I'm a senior in high school, and the system says I'm going on a blind date with my childho

Chapter 266 Shen Yuan is very confident
The pen tip glided across the smooth surface of the answer sheet, producing a clear and steady scratching sound.

The sound was clearly audible to him, like the beat of a heartbeat, creating a small barrier that separated him from the invisible pressure permeating the surrounding examination hall.

The ink on the exam paper reflected the light slightly, and his gaze quickly and steadily captured each line of text.

Those familiar words and rhetorical devices are no longer cold symbols, but rather a network of ideas that needs to be precisely analyzed.

His brow furrowed slightly as the questions became more difficult, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the edge of the draft paper as similar questions he had previously gotten wrong flashed through his mind.

Just a second later, his eyes regained their composure, and he wrote down the correct answer without hesitation.

Occasionally, there are neat and clean scribbles on the draft paper, traces left when thoughts are running at full speed.

Turning the page of the exam, the ancient poetry recitation section came into view.

After a brief pause, the sentences that were already etched in my mind appeared neatly in my thoughts, and my pen flowed smoothly as I wrote, filling the answer lines with neat handwriting.

Looking at the few lines of ancient poetry, Shen Yuan felt a little absurd as he wrote the answer.

How many classical poems are in the Chinese textbook over three school years? How many have you memorized and recited?

In the end, there were only a few questions in the exam.

Shen Yuan didn't dwell on it any longer, flipping through the test paper and focusing his gaze on the reading comprehension section.

The modern texts in the reading comprehension section are quite long, and occasionally contain obscure passages.

Shen Yuan subconsciously licked his slightly dry lips, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the complex paragraphs several times.

Shen Yuan's focus skill was quickly activated, and his attention was rapidly concentrated.

With focused attention, Shen Yuan quickly read through the entire modern text in front of him.

His pen fell firmly once more, like a ship breaking through the ice, steadily advancing into the depths of the ocean of words, methodically dissecting, summarizing, and refining the logic and emotions hidden between the lines.

In his world, it seemed that only exam papers, pen tips, and endless thinking remained.

When Shen Yuan finished writing the last stroke of his pen and completed the last subjective question on the modern text reading section of the exam, he subconsciously moved his fingers, which had become slightly stiff from writing for a long time.

His gaze slid almost without pause to the last part of the exam paper.

There, occupying a small portion of the page, is the section for essay questions.

Inside the large box, the printed essay title and requirements lay quietly.

Perhaps because he was engrossed in the previous questions, or perhaps because it was the final "BOSS" of the entire exam, it now clearly came into Shen Yuan's view, like a heavy boundary marker.

The rest of the answer sheet was filled in, except for the final essay section, which remained a large blank space symbolizing the unknown.

The subtle sounds on the field seemed to become exceptionally clear at this moment, yet they also seemed to be automatically blocked out by the brain.

Shen Yuan's brows furrowed slightly as usual.

He pulled the exam paper closer, focusing his gaze on the lines of printed ink.

Instead of immediately starting to draft an outline, he leaned back slightly in his chair.

The last pen tip, which had been turned over, stopped between the fingers and ceased its impatient tapping.

The boy lowered his eyes, looking at every word in the question.

Time continued to pass silently, with the occasional figure of an invigilator flashing past the window.

The minute hand of the clock in front of the examination room quietly moved another notch.

Shen Yuan held his breath for a moment.

He picked up the pen beside him, and the nib finally touched the draft paper, silently sketching the first key word representing the solution, like a soldier drawing the first arrow on a sand table before launching a charge.

The chain of ideas that I had sketched in my mind took clear shape, and the keywords that I had hastily written on the draft seemed to have turned into a real battle cry.

Shen Yuan no longer hesitated. He moved the long-awaited blank space in the essay section of the answer sheet to his eyes, took a deep breath, as if planting an invisible battle flag on the battlefield.

The pen tip hovered steadily over the first blank space on the answer sheet.

The jet-black ink, like the first bullet fired into a silent battlefield, spread rapidly across the white square with the steady pull of his wrist, forming the first ink dot, which then stretched and extended, outlining a word or phrase.

The stream of words flowed resolutely from his pen, meandering towards the vast blank space waiting to be filled with words.

As the last punctuation mark left a clear mark on the paper, Shen Yuan exhaled a breath of ink-scented air, loosened his grip, and the pen fell onto the table with a soft "tap."

His knuckles felt slightly stiff from gripping for so long, so he gently moved them a few times.

But at this moment, his tense nerves did not relax in the slightest.

He didn't immediately look up at the clock in front of the examination room, nor did he pay attention to any movement around him.

He knew perfectly well that there was still some time before the exam ended.

After all, the proctors didn't give a 15-minute countdown reminder.

The boy's calm gaze, like the most precise instrument, returned to the vast ocean of words he had just finished writing.

He meticulously traced the ink marks that contained all the sparks of thought he had just gleaned.

Is the word choice precise? Is the paragraph flow smooth? Is the logic coherent and unimpeded? Is the viewpoint expressed clearly and forcefully?
Every little detail was carefully considered under his calm gaze.

He watched very intently, his focused gaze unwavering.

He also used the keywords that flashed into his mind and were jot down in a corner of the draft paper to make a final comparison with the final sentence.

This self-examination is devoid of any complacent appreciation, only rigorous introspection.

After confirming that there were no further omissions in the essay, Shen Yuan slowly shifted his gaze away.

The scrutinizing gaze swept across the other areas of the answer sheet, which were already filled in, like a searchlight.

From basic multiple-choice questions and reciting classical poems, to comprehension and analytical questions in modern text reading...

His fingertips slid slowly down the smooth edge of the answer sheet from the top, his gaze precisely following the trajectory of his fingertips, tracing back from the essay section all the way to the beginning of the exam paper.

The only sounds in the examination room were the occasional soft scratching of pens on paper and the steady, long breaths.

Shen Yuan's heart pounded in his chest cavity with a steady and powerful rhythm.

He began to re-examine the answers he had already written, one question at a time, line by line.

The options are re-confirmed, the key sentences are re-understood, and even questions that were previously skimmed over based on intuition are now brought out for a re-examination of their internal logic.

"Ring ring ring—!!!"

A sharp, decisive ringing bell shattered the tense silence of the examination room like an icicle suddenly piercing through the air!
It poured down from the loudspeaker on the ceiling of the classroom, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Time is up.

Almost at the same second the bell rang, the invigilator's unquestionable voice came from the direction of the podium, instantly drowning out the lingering sound of the bell and the sudden commotion in the examination room.

"Time's up! All candidates, stop answering immediately!"

"Everyone, put down your pens! Stop writing!"

His voice was clear and cold, carrying the authority that the examination rules could not be challenged.

The proctor's sharp gaze swept across the entire room in an instant, like an invisible net descending upon it.

Shen Yuan's pen tip was hovering above the draft paper.

He slowly placed the pen on the table with a "thud," letting the pen leave the control area of ​​his fingertips.

The exam paper and answer sheet still lay quietly in front of me, the ink already dry.

A sudden burst of gasps and commotion, a mixture of emotions, erupted in the examination room.

Some people collapsed with a sigh of relief, exhaling a heavy breath.

The sounds of tables and chairs being pushed aside, stationery clattering, and heavy sighs mingled together.

"Stay where you are! Don't move your exam paper, answer sheet, or scratch paper! Wait for the teacher to come down and collect the papers!"

Another proctor strode forward from the back of the classroom and began collecting each answer sheet, which carried sweat and anticipation, quickly and systematically along the aisle.

Shen Yuan sat quietly in his seat, his knuckles slightly numb, the force of gripping the pen for so long still lingering in his palms and fingertips.

He watched as the proctor approached, deftly collecting the answer sheets from the next table, the papers rustling softly as they rubbed together.

His gaze finally settled on the answer sheet filled with answers in front of him.

That area, interwoven with ink stains, bears witness to his recent focus and contemplation.

Now, it is about to be removed, awaiting final judgment.

Amidst the commotion, the beating of his heart had not yet completely subsided, but his personal battle had temporarily come to an end.

As the last stack of exam papers and answer sheets was safely collected by the invigilator, a slightly relaxed voice came from the podium: "Alright, students can leave the examination room in an orderly manner."

The sound of chair legs scraping the floor rang out again, this time with a lighter, more liberating feel than when the exam had begun.

Shen Yuan stood up with the flow of people around him and slowly left the classroom, which had been filled with a tense atmosphere all morning.

The moment he stepped out of classroom 108, he was swept along by the slightly crowded but flowing crowd in the corridor.

He did not immediately join them, but paused briefly at the threshold, stepping aside to let the surging students pass.

The boy tilted his head back slightly and took a long breath.

The corridor windows were open, and the air, carrying the crispness of early spring and the scent of sunshine, rushed into my chest, instantly dispelling the oppressive and dull feeling that came with the examination room.

The fresh oxygen seemed to be injected into the engine, gently soothing his tense nerves.

It was a brief emptiness after leaving the battlefield, carrying both exhaustion and a slight sense of relief at having shed the first heavy burden.

My gaze habitually swept over the torrent of familiar and unfamiliar faces, pausing briefly and silently.

He knew she was in another building not far away.

He blinked, as if trying to etch the fresh air and its refreshing sensation deep into his body, before naturally blending into the flow of people going downstairs.

With unhurried yet clear sense of direction, they walked in step with most of the other test takers toward the laboratory building.

The short walk from the teaching building to the laboratory building seems like an invisible watershed.

The stagnant silence in the examination hall was quickly left behind, replaced by a sudden surge of heat and noise.

As soon as I stepped into the laboratory building, a buzzing sound mixed with various tones hit me.

The sound collided between the empty corridor walls and stair railings, reverberating back and forth, forming a boiling ocean.

"Holy crap! Which answer did you guys choose for the last question in the modern Chinese reading comprehension section? D or B?"

At the corner of the stairs, a boy grabbed his companion's arm and asked urgently, his voice hoarse and his words rapid, his face flushed with the nervousness of the post-exam period.

"Choose B! It has to be B! Isn't the central theme of the article criticizing that? D is too one-sided!" another immediately retorted decisively.

"You're talking nonsense! I think D is a better fit! B is a trap, isn't it? Oh no..."

The rebuttals immediately drew several people from the side to join the fray, with analytical and explanatory sentences flying around the narrow stairwell.

"For the multiple-choice question about classical Chinese poetry, is the answer C? I still feel a little unsure..."

Some people walked quickly through the crowd in silence, their faces solemn.

Groups of three or five people were gathered against the wall, clutching pens tightly in their hands, arguing while unconsciously scribbling a keyword on the corridor wall.

Others seemed eager to escape the pressure of the discussion, raising their voices eight octaves to change the subject.

"Alright, alright, stop comparing answers! It's making me anxious! Let's go, let's think about which cafeteria to go to for food later! I think the senior students' special window has braised pork ribs with potatoes today!"

"Really? Should we go to the first or second canteen?" The topic was instantly veered off course.

"The food at the second cafeteria is fast! No need to queue for the senior students' set meals!"

"Pah! The sweet and sour pork last time barely had any meat! I'm going to check the faculty cafeteria..."

The argument about lunch, which followed the disagreement over solving the problem, was also one of the main themes for senior high school students after the exam.

Tension and routine, worry and appetite, all blended and intertwined in this boiling wave of sound.

Shen Yuan unconsciously quickened his pace, avoiding several hotly debated areas.

The noise entered his ears, and the details of the exam paper naturally flashed through his mind, but he forced himself not to delve into the answers that had already been settled.

Worrying about past exams is useless; the next battle is just around the corner.

He had only one clear destination at that moment.

Squeezing through layers of noise and stepping onto the third floor, the unique atmosphere belonging to Class 15 could be faintly heard.

There weren't many students at the entrance of classroom 305, and the familiar door sign was already in sight at the end of the corridor.

He squeezed past a few students huddled together by the door, whispering about their problems. His gaze, as usual, swept over the throng of heads and landed precisely on the seat by the window.

Li Zhizheng had her head down, and He Zhiyu was whispering something to her beside her.

Shen Yuan's steps hardly faltered, and a reassuring and warm smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

He squeezed through the slightly crowded space in the center of the classroom and went straight to Li Zhi's desk without the slightest hesitation.

Amidst the natural background noise of the whole class, in that familiar spot, the boy leaned down slightly, stretched out his arms, and gently embraced Li Zhi in a natural and familiar manner.

The hug was brief yet real. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, rested his head against her neck, and gently nuzzled her neck. It carried the relief of finishing the first exam and the renewed energy for the next challenge, as well as a sense of security that was uniquely hers.

Li Zhi was startled by his sudden movement, causing her pen to pause, and she instinctively turned her head to the side.

But almost immediately, the familiar temperature and scent relaxed her tense shoulders.

Feeling the gentle nuzzling of dependence, a knowing and mischievous smile appeared in the girl's clear eyes.

She didn't immediately break free, but instead placed her hand on his arm that was wrapped around her, turned her face slightly, and looked up at his face that was so close to hers.

The noise in the classroom seemed to briefly create a tranquil vortex around them.

Li Zhi's eyes held a gentle smile, with a hint of mischievousness as he lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

Her tone was light and casual, with a hint of knowing mockery: "Hugging so tightly, did you fail your Chinese exam and are here for comfort?"

Shen Yuan's image was clearly reflected in the girl's clear pupils.

The boy tightened his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body through her school uniform and his soft breath close to hers. Hearing her smiling question, he curled his lips into a smile of extreme confidence and a hint of arrogance.

He lowered his head slightly, his forehead almost touching her hair, and his deep voice, filled with unwavering certainty, clearly reached her ears, brimming with youthful vigor.

"You're kidding. How could that be?"

His tone was relaxed yet proud, as if he were stating a very simple fact.

He Zhiyu covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling as she watched the oblivious young couple.

After lunch, the noise and brief relaxation of the cafeteria were quickly forgotten.

An afternoon drowsiness filled the classroom.

But the atmosphere of senior year is always tense.

Shen Yuan returned to his seat and gulped down the last few mouthfuls of cool mineral water, trying to dispel the drowsiness after his meal.

The confidence he felt during the Chinese exam that morning was still fresh in his mind, but his gaze was already as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the open math error notebook.

Without a moment's respite or idle chatter, he plunged back into the ocean of numbers and formulas.

His broad hands gripped the pen tightly, his fingernails turning slightly white from the force.

The pen tip swiftly glides across the paper, producing a fine yet persistent hissing sound.

That focused profile was like a fully drawn bowstring, gathering all the power to break through the impasse in the next moment.

As the pen tip traced intricate geometric auxiliary lines, Shen Yuan's brows furrowed.

He was stuck on a tricky trigonometric function problem; the answer seemed obvious, but he always missed it at the last minute.

Unconsciously feeling irritated, he poked his temple with the end of his pen, and before he could control the force, his elbow brushed against Li Zhi beside him.

Li Zhizheng was sorting out his key question types when he was startled by this subtle touch.

She glanced at the exercises spread out on Shen Yuan's desk and his furrowed brows, and instantly understood.

A fleeting, helpless smile crossed the girl's eyes, but she deliberately kept a straight face. She lightly kicked Shen Yuan's leg under the table with her toe, her voice low: "Stuck?"

Shen Yuan snapped back to reality and turned his head to meet Li Zhiqing's bright eyes.

"Hmm, I just feel like I can't quite find the point."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi leaned slightly towards him, their shoulders almost touching.

Her fair fingertips crossed the "dividing line" on the table and precisely pointed to a spot on his draft paper, indicating a step in his calculation.

“The idea is good,” she said clearly and lightly, “but here, we’ve taken a roundabout way and gotten ourselves into a mess.”

Her fingertips guided his gaze. A few concise steps, like a sharp blade, instantly cut through the fog that had been troubling Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he blurted out, "...Oh! I understand! It's this!"

His mind went blank instantly. He quickly grabbed the draft paper and started recalculating again, his previous frustration completely gone.

As Li Zhi watched his pen suddenly flow smoothly, the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide, like a pebble thrown into a clear spring, rippling out gentle waves.

She didn't speak, but quietly withdrew her hand, tapping the outside of his rapidly writing arm with her fingertips as if to encourage him, like a silent cheer.

Then she lowered her head and resumed working on organizing her mistakes, a satisfied smile curving her lips.

Time slipped away quietly, accompanied by the focused rustling sound and silent understanding.

"Ring ring ring—!!!"

A bell, shorter, sharper, and carrying a stronger sense of closure than the one that rang at the end of the Chinese exam, rang out like a thunderclap, without warning, in the examination hall!

The bell seemed to ring earlier than expected! A moment of silence fell over the examination room!
"Wow——!"

A sudden, suppressed gasp, like a flock of startled birds taking flight, erupted!

Shen Yuan's heart was jolted by the sudden ringing of the bell, and he was so startled that his back slammed against the cold metal chair back!

The pen almost slipped from my hand.

The proctor's voice, tinged with surprise and urgency, rang out immediately: "Time's up! All candidates, stop writing immediately! Put down your pens! Stop writing—!"

"Winding!"

On the platform, another proctor strode down and headed towards the first row.

Shen Yuan looked at the math test paper and answer sheet in front of him, which were already covered with densely written answers.

This silently speaks of the intellectual turmoil that has just occurred over the past two hours.

A profound sense of fulfillment, born from intense calculations and logical deduction, accumulated in Shen Yuan's senses.

The fingertips still seemed to retain the slightly warm sensation from writing, and the knuckles were slightly numb and sore from gripping the pen for a long time.

He finally let out a slow sigh of relief.

This breath seemed to release all the pent-up pressure that had been building up in my chest since the start of the exam.

I quickly reviewed the structure of the entire exam paper in my mind.

All the traps in the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions were avoided, the steps for several key calculation problems were complete, and the answers matched the final verification.

Compared to the incredibly difficult math exam at the end of last semester, the difficulty of this mock exam... to be fair, doesn't seem to have increased that much.

The math questions in the final exam were more inclined to require leaps in thinking, with tricky traps and bizarre combinations of question types.

This time, the questions pushed the depth and breadth of high school mathematics knowledge to the limit, requiring absolute composure, solid foundation and strong calculation endurance.

It's more like a heavy iron hammer than a cleverly designed and difficult-to-defend concealed weapon.

The key and difficult points that Shen Yuan focused on during his exam preparation perfectly covered the core challenges of this exam paper.

The question was difficult, but within expectations, and he even felt a faint sense of accomplishment from solving it.

The proctor was already standing by the table, exuding an unquestionable authority, and reached out to collect the answer sheet that contained all his hard work at that moment.

Outside the window, the evening sun was already setting in the west.

A brief moment of tranquility enveloped him.

Although the real battle is not yet over, Shen Yuan has made a solid and steady progress in the mathematics hurdle.

As the crowds left the examination hall, the post-exam clamor over the answers rose and fell, with the corridors filled with arguments about "choosing A or C" and "what was the answer to the last question."

Shen Yuan simply merged into the group with steady steps, a hint of relief on his face, and headed towards the experimental building with a clear goal.

When he and Li Zhi briefly met at the door of classroom 305, after exchanging a tacit glance, the two did not go straight back to their class, but instead mingled with the larger crowd and headed directly towards the cafeteria.

My stomach desperately needs comforting after the exam, and I also need energy for the battle ahead.

The cafeteria was less crowded in the evening than at noon, but it was still filled with the noise and hunger of post-exam period.

Beef rice bowl: simple, delicious, and inexpensive.

After finding a seat, Li Zhi picked up her chopsticks, but didn't start eating immediately.

The girl rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint as she carefully examined Shen Yuan sitting opposite her.

The boy had already lowered his head and was intently picking at his own food.

They must have been really hungry, because after a few bites their cheeks bulged out slightly.

The solemnity and focus before the math exam seemed to have been mostly evaporated by the warm, noisy cafeteria, leaving behind a unique sense of relaxation after the exam.

The girl's beautiful eyes, like obsidian reflecting water, held a knowing smile as she spoke slowly.

"Eating so heartily, looks like someone did well on their math test?"

Shen Yuanzheng paused in his act of putting rice into his mouth, his lips, slightly oily from the beef sauce, still had a grain of rice stuck to them.

He looked up and met Li Zhi's eyes, which held a knowing look and a hint of mockery.

The boy chewed the food in his mouth, swallowed it, and then raised an eyebrow at her with complete nonchalance.

What does "okay" mean?

He put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and met Li Zhi's gaze through the aroma of the food wafting across the table.

Shen Yuan's gaze slid over Li Zhi's lips, which were stained with some soup, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

“Li Bao,” Shen Yuan’s voice trailed off slightly, carrying a husky, magnetic quality, as if he were deliberately plucking a string, “Just wait.”

Li Zhi was taken aback by this abrupt question, and blinked her beautiful eyes: "Waiting for what?"

Shen Yuan picked up his chopsticks again, deftly picked up a slice of beef from his bowl, and steadily placed it on Li Zhi's rice over the table.

He looked at her slightly stunned expression, and a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips.

"Of course, it's to prepare a reward for my boyfriend."

He lowered his voice even further, with an unwavering confidence and a hint of mockery, as if he were announcing a fait accompli.

Li Zhi's cheeks flushed instantly, and the blush quickly spread to her ears.

Li Zhi naturally knew what the reward Shen Yuan was talking about was.

She suddenly lowered her head, pretending to fiddle with the extra piece of beef in her bowl.

"Idiot!" The girl's mumbled curse came from the rim of the bowl, a mixture of embarrassment and sweetness.

"...Just wait for the results to come out!"

Under the bright lights of the cafeteria, the noisy voices seemed to fade away for a moment.

Shen Yuan looked at her bright red ear tips, then withdrew his gaze with satisfaction and began to shovel his mouthful of beef rice again, unable to hide the smile on his lips.

As night fell completely, the classroom for evening self-study was as bright as day.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime exams, Room 305 of the experimental building is now enveloped in tranquility.

Exhausted, yet possessing a remarkable resilience.

The chirping of insects outside the window, sometimes near, sometimes far, further accentuated the continuous rustling of pages turning inside the room, like the faint tides that slowly erode time.

On the desks, the smoke of mathematical battles seems to have not yet dissipated, while the periodic table of elements in chemistry, circuit diagrams in physics, and genetic diagrams in biology are already on high alert, occupying most of the space and squeezing out the brief moment of relaxation after dinner.

Shen Yuan sat there, his brows slightly furrowed.

In front of him lay a thick notebook of incorrect science problems, marked with different colored highlighters: red formulas, blue curves, and green annotations, densely packed like a battle map.

The pen tip hovered above the solution to a comprehensive physics problem, and my fingertips were slightly sore from holding the pen for a long time.

The problem involves the entanglement of electromagnetic induction and momentum conservation, making the calculations cumbersome and fraught with pitfalls.

He unconsciously tapped his temple with the end of his pen, his eyes filled with unfathomable focus, as if he wanted to imprint every formula and every law into the depths of his mind.

The bell rang sharply during the break between evening self-study sessions, like a pebble thrown into calm water, instantly breaking the silence in the classroom.

The tension eased slightly; some people got up to get water, while others lay on the table to briefly clear their minds. The sounds of turning pages and whispering replaced the previous absolute silence.

Just then, a mournful cry, as mournful as a dying swan, came from behind Shen Yuan.

"Whoa-!"

Ah Jie slammed his face down on his English vocabulary book, frantically scratching his scalp with his fingers, making a rustling noise, and slumped on the table as if his bones had been removed.

"Kill me! What the hell is this?! Abandon... Abandon... This is the first crappy word I ever used to say 'abandon'! I have to abandon English tomorrow!!!"

His eyes, which always held a hint of mockery, were now filled with despair as he stared intently at Yang Ze and Chen Mingyu beside him, trying to find their approval. But the two of them were clearly used to it and simply glanced at him speechlessly.

Ah Jie's gaze passed through the gaps in the stack of books, landing on Shen Yuan in the front row as if grasping at a lifeline.

His voice suddenly rose, filled with utmost sincerity and wildly imaginative fantasies: "Yuan'er! Help me!!!"

He struggled to prop himself up, grabbed Shen Yuan's shoulders, and stared at Shen Yuan's head, which was engrossed in a physics problem, with a fanatical gaze.

"Let's talk about something, brother! How about this—"

He held up two fingers, his face saying "This deal is definitely a win-win situation," and spoke as fast as a machine gun.

“Let’s ‘share our brains’! Give me half of your brain that’s good at memorizing words! Really, just for a little while! It’s for the English test tomorrow!”

"In return, I'm pretty generous, buddy! I'll share my 'science' brain with you! How about that? Absolutely fair trade! You're getting a great deal!"

Shen Yuan's train of thought was interrupted by his sudden "brain sharing" proposal.

He stopped writing, his brow relaxing slightly from the furrowed brow as he pondered the physics problem, replaced by a helpless smile as if he were looking at a fool.

Without turning his head, he reached his right hand back precisely and flicked his finger hard at the claws that were pawing at his shoulder.

"Ouch! That hurts!" A-Jie winced and pulled his hand back.

Shen Yuan slowly turned his head and met A-Jie's expectant gaze, a "Don't even think about it" smile curving his lips.

“Get lost,” his voice was hoarse with a hint of suppressed laughter and absolute refusal, his words clear and decisive: “—Refuse organ trafficking.”

Ah Jie's face instantly fell, and his wails grew louder: "Ahhh—you're heartless! You're cold-blooded! You have no brotherly feelings!! You bastard Shen Yuan!"

Shen Yuan was too lazy to pay attention to his exaggerated performance anymore, and raised his hand to rub his temples: "I refuse to perform animals."

This calm remark was like a balloon that had been precisely popped.

"puff--"

He Zhiyu was the first to lose control, and laughter leaked out from between her fingers covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently.

Then, it was like a lit fuse.

Yang Ze and Chen Mingyu, who had been holding back their laughter, immediately broke into smiles. Yang Ze slapped the table and laughed, "Hahahaha!"

Chen Mingyu pushed up his glasses, a smile creeping onto his lips. He nodded in A-Jie's direction and uttered a rare, concise evaluation: "Accurate."

Ah Jie's wailing was cut short by a "hiccup," and he immediately lost control, pounding the table while laughing and cursing, "Damn it... Shen Yuan, you son of a bitch!"

Even the class monitor, who had been engrossed in his studies, couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

Zhuo Peipei and the other girls around her were amused by the series of "reject organ trafficking" and "reject animal performances" and covered their mouths to chuckle.

"Pfft-"

Li Zhi, who was still organizing his notes, couldn't hold back when he heard Shen Yuan's precise strike.

The girl's delicate shoulders trembled slightly, and a clear laugh escaped her lips.

She looked up and glared at Shen Yuan, but her clear eyes were also filled with laughter. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she muttered softly, "Idiot!"

In an instant, the fatigue from evening self-study seemed to be greatly relieved by this unexpected laughter.

The tense atmosphere in the classroom instantly dissipated like an avalanche, and bursts of laughter intertwined to create a relaxed and pleasant background sound.

As night deepened, the bell announcing the end of evening self-study seemed to arrive rather late.

The slightly weary ringing of the doorbell sounded particularly long in the quiet laboratory building, like a bugle call signaling a temporary retreat.

The tension that had been building all day in the classroom suddenly eased the moment the bell rang, and a sigh of relief filled the air.

"Phew—school's finally over!"

As Ah-Jie stretched, he let out an exaggerated groan, and then grabbed the messy, crammed pencil case from the table.

"Let's go, guys! My brain cells are completely drained today!"

"Get lost already," Yang Ze said with a laugh, but his movements were quick as he deftly swept the books and papers into his schoolbag.

"Let's go!" He Zhiyu said with a grin, linking arms with Zhuo Peipei while glancing mischievously at Shen Yuan and Li Zhi.

Shen Yuan put down his pen and rubbed his tired eyes.

He carefully gathered up the spread-out notebook of wrong answers and test papers, stuffing them into his bulging schoolbag.

When my fingertips touched the cool zipper pull, the fatigue of the day seemed to truly surge up.

He subconsciously looked at Li Zhi beside him.

"Let's go?" Shen Yuan reached out his hand to her.

Li Zhi grunted in response, naturally avoiding the outstretched hand, and instead quickly grabbed the shoulder strap of the backpack that Shen Yuangang had just lifted.

Before Shen Yuan could react, she had already deftly slung her equally heavy canvas bag over her shoulder.

The girl raised her chin slightly, her cheeks seemingly bathed in a soft glow under the pale overhead lights of the classroom, her eyes filled with an undeniable determination.

"I told you I'd carry it myself. You're exhausted, why are you trying to be strong?"

Shen Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say "I'm not tired," but the words turned into a low laugh.

He withdrew his hand and casually brushed away a small speck of dust that had gotten on the shoulder of her school uniform.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to Teacher Li."

The two walked to the door one after the other. Shen Yuan stepped to her side and this time he didn't carry his schoolbag. He simply took her hand naturally.

Their fingers intertwined, and the girl's slightly cool fingertips were instantly enveloped in a warm palm.

"Tsk, they won't even let you carry your schoolbag, but surely you can hold hands?"

"Sure, of course you can hold hands with your boyfriend!"

Why do I feel like you're being a bit perfunctory?

The girl blinked her bright eyes, a mischievous glint in them in the dim light, and a playful smile involuntarily curved her lips.

Then, she deliberately lowered her voice, and in a slightly lazy and seemingly nonchalant tone, said lightly, "We've been holding hands since we were little, maybe you're just tired of it now~"

After saying that, she couldn't help but burst out laughing, her shoulders shrugged slightly, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks in the dim light.

The laughter was crisp and clear, like the sound of bells ringing in the night breeze, dispelling the last trace of the heaviness of evening self-study.

This was clearly a deliberate teasing, full of intimacy and coquettishness.

Shen Yuan listened to her laughter, but his hand never loosened its grip.

His fingertips gently caressed the back of her warm hand, again and again, as if smoothing out the fine wrinkles, or as if trying to etch this intimacy deeper.

The dim light from the corridor ceiling lamp blurred his outline, but clearly illuminated the gentle yet stubborn focus in his eyes.

He turned his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, his voice deep and sincere, each word striking her ears.

“But Li Bao, I’m not tired of it at all.”

Shen Yuan's voice deepened, carrying an unprecedented solemnity that pierced through the cool night air.

His gaze was fixed on her eyes, which were shimmering in the light, and his fingertips gently traced the familiar lines on her cool fingertips, as if he were recognizing a lost family heirloom.

“Li Zhi,” he called her by her full name, not “Li Bao,” which added a touch of ceremony to the simple syllable.

"These hands..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, as a jumble of images flashed through his mind.

"It's been in my hand since I can remember..."

Shen Yuan's voice was even lower, carrying with it the coolness of the night breeze and the burning stubbornness of a young man.

"From now on, no matter which university library you're reserving a seat for, which city you're squeezing onto the subway, or which farmers' market you're haggling over..."

He bent down slightly, bringing his gaze level with hers.

The sounds of people leaving evening self-study sessions seemed to instantly fade into distant background noise.

He stared into her clear, wide eyes, which reflected his serious expression.

"I will hold your hand forever."

Li Zhi felt his heart pounding in his ears.

A surge of emotion spread from his tightly clenched fingertips, rising against the current and rushing straight to the tip of his nose.

To hide the uncontrollable soreness, she suddenly raised her other hand, which wasn't being held, and lightly bumped Shen Yuan's shoulder with the back of her hand.

“Idiot…” Li Zhi’s voice was thick with nasal tone, and his eyes involuntarily reddened slightly as he muttered a curse under his breath.

"...Why are you flirting with me for no reason?"

"So, were you charmed?"

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi, and then lightly touched the cheek that was slightly flushed from his teasing.

Shen Yuan's smile rippled across his eyes like waves on water.

He lowered his head slightly, his hot breath brushing against her already reddened earlobe. His voice was low, tinged with a husky laugh, and clearly reached her ear: "Then... Teacher Li,"

He paused deliberately, making the form of address seem more meaningful: "Is there any more pre-exam review tonight?"

Li Zhi felt as if his breath had touched her earlobe, which felt like it was on fire, instantly burning into her heart.

She abruptly turned her head, her neck stiff, her voice carrying a forced composure and a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment: "No!"

As soon as she spoke, as if afraid of being too harsh, she quickly glanced at him with her clear eyes.

The girl's eyelashes trembled like startled butterfly wings, and her voice suddenly softened, like a lump of melted icing sugar, as she murmured softly.

"...But, you can have kisses with your girlfriend."

(End of this chapter)