Chapter 54: You Are Being A Bit Self-Consoling

Holding the cigarette, Zhou Jianye looked at Song Jianian, who had wrapped herself up tightly, and nodded. "Don't worry, I have a pretty good temper."

The five of them arrived at the driving school car, and Zhou Jianye began explaining the essentials of the second module of the driving test.

After the explanation, they got into the car. Chen Yuan and Song Jianian sat in the back row, and Zhou Jianye started explaining the in-car operations for the second module.

Adjusting the seat, fastening the seatbelt, getting a feel for shifting gears, stepping on the brake, accelerator, and clutch, and pulling the handbrake.

Song Jianian listened intently, but deep confusion filled her large eyes.

Why didn't her family car have gears?

The whole explanation took a little over half an hour.

Everyone was a bit nervous during their first operation.

The boys were fine; after one or two tries, they gradually adapted to the feeling. Only Song Jianian's reaction was a bit slow.

"Step on the clutch and brake, shift gears, release the clutch slowly..."

"Oh, oh..."

Song Jianian tried to operate the car. "I shifted gears and released the clutch, why isn't it moving?"

"Try pulling up the handbrake?"

"Instructor, it's moving!"

"It's normal for it to move..."

"The speed is a bit fast, I don't dare drive anymore. I'm afraid of hitting someone."

"Drive boldly. I have a secondary brake here; I won't put my life in your hands."

"Oh, oh."

When dealing with Song Jianian, Zhou Jianye's temper was noticeably much better.

However, Song Jianian truly had no talent for driving and constantly made mistakes.

"You're just too nervous. I'll demonstrate once, watch closely."

The person speaking was another boy in the car. Chen Yuan didn't know his name, but he could tell he was a student at some university, and not a freshman.

Zhou Jianye's attitude toward him was also quite good, likely because he had also offered cigarettes.

Song Jianian showed no expression, ignored him entirely, and sat down next to Chen Yuan.

The entire afternoon was spent in the car.

Song Jianian's absorption rate was a bit slow, but fortunately, she managed to keep up with the progress.

In the evening, after everyone had left, the two packs of cigarettes Chen Yuan had given paid off, allowing them to stay behind for a few extra practice laps before heading back.

Not long after the two left, Uncle Zhang drove to the driving school and found Zhou Jianye.

"Hello, Coach Zhou. I am Song Jianian's driver. My name is Zhang Shuchun." Uncle Zhang extended his hand.

"A driver?"

Zhou Jianye extended his hand as well, shaking it with a puzzled expression.

During the afternoon practice sessions, Zhou Jianye had learned Song Jianian's name, though she had wrapped herself up so tightly that he still had no idea what she looked like.

Yet, could a profession like a driver appear in a small driving school?

"Song Jianian is our young miss, and I am the driver who drives for her," Uncle Zhang said with a smile.

"Does the driving school have a double VIP class? I'd like to upgrade them to that."

While the two were practicing in the afternoon, Uncle Zhang had watched for the entire afternoon and smoked for the entire afternoon.

He realized that his young miss did not have much talent for driving. If she continued to learn alongside others, it would take until the year of the monkey for her to pass the second module.

"Yes, we do, we do."

When a wealthy patron showed up, hospitality was a must. Zhou Jianye welcomed Zhang Shuchun into the building, and they emerged over half an hour later.

Seeing Zhang Shuchun drive away in a Maybach worth over three million, Zhou Jianye's mood was somewhat complicated.

Now he had something to brag about when he went back: a wealthy young lady had come to his driving school to get her license.

"Uncle Zhou, have you finished eating? Let's continue practicing."

The speaker was a boy—none other than the one who had tried to cozy up to Song Jianian in the afternoon.

His name was Sui Junjie, and he was holding a bottle of iced red tea, clearly just returning from eating outside.

Zhou Jianye knew his father, who had enrolled him here. With that connection, he naturally received some preferential treatment.

"I got delayed by something just now. I'll go inside and grab a bite, then I'll take you out to practice."

"No rush."

Sui Junjie and Zhou Jianye went back into the building together.

"Uncle Zhou, have a cigarette."

"Not smoking, just threw it away."

"Uncle Zhou, do you know the name of that girl in our group? Can you look up her phone number?"

"What's this? You interested in her? She didn't even show her face, do you even know what she looks like?"

"Just by looking at her figure, I can tell her looks definitely won't be bad."

Sui Junjie chuckled. "Besides, I observed them; their relationship doesn't seem like boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Cut the crap. She has a driver, and her family drives a Maybach. Don't harbor any unrealistic fantasies."

"Drives a Maybach? That rich?"

The Maybach didn't seem to crush Sui Junjie's confidence; instead, it excited him even more.

If there really was a chance to get to know her, or if they hit it off, this was an opportunity to rewrite his destiny!

"She is indeed rich. She's not in our league, forget about it."

In contrast, Zhou Jianye, who had been battered by society, was very pragmatic and knew that the chasm between social classes was hard to cross.

"I still want to try. Can you create some kind of opportunity for me in the next lesson? Find a way to kick her classmate out."

"Forget it. She upgraded to a double VIP course. I'll be teaching the two of them privately from now on, and you've been kicked out."

...

Leaving the driving school, the two returned to campus.

"How do you think I performed today?"

"You almost pulled the handbrake clean off."

Song Jianian wore a tight little frown. Was her shortcoming of having too much strength about to be exposed?

She hadn't even exerted herself that much.

"The driving school car is too old, the handbrake was probably about to break anyway. Besides, I don't have that much strength; look at my arm, there's no muscle at all."

Chen Yuan poked Song Jianian's biceps.

"And you say you have no muscle, it feels hard as a rock."

"No way, I literally have zero muscle. Let me see yours."

Chen Yuan rolled up his short sleeve, and Song Jianian poked his arm in return.

"Yours actually feels a bit soft."

Huh?

Who taught you to talk like that!

Returning to the campus, the two ate together at the cafeteria.

"Do you want to go to the library together and memorize vocabulary words?"

"Memorize vocabulary words?"

Such a niche vocabulary, such an unfamiliar place.

"If your English score on the final exam doesn't exceed 80 points, you won't be able to sign up for the CET-4 next semester."

"This is all stuff poor people should study. Those who have passed the TEM-8 don't make as much in a month as your living allowance. Don't disgrace the demographic of rich second-generation heirs, go do what you're supposed to do."

Song Jianian looked at Chen Yuan, completely failing to understand what kind of things he meant she should be doing.

"What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Beat up the blind, curse at the dumb, trip the lame, tease the fool, kick a widow's door, dig up a childless family's ancestral graves—there are so many things you can do."

Song Jianian widened her pretty, large eyes, as if a new world had opened up before her.

"People can actually do this many wicked things?"

"There are even more wicked ones. In short, don't study; that's what poor people are supposed to do."

Song Jianian pouted, resting her delicate cheek in one hand.

"But since you aren't going to play basketball and I don't have anything else to do, I might as well go to the library."

"Let's go."

After eating, the two went to the library.

Song Jianian wrote and memorized simultaneously, while Chen Yuan purely read, retaining whatever he could entirely by fate.

When I didn't have the system, you could say I'd be discarded upon graduation and that would be fine. Now that I have the system, what should you call me?