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

Chapter 283: Preparing as if it were a wedding photoshoot

Just as the warmth of Shen Yuan's tender fingertips and smug smile intertwined, the door frame at the front of the classroom was gently knocked.

Old Zhou's figure reappeared at the door at some point, and the classroom immediately fell silent.

"There's something I forgot to mention. Let me tell you."

Old Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

He pushed up his glasses and glanced at the students who had just been looking at their report cards.

When Old Zhou saw Zhou Shaojie, who was being supported by a group of people in the back of the classroom, looking at him with a puzzled expression, Old Zhou's face twitched.

However, he only glanced at it.

"We're taking graduation photos tomorrow. Also, and this is very important, you absolutely must wear your school uniform!"

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the classroom, followed by a few low gasps and even more hushed discussions.

This important ceremony, symbolizing the end of the countdown, has finally been put on the agenda.

His voice emphasized the word "must," resolute and leaving no room for negotiation.

"Boys and girls are the same, full school uniform! No wearing your own jackets. Get your act together and set a good example! Do you hear me?"

Before he finished speaking, a suppressed sigh immediately filled the classroom.

"what--"

Several boys in the back row exaggeratedly covered their faces with their hands, while A-Jie threw his head back and let out a long, drawn-out sob: "Give me a break—"

Fragmentary complaints bubbled up like water bubbles, and the initial excitement and anticipation for graduation photos were completely dampened by the word "school uniform".

Old Zhou, standing at the podium, witnessed the entire scene.

A barely perceptible smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and his gaze behind his glasses swept over every droopy face, as if he could see through the hearts of the boys and girls hidden beneath their school uniforms, yearning to make a stunning appearance.

He cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, leaned forward slightly, and scanned the entire classroom again with his eyes like a searchlight, completely suppressing his discontented sigh.

"Hmm?" Old Zhou raised his voice slightly, the last syllable rising in his tone, clearly repeating the question that concerned him most at that moment with an undeniable certainty.

"Did you hear what I just said? Did you remember it?"

"I heard you—!"

A sparse yet gradually orderly response rang out in the classroom.

Some people started secretly tugging at their school uniform jackets to make sure they could look presentable tomorrow.

Looking at the students' varied expressions, Old Zhou nodded: "Alright, stop looking, take a break or study on your own."

After saying that, Lao Zhou seemed to have really completed his task and walked towards the classroom door.

One step, two steps... Just as half of his body had stepped out of the threshold, and everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

His steady steps suddenly stopped.

Under the suspicious gazes of the entire classroom, he seemed to have just remembered something extremely important and slowly turned back.

Old Zhou stood firmly in front of the podium again, meeting the students' suddenly curious and nervous gazes. He pushed up his glasses, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his deliberately serious face.

"Oh, right."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice not loud, but it struck the hearts of everyone who had just been doused with cold water by their school uniforms.

"Next Friday, the school is holding a coming-of-age ceremony."

"boom!"

Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, the classroom, which had just been calmed down, was instantly ignited! Excitement and incredulous screams exploded almost simultaneously!

"Wow--!"

"Coming-of-Age Ceremony!!"

Old Zhou watched the students erupt in excitement, appreciating the stark contrast for a few seconds before raising his voice to add the most crucial piece of advice as the noise grew louder.

"—I remember!" he drawled, his finger even gesturing in the air with a hint of emphasis.

"Dress nicely!"

"Oh!!!"

"Long live Old Zhou!!!"

His response was a deafening roar of cheers from the boys in the back row and excited applause from the girls.

The entire classroom exploded like a powder keg!

He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei's eyes lit up as they began to plan what dresses to wear.

As for Ah Jie, he took off immediately.

"Finally, it's my turn to be the leading man!!"

"Pfft—!" Yang Ze, who was closest to him, couldn't hold back and sprayed a mouthful of water directly onto A-Jie's face.

Ah Jie immediately lunged at Yang Ze: "You're the first one to die!!"

"Damn! With your charisma, even a little bit of styling would make you the perfect male lead in a campus drama! Don't you know what a potential star's rise to fame is? You bunch of mere mortals!"

Chen Mingyu chuckled: "The male lead in a campus cautionary drama."

Ah Jie quickly pounced on Chen Mingyu.

"Ah! Brother Jie! No, Brother Jie!"

Amidst the uproar and the ecstatic jubilation that seemed to threaten to lift the roof off, Shen Yuan immediately turned his face away.

His gaze met precisely in the strikingly clear eyes of the girl beside him.

Shen Yuan leaned forward slightly, his warm breath brushing against Li Zhiwei's slightly hot earlobe, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the red string on her wrist.

The boy let out a low, husky question, tinged with laughter, that only the two of them could hear.

“Li Bao…” He paused, his eyes surging with an astonishing heat.

"Coming-of-age ceremony... What should I wear?"

The movement of his fingertips entwining the red rope carried a subtle, ambiguous force. Shen Yuan almost pressed against her earlobe as he clearly finished the sentence he had been planning for so long.

"Would you like to dress something that matches me?"

Li Zhi's breath hitched!
The faint blush on her cheeks, which had just been ignited by the news of her coming-of-age ceremony, suddenly flared up completely!

Her clear eyes instantly welled up with tears, like a sky full of stars exploding, as shame, anger, and a hint of panic clashed and overwhelmed her reason.

The joyful noise in the classroom seemed like distant background noise.

The tingling sensation of Shen Yuan's breath brushing against her earlobe was amplified infinitely, and his words "dress more appropriately" were like a boulder thrown into a lake of her heart, stirring up a raging heat wave in her chest.

The girl bit the inside of her bright red lower lip and rolled her eyes at Shen Yuan.

"Who, who wants to hitch a ride with you..."

Her voice was strained out through her teeth, thick and sticky, carrying a forced fierceness, but the forced redness at the corner of her eyes completely betrayed this bluff.

However, before she could finish speaking, her wrist was tightened.

Shen Yuan rubbed the red string around and around with the pad of his thumb.

"Of course you have to match me, not only match, but match me exceptionally well."

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan, her fingers twisting the hem of her school uniform tightly.

"Then... what exactly constitutes a perfect match?"

A bright smile lit up Shen Yuan's eyes, and a low, pleasant chuckle escaped his throat.

"Um—simply put, it's... matching outfits." The matter-of-fact statement made the girl's face immediately turn red.

As for matching outfits, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi have never actually worn them together, not counting school uniforms.

This is what high school seniors do every day. They have no time to think about other clothes besides their school uniforms.
With an overwhelming number of exam papers and an endless stream of formulas to memorize, there's not enough time to even do practice problems. Who has time to think about matching outfits?

My mind is filled with wet math drafts and English vocabulary to memorize tomorrow.

Shen Yuan admired every subtle change in her expression, the curve of his lips widening as he leaned closer, his hot breath enveloping her, his voice lower and deeper, carrying a secret allure and a heart-pounding ambition.

"Of course, if Teacher Li is willing..."

His warm breath tickled her sensitive earlobe, and his magnetic voice continued to penetrate her ear canal: "...We can also prepare it as a wedding photoshoot."

"boom--!"

Li Zhi felt the blood rush to his head!

Matching outfits are one thing, but wedding photos?!
That bad dog!

How could he... how could he say it so bluntly and so embarrassingly! And right there in the classroom!
"...Shen Yuan!!!"

The girl's embarrassment and anger finally erupted. She suddenly raised her foot to kick him, and clenched her other fist, wishing she could immediately shut his unrestrained mouth.

Shen Yuan reacted even faster, grabbing her slender wrist as she tried to raise it almost simultaneously.

A deep, satisfied laugh echoed in the boy's chest.

"Shh..." He softened his voice even more, like soothing a cat with its fur standing on end, but his eyes revealed undisguised determination and a lot of teasing.

"Teacher Li, please keep your voice down. Look..."

He gestured slightly with his chin toward He Zhiyu and the others in the back row.

"...I want to take pictures of them and use them as couple profile pictures."

Li Zhi turned her head and, as expected, met He Zhiyu's bright, inquisitive, and gossipy gaze.

The girl was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

The shadows of the sycamore trees outside the window swayed in the breeze. The early summer wind carried a slightly intoxicating warmth, brushing against the girl's soft hair and the boy's relaxed shoulders.

The classroom was still filled with complaints about school uniforms and anticipation for the coming-of-age ceremony, while in this little world enveloped in an ambiguous atmosphere, the ultimate definition of "perfect match" was being discussed.

Whether it's the sweet declaration of matching outfits or the secret longing for wedding photos, it's like a burning seed, silently planted amidst the rapid beating of a young girl's heart.

All that awaits is the grand celebration that belongs to eighteen-year-olds, to break through the soil.

The noise in the classroom gradually faded away with the sound of the bell signaling the end of evening self-study, like the bare sandbank exposed after the tide recedes.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi walked side by side out of the teaching building with the flow of people and into the street tinged with twilight.

Shen Yuan naturally slowed his pace and walked side by side with Li Zhi. The dim yellow light of the street lamps stretched their shadows long and thin.

"Hey," he turned his head slightly, his warm breath, carrying the slight dryness of the summer night breeze, brushing against Li Zhi's ear, "Teacher Li, for your coming-of-age ceremony... have you decided what to wear?"

Upon hearing this pointed question, the girl paused slightly.

The words "Do you want to dress to match mine?" were still ringing in my ears, and now that he brought them up again, the even more outrageous word "wedding photo" was faintly throbbing in my heart.

The girl's clear eyes glanced instinctively at the smiling profile of the boy beside her, then she glared at him fiercely with annoyance.

"You bad dog! I don't want to wear matching outfits with you! I want to be stunning on my own!"

Her forced fierceness appeared particularly menacing in the boy's smiling eyes.

Shen Yuan just chuckled and nodded obediently: "Yes, I'll listen to Teacher Li."

They bickered the whole way, their conversation drifting back and forth between mock exams, practice problems, and the coming-of-age ceremony.

Li Zhi tried several times to ignore him with a stern face, but Shen Yuan's words easily made her lose her composure.

"Ding!"

The elevator doors opened as usual.

Shen Yuan ruffled her hair: "See you tomorrow. Remember to wear your school uniform for the graduation photo."

“…Okay!” Li Zhi slapped his hand away, her face still burning slightly, and turned to walk home.

Li Zhi took out the key and carefully turned the lock.

The moment the door was pushed open a crack, the living room lights shone out.

Ms. Xu Chan was sitting on the sofa reading a cookbook when she heard a noise at the door and looked up.

"Zhizhi is back?" Xu Chan put down her book, looking at her daughter's face, which still had a slight blush and a hint of fatigue.

"Mom," Li Zhi said, changing her shoes and putting her schoolbag on the low stool in the entryway. Her voice was more affectionate and coquettish than usual.

"Yeah... I'm back."

She walked to the sofa in the living room, sat down next to Xu Chan, and subconsciously leaned closer to her.

"Why is your face a little red? Is it hot outside?" Xu Chan asked, knowing the answer already, as she looked at Li Zhi's face.

“…No, no,” Li Zhi’s eyes darted away, as if his little secret had been exposed, and he quickly shook his head.

"I might have been walking in a bit of a hurry."

Xu Chan smiled and didn't press further. She simply tidied Li Zhi's slightly messy hair at his temples and asked, "Are you tired from studying?"

"It's alright," Li Zhi shook his head, then seemed to remember something more important, his voice filled with joy and anticipation.

"Oh, Mom, Lao Zhou told us two things today!"

She looked up, her eyes sparkling: "We're taking graduation photos tomorrow morning! We have to wear our school uniforms."

Xu Chan nodded, looking at her daughter's youthful face with gentle eyes, "There's one more thing."

"Next week...next Friday!" the pretty girl emphasized the time. "The school is holding a coming-of-age ceremony for us."

Xu Chan's eyes also revealed surprise and emotion: "Yes, this is a big event, we should keep a good record of it."

Li Zhi nodded vigorously, her cheeks flushing with the blush of being valued and joyful.

"Old Zhou said..."

She suddenly stopped talking at this point.

Shen Yuan's smiling whisper floated into my mind as if by magic:
"Should we dress a little more coordinated?"

"Preparing it like taking wedding photos..."

Instantly, the scalding heat that had been deliberately suppressed burned all the way from her ears to her cheeks again.

"What...what did you say?" Xu Chan noticed her daughter's sudden pause and subtle change in expression.

"...No! It's nothing!" Li Zhi hurriedly turned her face away, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice slightly unsteady.

"...Just...just tell everyone to dress nicely, to be a little more formal..."

Her voice trailed off, as if the words "dress nicely" carried a meaning that made her heart race.

"Oh, that's only right." Xu Chan smiled knowingly and said, "Important milestones in life should naturally be recorded in the most beautiful way. Will Mom help you pick out some clothes then?"

"Huh?...Um, okay..." Li Zhi responded vaguely, but her mind was like a bird flying around, unable to settle down.

Let Mom choose. Anyway, if that bad dog Shen Yuan asks later, she can just say that Mom picked out the clothes.

Li Zhi had even already imagined how she would retort when Shen Yuan asked her about it.

"Your mother-in-law chose it, do you have any objections?!"

Thinking of those words, Li Zhi's cheeks suddenly flushed.

What kind of mother-in-law is this?! Li Zhi, are you an idiot?!
(End of this chapter)