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

Chapter 230 The Same Examination Room
Just before the first period of evening self-study was about to end, A-Jie returned from the office with a dejected expression.

Seeing Ah Jie's death-like appearance, Shen Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

As the bell rang, Shen Yuan tapped on A-Jie's desk.

"Walk?"

"go!"

Ah Jie immediately stood up, and then Yang Ze and Chen Mingyu also stood up.

Where can we go? The only option is the toilet!
As the four walked down the corridor, Shen Yuan suddenly looked at A-Jie and asked, "Hey, A-Jie, how's the serialization of your novel 'Silent Reading' going?"

Ah Jie glanced at Shen Yuan and pursed his lips.

"Usually, every time I ask Peipei, she says it's just so-so, the feedback isn't very good."

Shen Yuan patted A-Jie on the shoulder: "Don't worry, don't worry."

"Why aren't you worried? She'll return it soon! The reviewer will be replaced then!"

Shen Yuan clicked his tongue lightly, and Yang Ze chimed in.

"So what? Are you planning to stop writing?"

Ah Jie shook his head: "I don't know, let's see. Let's get the final exams sorted out first."

Ah Jie looked at Shen Yuan: "Lao Yuan is right. Even if I succeed in confessing my feelings, it will be all for nothing if I don't get into the same school."

"Ah! That's right!"

Shen Yuan nodded with satisfaction: "Would you like me to teach you how to memorize vocabulary?"

Ah Jie shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

Are you kidding me? Shen Yuan's dedication to his work is something no normal person could handle!
……

Time flows forward silently and steadfastly day by day.

The calendar page on the table, circled in bright red marker—"January 21st"—is like a silent, approaching target.

Every day is precisely torn away and turned over.

The numbers are quietly approaching: 17, 18, 19...

The lights are always turned on when it's pitch black outside the window.

The window of the morning self-study classroom shone brightly against the still-lingering blue of the night sky, illuminating the figures inside, bent over their books.

The cold wind seemed even more biting, carrying the dryness and chill unique to winter, trying to sneak into the collar, but was often blocked by the faint warmth rising from the classroom due to focus and a sense of urgency.

On Shen Yuan's desk, the stacking speed of test papers, past exam papers, and error notebooks reached an unprecedented peak.

The completed test papers grew thicker rapidly, while blank papers were constantly pulled out and spread out.

The scratch paper was covered with layers of formulas, sketches, and derivations, and eraser shavings quietly accumulated under his pen.

The draft notebook was filled and replaced at a visible rate.

Consequently, the markings and annotations on Li Zhi's desk became increasingly numerous.

rustling... rustling...

The sound of the pen tip scratching against the paper became the most persistent and rhythmic background noise in the classroom, never stopping from morning till night.

The light in Shen Yuan's eyes did not diminish in the slightest; he was like a precise and energetic machine, operating efficiently.

Only occasionally, under the light, can one see the faint bluish-black shadow beneath his eyes, a testament to his burning energy, yet it is also overshadowed by the almost stubbornly determined light in his eyes.

The content of A-Jie's wailing was also subtly changing.

"Holy crap! Yuan-ge! Did you just pull these questions out from under the printer? They're still steaming hot! How can you finish them so fast?!"

"You beast! I can't do this anymore! Shen Yuan, you keep doing your work, just leave my eyes alone! Watching you do your practice problems makes me feel like a sinner..."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Sister Shui actually smiled at me today! Oh no, oh no, I feel like the big exam is really coming!"

Despite their complaints, inspired by Shen Yuan's "beast-like" energy, A-Jie, Yang Ze, and even more classmates seemed to feel the approaching chilling atmosphere and unconsciously buried their heads even deeper.

The low pressure and high efficiency surrounding the back row of Class 15, which was jokingly referred to as the "Shen Yuan brand perpetual motion machine," spread silently.

Li Zhi occasionally looked up from his book and fell on the focused profile of the boy beside him, who was diligently writing.

The limited sunlight of a winter afternoon would occasionally slip through the windowpane, landing precisely between his brows and his determined gaze, dancing with tiny golden specks.

A smile would unconsciously appear on the girl's lips, then she would lower her head and gently trace the newly marked date on the edge of the error notebook with her fingertips—another countdown day was peacefully passed.

When the calendar next to the blackboard finally turned to "January 20th," with only one day left until the final exams, the entire teaching building seemed to be filled with a tense, taut sound.

The air seemed to thicken, conversations became quieter, and the sounds of turning pages and writing grew more rapid and frequent.

A battle to test the results of all previous efforts is sweeping in, carried by the torrent of time.

The afternoon light was filtered by thick clouds, giving it a somber, leaden gray hue.

Ah-Jie put down the mock exam paper, rubbing his throbbing temples, his gaze drawn to the lifeless, gloomy sky outside the window.

"Tsk," he nudged Shen Yuan, who was still doing calculations next to him, with his elbow, and gestured with his chin towards the window, "Brother Yuan, look at the sky outside..."

Shen Yuan looked up from the dense stack of formulas and followed A-Jie's gaze.

The gray sky hung low, and the outlines of the distant school buildings were blurred in the thick clouds. The air seemed to be filled with a damp, cold silence, and even the wind seemed to have frozen.

"It feels like I've been holding back a huge thing..."

Ah Jie clicked his tongue twice, his tone tinged with worry: "Do you think it will really rain tomorrow during the exam? That would be adding insult to injury. It would be wet and cold, and even the roads would be difficult to walk on."

Shen Yuan stared at the heavy, lead-gray area for a while, his brows furrowing slightly.

He subconsciously rubbed the pen in his hand.

"It's hard to say,"

Shen Yuan spoke in a low voice, which was particularly clear in the quiet classroom.

"The clouds are so thick, and the wind has stopped... The air pressure is so low that it's hard to breathe."

He seemed to remember something; the focus in his eyes faded, replaced by a barely perceptible air of certainty.

"but……"

Shen Yuan paused, then turned his gaze from the window back to the scroll.

"I don't think it'll be able to download."

Ah Jie turned his head and looked at Shen Yuan's inexplicable confidence, muttering in rebuttal, "Damn, when did you become a part-time weatherman? This gloomy weather, no doubt about it, it's going to rain! Just you wait and see!"

"Let me tell you, it never doesn't rain during my finals!"

Shen Yuan looked at A-Jie: "Did you cry because you failed your English test?"

A-Jie had prepared a whole set of weather analyses to counter Shen Yuan's amateur predictions, but this precise and vicious strike instantly hit his weak spot!

"you--!!!"

Ah Jie's face, which had been showing some resentment, instantly turned a deep liver color, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You—!!!" He pointed at Shen Yuan, his fingers trembling, so angry that he couldn't even speak coherently.

"You...you're launching a personal attack! This is malicious slander!!!"

His weakness of "always failing English" was ruthlessly exposed by Shen Yuan the day before the final exam, like a collapsed dam, instantly triggering a chain reaction.

Ah Jie has been studying very hard these past few days, but he still can't pass English.

The anxiety of being overwhelmed by Shen Yuan's intense studying over the past few days, the lingering fear of the unknown results of tomorrow's exam, coupled with this incredibly precise verbal attack...

All the emotions were mixed together, like a volcanic eruption!

"Waaah—! Animal! Animal—!!" A-Jie suddenly covered his face with his hands and let out a low, desperate sob.

Ah Jie felt increasingly gloomy as he thought about it. The thought of facing the English exam the day after tomorrow, coupled with Shen Yuan's lingering words, "You'll fail English," filled him with despair.

Tears actually started to well up in my eyes!
He slammed his head hard on the table with a dull thud.

"God! Please save this child! Can you please stop making things difficult for me with finals?!"

The muffled sound came from under the table, filled with despair and self-mockery.

Shen Yuan looked at the massive breach in front of him, and almost couldn't suppress the smile that he had been holding back because of his sharp tongue.

He didn't finish the job, but just shook his head speechlessly and tapped Ah Jie's head, which was resting on the table, lightly with his fingers.

"Alright, hurry up and memorize the vocabulary... While we're not completely hopeless, we should try to salvage every single point we can."

Ah Jie's shoulders slumped and he slowly lifted his head from the table after a long while.

There wasn't a trace of regret on her face; it was all an act!

He grabbed the dog-eared vocabulary book from the corner of the table in a fit of anger.

He randomly flipped to the section starting with the letter "A," and finally could only sigh heavily in resignation, burying his face in the pages and muttering to himself.

"Abandon, give up..."

"Damn it!"

The leaden-gray clouds outside the window churned silently. As Shen Yuan looked away, his peripheral vision unconsciously drifted to his side.

Li Zhi had fallen asleep on the pile of past exam papers without anyone noticing.

The girl's cheek was half buried in her arms, and her loose hair spread out on the still-wet exam paper, rising and falling gently with her breath.

The down feathers from the edge of her down jacket's hood clung to her slightly reddened earlobes, creating a soft outline in the somber sunlight.

Shen Yuan's fingers, which were turning the pages of the error notebook, suddenly softened, and the pen tip hovered above the page, forming a quiet arc.

Looking at the faint shadows cast by the girl's eyelashes under her eyes, they resembled the wings of a resting butterfly.

The exhaustion from staying up all night grading his homework finally showed at this moment, and even the corners of his mouth, which always had a sly smile, relaxed, leaving only a bit of unguarded softness.

The damp, cold air seeping in from outside the window seemed to be isolated by this small space. Only the boy's restrained breathing and the distant, mechanical murmur of Ah Jie reciting words flowed slowly in the pre-exam silence.

Shen Yuan carefully closed the notebook of incorrect questions, his movements so gentle that he made no sound.

He turned slightly to the side, moving a little closer to the sleeping girl.

My gaze was fixed on her peaceful sleeping face, her brows furrowed from days of hard work, not yet fully relaxed.

A silent throbbing surged in my chest, dispelling the gloom brought by the haze outside the window.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his lips moved silently, eventually turning into a very soft breath, as if afraid of disturbing a precious and fragile dream.

"Li Bao is so cute when she's sleeping."

After looking at it for a while, Shen Yuan's gaze returned to the test paper in front of him.

"665 points..."

The pen tip fell, tracing lines on the draft paper again, and the scratching sound of writing rang out once more.

The corners of the sleeping girl's mouth seemed to turn up almost imperceptibly.

Amidst the rhythmic rustling sound, Li Zhi's eyelashes fluttered slightly. After a brief period of deep sleep, her consciousness, like a floating feather, slowly settled.

She subconsciously moved her cheek, which was buried in her arms, and the familiar sound of writing vaguely reminded her where she was.

She opened her eyes somewhat groggily, and the first thing she could see clearly was Shen Yuan's fingers gripping the pen tightly, his knuckles distinct, moving rapidly across the paper with a focused intensity.

Then there was his slightly taut jawline and his profile, so focused that it seemed as if he had no other thoughts in the world.

Shen Yuan seemed completely unaware that she had woken up. His brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes were fixed on the question, and his pen was scratching away at an astonishing speed.

Li Zhi just stared at him quietly, the red marks still lingering on her cheeks. Her sleepiness had completely vanished, but her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, incredibly soft, yet mixed with an intense, unbearable heartache.

This idiot... he's exhausted...

The girl's gaze flowed like water over his taut profile, landing on the dark blue mark that symbolized his hard work.

The thought, like a gentle breeze, lightly stirred her heartstrings.

As she watched the smooth lines he drew, she could almost hear the indomitable stubbornness rustling from his pen.

"never mind."

The thought struggled for less than a second before she decisively suppressed it.

The girl unconsciously gripped the edge of the past exam paper, which had just been slightly crumpled, with her fingertips.

Those bright eyes returned to Shen Yuan's focused profile, and the brief moment of tenderness was immediately replaced by a stronger emotion.

trust.

Although Shen Yuan is a bit simple-minded, he is desperately trying to get that score, and now it's not just for that simple purpose anymore.

That was the boy's declaration, using the exam paper as a sword, pointing it at Lao Li.

Did she herself propose lowering the standards?
Shen Yuan will probably get furious.

This guy might take this good intention as a denial of his efforts.

No refunds.

A hint of pride replaced the tender heartache in Li Zhi's eyes, quietly unfolding.

Just like how he clumsily but forcefully grabbed her hand on New Year's Eve, now she also chooses to hold on tightly to this stubbornness that belongs to the boy.

665 points is not just a sweet burden; how could she waver first?

In an instant, the fragmented images of struggle in the girl's eyes vanished, leaving only the clarity and determination of a stream after the first snow melts.

Li Zhi let out a soft sigh, exhaling the slight tremor from his body.

She slightly adjusted her posture, straightened her back, turned a piece of draft paper with her fingertips, and picked up the pen again.

The girl's eyes became clearer and more focused, and the tip of her pen returned to her own paper.

The pen strokes returned to the exam paper, making a soft scratching sound.

Shen Yuan has his own goals, and so does Li Zhi.

Just then, the front door of the classroom was gently pushed open.

Old Zhou walked in, his figure slightly serious but now carrying a hint of composure on the eve of battle.

He didn't say anything, but held a piece of paper in his hand and walked steadily straight to the blackboard at the back of the classroom.

People instinctively looked over, and the last trace of laziness remaining after their lunch break was instantly dispelled.

Old Zhou stood in front of the blackboard and used the transparent tape he had brought to stick the paper in his hand onto the blank area that had been reserved on the back wall.

"This is the seating arrangement for tomorrow's final exam," Old Zhou finally turned around and faced all the students. His voice was steady, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet classroom.

"It's posted here, including the exam room number, seat number, and corresponding student ID and name. Everyone must carefully check it this afternoon to confirm their specific exam location and seat to avoid panic tomorrow morning."

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally lingering on Shen Yuan and a few other students who were clearly highly focused.

"The first subject is Chinese tomorrow morning, so let's hurry up!"

"Understood!" The responses were sparse but tense.

"Very good. By the way, move all the books to the lab building during the afternoon self-study period. The usual spot." Old Zhou nodded, didn't say another word, and walked steadily out of the classroom again.

As soon as Lao Zhou left, the bulletin board was almost instantly surrounded by a huge crowd.

Ah Jie was the first to squeeze through, standing on tiptoe and craning his neck while muttering to himself, "Let me see if it's some kind of lucky number."

The other students also crowded forward to confirm their positions, their low murmurs and nervous whispers creating a buzzing background noise.

"Wow, 211, not bad!"

Ah Jie was very satisfied when he saw his exam room number. Then, he subconsciously began to search for Shen Yuan and Li Zhi's locations, wanting to see if the two guys who could turn the classroom into a pink bubble launcher were far enough away.

However, the next moment.

Holy crap!!!

A startling scream, loud enough to pierce through all the background noise, suddenly erupted from the crowd!
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to A-Jie.

Suddenly, Ah Jie turned around, his face showing an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"Beasts!!! Beasts!!!" A-Jie's voice was filled with disbelief, grief, and accusation, as if he had encountered the greatest injustice in the world.

"You two! Shen Yuan! Sister Li!!"

Ah Jie was heartbroken and almost wanted to beat his chest in despair.

"God! Are you blind?! Why... why is this exam room 211?! Why do they have to put these two together even in the exam room?!!!!"

Ah Jie gasped dramatically, accusingly shouting, "Shen Yuan! You beast! You scoundrel! Did you pull strings?!"

"This must be your conspiracy! What a coincidence!"

"Sister Li! You should do something about this! The examination hall is a solemn and sacred place!"

Ah Jie's mournful cries echoed in the classroom, initially startling the onlookers, but then erupting into loud laughter and understanding sighs.

You should know that A-Jie, Shen Yuan, and Li Zhi have always been deskmates.

Ever since Shen Yuan and Li Zhi went public with their relationship, A-Jie has been constantly bombarded with their displays of affection.

Now it's great, even the exam venues are all together!

There's no escaping it, there's absolutely no way to escape!

And the eye of the storm.

Shen Yuan seemed to have finally been interrupted by the extremely high-decibel wailing.

The boy paused, then looked up blankly at the indignant Ah Jie in the center of the crowd and the countless sympathetic gazes around him, momentarily unable to comprehend what had happened.

Li Zhizhe was slightly taken aback when he heard that he and Shen Yuan were in the same examination room.

Immediately, the corners of the beautiful girl's lips turned up slightly.

Amidst A-Jie's incessant background chants of "killing dogs," "livestock," and "cover-up," Shen Yuan blinked and belatedly turned his gaze to the blackboard on the back wall.

After realizing what had happened, the boy was stunned for a moment, and then an uncontrollable smile crept onto the corner of his mouth and quickly spread.

He lowered his head further, his shoulders trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly, as if he were secretly laughing.

But this small movement could not escape the sharp gaze of Ah Jie, who was watching him intently!
"Shen Yuan!!! Still laughing! You beast, still laughing! Got caught red-handed?!"

"You're laughing so hard your shoulders are shaking! Did I tell you? There's definitely something fishy going on behind this! You scoundrel, confess already!!"

The laughter of the whole class stopped instantly, and countless eyes, like spotlights, suddenly focused on Shen Yuan.

Amidst countless focused gazes and A-Jie's heartbroken accusations, Shen Yuan slowly raised his bowed head.

The awkwardness or embarrassment that everyone had anticipated did not occur.

Shen Yuan turned to look at A-Jie and pointed at him.

That smile was like a frozen river suddenly cracking open under the spring sun, starting from the corners of his mouth and spreading unrestrainedly upwards, eventually completely taking over his entire face!
"Hahahahaha...!!!"

Shen Yuan threw his head back and burst into laughter!

"Yes! It's arranged! In the same exam room! What's wrong with that! Hahahaha!!"

Shen Yuan looked at A-Jie and smugly shook his head.

This sudden, unrestrained laughter was like a precise and powerful blow to A-Jie's grief and indignation!

Ah Jie's mouth was open, and the finger pointing at Shen Yuan was suspended in mid-air, trembling slightly, and a hoarse sound came from his throat.

"Woo..."

A few seconds later, a sob filled with sorrow and utter despair finally escaped from his broken throat, weak as if he had exhausted his last strength.

Zhou Shaojie, died.

"Help! It looks like Ah Jie!!"

"Let me do it! I'll give him CPR!"

Upon hearing Yang Ze's voice, A-Jie immediately came to life.

"No, no, no... He's not dead! Ah! Ze! No, Ze!"

Ah Jie is acting like this again.

Time flew by and it was time for self-study.

Shen Yuan deftly unzipped his backpack, put a bunch of books inside, then picked up the book basket and grabbed two file boxes filled with test papers with both hands.

After tidying himself up, he habitually looked at Li Zhi beside him.

The pretty girl was methodically tidying up and stacking the various exercise books scattered on the table.

Give me some.

Upon hearing Shen Yuan's voice, Li Zhi rolled her eyes at him.

"You can still carry that much! You might as well make another trip. It's tiring for you to carry so much at once, but it hurts me to see you carrying so much."

Just as A-Jie was about to pick up his book basket, he and Yang Ze suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The two squatted on the ground and looked up at Shen Yuan and Li Zhi with resentment.

But the young couple ignored them completely, chatting and laughing as they carried the books to the laboratory building.

"This is outrageous! I'm starting to agree with Zhu Xi."

"Huh?" Yang Ze looked at A-Jie.

"Preserve heavenly principles and extinguish human desires!"

Yang Ze sneered: "Then I wish you a perfect score in the Analects."

"Forget it then, I don't believe it anyway."

Ah Jie picked up the book basket and said, "Confucius said: Go!"

　I'm busy today, so I only have 6000.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)