“Illiterate?”

Zhou Xiaohong, standing next to He Dan, looked at Jiang Cheng with a hint of disdain, her tone laced with contempt.

“The literacy class is downstairs. What are you doing here, pretending to be someone important? As if you could understand what the teacher is saying.”

As soon as Zhou Xiaohong finished speaking, a young woman with an air of a seasoned cadre chimed in.

“Classmate, please don’t waste this learning opportunity.”

Zhang Cuijuan stared at Jiang Cheng’s pretty face, her brows furrowed in disgust. Yet another person wasting time instead of studying properly.

He Dan was secretly delighted. She wanted Jiang Cheng to understand the gap between them.

At the doorway, Jiang Cheng’s face showed just the right amount of surprise.

“Isn’t this Comrade He Dan? I never expected to run into you here. What a pleasant surprise!”

Jiang Cheng’s enthusiasm left He Dan at a loss.

Where exactly was the closeness in their relationship?

Jiang Cheng took a few steps forward, standing opposite He Dan, and spoke in a familiar tone, “Comrade He Dan loves to joke. My articles are so well-written, full of emotion and rhythm. Why would I need to attend a literacy class? Don’t you agree?”

Jiang Cheng smiled sweetly, while He Dan seethed inside.

What could she do?

Could she say no?

Wasn’t Jiang Cheng subtly referring to the diary incident?

He Dan didn’t want to expose the Lin family affair. Deep down, she wasn’t sure if everyone would side with her.

So, it wasn’t that she didn’t know right from wrong; it was just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

He Dan swallowed her frustration and forced a smile, saying, “I forgot about that.”

“How could you forget?”

Jiang Cheng suddenly slapped He Dan’s arm, acting as if they were close friends, and continued, “I know how competitive you are. You just got back yesterday, and today you’re already attending night school. You’re just afraid I’ll outsmart you and surpass you in studies, aren’t you?”

“Let me tell you, everyone here is smart. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be here, right?”

“So, Comrade He Dan, relax. Since we’re fated to be in the same class, we should work together and improve together. Don’t you agree?”

He Dan was grinding her teeth in frustration.

Jiang Cheng was blatantly trying to tarnish her reputation.

If she denied it, Jiang Cheng would probably bring up the Lin family affair, right?

Sure enough, Zhou Xiaohong took a step back, and Zhang Cuijuan added in a lecturing tone, “Comrade He Dan, it’s better to focus your energy on studying.”

He Dan lowered her head, her face twitching uncontrollably, and she managed to squeeze out a response, “I really forgot. That’s not what I meant.”

Jiang Cheng, standing opposite her, suddenly had an epiphany and hurriedly explained on He Dan’s behalf, “Yes, yes, Comrade He Dan definitely isn’t here aiming for the title of outstanding graduate.”

He Dan’s eyes widened. She really wanted to shut Jiang Cheng’s mouth!

Jiang Cheng had won this round, but it was no big deal.

She couldn’t understand He Dan’s thought process. Clearly, she had a weakness in someone else’s hands, yet she insisted on stirring up trouble. It was pure stupidity.

However, after seeing He Dan, Jiang Cheng remembered the plot from the book.

He Dan did indeed attend night school, and thanks to the protagonist’s halo, she actually managed to earn the title of outstanding graduate.

Later, leveraging the connections she made at night school and the title of outstanding graduate, she landed a great job.

Since that was the case, Jiang Cheng decided to claim the title of outstanding graduate for herself.

Jiang Cheng slung her backpack over her shoulder, politely greeted her classmates, and looked for a seat.

There were about twenty people in the class. Most had arrived early, and only one seat was left.

The seat was at the back of the class, next to a man who had apparently used an entire bottle of hair gel.

From Jiang Cheng’s analysis, this man was probably one of the reasons the hair gel factory hadn’t gone bankrupt.

His hair looked like it had been licked by a calf.

The guy had an air of arrogance, his arms spread wide over the back of his chair, as if he owned the place.

No one in the classroom dared to object; some didn’t even dare to glance at the back.

Jiang Cheng understood the situation.

This guy had connections—strong ones. He was here to gild his resume.

Sun Jiandong, thinking he looked incredibly handsome, tilted his head and let his eyes roam freely over Jiang Cheng.

He never expected to meet such a beautiful woman at night school.

Thinking this, Sun Jiandong stretched out his wrist, revealing a large, expensive watch.

Several people around him couldn’t help but show envy.

That watch alone was worth a year’s salary for some of them.

Everyone in the classroom was watching the scene unfold, including He Dan.

She wanted to see how Jiang Cheng would handle this.

The class was full, and there were no extra desks or chairs. The only available seat was next to this lone guy.

Given the strict gender norms of the time, it was awkward for a woman to sit next to a man in class.

Some of the students who knew Sun Jiandong silently mourned for Jiang Cheng.

Being noticed by Sun Jiandong was not a good thing.

Of course, a few others speculated that maybe Jiang Cheng had come here specifically for Sun Jiandong.

Amidst all the speculation, Jiang Cheng walked straight toward Sun Jiandong.

Sun Jiandong sat up a little straighter, a smug smile spreading across his face.

“Comrade, is the seat next to you taken?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Sun Jiandong, slouching lazily, tilted his head and replied in what he thought was a charming tone, “No, it’s not.”

“Good.”

Jiang Cheng grabbed both sides of the desk, lifted it, and, under Sun Jiandong’s stunned gaze, carried it away!

With a loud thud, she placed the desk next to the podium.

It stood out, like a crane among chickens.

After setting the desk down, Jiang Cheng completely ignored everyone’s stares and went back to carry away the chair.

Sun Jiandong was left in an awkward position, unsure how to react.

Feeling that he had lost face, Sun Jiandong snorted coldly, “Just you wait.”

As soon as Jiang Cheng moved the chair, the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

An old man with a bald head walked in.

Jiang Cheng quickly glanced at him.

This must be the most dedicated teacher Old Wang at the gate had mentioned.

“Why are you sitting here?” the teacher asked.

Jiang Cheng immediately stood up, her posture straight, and answered in a loud, clear voice, “Reporting, teacher! I can hear better here. I want to study hard.”

Her honest and straightforward answer pleased the teacher.

“Good, sit down.”

The teacher began the lesson.

Jiang Cheng listened attentively.

She was fully focused, her eyes following the teacher, her pen scribbling notes furiously. She actively participated in class, answering questions and even extrapolating from the material.

By the end of the class, the teacher felt a sense of fulfillment he had never experienced before.

“Jiang Cheng, keep up the good work. Maintain this level of dedication.”

“Teacher, I will study hard and not waste any learning opportunities.”

The teacher left, satisfied.

During the short break, Jiang Cheng quickly integrated herself into a group of classmates, chatting warmly with them.

The bell for the next class soon rang. As soon as the second teacher entered, he noticed Jiang Cheng’s desk and chair, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his face.

“Why are you sitting here?” he asked.

Jiang Cheng stood up again, her eyes filled with admiration and respect.

“Reporting, teacher! My classmates told me that you teach with great detail and care. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to learn from you, so I took the liberty of sitting here to better hear every word of your instruction.”

With these few words, the teacher, who Old Wang at the gate had said loved flattery, cleared his throat and said, “Hmm, you can stay here then.”

Throughout the class, Jiang Cheng acted like the most skilled supporting actor, making the teacher feel thoroughly pleased.

After class, the teacher, who hadn’t stopped smiling, stood in front of Jiang Cheng and said, “Jiang Cheng, keep it up.”