No Ulterior Motives C42

Chapter 42: Jiang Ning’s Military Pledge

“OMG, Jiang Jiang!! You actually got a perfect score in math on this month’s exam!!”

Just as Jiang Ning arrived at the classroom door, Luo Shanshan caught her right on the spot.

“Did you know?”

“You’re the only one in the entire grade who got a perfect score!”

“The second-place score was only 142, which is a full eight points behind you.”

“Jiang Jiang, how did you do it?”

At these words, a few students in the front row also turned their curious gazes toward them.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly leaned in close to Luo Shanshan’s ear and whispered mischievously:

“Just don’t wear a bra.”

Then she walked past, leaving Luo Shanshan frozen in shock.

As the surrounding classmates gathered around, Luo Shanshan’s face instantly turned bright red.

She couldn’t even bring herself to explain.

Not far away, Jiang Ning wore a smug smile. Even the annoyance of being called a “little devil” temporarily faded away.

As expected—

The Art of Transferring Embarrassment really worked.

A while later, when Teacher Yang Mei entered the classroom, Luo Shanshan finally managed to break free from the group of classmates surrounding her.

She plopped down in her seat with an annoyed huff.

“Hmph!!!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked at the pouting, puffed-up bun face in front of her, then chuckled and said:

“Actually, I have an even better trick.”

Luo Shanshan really wanted to lean in and listen, but she still had her pride after being teased.

So instead, she stiffly sat there, ears perked up, waiting for the next words.

However—

Jiang Ning simply said one sentence:

“You don’t have to take it off—just unhook it during the exam.”

Seeing Luo Shanshan about to explode, Jiang Ning quickly explained:

“Think about it. When we wear bras, don’t they feel kind of restrictive?”

“And over time, doesn’t that create a sense of constraint?”

“But your heart is right under your chest.”

“So restricting your chest means restricting blood circulation to your heart.”

“And our brains need a lot of blood flow to function properly.”

“So…”

After laying out this completely nonsensical logic, Luo Shanshan’s expression shifted to one of sudden realization—though she still found it unbelievable.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning patted her shoulder in a serious manner, as if telling her to think it over carefully.

Little did Luo Shanshan know how hard Jiang Ning—and Sun Qian behind her—were struggling to hold back their laughter.

By the time Luo Shanshan finally realized she had been tricked, their group of mischievous friends was already laughing out loud.

However, at that moment—

Teacher Yang Mei suddenly spoke in a stern voice from the podium:

“Sun Qian! Laughing so happily—your grades must be excellent this time?”

“Well then, tell everyone your score.”

In an instant, the smile vanished from Sun Qian’s face. Like an ostrich, she lowered her head in silence.

“And you, Luo Shanshan, do you even know how much you scored in math this time?”

“You still have the mood to mess around?!”

“I… I…” Luo Shanshan didn’t know what to say. In the end, she just stammered and lowered her head.

Jiang Ning thought the matter would end there—until she suddenly felt Yang Mei’s gaze land on her.

That meaningful look made her heart skip a beat.

“Jiang Ning.”

Hearing her name, Jiang Ning immediately sat up straight.

“Get the class blackboard updated before the weekend. Don’t forget—you’re still the Cultural and Entertainment Committee Member!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With her teacher’s orders given, Jiang Ning agreed without hesitation.

As for how to actually get it done… well, she’d figure that out later.

However—

After just one class period, when Yang Mei passed on the school’s official requirements, Jiang Ning already regretted answering so quickly.

Because this wasn’t just about a blackboard update anymore.

To prepare for the provincial and municipal education inspections at the end of the month, every class had to create a blackboard display with the theme “My Beautiful Campus, My Home.”

On top of that, they also had to write a speech and prepare a performance.

Though the school would first hold a grade-wide competition, and only the top three classes would be presented for the inspection—

This was still an overwhelming amount of work.

Jiang Ning instantly looked pitiful.

“Teacher, just take me out of this. This job is too heavy—I can’t handle it…”

Seeing Jiang Ning’s exaggeratedly distressed expression, Yang Mei couldn’t help but chuckle and said:

“Don’t worry. You’re not doing this alone.”

“You can get people to help.”

Oh, so that’s how it was.

But after all that effort, just to prepare for some inspection?

Jiang Ning pouted. She still didn’t look too pleased.

Seeing this, Yang Mei muttered “crafty little rascal” under her breath, then cleared her throat and said:

“You asked me about taking leave before, remember?”

“If our class ranks in the top three this time, I’ll approve at least one day off for you every week.”

“But only if your grades don’t drop.”

“Understood?!”

“Rest assured, Teacher! Xiao Ningzi guarantees to complete the mission!!”

And so, Jiang Ning’s military pledge was made.

For the next few periods, Jiang Ning sat in class, planning how to divide the tasks.

She could handle the blackboard text, but not the illustrations—she wasn’t great at drawing.

She could attempt the speechwriting. Even though her Chinese wasn’t top-tier, she could rely on her memories from her past life to piece together something decent.

But the cultural performance—

That was the real headache.

With this bunch of goofballs in her class, expecting them to put on a serious show was wishful thinking. She might as well just sing something herself.

But that would mean preparing instruments and everything… too much hassle.

So—

Jiang Ning’s gaze suddenly landed on a certain someone who was playing volleyball.

“Hey! Wenwen! Come here for a sec—I need to talk to you!”

Hearing her name, Qi Wen turned around.

When she saw that it was Jiang Ning calling her, she immediately set down her volleyball and jogged over, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“What’s up, Jiang Jiang?”

“Wenwen! The organization has an honorable yet challenging mission for you.”

Seeing Jiang Ning’s serious expression, Qi Wen was confused.

“What are you talking about…”

“Ahem.”

Jiang Ning cleared her throat, then explained her plan directly.

But when she mentioned wanting Qi Wen to perform a dance for the class, she noticed Qi Wen’s eyes flicker with surprise.

“How did you know I can dance?”

Not only did Jiang Ning know—she also knew that next spring, Qi Wen would perform a mesmerizing Hu Xuan Dance at the Friendship Gala, stunning the entire freshman year and becoming the star of the event.

Of course, she couldn’t just say that.

So, she made something up:

“I overheard Tian Yawen mention it…”

Since Tian Yawen was Qi Wen’s junior high classmate, she naturally knew about her dancing.

So Qi Wen didn’t question it further.

However—

She didn’t agree right away either.

Her sweet eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Jiang Jiang, help me with something first. If you succeed—forget just dancing, I’ll even perform a shamanic ritual if you want.”