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

Chapter 198 Killing a Dog in Broad Daylight

The fluorescent light cast a cold, white glow, freezing Shen Yuan's profile as he hunched over his desk onto a stack of exam papers.

The pen tip moved quickly across the answer sheet, making a soft scratching sound that seemed out of place in the stagnant atmosphere of the classroom.

At this moment, the gloom and heaviness of yesterday were gone from his brows, leaving only a sharp focus.

Electromagnetic induction in physics, equilibrium calculations in chemistry, genetic maps in biology... The formulas and error logs that churned up last night flowed smoothly through my clear mind.

Li Zhi's command, "You must do well on tomorrow's science exam," was like an invisible string, keeping all his energy focused on the questions in front of him.

When the logical chain of the last question was fully closed in his mind, and the final answer was written, Shen Yuan put down his pen and breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

The tension brought on by prolonged, intense thinking recedes like the tide, followed by a sense of relaxation after everything has settled.

He subconsciously raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples, his gaze naturally drifting towards the window.

The light of an early autumn morning streamed through the glass, carrying a touch of warmth.

In that brief moment of blankness, the scene from last night under the motion-activated light in the hallway unexpectedly flashed into my mind.

That embrace, as swift as the wind, yet so real.

Li Zhi practically pounced on her, carrying the unique scent of a young girl, the sensation of her hair brushing against her chin still lingering on her skin.

The arms around his waist were brief but forceful, like a silent seal that firmly held down all his frustration, and then took it all away with her departure.

A faint smile crept silently onto Shen Yuan's lips.

A thought quietly crept into Shen Yuan's mind.

"If I don't do well on the exam again, will Li Bao give me a sweet and soft hug?"

Ok……

Shen Yuan thought about it for a moment and felt that a sweet and soft hug was unlikely, but a sweet and soft slap was probably unavoidable.

The image of Li Zhi waving his hand clearly appeared in my mind.

Her slender hands, carrying a soft, fragrant scent, also possessed an undeniable strength.

If you really fail the exam, you're likely to get a solid slap on the arm.

This might hurt a bit.

Shen Yuan instantly extinguished all his slackness, straightened his back abruptly, and rekindled a sharp focus between his brows, dispelling any trace of wishful thinking.

The rustling sound resumed, but this time it wasn't the swiftness of answering a question; instead, it was the sound of the pen tip carefully tracing its path across the draft paper.

Starting with the first question, verify the formulas and logic line by line.

He scrutinized every single character, afraid that even the slightest mistake would draw Li Zhi's sweet and soft "reward".

After reviewing the solution process, a sharp, piercing bell suddenly broke the silence of the classroom.

The exam is over.

The ringing of the bell struck everyone's nerves like a cold piece of metal. Shen Yuan's hand froze involuntarily, and the tip of his pen stopped at the crease of the draft paper.

On the podium, the proctor adjusted his glasses, stood up, and said in a loud voice, "Everyone stop writing! Time's up, the exam is over, don't touch the exam paper again!"

The air in the classroom seemed to freeze for a moment, followed by the sounds of pens being put down and soft sighs.

The teacher strode down from the podium, his footsteps echoing on the polished floor, and began collecting answer sheets from each table.

One by one, the exam papers were pulled from the table, sealing away the ink marks filled with thoughts and emotions.

As Shen Yuan watched his answer sheet being taken away, a feeling of relief rose in his heart.

While the combined science exam is also difficult, it's not as intimidating as math.

Shen Yuan estimated that he was probably around 255.

Anyway, after all that trouble with math, Shen Yuan didn't expect his total score to reach 650.

I don't want to think about it anymore; just thinking about it makes me want to cry.

As the surging crowds left the high school building where the exam was being held.

A breeze blew in, carrying away the lingering fatigue in the examination room.

Shen Yuan subconsciously moved his fingers, which had become slightly stiff from holding the pen for a long time.

Pushing open the door to the experimental class classroom, the familiar sounds of conversation immediately came through.

Shen Yuan immediately spotted Zhou Shaojie, Yang Ze, and Chen Mingyu sitting around in the back row.

Zhou Shaojie was arguing and banging on the table, Yang Ze was frowning and scribbling on a draft paper, and Chen Mingyu was stroking his chin, deep in thought.

"Hey buddy, you don't even believe your brother Jie's physics?"

"Ok?"

Ah Jie's head was pressed against Yang Ze's head as they spun around.

"It's one thing if you don't believe my chemistry, but you don't believe my physics either? You don't even believe your brother Jie's physics?"

Just then, Yang Ze, who had sharp eyes, looked up and saw Shen Yuan, and immediately greeted him.

"Yuan! Come here! This question! How did you do the last physics question?"

Shen Yuan pursed his lips, walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. The relaxation on his face disappeared, and he began to join the debate.

The air was thick with the unique tension and excitement of reviewing answers after an exam.

Just as they were arguing about the details of electromagnetic induction and their voices unconsciously rose, Li Zhi walked in from outside the classroom.

The girl's gaze habitually swept across the classroom, quickly landing on the small group of people in the back row.

She saw Shen Yuan.

Unlike the dejection and heaviness he felt after finishing his math exam yesterday, he was now leaning slightly forward, pointing at the draft paper Zhou Shaojie had spread out. Although his tone was a little uncertain, his expression was relaxed and focused.

He was engrossed in discussing the questions with his friends, his face showing neither the distressing frustration that she had, nor the overly sharp seriousness she usually displayed during exams.

Li Zhi paused at the door for a moment.

A subtle, almost imperceptible relaxation crept onto the corners of her mouth and eyes.

The tension that had been taut in my heart ever since yesterday's math exam, and even before the start of the science exam this morning, finally eased a little at this moment.

It's clear that Shen Yuan is in a pretty good state of mind right now.

Just as Li Zhi walked over, A-Jie called out to him.

"Sister Li! Sister, can you tell me how to do the last question of the second-to-last chemistry question?"

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly at the draft paper that A-Jie handed over.

The girl's gaze immediately fell on Shen Yuan, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "Let's go eat first, and talk on the way."

The afternoon exam was in English, and Shen Yuan wasn't worried about it at all.

Completely relax.

Looking at A-Jie, who was hunched over the table diligently memorizing vocabulary, Shen Yuan's face broke into a smug smile.

Damn it, I was so heartbroken when I checked the answers at noon.

Although the mistakes were all those that weren't counted in the score, it was somewhat expected.

But the feeling of having your hard-earned calculations rejected is awful.

Ah Jie was truly relentlessly pursuing and killing.

But after the meal, A-Jie became listless.

Now it's his turn to be killed.

The English exam officially started at 3 p.m.

Shen Yuan leaned back in his chair, the clear sound of the English listening broadcast coming to his ears, each word flowing smoothly into his mind like a gentle stream.

For him, listening comprehension was nothing more than a series of familiar rhythms, posing no challenge whatsoever.

As soon as the broadcast ended, he picked up his pen and quickly filled in the answers on the test paper, his movements fluent and effortless.

When doing reading comprehension, he could even read the questions aloud and write down the answers with ease. That sense of confidence, which he felt at ease, enveloped his whole body like a warm current, completely different from the tension he felt during the previous science exams.

Meanwhile, in another examination room, Ah Jie stared blankly at the exam paper.

The echoes of the broadcast still seemed to linger in his ears, but the dense English words in front of him were as unfamiliar as a book written in a foreign language.

He held the pen, his fingertips trembling slightly, his eyes staring blankly at the question, as if he were frozen in place.

He didn't understand most of the listening comprehension section, and now he's completely lost when it comes to the multiple-choice questions. Occasionally, he'd want to write something down, but then he'd hesitate and pull his hand back, his face filled with helpless confusion.

The gap that was widened in mathematics has now been closed directly in English.

……

When the shrill, ear-piercing bell rang again, this time it was like a clarion call, instantly shattering the tense atmosphere of the exam. In the classroom, whether their brows were furrowed or relaxed before, almost every student's taut nerves snapped the moment the bell fell!
The teacher took the test papers away one by one, but no one cared whether the answers were right or wrong.

Everyone's attention has already turned to the two-day holiday ahead!

The air was filled with the smell of exam paper ink and books, and even more so with a sense of relief that everything had settled down and the excitement of regaining freedom.

The classroom door was forced open impatiently, and the corridor was already bustling with noise.

Cheers from the senior high school students soon filled the entire teaching building.

Books, exam papers, and pressure were all left behind. The short holiday was like a warm ray of sunshine, illuminating everyone who had just walked out of the exam hall.

"call--!"

"The exam is finally over!"

"We're on holiday!!!"

The silence that had been suppressed for two whole days burst forth like a dam breaking, and a huge wave of cheers suddenly erupted, sweeping through the entire classroom in an instant, and then merging into the surging crowd in the corridor.

The murmurs suddenly rose, mingled with excited screams and anticipation for the holiday.

Shen Yuan was pushed forward by the bustling crowd in the corridor.

He followed the cheering classmates through the teaching building corridor, his steps unconsciously carried by the torrent towards the familiar direction of the laboratory building.

"Wuhu! It's holiday time!"

Inside Class 15, Ah Jie was no longer the sad figure he had been in the exam room; he was now completely carefree.

With such a long holiday, the tension and gloom on everyone's faces caused by the joint entrance exam had completely disappeared, leaving only pure and bright joy.

Dust floated in the air, yet it was brimming with vibrant life, as if even the cold white fluorescent light tubes had been imbued with warmth.

Yang Ze hooked his arm around Shen Yuan's shoulder, his voice raised high by the surrounding noise: "Shen Yuan! What are you planning to do this weekend? Play games?"

Shen Yuan was swayed by Yang Ze's arm, his face still showing the excitement he had just caught from the atmosphere, and casually replied, "Maybe we're getting ready to go out and have some fun?"

"what?"

Yang Ze tightened his grip on her arm and pressed, "What do you mean by 'maybe'? You're still hesitating during the holidays, what's wrong, Lao Yuan? Did you fail your exam and are you planning to study hard at home?"

Shen Yuan smiled helplessly. Just as he was about to decline, he caught sight of the figure that had just walked in through the door.

The girl's figure seemed to filter out the noise, causing Shen Yuan's voice to unconsciously take on a hint of expectant laughter.

He gestured with his chin in that direction and said to Yang Ze, "Look, Li Bao hasn't agreed yet. I still need to perform well."

"Fuck!"

As soon as Shen Yuan finished speaking, Yang Ze quickly let go as if he had touched something dirty.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Ze let out a heart-wrenching cry.

"They killed a dog! They killed a dog in broad daylight! I can't live like this anymore! Shen Yuan, you beast!"

He exaggeratedly covered his chest with both hands, his expression contorted as if he had suffered a soul-crushing attack; his grief and indignation at being single reached its peak at this moment.

Just as A-Jie was immersed in cheers and jubilation, he suddenly stumbled, almost pulled from his self-absorbed state by the shrill scream.

Seeing Yang Ze's appearance, A-Jie had a sudden thought.

"Ze!!"

Without hesitation, A-Jie joined the wailing: "What's wrong with you, Ze! It's almost vacation time, you can't die!! You have to hold on!"

"If you're going to die, may you die before you have a holiday!"

Chen Mingyu, who had been just watching the show with his chin in hand, couldn't hold back any longer when he heard those words.

What a coincidence to die before the holidays.

My brother's life was exchanged for my vacation, right?

Yang Ze jumped up quickly, shooing A-Jie away with a look of disgust on his face.

"Get out, get out, you son of a bitch."

"Speak," Yang Ze whispered into A-Jie's ear, "Lao Yuan asked Li Zhi to go out and play. What about you? What progress have you and Zhuo Peipei made? You can't even write a proper romance novel, and you're taking a ridiculous vacation!"

Ah Jie was completely broken down.

Seeing Ah Jie's utterly devastated expression, Shen Yuan smiled and shook his head, his gaze naturally falling on the girl who was already sitting in her seat.

Before Shen Yuan could say anything, his eyes fell on the physics class representative who came into the classroom with a stack of test papers.

"No way—" came a long sigh from someone in the corner.

But before he could finish speaking, the English class representative arrived with a stack of test papers.

"do not……"

The math class representative and the biology class representative squeezed to the side of the podium at almost the same time, still holding test papers in their hands.

"Ow—!"

"Give the kids a break! They finally get a holiday!"

"Teachers, do you have some misunderstanding about 'holiday'?"

The once bright and cheerful classroom was now filled with a cacophony of pitiful wails, as if several "homework stones" had been thrown into it.

The wailing spread rapidly, miraculously mingling with the cheers of "We're on holiday!" that hadn't yet dissipated, creating a cacophony throughout the laboratory building that was a mixture of ecstatic liberation and the heavy blow of reality.

Just as everyone was wailing, Old Zhou arrived in the classroom.

"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down. Let me finish. After I finish, we'll have a holiday."

The moment Lao Zhou finished speaking, the classroom immediately fell silent, with only the sound of test papers being flipped through.

Old Zhou cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the lively and excited faces of those about to enjoy the upcoming holiday, a rare gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"Alright, the joint entrance exam is over."

He paused, his tone softening, with a clear sense of reassurance:
"I know everyone has had a tough time these past few days, and the pressure has been immense. Now that the exams are over, let it go. There's no point in thinking about it too much now; we'll deal with it when the results come out. It's time to relax properly."

Then, Old Zhou's tone turned to admonition, and his gaze became serious: "The next two days are a holiday, and this chance to catch your breath is hard-won. Get some rest and be careful! Don't forget any homework you need to bring to the classroom."

"Speak," Old Zhou raised an eyebrow.

"That's all I need to tell you. Be at school early on Sunday, and you need to take all this back before evening self-study. Okay, take your homework, and you're done!"

Almost as soon as Lao Zhou finished speaking, the classroom fell silent for half a second.

“Wuhu!!”

"Old Zhou, I love you!!"

"Have a holiday!"

As if a restart button had been pressed, even more enthusiastic cheers erupted in the classroom.

For a moment, everyone in the classroom seemed to have forgotten the sad moment when the homework was handed out.

……

Shen Yuan, carrying two schoolbags, walked with Li Zhi on the campus in the early autumn evening.

As the hustle and bustle faded into the distance, the setting sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting a warm and soft golden glow on the figures walking side by side.

Not long after leaving the teaching building, Shen Yuan was wondering whether to go home or find something to eat outside. Just as he was about to ask Li Zhi, the beautiful girl spoke first.

How did you feel after the exam?

Shen Yuan was slightly taken aback, and the words caught in his throat.

He turned his head and met Li Zhi's questioning gaze, the afterglow of the setting sun dancing in her clear eyes.

The tension that had just eased seemed to tighten again.

He was silent for a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said half-jokingly, "Can't you relax for a moment?"

"The results will most likely be out on Monday, so I'm preparing you mentally in advance."

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan and directly exposed him: "Have you estimated your score yourself? About what point?"

Shen Yuan blinked, then said hesitantly, "I might... regress. You know, math was a bit difficult this time."

However, after saying that, Shen Yuan added, "The Chinese and English scores will remain the same, and the combined science score was also acceptable this time."

The boy's tone revealed a hint of helplessness in his attempt to salvage something.

The wind rustled through the leaves, and a brief silence flowed between them.

Looking at Shen Yuan's slightly tense profile, Li Zhi's voice was gentler than usual: "It's normal to regress. The math exam was difficult this time, so the grades in the grade will drop."

Her gaze swept over the sycamore leaves, which were dyed red by the setting sun, and she added, "Stop overthinking."

(End of this chapter)