Chapter 73: Bro Is a Woman, and Women Are Fickle

To Jiang Ning, the school sports meet was nothing more than a little spice sprinkled into the busy rhythm of life.

She had to juggle schoolwork, tasks, and grades while also keeping an eye on her shop’s business at the university, the operations of her delivery team, and the renovations of the store near the station.

Of course, in her spare time, she also kept track of the music charts—after all, she had a share in the profits.

To her delight, the album was selling exceptionally well, even beyond expectations.

Two songs had already entered the top ten in their first week on the charts—one at eighth place, the other at ninth.

And their momentum was strong.

At this rate, in just one or two more weeks, they could break into the top five.

With a bit more stability, even the top three wouldn’t be out of reach.

And this was with Jiang Ning picking two relatively unpopular songs from her past life.

If she had chosen the viral hits, wouldn’t the whole chart have been blown up by her?

At this moment, Jiang Ning was brimming with confidence in her plan to make money through selling songs.

Of course, selling songs was just a side hustle.

Her main business was still… business.

However, compared to the smooth sailing of selling songs, her fried chicken shop had run into a rather annoying problem.

The prices of chicken-related raw materials—chicken fillets, wings, nuggets—had all gone up.

That’s right, the poultry supplier for Jiangzhou Academy had raised prices on her.

It was a small price hike, but to Jiang Ning, it was a bad omen.

Today, they raised the price by a dime per piece due to “transportation issues.” Tomorrow, they could easily increase it by fifty cents for some other excuse.

And contracts?

For those small-time suppliers, lawsuits were meaningless.

If they suddenly decided to pressure her by withholding supplies, she wouldn’t even have time to find a new source.

Other ingredients like bread, vegetables, and sauces were manageable—she could still buy some from supermarkets or markets in an emergency.

But chicken?

She had to process it herself before use, and the store space was limited—handling that on her own wasn’t realistic.

So, this supply issue was no small matter.

She had to figure out a solution.

As Jiang Ning hid by the parallel bars, deep in thought, a familiar figure suddenly appeared beside her.

“Aiya, Jiang Jiang, why are you hiding here all alone?”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Ning rolled her eyes at Miss Qi.

“What do you think?”

At the sound of her sulky tone, Qi Wen let out a chuckle.

“Oh dear, whose fault is it that someone has such beautiful legs?”

“So, tell me, how many senior boys have confessed to you this time?”

Seeing Qi Wen’s schadenfreude-filled face, Jiang Ning turned her head away, acting like she didn’t want to talk.

Honestly, she felt helpless too.

I mean, if you’re doing the high jump, you need to wear lightweight pants, right?

Jiang Ning had just worn a pair of sports capris, revealing only her fair calves.

And yet, that was enough to attract the gaze of a certain senior with a leg fetish.

The moment she landed, she was stopped.

Feeling the heated gaze locked onto her legs, Jiang Ning bolted without a second thought.

Later, she heard that the guy was still asking around for her information.

It was so annoying that she decided to hide in the corner of the sports field by the parallel bars, leisurely zoning out.

Just then—

She felt a pair of hands gently smoothing her hair.

“Your hair’s a bit messy. Let me fix it for you.”

Jiang Ning didn’t respond but sat still, letting Qi Wen undo her ponytail and run her fingers through it.

“Jiang Jiang, your hair is so nice. What brand of conditioner do you use?”

“Vidal Sassoon, L’Oréal, Syoss, Lafang, Pantene.”

“That many?”

“Mm-hmm, I don’t use any of them.”

Qi Wen realized she had been tricked.

Without a word, she tightened her grip slightly.

“Ah! Wrong, wrong, wrong!” Jiang Ning quickly begged for mercy.

“Hmph!”

Qi Wen snorted softly but ultimately released her grip.

A moment later, Jiang Ning’s high ponytail was neatly tied up again, restoring her youthful vibrance.

But then—

Jiang Ning suddenly frowned, as if realizing something.

“Wen Wen, I’m here to hide from trouble. What about you?”

Hearing this, Qi Wen’s expression instantly turned awkward.

She coughed lightly twice and shot Jiang Ning a glare.

“What do you think?”

“Pfft—hahaha!!”

Jiang Ning burst into laughter.

—

Just like that, the two-day school sports meet ended in Jiang Ning’s amusement.

That afternoon, after school—

As she passed by the sports field, Jiang Ning saw Tao Tao playing basketball with a group of guys.

The game looked pretty intense.

Jiang Ning was tempted to join, but as soon as she remembered she was a girl now, her urge to play immediately faded.

Shaking her head, she continued walking toward the school gate with Luo Shanshan.

But before they could go far, a voice called out to her.

“Jiang Ning, wait a second.”

Hearing this, she turned around.

Tao Tao had caught up and stopped just a meter in front of her and Luo Shanshan.

Sensing the situation, Luo Shanshan quickly let go of Jiang Ning’s arm.

“Uh, my dad’s waiting for me at the gate. I’ll head off first.”

“Bye-bye~”

By the time Jiang Ning snapped out of it, Luo Shanshan was already at least ten meters away.

That girl…

Jiang Ning sighed, then turned her gaze to the slightly out-of-breath guy in front of her.

“What’s up?”

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Does Qi Wen have a boyfriend?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning’s eyes lit up at first, but the moment she pictured Qi Wen with another guy—

For some reason, she felt… uncomfortable.

Like a cherished toy being taken away.

Her tone immediately turned sour.

“Why?”

“I have a good friend who wants to get to know her.”

“Oh? No chance.” Jiang Ning flatly refused.

Her decisiveness left Tao Tao wondering if he had somehow offended her before.

“But last time, you said—”

“What? Bro is a woman. Women are fickle—don’t you know that?”

Jiang Ning’s response left Tao Tao speechless.

But instead of being annoyed, he chuckled.

“You keep calling yourself ‘bro.’ What does that have to do with being a woman?”

“None of your business!”

Jiang Ning waved her hand dismissively, lifted her chin, swung her ponytail, and walked away.

Watching her fading silhouette, a voice suddenly sounded beside Tao Tao.

“You’re really not going to do anything?”

Without turning his head, Tao Tao continued staring in the direction Jiang Ning had left, an amused look in his eyes.

“It’s pointless.”

“A clueless sophomore already tried and failed.”

“Pushing too hard will only backfire.”

“So you’re just going to wait?” Xia Zhi asked, confused.

“I’ll deal with it later. At the very least, I don’t want her to know right now.”