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

Chapter 207 Shen Yuan, you truly deserve to die! (1 words)

The stone steps along the old tree-lined path descend, with sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, creating dappled patterns.

The excitement and tacit understanding that permeated the platform did not dissipate; instead, it settled in the clasped hands and quiet footsteps, carrying with it the cool fragrance of the temple.

The two walked silently down the last step and returned to the somewhat empty area outside the parking lot.

Shen Yuan habitually took out his phone and started calling a car.

The time came earlier than expected, so Shen Yuan decided to save money and spend it wisely. He planned to take a taxi to the subway and then take the subway to the East Station.

And if you take a taxi directly to the East Station...

I'll probably get a scolding from Li Zhi.

Shen Yuan tilted his head slightly and looked at the girl beside him.

Li Zhi's gaze casually fell on the lush mountains in the distance. The mountain breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, but the lines of her lips were much softer than when she arrived. Only the slightly reddened tips of her ears still spoke of her unsettled emotions.

The ride-hailing car arrived quickly, and the two opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi sat side by side, with a small gap between them.

Unlike their previous playful banter, there was now a tacit, quietude.

Shen Yuan's gaze would always unconsciously drift toward Li Zhi's profile, while Li Zhi's gaze remained fixed on the ever-changing street scene outside the window, as if trying to imprint the end of this journey into his eyes.

The vehicle eventually stopped at the nearest subway station.

"Let's go, let's take the subway."

Li Zhi didn't say anything.

The subway stations in Hangzhou are teeming with people, a stark contrast to the tranquility of the ancient temples in the mountains.

They swiped their cards to enter the station, took the escalator down to the platform, and were instantly swept away by the surging crowd.

The moment the carriage door opened, a surge of people rushed in. Shen Yuan subconsciously stretched out his arm, tentatively protecting Li Zhi's side.

Her gaze swept over his gestures, she said nothing, and simply moved a little closer to him naturally.

As the train swayed, she would sometimes bump into Shen Yuan unintentionally, each slight touch making their hearts skip a beat.

They were all intently watching the billboards flashing by outside the window, yet they could clearly feel the subtle presence and warmth of the people around them.

The subway runs smoothly, weaving through the city's underground network.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi followed the flow of people out of the carriage and stepped onto the escalator leading to the ground.

The unique hustle and bustle of the high-speed rail station immediately hits you.

Under the enormous dome, the air was filled with the cacophony of voices, a stark contrast to the crowded and stuffy subway station. A sense of openness and busy farewell permeated the air.

Shen Yuan pulled Li Zhi along and walked towards the escalator.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of the waiting hall upstairs.

The two walked towards the security checkpoint with their backpacks on their backs.

The passageway was wide, but it was teeming with people.

Shen Yuan instinctively protected Li Zhi.

While queuing, Shen Yuan let Li Zhi stand in front of him.

Looking at the back of the girl's head, Shen Yuan's fingers unconsciously curled up slightly.

The words I couldn't finish saying at Faxi Temple, the words that were swallowed back, are now burning like a hot iron in my heart.

The line moved slowly, and by the time the two had passed through security, their train had already started boarding.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and said softly, "It's alright, there's still time."

With at least ten minutes for ticket checking, there's definitely enough time to get there.

Just as Shen Yuan said, they had enough time to get to the ticket gate and have their tickets checked.

It might even give us a little more time.

I'll still get a first-class seat when I go back.

With a slight start and inertia, the carriage began to move smoothly.

The platform, traffic lights, and station signs outside the window began to slowly recede into the distance.

Shen Yuan subconsciously turned his head to look out the car window, and Li Zhi also turned his head to look at the city scene that was rushing past.

This trip to Hangzhou has come to an end.

If I come again next time, it will probably be during the summer vacation after the college entrance examination.

Just as Shen Yuan was thinking this, a scene flashed into his mind.

The girl stood on the stone steps.

"What we have between us doesn't need any divine intervention."

These words echoed in Shen Yuan's mind, each one resonating deeply and striking his heart.

The scenery outside the car window blurred rapidly, but Shen Yuan's thoughts remained exceptionally clear.

Just then, the system's voice rang in Shen Yuan's mind.

【mission completed! 】

Take Li Zhi on a short trip to a nearby city! Show her some different scenery. Reward: Li Zhi's memory fragment *1! (Completed)

Shen Yuan looked at the system in front of him, then glanced at Li Zhi, who was still looking out the window, and then opened the memory fragment.

As the light flickered, Shen Yuan saw a brightly lit classroom.

It was a very familiar place, still in the same old spot.

Shen Yuan sat at the table, while Li Zhi sat alone at the third long table by the window, the moonlight replacing the setting sun of yesteryear.

A notebook lay open in front of her, the pen hovering there, not falling for a long time.

The girl's gaze was not on the book, but on the blurry reflection on the windowpane.

There was no one else in the reflection, only herself.

She gently pushed up her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Behind the lenses, her eyes did not reflect confusion about the future, but rather a faint light that was almost a sigh.

In the end, she wrote only one line of tiny words in the blank space of the notebook, then quickly crossed it out, slammed the notebook shut, got up and left, leaving the empty table and chairs bathed in the cold moonlight.

Shen Yuan couldn't see what Li Zhi had written; through the fog of time, he couldn't see anything at all.

However, Shen Yuan could see the strokes, and he could recognize two of them at a glance.

——SB.

Shen Yuan gave a soft chuckle.

The light faded, and the scene before us changed once more.

The laptop screen on the desk glowed softly, illuminating Li Zhi's slightly tired face.

This time, Shen Yuan was on the side, a scene he had never seen before. It was the first time he had come into contact with Li Zhi's specific work after graduating from university.

Li Zhizheng looked at his phone, his finger hovering over the screen. After hesitating for a moment, he replied and then put his phone down.

Li Zhi's gaze fell on the computer screen in front of him again.

Shen Yuan felt that time seemed to speed up slightly. After finishing his work, Li Zhi stretched, the curve of his yawning was astonishing.

A moment later, she took out her phone, looked at the screen, and finally opened her photo album, accurately finding a photo from a pile of pictures.

Shen Yuan looked at the photo; it seemed to be a group photo.

The photo shows two figures, one tall and one short, with a height difference of roughly half a head.

What a coincidence, it's exactly the same height difference between myself and Li Zhi.

Li Zhi placed her finger on the photo and tapped it lightly. Her eyes softened for a moment, then closed again, revealing a hint of self-deprecating helplessness.

Then, Shen Yuan saw Li Zhi stand up and prepare to leave.

The moment she turned around, Shen Yuan saw the hair clip tucked behind her head.

The scene shifts, and Shen Yuan arrives at the underground parking garage he had seen before.

Li Zhi parked the car and walked into the elevator, looking slightly tired.

I got home and put my bag down in the dimly lit entryway.

She didn't turn on the main light, but simply walked to the living room sofa and sat down, tilting her head slightly back.

Shen Yuan sat beside her, looking at her face, which had only a few traces left by time.

This time, Shen Yuan seemed to be allowed to "read" her mind.

What lingers in my memory is not the fatigue of work, but a deeper sense of emptiness.

She subconsciously raised her hand and gently removed the pearl hair clip from her hair.

The styles of the hair clips are, of course, self-evident.

In the dim light, she held the hair clip up to her eyes, her fingertips carefully tracing its outline, her movements delicate and slow.

Just like...

She was reading silently.

She was silently reading the memories carried by the hairpin.

In her quiet solitude, those trivial yet deeply imprinted images of Shen Yuan, etched into her heart by the passage of time, were repeatedly and silently revisited through this small hair clip.

At this moment, there is only a loneliness and longing that have become second nature.

She held the hair clip tightly in her hand, feeling the coolness of the metal, as if it were the only tactile token that could connect her to a warm past.

This silent "reading" permeated the quiet space where she lived alone.

Fragments of memory gradually fade into obscurity.

The high-speed train continued its smooth journey, with the scenery outside the window flashing by like a blur.

Shen Yuan was abruptly pulled out of the illusion of memory, his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an icy hand, and then a sudden burst of burning, bitter pain erupted.

"Let's call the book 'Silent Reading'."

"Yes, read silently."

Isn't that what unrequited love is all about?

"Always observing, always speculating."

"Take every smile, every gesture, and every movement of the other person into your heart and read them silently countless times."

"We dare not make a sound, we dare not disturb."

"Like silently reciting a poem, repeatedly savoring each word in one's own heart..."

"Right?"

The one who carved "SB" alone on the third row of tables by the window in the Zhejiang University library...

During a break from a tiring workday, she flipped through a photo album, her fingertips lingering on the blurry outline of the boy...

That person who, in their empty, cold home, caressed a tiny hair clip a million times…

The definitions of "silent reading" that Li Zhi had once given now possessed a tangible weight that was suffocating.

That so-called "silent reading," that which has been played out silently over the long years, is not at all Ah Jie's speculation about Zhuo Peipei!

is her.

It's Li Zhi!
she……

The person she's been "reading silently"...

It's yourself!
Those intersections he thought didn't exist, those times he thought had long since faded into the past, were, in fact, never forgotten by her.

She holds fragments of his past existence.

Those fragments that he was unaware of, or that he might have carelessly discarded.

Like treasuring the most precious treasure, in a corner unknown to anyone, it is repeatedly, silently, and repeatedly turned over, caressed, and chewed.

again and again.

This realization was like a hot iron branding my heart.

The regret and heartache instantly overwhelmed Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

He held his breath and slowly shifted his gaze away from the rapidly receding light and shadow outside the window.

It then landed on the figure beside it.

The girl remained quietly gazing out the window at the ever-changing scenery, her slender neck taut, seemingly still immersed in the afterglow of her journey, oblivious to the outside world.

She had no idea that her most secret feelings had just been revealed to him.

No, maybe...

It's just that Shen Yuan didn't see the fragments of the past.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and could clearly see the small shadows cast by her fine eyelashes under her eyelids, the small and straight curve of her nose, and her slightly pursed, pale pink lips.

She was so close to him, yet it felt as if they were separated by an entire period of lonely years, silently "read" by him.

A sudden surge of sourness rushed to Shen Yuan's nose and eyes, and his throat felt as if it were blocked by something scalding hot.

original……

Those who read silently through the long years.

It's always been you, Li Zhi.

Thinking of this, another idea arose in Shen Yuan's mind.

Damn it, Shen Yuan, you really deserve to die!
Shen Yuan wished he could reach into the system and give his 35-year-old self a shove!

Look at what you've done, you idiot!
You don't even dare to approach her? Useless! Coward!
What the hell.

Shen Yuan, you really deserve to die!
Just as Shen Yuan was mentally berating his 35-year-old self, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Shen Yuan, doesn't this receding scenery resemble your declining grades?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Zhi's gaze naturally fell on Shen Yuan's face.

At first, her eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement, anticipating his embarrassed reaction upon hearing those words.

However, the moment Li Zhi met Shen Yuan's eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Shen Yuan's gaze was fixed on her, his eyes churning with complex emotions.

Such a look was definitely not the look that Shen Yuan, who usually had a playful and joking demeanor, would have.

Li Zhi had seen that look in his eyes once before.

That was in the library of Zhejiang University.

Shen Yuan looked at himself in the same way back then.

That look in his eyes was like... like he was looking at some heartbreaking scene.

The sly smile on Li Zhi's lips froze instantly, like a painting in a still frame.

The lights inside the carriage illuminated her clear pupils, and a fleeting look of confusion could be clearly seen there.

The mischievous look on her face quickly faded, as if she had been scalded by the silent yet surging emotions in the other person's eyes.

The girl quietly swallowed back the joke she had prepared.

Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

She suddenly felt that something was different in the familiar atmosphere of the carriage.

She instinctively wanted to turn back and continue pretending to look at the scenery, but found that her gaze seemed to be firmly drawn to that heavy gaze for a moment.

A brief silence fell between the two.

Li Zhiqing cleared his throat, trying to suppress the sudden panic in his heart.

She leaned slightly towards the car window, her gaze still fixed on Shen Yuan, but with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"Hey,"

Her voice tried to maintain its usual tone, with a hint of her usual disdain.

"I was just asking you about your grades, what are you spacing out for?"

She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but continue, "Your expression is like... like you suddenly owe me a lot of money and can't pay it back."

Shen Yuan was brought back to his senses by her direct question.

Seeing the confusion in the girl's eyes, Shen Yuan gave her a gentle smile.

He raised his hand, not to respond to her metaphor of "owing money," but very naturally and gently placed his hand on the back of Li Zhi's hand, which was resting on the armrest of the seat.

Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat as he watched Shen Yuan's actions.

At that moment, Shen Yuan's voice reached her ears.

“I wasn’t spacing out, it’s just… it just suddenly felt…” Shen Yuan’s gaze drifted to the rapidly flowing mountains outside the window, his tone seemingly casual yet also suggestive.

"The scenery rushing past the window is like... silently reading a very, very long book. As you read, you start to drift off."

Shen Yuan paused, looked into Li Zhi's eyes, and gently squeezed her palm.

"As for money... cough, grades, there will be. I'll get 650 on the next monthly exam and show you."

The moment Shen Yuan finished speaking, Li Zhi's hand unconsciously curled up in his palm.

"Yes, yes, next time for sure!"

Li Zhi snorted: "Next time, next time, tell me, when will you be able to keep your score consistently at 650?"

"All you do is look at the scenery. Have you finished the rest of yesterday's math test?"

"Ok?"

Li Zhi raised his chin: "Go and get 650 in your dreams!"

After saying that, Li Zhi turned his head to look at the scenery, no longer looking at Shen Yuan.

But a moment later, Li Zhi suddenly turned around and glared at Shen Yuan.

"Still looking at me? If you don't do your homework, I'm really going to get angry!"

Shen Yuan raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, I understand. I'll go do the test now."

Under Li Zhi's watchful eye, Shen Yuan quickly took out his homework from his schoolbag and began to work on the problems.

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan, who was diligently doing his homework, gave a soft snort, and then turned to look out the window again.

Her gaze fell on the fleeting greenery outside the window; the city's outline was already left behind, and ahead lay the road home.

It was a rather uneventful short trip, with no elaborate plans, and even lunch was just beef rice bowls.

We were so tired from walking that we didn't want to shop anymore. We had a quick dinner, and the first time we spent together in a hotel was actually to do our homework.

Of course, there was also the panicked feeling when his mother checked up on him, Shen Yuan's hasty escape from the room, and the usual farewell at the end.

Even the sleeping rooms are separated from each other just like in the house, separated by only one wall.

Plain and simple.

But did nothing really happen?

The moment we arrived in this unfamiliar city, the hands that were clasped tightly together said it all.

As the morning light shone on the temple steps, the words, "What business is it between us that we need the blessings of Buddha?" were uttered so frankly...

Something that had been shrouded in the layers of time was clearly confirmed silently during this seemingly ordinary trip to Hangzhou.

Some trajectories no longer need divine guidance, nor do they need to alarm the heavens and earth.

It exists in every ordinary moment of "nothing happening," and in the ever-growing certainty in her heart.

Li Zhi turned to look at Shen Yuan, who was concentrating on his homework.

Sand coins, 650 points, remembered.

……

High-speed trains weave through the networks between cities.

As the massive carriage smoothly glided into the Jiyang Station platform, a soft announcement was made inside.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi followed the flow of people off the platform, and the two naturally held hands as they walked into the down passage leading to the exit.

The cold white light stretched and shortened the shadows of the two people, and the air in the underground passage was filled with the weariness of returning from a trip and the smell of dust.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi swiped their cards and exited through the gate.

Before Li Zhi could say anything, Shen Yuan naturally took her hand again.

Li Zhi's fingertips curled slightly, but he did not pull away, letting the warm palm envelop his fingers.

This is probably a habit the two of them developed during their trip to Hangzhou.

Shen Yuan's fingers unconsciously rubbed the back of her hand, earning him a glare from the girl that was irritating but utterly intimidating.

Just then, Li Zhi seemed to suddenly remember something, and paused slightly in his steps.

"Hey, you idiot Shen Yuan." She coughed lightly, her voice lower than usual, carrying a subtle warning, "...behave yourself later."

Shen Yuan was still immersed in his little thoughts from Hangzhou when he was taken aback by this sudden turn of events: "Huh? What's wrong?"

Li Zhi glanced at his face quickly, then looked away as if to confirm something: "Old Li is waiting for us in the parking lot."

She paused, then emphasized, "Did you hear me? Behave yourself!" "..."

Shen Yuan instantly understood Li Zhi's meaning, and the little spark of romance in his heart was extinguished with a "whoosh".

He understood the subtext behind "behave yourself" almost simultaneously.

They absolutely must not let Lao Li see the two of them holding hands tightly at this moment.

The smile that had just appeared froze on his lips, immediately replaced by seriousness and a hint of lingering fear of "almost messing things up".

He nodded subconsciously, even feeling a slight stiffness in his neck: "...I understand."

Before she could finish speaking, the hand that Li Zhi was holding was immediately flung away by her without hesitation, even with a bit of a "burden-throwing" force.

The lingering warmth had barely faded before it dissipated into the slightly cool air outside the station.

The two tacitly separated slightly, and the subtle tranquility and intimacy vanished.

The atmosphere returned to that of two ordinary classmates walking home together, but whose relationship was limited to "desk mates" or "childhood sweethearts".

Li Zhi took out his phone and called Lao Li, wanting to tell Lao Li that they had arrived and also to ask where Lao Li was.

She unlocked her screen, opened the call interface, and skillfully found Lao Li's number and dialed it.

Almost at the same second that her phone rang—

"The vast horizon is my love—"

A clear, echoing telephone ringtone sounded.

The ringing was so close, it felt like it was exploding right next to my ear!

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi froze instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed!
The two turned their heads sharply, almost simultaneously.

From the crowd behind them, Old Li raised his hand and waved to the two of them.

He was still holding the phone in his hand, which was playing the song "What kind of rhythm is the most swaying?"

Old Li looked at the two of them, a gentle smile on his face that was full of amusement, as if he knew everything but didn't say anything.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi seemed to be frozen in place by the extremely penetrating bell sound and the sudden appearance of Lao Li's figure. Their eyes widened and their breaths caught in their throats!
My heartbeat suddenly stopped in that instant.

—The shock far outweighed the simple surprise!
Shen Yuan felt his blood rush backward, and a chill ran down his spine to the top of his head.

One second his palm still held the warmth of Li Zhi's fingertips, the next he was terrified by the sudden appearance of Old Li.

"They saw us. Wait, when did Uncle Li start standing in the back?!"

"Hands! I was just holding hands with Li Zhi! Uncle Li didn't see that, did he?!"

The alarm bells in my head were blaring wildly, and only one thought was growing infinitely larger—should I just die?

Shen Yuan's gaze was fixed on Lao Li's meaningful smile, trying to discern evidence that Lao Li had seen the two holding hands.

But all he felt was that smile was unfathomable, like a magic mirror reflecting all his guilty conscience.

Shen Yuan subconsciously swallowed, feeling his throat dry and tight, wishing he could ascend to heaven on the spot immediately.

This might still be a way to save myself.

Although Li Zhi's reaction was not as horrified as Shen Yuan's, he was equally shocked by the sudden discovery.

The girl's cheeks flushed bright red almost uncontrollably, as if they were burning.

"Wait, why did Dad come out from the back?"

"Was my movement fast enough when I shook my hand off? Did Dad see it?!"

"Ugh!!! That damn Shen Yuan, why did you have to hold hands with me when we came out together?!"

"Wait, Lao Li, what's with that expression?! You didn't really...you really saw it, did you?!"

A storm raged in the girl's heart. She tried to remain calm as she met her father's gaze, but the panic that flashed deep in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Li Zhi tried hard to force a nonchalant, even slightly reproachful, expression, but found her lips stiff. She could only lower her eyelids slightly to quickly conceal the emotional fluctuations in her eyes.

The girl was now filled with regret, wishing she had stayed further away from Shen Yuan earlier!
Then Shen Yuan, that idiot, can't be led around anymore!
The phone stopped ringing abruptly. Old Li hung up, his smile still gentle, even carrying a hint of teasing.

"Zhizhi, what a coincidence! I was just about to say hello when you called."

Old Li smiled as usual, as if he hadn't seen anything at all.

Li Zhi smiled, but it was a very ugly smile, as if he had only moved his face slightly.

Old Li looked at Shen Yuan again, his expression slightly serious: "Shen Yuan, I asked you to take care of Zhizhi, have you taken good care of her?"

"Uh... Uncle Li." Shen Yuan's throat tightened, and he called out dryly before nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, yes."

Just as Shen Yuan finished speaking, Li Zhi's voice rang out from the side.

"Bullshit! Taking me all the way to Hangzhou just to eat beef rice bowls, you really are something else!"

Shen Yuan: "?!!"

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi with disbelief on his face.

Seeing Shen Yuan's expression, Li Zhi immediately glared back.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? All you did was take me to Zhejiang University for beef rice bowls, right?"

Worri? !
Holy crap?!

Li Zhi, are you serious?!

Shen Yuan's mind instantly went blank, filled with huge question marks and "Holy crap!" flashing across the screen.

"No, didn't you agree to eat beef rice bowl yourself?! And you said yourself that the rice bowl tastes better than the one at school!"

"Nodding is one thing, but it's another if you don't make proper arrangements!"

The girl raised her chin and sold Shen Yuan without hesitation.

A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist.

Shen Yuan, may you rest in peace.

"I...!" Shen Yuan was speechless with anger, about to retort again...

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Old Li, who had been standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer and quickly interrupted the two of them.

"Alright, go back now. The family has prepared a meal and is just waiting for you two to come back."

As Lao Li spoke, he glanced at the childhood sweethearts, stepped forward, and gently put his arm around Li Zhi's shoulder, half-pushing her forward. At the same time, he gave Shen Yuan a wink.

"Come on, come on, your mom misses you so much. You hung up the video call yesterday, and she was upset for a while. You'll have to go and comfort her later."

Li Zhi was led forward by Lao Li, and he didn't forget to turn around and snort at Shen Yuan.

But as he hummed, Li Zhi suddenly winked quickly at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan's eye twitched uncontrollably.

6.

So, Haji, is this your method?
When Lao Li suspected he had discovered our situation, did he use his usual bickering to cover up the unusual circumstances?
Good for you.

Shen Yuan sighed helplessly, his shoulders slumping slightly.

You're such a fucking idiot.

It's pure to the extreme.

Old Li most likely saw it!
What's the point of you pretending?

In your dad's eyes, what you're doing is probably just a young couple flirting.

He flirted with his father-in-law's beautiful 18-year-old daughter in front of him.

Maybe I really should just die?

Even so, Shen Yuan still had no choice but to take a step and follow.

After all, no matter what...

Tsk, that wink just now was kind of cute.

……

The car came to a smooth stop in the underground parking garage, and Shen Yuan and Li Zhifei quickly got out.

After getting off the bus, Lao Li reached out and took the schoolbag from his daughter's hand.

"Zhizhi, you can go straight to Shen Yuan's house later. We'll have lunch there today. Your mother should have already gone there."

Li Zhi nodded after hearing this.

It's just a matter of having a meal, so it doesn't matter where we are.

Shen Yuan shrank back, not daring to interrupt.

The elevator came to a smooth stop at 19A. Li Zhi followed Shen Yuan to his house, while Lao Li made an excuse to go get some wine.

As soon as Shen Yuan opened the door, Xu Chan rushed over to greet him, her face beaming with obvious joy.

"You're back! Let me see!"

Xu Chan, holding her daughter's hand, looked her up and down and asked, "Are you tired from the long car ride? Are you hungry? The food is all ready and waiting for you!"

"Shen Yuan, are you hungry? Hurry up and sit down to eat."

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi were thus unwittingly pushed to the dining table.

The two clearly sensed that something was wrong, but they couldn't quite put their finger on the reason.

Just as the two were feeling confused, Lao Li arrived.

Old Li walked in with a bottle of wine and nodded slightly to Xu Chan.

Seeing Lao Li's expression, Xu Chan breathed a slight sigh of relief and then turned to go to the kitchen to help.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Xu Chan smiled at Zhang Yuyan.

Ms. Zhang Yuyan immediately understood what was going on and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Parents' worries about their children often go even further.

When going out for fun, safety should be the top priority.

At the dinner table, both sets of parents chatted tacitly, asking all sorts of questions, but never mentioning anything about the hotel.

Shen Yuan originally wanted to put on a little show, but the four adults didn't give him the chance at all.

However, if it were actually brought up, Shen Yuan might actually be physically exorcised.

It is indeed expensive.

After dinner, sunlight slanted through the bay window of Shen Yuan's room, casting a warm patch of light on the floor.

Shen Yuan closed the door, shutting out the soft sounds of the elders clearing away the dishes in the living room.

He turned around and saw that Li Zhi had already naturally sat cross-legged on the chair.

Nao Nao naturally lay on the girl's lap, enjoying the caressing, making gurgling sounds in his throat.

Shen Yuan watched with envy.

"Eh."

Shen Yuan sat down on the edge of the bed: "I'm talking about Li Bao..."

"Hmm?" Li Zhi didn't look up, still gently stroking Nao Nao's head.

"Don't you think..." Shen Yuan lowered his voice, with a hint of confusion and inquiry, "that my aunt, uncle, and parents have been acting a little strange today?"

Li Zhi nodded, raised his eyes, and looked at Shen Yuan.

"strangeness?"

“Yes,” Shen Yuan said earnestly, “during the meal, they talked about Hangzhou, West Lake, how big the Zijingang campus is…the weather, the traffic, they even talked about when we were catching the subway…”

Li Zhi gave a soft "hmm" and waited for him to continue, his hand unconsciously squeezing the cat's soft paw pads.

"But..."

Shen Yuan frowned, looking completely puzzled.
"From beginning to end, not a single word was mentioned about the hotel! It was as if they had planned to avoid it!"

Li Zhi's lips curled slightly, his tone carrying his usual sarcasm.

"What? You really want them to mention hotels?"

Shen Yuan was taken aback by Li Zhi's blunt words.

"No."

Shen Yuan glanced guiltily at the closed door and lowered his voice: "Did you notice that my mom didn't mention where we live at all? And especially after your dad came in, the way your mom, my mom, and my dad looked at each other."

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan helplessly, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"I don't need to elaborate on what they're avoiding by not mentioning the hotel."

Shen Yuan blushed and nodded.

Li Zhi slowly began, "As for why their eyes looked like that, it can only be said that they've confirmed one thing. They've confirmed..."

Li Zhi glanced at Shen Yuan, but didn't continue.

Shen Yuan naturally knew why she had stopped there, so he nodded to indicate that he understood.

Seeing Shen Yuan nod, Li Zhi continued to speak.

The pretty girl said with a confident tone, "Actually, the problem should be with my dad, no, the problem should be with my backpack."

Shen Yuan blinked, clearly still in a daze.

Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan with annoyance.

"Think about it, why does my dad insist on going home to get the wine? Why couldn't my mom have brought it beforehand?"

"There's been so much time in between, enough for my mom to bring the wine from my house to yours, so why did Lao Li have to make the trip himself?"

"And also, why does it have to be dinner at your house?"

Hearing Li Zhi's words, all the doubts in Shen Yuan's heart were quickly resolved.

The purpose was to separate Li Zhi from her schoolbag!
What's in your backpack?

Li Zhi shook his head: "I don't know."

Silence is Cambridge tonight.

If Lao Li heard these words, his Dao heart would probably collapse.

No matter how much they planned, they never expected that Li Zhi wouldn't even know that there was a talisman in his schoolbag.

Old Li Guang thought that stuffing it into his schoolbag would be enough, but little did he know that he might have put it in too well, and Li Zhi didn't even notice.

The childhood sweethearts looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.

"What the hell is this...?"

Shen Yuan didn't know what to say.

Li Zhi shrugged: "But no matter what, there's one thing that's certain now."

"Huh?" Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi with curiosity.

The painful sacrificer smiled slightly and conveyed the gospel.

"You should do your homework."

Shen Yuan immediately stopped laughing.

……

"Yuan, why aren't you smiling? Is it because you don't like to smile?"

Shen Yuan looked at Zhou Shaojie by the aisle and felt a sense of helplessness, wanting to slap him but afraid that he would feel good.

Shen Yuan looked at the report card that he had just photographed from the blackboard at the back of the classroom.

On Monday, the joint exam results came out, but the numbers on them chilled him to the bone.

Chinese 121, Math 105, English 150, Science 262, Total 638.

Good grief, even 640 is gone!
Just then, a figure approached him.

Li Zhi stared at the glaring "638" on Shen Yuan's phone screen.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Li Zhi shook her head, and then a perfectly standard sigh flowed from her beautifully shaped lips.

"well----"

The sigh was long and drawn out, with a slight tremor at the end, as if it contained the regret and heartache of the whole world.

She even furrowed her delicate brows slightly to match the pose, looking troubled as if she was seriously considering "where exactly the problem lies."

"638?"

Li Zhi turned his head to the side, his eyes curving into crescents, but the corners of his lips involuntarily curled upwards into a teasing arc.

Those eyes were so bright, where was there even a hint of real regret?

"Shen Yuan, you're still a little short of 650."

Li Zhi's voice was soft and gentle, with a sigh of emotion as she exclaimed, "As expected... you got 650 in your dream, didn't you?"

The girl's face, with its feigned sorrow and barely concealed sly smile, formed a stark contrast.

This regret is so well-concealed...

Zhou Shaojie watched with great interest and couldn't help but speak up again: "Yuan, why don't you..."

"Shut up!"

This time, Shen Yuan interrupted A-Jie without any politeness.

"You yell, you yell, you got a much better score than me?"

"Eh!"

Ah Jie's tone immediately rose.

He held up his phone and presented it to Shen Yuan like a treasure, then showed off his achievements.

"Enjoy!"

Chinese 112, Math 150, English 82, Science 294, Total 638.

"Hey!"

Ah Jie was extremely excited to see Shen Yuan's completely broken smile.

"Yuan, this is what you call strength!"

"What does it mean to discover who's been swimming naked when the tide goes out?"

"That's the skill your brother Jie possesses, you have to admit it!"

Shen Yuan smiled slightly as he looked at the smug A-Jie.

Hurt each other, right?

Come on!
Shen Yuan smiled kindly and looked at A-Jie, asking softly, "How's 'Silent Reading' coming along?"

Ah Jie immediately stopped laughing.

"you……"

Ah Jie pointed at Shen Yuan, and Chen Mingyu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh when he heard what Shen Yuan said.

Everyone knew that A-Jie's manuscript had been rejected again.

All I can say is that Ah Jie still needs to work harder!
A-Jie pointed at Shen Yuan, trembling, "We're talking about grades, you, you, don't try to change the subject!"

Shen Yuan looked at A-Jie, then turned to Li Zhi: "Li Bao."

"What?" The pretty girl frowned and looked at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan looked at her with a smile and gently placed his hand on Li Zhi's hand and squeezed it.

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan's actions with a puzzled expression: "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to absorb some of the academic aura."

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan as if he were an idiot, then turned to look at his own exam paper.

But her hand still obediently fell into Shen Yuan's hand, letting him knead it.

Ah Jie stared at this scene in disbelief.

Chen Mingyu, who had only come to watch the fun, felt like a dog passing by on the street who had been suddenly stuffed with a handful of dog food that was so sour it was explosive.

The next second, Li Zhi suddenly pulled his hand back from Shen Yuan's.

The beautiful girl looked at Shen Yuan with a face full of shame and anger.

I've gotten so used to being touched in Hangzhou that I've forgotten I'm at school now!
However, before Li Zhi could react, Shen Yuan was dragged away by A Jie and Chen Mingyu.

"Damn it!"

"Shen Yuan!"

"You fucking deserve to die!!"

(End of this chapter)