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

Chapter 265 The First Mock Exam Begins

The faint morning light streamed through the window of classroom 305 in the laboratory building, casting dim patches of light on the desk.

The classroom was already full of people, and the sounds of turning pages and hushed conversations created a familiar background noise.

Shen Yuan sat in his seat, having just finished yawning, with a few physiological tears still welling up in the corners of his eyes.

He didn't sleep well yesterday.

He habitually glanced at Li Zhi beside him.

Li Zhizheng lowered his head slightly, his fair and slender fingers quickly flipping through the Chinese textbook and thick review materials spread out in front of him.

Her expression was focused, and sunlight fell on her lowered eyelashes, casting thin shadows under her eyes.

However, there always seemed to be a faint blush lingering at the base of her fair ears, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

Seemingly noticing Shen Yuan's gaze, Li Zhi raised her head, glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, and her eyes held a hint of inexplicable reproach.

She didn't say anything, but instead lightly kicked Shen Yuan's leg under the table with her toe.

"Idiot." The girl's voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it. "What are you looking at? Look at the documents!"

Shen Yuan grinned, but his Adam's apple bobbed silently.

He shifted his gaze from Li Zhi's slightly reddened earlobes, looked down at the Chinese language materials on his desk, and picked up his pen.

The exam paper in front of me was covered with densely printed text explaining the comprehension of classical Chinese poems and the reading of modern texts.

He took a deep breath, temporarily sealing away the burning heartbeats and enchanting entanglements of the previous night, and focused his mind on the Chinese characters before him.

Sunlight shone on the exam paper, illuminating the profile of the girl next to her as she diligently reviewed the key points.

In the classroom, the rustling of turning pages and the soft scratching of pens blended into a deep, focused background sound.

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

A gust of cold wind, carrying the scent of the corridor, briefly rushed in before being shut out by the door.

The students instinctively looked up and saw their Chinese teacher, Zhou Ruolan, walk in.

Zhou Ruolan did not speak immediately. She slowly walked along the corridor, her gaze falling on each student.

The occasional figures flitting past the corridor windows were homeroom teachers or Chinese language teachers from other classes, their steps slightly hurried and their expressions solemn.

An invisible pressure seemed to have settled in the air, pressing not only on the students' pens but also on the teachers' hearts.

Zhou Ruolan's footsteps were so soft as if she was afraid of waking something. She only paused occasionally by a student's desk, bending down to point out the red pen annotations on the test paper.

The sky outside the window turned from indigo to gray-white, and the footsteps of other teachers in the corridor became more and more hurried, like grains of sand accelerating in an hourglass.

Time quietly slipped to 7:50.

The classroom front door creaked open.

Old Zhou stood at the doorway, holding a thick stack of white papers in his hand, the edges of which were slightly curled from being pressed.

The morning light slanted across his dark blue clothes, leaving a cold, hard edge on his shoulder.

Zhongdeng's gaze swept across the entire class like a hawk's, and the sound of turning pages in the air suddenly froze.

"Pause."

The three words crashed heavily into the silence.

All the heads in the audience turned up at once, their eyes glued to the stack of papers.

The admission ticket for the first mock exam.

Old Zhou strode towards the podium, the crisp sound of his heels striking the ground echoing in the tense air.

He raised his arm and gently placed the examination admission ticket in the center of the lectern.

The pages unfurled, revealing a dense array of names and exam room numbers, like a silent declaration of war.

His voice was not loud, but every word pierced through the frozen breath: "Those whose names are called now, come up and receive your examination certificates."

Below the stage, the pen tip hovered in mid-air, and the edges of the exam paper were wrinkled from being gripped too tightly.

Ah Jie's chair made a slight creaking sound, and Shen Yuan subconsciously looked at Li Zhi beside him.

The girl's back was ramrod straight, and her eyelashes cast trembling shadows in the morning light.

It's impossible for Li Zhi not to be nervous at all, but to say how nervous he was...

Actually, she was more worried about whether Shen Yuan would do well on the exam.

The first mock exam is often the most difficult, and may even be more difficult than the college entrance exam.

Li Zhi wasn't afraid at all about not doing well on the test. Old Li wouldn't nag her; at most, the teachers would mention with a hint of regret, "You could have done better."

She's used to the pressure.

But Shen Yuan... no.

It's not just about the "665 points" agreement between her and Shen Yuan.

More importantly, he needed to prove himself to Lao Li.

Although Lao Li didn't say it, his scrutinizing gaze was always with him.

Li Zhibi knew better than anyone his father had high expectations for Shen Yuan and how rigorously he scrutinized him.

Shen Yuan might have sensed that invisible pressure, but she saw it more clearly.

If he were to slip up, that sense of loss might offer some solace.

But with Lao Li...

Li Zhi couldn't imagine what kind of storm Shen Yuan would face.

Just then, a warm, broad hand quietly slid down the edge of the desk and precisely covered her hand.

That palm was like a warm stone melting snowflakes, soothing her slightly cold fingers and dispelling the heavy gloom churning in her heart.

Li Zhi stiffened slightly, but then gently stroked the back of her tense hand with his fingertips.

The movement was very subtle, hidden in the shadows under the table.

The girl looked up at the boy beside her.

Shen Yuan didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on Old Zhou, who was sorting exam admission tickets on the podium, completely absorbed.

Ke Lizhi clearly felt his fingers tighten slightly as they rested on the back of her hand.

Immediately afterwards, a very low syllable reached her ear, carrying an undeniable calmness and reassurance.

"rest assured."

Only two words.

But like a stabilizing force, it firmly anchored her wavering emotions.

The girl's emotions calmed down in a strange way.

Li Zhi's tense body slowly relaxed, and he used his fingertips to trace a very light line in Li Zhi's warm palm as a response.

Old Zhou's deep, steady voice rang out in the classroom: "Shen Yuan!"

Shen Yuan stood up in response and walked to the podium in the almost frozen silence.

He approached Lao Zhou and reached out to take his exam admission ticket.

Old Zhou's deep gaze fell on his face, and his usually sharp eyes, capable of dissecting problems, seemed to contain a hint of subtle gentleness at this moment.

He picked up Shen Yuan's examination admission ticket, as if trying to convey some kind of power in the instant he handed it over.

Shen Yuan clearly heard his extremely low yet steady voice enter his ears: "Relax."

These three simple words seem to have lifted a corner of an invisible burden.

Shen Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. Meeting Old Zhou's gaze, he nodded solemnly and said in a low voice, "Yes, thank you, teacher."

He reached out to take the thin piece of paper that represented the ticket to the battle.

However, just as his fingertips touched the edge of his admission ticket, Lao Zhou did not let go of the paper.

Instead, with an extremely swift and discreet twist of his wrist, he cleverly pulled out another admission ticket from underneath and silently slipped it into Shen Yuanzheng's hand, which he was about to retract!
Shen Yuan instantly felt the familiar yet substantial texture of two sheets of paper in his palm.

He didn't even need to look down to see clearly; he immediately knew whose card was being slipped in from behind.

Old Zhou's expression remained unchanged, as if the smooth and discreet passing action had never happened. He had already let go of the hand and turned to the lectern to look for the next name.

Shen Yuan's heart pounded in his chest, and he quickly clutched the two admission tickets together tightly.

He steadied himself and walked back to his seat, settling down under the subtle scrutiny of his classmates.

As he turned to the side, his gaze met Li Zhi's probing eyes with a calm expression, a slight, smug smile playing on his lips.

He reached out and gently pushed one of the exam admission tickets onto Li Zhi's desk, tapping the paper with his fingertips.

Li Zhi's gaze first followed his movements and landed on the admission ticket on the table, which clearly showed her name and exam room information.

Her movements clearly paused for a moment, and a clear look of astonishment flashed in her eyes.

This wasn't given to her by the teacher.

It was Shen Yuan who handed it to me.

She immediately looked up towards the podium, where Old Zhou was reading the next name with his head down, his expression calm and unwavering, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

She suddenly turned to Shen Yuan, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and a brief moment of confusion, as if silently questioning, "What the hell?"

Shen Yuan met her astonished gaze without speaking, but subtly raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly, his smile deepening.

The message conveyed in those eyes was crystal clear.

It was given to me by Lao Zhou, don't worry.

A thin blush instantly rose on Li Zhi's fair cheeks and the roots of her ears, not from embarrassment, but from shock at the tacit support from her homeroom teacher.

Old Zhou! You're the homeroom teacher!
How could you do such a thing!
You could have done it secretly, but why did you have to do it so openly?!
Even though I'm in a relationship! But as your homeroom teacher, how could you do this!

Li Zhi's student ID number is 1 in the class!
She'll definitely be the last one to get her exam admission ticket.

Li Zhidu could imagine the awkward situation in the classroom when his name didn't appear after the admission tickets were handed out.

Of course, only you will feel embarrassed!

The number of names on the podium dwindled, and the sense of suspense in the air grew stronger.

After Lao Zhou read out the name of class monitor Xu Ziqiong and handed over the last admission ticket, he stood up, ready to say a few words before the mock exam.

At this moment, several students in the front row subconsciously turned their heads to look at the back of the classroom.

That's the direction Li Zhi is heading.

"Alright, the admission tickets have all been distributed. I'll just say a few words."

As soon as Lao Zhou finished speaking, the entire classroom fell into a strange vacuum.

No one left their seat, no one turned the page, and even their breath was held in their throats.

Several pairs of eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, silently focused on the spot where the name should have been called first.

His gaze pierced through the thin morning light, fixed firmly on Li Zhi.

In the classroom of the experimental building, He Zhiyu sat next to Li Zhi.

Almost the instant Lao Zhou announced "it's all done," she sensed something was wrong.

She immediately craned her neck and turned to look at Li Zhi beside her, her big eyes filled with doubt and concern. She instinctively wanted to remind him, "Hey? Li Zhi, your..."

Before she could finish speaking, He Zhiyu's gaze had already fallen on Li Zhi's desk.

The white sheet of paper with the candidate's information was lying quietly next to Li Zhi's Chinese language review materials, standing out conspicuously.

He Zhiyu's eyes widened instantly, and the second half of her question got stuck in her throat.

Her gaze was like two searchlights, first fixed on the examination admission ticket on Li Zhi's desk, with his name and photo printed on it, absolutely true.

Then, as if drawn by a magnet, her gaze suddenly shifted to Shen Yuan, who was sitting on the other side of Li Zhi.

Shen Yuan remained in his studying posture, his head slightly lowered, as if he were immersed in his final thoughts before the exam, completely unaware of the undercurrents surging around him.

But in He Zhiyu's eyes, this calm demeanor was full of the implication of "protesting too much".

In a flash, countless images strung together in He Zhiyu's mind.

Shen Yuan was the first to go up and get the marriage certificate.

Based on the scene of the class monitor handing out exam admission tickets last time...

all……

The scheming frog keeps touching your belly!
He Zhiyu suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth, swallowing back the exclamation that almost escaped her lips.

The young author's shoulders trembled slightly from the forced suppression.

A dazzling light suddenly burst forth in those beautiful big eyes; it was clearly the peak of "the light of academic pursuit"!

"Pfft...cough! Mmm!"

She cleared her throat vaguely, barely managing to keep her expression steady, and gave Li Zhi a look that said, "I understand! I understand everything!"

His eyes were filled with unspoken amazement, admiration for Lao Zhou's brilliant "secret maneuver".

You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually secretly got involved in shipping couples?!
She quickly turned her head back, sat up straight, but couldn't help but smile.

Li Zhi's fingertips twitched as she felt the heat of that gaze.

She clearly saw the gossip-filled glint flashing wildly in He Zhiyu's eyes.

The homeroom teacher personally handed the exam admission ticket to her on the podium like a love letter. Meanwhile, her deskmate, who had been writing about her romantic experiences in a sweet, sentimental style, was experiencing a mental frenzy—this was practically stuffing material into her brain!

Surprisingly, he found his heart racing at the thought of this openly secret operation.

A surge of scalding heat rushed to the top of her head.

The girl closed her eyes and dug her slender white fingers deep into her long hair.

—It's hopeless.

The society is dead.

Zhong Deng was still on the podium, solemnly instructing students on exam matters. The morning light from outside the window slanted across the girl's tense profile, making her ears appear as red as agate.

Meanwhile, He Zhiyu, standing beside him, buried her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling suspiciously.

The suppressed laughter, almost cramping up, was trapped in the crook of my elbow, bubbling out like happy bubbles.

"bell--!!!"

A sudden, unexpected ringing of the doorbell, like an ice pick piercing a still lake, abruptly tore through the air of the laboratory building and instantly cut off Old Zhou's words.

That was the 8 o'clock bell.

The melodious preparatory bell, and the piercing buzzing that could almost pierce eardrums, filled the entire classroom with an undeniable authority, causing every bowed head to tremble violently.

The mood I was just immersed in when I was reviewing was shattered by that piercing bell.

In less than half a second, the air went from stagnant to boiling rapidly, like water droplets being dropped into boiling oil and popping open!

Shen Yuan's grip on the pen tightened suddenly, the pen tip poking a small dot on the paper.

Li Zhi subconsciously straightened his back.

Even He Zhiyu, who had been burying her head in her hands, instantly stopped chuckling, her face now showing a startled panic.

The classroom erupted in chaos!

"Holy crap! It's eight o'clock?!"

"So fast?!"

"Which exam room? Which exam room?!"

The chair legs dragged and rubbed against the floor, making a sharp, grating scraping sound.

The transparent document bag made a rustling sound when it was pulled out.

His breathing suddenly became heavy and rapid, mixed with frantic urging and self-comforting whispers.

"Damn, what was Old Zhou talking about checking again?"

"Black pen, marking pen, eraser, and admission ticket."

"Huh?! Where's my exam admission ticket?! It was just here!"

"..."

"6."

Old Zhou's "admonitions" instantly became the most ineffective background noise, drowned out by the surging torrent of noise.

He stood on the podium, his sharp eyes sweeping over the nearly out-of-control scene below, his brows furrowed, but he remained silent, watching quietly.

At this point, any words are futile and may even only add to the confusion.

The pressure has transformed from intangible to tangible, like a heavy boulder crashing down.

The silence of the laboratory building was completely shattered.

The chaos in classroom 305 was just the tip of the iceberg; the corridor was instantly flooded with a torrent of sounds!
Countless footsteps converged into a low, rapid hum, as unsettling as the premonition of an earthquake.

Interspersed among the noise were shouts from other teachers trying to maintain order but being drowned out, the constant chatter of students reporting their results from the exam rooms, and the suppressed complaints born of tension.

The sound penetrated the walls and poured into every corner of 305.

The air seemed to solidify into a viscous gel, and every breath carried a heavy pressure.

Shen Yuan was also packing quickly. He looked up and met Li Zhi's gaze.

The girl's eyes held undisguised concern.

Shen Yuan nodded very slightly at her.

Just then, Li Zhi suddenly stood up.

Amidst the clamor of the surrounding crowd, she opened her arms without hesitation and gave Shen Yuan a brief but powerful hug.

The girl's slender arms wrapped around his shoulders, her soft body pressed tightly against his chest, her chin resting gently on his shoulder.

"Don't be nervous," she whispered, her lips almost touching his ear, her voice soft yet clear, "You can do it."

Shen Yuan stiffened slightly, almost subconsciously tightening his arms to embrace the sudden hug even more deeply, the fabric of his school uniform rubbing together softly.

Even through several layers of fabric, he could feel Li Zhi's equally rapid heartbeat.

Two seconds later, he released her hand and looked down into her slightly reddened eyes.

"Well, don't worry."

The brief but intimate embrace between the two was like a pebble thrown into water amidst the chaos, instantly swallowed up by the greater noise, but it did not escape the eyes of some.

"Hey! What are those two in the front row up doing?!"

An exaggeratedly loud voice boomed almost against the back of Shen Yuan's head, filled with intense dissatisfaction and condemnation.

Suddenly, A-Jie's head popped out from the gap in the pile of books behind Shen Yuan, squeezing above the space between Li Zhi and Shen Yuan's shoulders.

His eyes were wide open, filled with indignation that seemed to say, "I've caught you!"

He pounded his fist on his table in anguish, his voice booming and drowning out some of the noise: "Shen Yuan! Young Master Li! You two have gone too far!"

"What's going on?! What kind of occasion is this?! Comrades! The mock exam is just around the corner, it's a matter of life and death!!"

Ah Jie's face was full of serious criticism, as if he had caught someone cheating in the exam room.

"Look around! Look at the tense expressions on your comrades' faces, their hearts pounding with anxiety! You're still here flirting and showering each other with sweetness in public?!"

"Do you realize that this kind of behavior before the exam seriously affects other people's mentality, is extremely unethical, and severely damages the competitive atmosphere of unity and friendship within the class?!"

As he shouted, he frantically signaled with his eyes to the classmates around him who had also noticed the scene.

Yang Ze and Chen Mingyu turned their heads and saw this scene. They couldn't help but grin and silently gave A-Jie a look that said, "You're doing it again."

He Zhiyu, who had been suppressing a laugh, couldn't help but turn up her head. She quickly nudged Zhuo Peipei next to her with her elbow and mouthed "I'm dying of laughter."

Li Zhi was taken aback by A Jie's sudden outburst of righteousness, and then her ears turned red with embarrassment and anger as she glared at the annoying head.

"Mind your own business! Go prepare for your exam!"

Shen Yuan was amused and reached out to grab A-Jie's ear: "Get lost! You're panicking because you're worried about others, huh? You're such a busybody! Believe me or not, I'll make you even more mentally unstable right now?"

"Hey, hey, hey! A gentleman uses words, not fists, Yuan'er!" A-Jie nimbly pulled his head back, dodging Shen Yuan's claws, but still wouldn't let up with his words.

"I'm working myself to the bone for this class! Don't you understand how to stop bad practices?... Forget it, I'm off! My exam hall is a long way off!"

Ah-Jie, clutching his pencil case, shouted, "Guys, hold on! See you at the cafeteria after the exam!"

After saying that, A-Jie walked out of the classroom, nimbly disappeared into the chaotic crowd, and quickly vanished in the direction of the front door.

At this moment, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi also composed themselves and their belongings, and quickly left the smoke-filled experimental building with the flow of people, heading towards their respective battlefields.

Shen Yuan followed the surging crowd through the corridor, briefly separating from Li Zhi at the stairwell.

The two students were taking exams in different teaching buildings.

When Shen Yuan arrived alone outside classroom 108, he noticed that most of the other examinees were unfamiliar faces.

He was taking the exam alone in exam room 108 this time, and the students closest to him in his class were upstairs.

Just as Shen Yuan was observing the students around him, a voice rang out behind him.

"Shen Yuan?"

Shen Yuan turned his head and saw a boy, who was his classmate from his time in the regular class.

Perhaps because they hadn't met in a long time, after exchanging a few pleasantries about their recent situations, the conversation quickly descended into a formulaic question-and-answer session.

"Are you still in the honors class?"

Shen Yuan nodded: "Mm."

"I heard that classes in the honors program are quite tiring."

Shen Yuan nodded again: "It's alright, you'll get used to it."

"By the way, the exam venues are quite spread out this time."

"Indeed, I'm all alone. What about you?"

"IM about the same."

Just then, the conversation abruptly ended.

Shen Yuan's mind flashed with the pressure of the mock exam and Li Zhi's expectations, while the other party seemed to be deep in thought due to the urgency of the mock exam.

There was a moment of silence between the two, with only the noise of the corridor outside the examination room. The silence was tinged with embarrassment and lingering anxiety.

The old classmate glanced down at his watch, while Shen Yuan took a deep breath and looked toward the exam hall door in the distance. The two of them looked away at each other, each pondering the tension in their hearts.

This moment of silence was like a tiny snapshot in the countdown to the college entrance examination.

Their conversation seemed more like a way to relieve stress before the exam.

It's as if talking more can make me feel more relaxed.

Just then, Shen Yuan caught a glimpse of two proctors carrying bags of exam papers into classroom 108, and they closed the door with a soft "click".

He stared at the closed classroom door, unconsciously clenching the transparent pencil case in his hand.

The exam papers have already been brought into the examination room.

At 8:30 a.m., the bell rang precisely when the candidates were to enter the examination room.

As soon as the bell rang, the candidates who had been lingering at the entrance of their respective examination rooms quickly sprang into action.

At the invigilator's signal, most students began to form a slightly tense long line in front of the classroom, silently checking their identification documents and stationery.

At the same time, several urgent voices urged them on.

"Come on, come on! I need to use the restroom!"

"Wait for me, let's go together!"

A few figures pushed through the crowd and hurried toward the restrooms at the end of the corridor, trying to relieve themselves before the exam officially began.

There was a tense atmosphere in the air, as if something was about to happen.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath and followed the flow of people into the gate of examination room 108. He found his seat and sat down according to the instructions on his admission ticket.

The lingering chill of early morning still hung in the classroom air.

He placed his pencil case on the table and tried to calm himself down.

The boy sat upright, neatly arranging the items from his pencil case on the table: eraser, marking pen, black pen, and exam admission ticket.

He unconsciously rubbed the edge of the exam admission ticket back and forth with his fingertips, like a ritual seeking power.

An absolute silence filled the examination room, with only the occasional cough and the rapid breathing of the student next to you. Everyone was making their final mental adjustments.

Shen Yuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

The brief yet powerful hug Li Zhi gave him amidst the classroom chaos flashed through my mind, along with the vow he made to catch up.

"call--"

When Shen Yuan opened his eyes, his gaze had become calm, less playful, and more serious and focused.

His fingers stopped moving unconsciously, and he simply placed the admission ticket steadily in the most conspicuous place on the corner of the table, as if it were an anchor.

He slightly adjusted his posture and turned his gaze to the clock hanging above the podium. The minute hand moved steadily in the silence, making a barely audible chirping sound.

The only sounds in the classroom were the rustling of plastic bags folding exam papers, and the steady, pressure-filled footsteps of the proctor echoing down the corridor.

Shen Yuan's heart pounded powerfully in his chest, each beat clearly transmitted to him.

He sat there quietly, like a bow about to be drawn, his entire body taut with energy, waiting for the exam bell to ring like a signal arrow, piercing the heavy air and releasing all the power he had accumulated in an instant.

Time seemed to fly by at that moment, and then another bell rang suddenly.

After the bell rang, the invigilator held up the sealed exam paper bag in front of all the candidates, showed that the seal was intact, and then neatly cut open the seal with a paper cutter.

The exam papers were pulled out one by one, and the rustling sound of the paper rubbing together was particularly clear in the silent examination room.

Next, the answer sheets and draft paper were distributed one by one and neatly placed on each desk.

Shen Yuan immediately and neatly filled in his name, examination number, and examination room number.

He then began to browse the exam paper.

The more Shen Yuan looked, the more his brows furrowed.

"The Chinese language section of this mock exam was indeed quite difficult."

Shen Yuan silently recited the words in his mind, but his eyes became even calmer as he focused intently on analyzing the question.

The bell rang shortly afterward to signal the start of the exam.

Before the proctor could even begin answering the questions, Shen Yuan had already written down his answer on the answer sheet and arrived at the answer to the first question.

(End of this chapter)