Chapter 50: Is It Wrong to Be Kind-Hearted?

“Burning bridges after crossing the river? Not even a thank-you?”

Jun Nanye’s voice startled Cheng Yuan. Clutching the exam papers, she froze. “You woke up on your own?”

Didn’t it usually take a long time to wake him?

“You took something from me. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Jun Nanye chuckled softly.

In the past, he’d struggled with severe insomnia. Even a whisper of disturbance could ruin his sleep, leaving him irritable and tightly wound. But things were different now—he could enjoy several hours of deep rest. Entering this dark room only deepened his slumber. He wasn’t completely oblivious anymore.

“Oh, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Cheng Yuan met his eyes, then softly said, “Thank you for bringing me the Jiang City exam papers. I heard they’re a lot harder than the ones from other regions.”

Heard?

Jun Nanye instantly caught the slip. She wasn’t from Jiang City.

“Jiang City’s exams are tough,” he said mildly, “but once you get used to them, the easier ones feel like a breeze.”

“Exactly! You’re so kind.” Cheng Yuan hugged the papers like a treasure and yawned. She’d stayed up studying all night and was running on fumes.

“You brought me Jincheng’s exams again today?” Cheng Yuan blinked at the familiar stack in her hands.

“What? You’ve done these before?” Jun Nanye’s heart tensed.

Cheng Yuan quickly shook her head—then remembered he couldn’t see her. “Of course not. I mean, Jincheng is so far away…”

I didn’t slip up, did I?

“Ah, so it’s far.” Jun Nanye made a mental note to rule out Jincheng. Again.

“Xia Wanwan’s concert is in two days. Do you want me to buy you a ticket?”

“No need,” Cheng Yuan said, shaking her head. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Don’t high school seniors get very few days off?” he asked casually.

“No, but…” Cheng Yuan caught herself just before blurting, It’s so close. She quickly corrected, “I’ll just take a day off. That should be enough time to get there by bus, right?”

Jun Nanye gave her a long, unreadable look.

“Tao An, are you planning to bring me every Gaokao exam paper in the country?” Cheng Yuan stared at the towering pile in disbelief. In just three days, he’d already gathered papers from seven or eight cities—some even marked as confidential practice tests.

Her initial excitement was now turning into anxiety. Could I even finish these before the Gaokao?

“Where does he even get all of these?”

“Doing more papers can only help,” Jun Nanye replied, pointing to a set of Hai City’s past exams. “What if this year’s Hai City exam is based on one of these?”

“Who knows what Hai City’s exam writers are thinking? Especially in math—it’s brutal.”

Cheng Yuan winced. Just hearing the words “college entrance exam” gave her a headache. Back then, she had managed to scrape into a vocational college, but she remembered nothing of the questions—except the essay topic: “My Father.”

Cheng Huaien had still been in prison at the time. Her essay, usually a strong suit, had taken a serious hit that year.

Yawning, she felt sleep pulling at her.

“You seem very familiar with Hai City,” Jun Nanye said offhandedly.

Cheng Yuan, half-asleep, mumbled, “It’s alright… I’ve lived there for years.”

And with that, she drifted off.

Jun Nanye wished he could open his eyes at that very moment. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Tao An check every third-year high school girl surnamed Cheng in Hai City.

If she’s lived there for years, she has to be local.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan slept soundly, unaware of the information she had accidentally revealed.

At six the next morning, Jun Nanye woke up and immediately ordered, “Tao An, find all the third-year high school girls in Hai City with the surname Cheng.”

He had already eliminated other cities where she couldn’t possibly be. After combing through a third of the nationwide data, he narrowed it down to Hai City.

There were nearly two hundred high schools in Hai City, and thousands of girls with the surname Cheng. Still, it was a lead.

“Focus the investigation on these students,” he instructed.

Still half-asleep, Tao An gave him a puzzled look. “Brother Nanye, who exactly are we looking for? Do we have any characteristics at all? It’s like you don’t even know who she is.”

We’re just searching based on the surname Cheng… What’s the point?

Jun Nanye gave him a cold glance. “Have you found the jade pendant yet?”

Tao An averted his eyes guiltily. “No, Brother Nanye. I’m still looking. I’ll start collecting all the info. But… are we really limiting this to Hai City? What about nearby counties or provinces?”

“No need.” Jun Nanye’s tone was firm. “She said she’s lived in Hai City for years. That means she’s attending school there.”

Yixian No. 1 High School.

Cheng Yuan had no idea Jun Nanye had concluded she was from Hai City.

At school, as she carried the thick stack of exam papers into the classroom, Yu Qing nearly fell out of his chair. He rushed over and grabbed the stack. “Cheng Yuan! Where did you get all these papers?”

“My pen pal sent them,” Cheng Yuan said casually, tossing the blame elsewhere. “The college entrance exam is coming. Thought they might be useful.”

“These are from all over the country!” Yu Qing flipped through them, amazed. “Your pen pal is ridiculously generous.”

And it wasn’t just the test papers. The way her broken Walkman had been repaired so fast—it all felt too miraculous.

“Isn’t it a good thing?” Cheng Yuan smiled. “More practice for everyone.”

When the teachers saw the stack, their eyes lit up like it was gold.

“Cheng Yuan,” one of them asked, “you’re really willing to share these with your classmates?”

“Of course. I’m just broke and can’t afford to make copies.”

“No worries—we’ll handle that!” the teachers said immediately. “The school will cover the cost. These papers are a godsend.”

They eagerly flipped through them, their hands almost trembling. These were high-quality exams from multiple regions—some they had never seen before. They didn’t care where she got them. They just wanted to put them to use.

“How is your pen pal so nice to you?” Bei Xiaolin asked with a sly smile. “Is he… interested? Or are you two… dating?” She pointed out that he’d fixed her Walkman and sent all these precious exams.

Cheng Yuan remained calm. “Can’t he just be kind?”