the call—

Ge Hanwen had already expected this kind of reaction from his mom.

After all, if any other kid had acted like him—obsessed with a girl, chasing her across cities, and cutting off contact with the family for so long—any normal mother would’ve exploded by now.

He understood. But understanding didn’t mean he agreed.

After thinking it over, Ge Hanwen decided to tell her about Jiang Ning.

As expected—

The moment she heard the words “Lion King Entertainment,” the breathing on the other end of the line noticeably calmed.

“Mom, can you help me find a way to—”

Before he could finish, a cold snort came through the receiver.

“You took it upon yourself to meddle, didn’t you?”

“…Mom, I—”

Before Ge Hanwen could say more, Du Hong cut him off with a blunt statement:

“That girl you’re so hung up on? She already has someone backing her.”

“She doesn’t need your help.”

“If you’ve got time to meddle, better spend it thinking about how you’re going to explain this to your grandmother!”

With that, Du Hong hung up.

Then she stood in the hallway, pacing back and forth for a moment.

Eventually, she pulled out her phone again and dialed a number.

“Xiao Ji, I need you to dig up some information on someone.”

“Jiangzhou City No.1 High School, Class 3, Grade 11. Jiang Ning.”

“The more detailed, the better.”

“Why?”

“Because this girl managed to make Wang Yang—that old dog with more experience than sense—lower himself to personally invite her. Is that reason enough?”

After she hung up, she muttered under her breath, too quiet for anyone to hear, her voice filled with frustration and disappointment.

“And that damn kid of mine too!”

“Agh! He’s going to be the death of me!”

…

“Achoo!”

On the national highway, a certain girl rubbed her nose.

She couldn’t figure out why she’d sneezed several times in a row today.

Was she catching a cold?

Didn’t feel like it.

“Ning Ning.”

“You really plan to go through with this?”

“Aren’t you afraid that Luo guy will flip the table?”

“Of course I’m afraid,” Miss Jiang said, zipping her jacket all the way up to her chin.

Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and security, she beamed and said,

“That’s why I had you bring all our documents ahead of time.”

“This is our real weapon!”

(End of chapter)