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

Chapter 318 Two Phone Calls from Hangzhou
Time slipped away quietly amidst the cicadas' chirping, as if its pace was accelerated by the sweltering heat of summer.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye, and the application period for college entrance exams has officially begun.

In the bright study, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi sat side by side in front of the computer.

On the screen, the interface of the college application system is clearly visible.

After these days of selection, as they face this final choice, the two feel a sense of calm and clear anticipation, as if the dust has settled.

As they scrolled the mouse wheel, their first choice—Zhejiang University—was clearly displayed on the screen.

Their fingers danced lightly across the keyboard, almost simultaneously typing the school and major codes they knew by heart into their respective systems.

"Confirmed?" Shen Yuan turned to look at Li Zhi, his gaze falling on the same "Computer Science and Technology" major name on the screen, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation.

This was their first choice for major.

Li Zhi's beautiful eyes shone with certainty as she gently hooked her fingertip in Shen Yuan's palm: "Of course. Didn't we agree?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping across Shen Yuan's total score of 686 and her own 708 on the screen. Although she knew Shen Yuan's score guaranteed admission to Zhejiang University, she still softly added regarding her major:

"What if... what if your score isn't high enough for computer science and you get rejected..."

The girl's voice was soft.

Shen Yuan turned his head, his deep gaze meeting the subtle worry in Li Zhi's eyes.

He gripped her mischievous fingers tightly with his other hand, a smile playing on his lips that was both soothing and unwavering.

"Gear slippage? No problem."

The boy's deep voice rang clearly in the quiet room, carrying an undeniable power:
Even if you slip up, you still have to be in the same department.

He paused, his fingertips tracing the words "Computer Science and Technology" on the screen, his gaze fixed on her with tenderness and unwavering determination.

Looking into his eyes, Li Zhi felt as if her heart had been warmed by the sun, and her slight worry vanished instantly.

A bright smile spread across her face, her delicate chin slightly raised, radiating an air of self-righteous arrogance:
"Okay! It's settled then!"

Without needing to say anything more, the two turned back to each other, their gazes refocusing on their respective screens.

Fingers dance lightly across the keyboard, each line of professional code typing carrying a shared expectation and promise.

Different professional codes are like different paths pointing to the same destination, all eventually converging on the university on the banks of the Qiantang River.

The "Submission Successful" message popped up on the screen, signifying that this major event concerning the future had been settled.

After filling out their college applications, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi did not go on a trip as before, but instead chose a more practical "preparation for the start of the semester".

"Why don't we take advantage of the cooler weather and get our driver's license?"

Shen Yuan leaned back on the sofa in Li Zhi's living room, swiping his fingertips across the driving school app on his phone screen, and turned his head to look at the girl next to him who was teasing Sangeng.

Li Zhi was gently scratching Nao Nao's fluffy chin with her fingertips. Upon hearing this, she raised her head, blinked her clear eyes, and then curved them into an approving smile.

"Good idea. It saves us from having to find time after school starts, and it will only get hotter if we drag out the summer vacation."

Acting decisively is their consistent style.

For the two of them, the written test (Theory Test 1) was a simple and easy task. After the driving school instructor arranged the required study time, they passed the written test in no time.

A perfect score with ease.

Shen Yuan completed all the questions without even getting into a focused state.

After completing the first subject, the two quickly began practicing for the second subject.

In the early morning, the sunlight, though bright, still carried a touch of gentleness.

At a driving school training ground in the suburbs, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi sat in a car.

"laugh--"

Just as Shen Yuangang parked his car at the starting line for reversing into the parking space, he heard Zhou Shaojie's furious shouts coming from a training car next to him, accompanied by the sound of the car turning off.

He glanced to the side and saw Zhou Shaojie's car crookedly stuck at the corner of the parking space, with half of the car body over the line.

Shen Yuan rolled down the car window, stuck half his head out, and shouted in that direction, "Jie! What the hell did you dump here?"

Zhou Shaojie, sweating profusely as he tried to restart the engine, immediately retorted upon hearing this, "Shen Yuan, shut up! Let's see how much better you are than me!"

Just then, Yang Ze's voice drifted faintly from the training car. He had just finished his practice session and was lying in the car playing on his phone.

"Hmm. I really don't know what they're doing."

Concise and to the point, yet incredibly powerful.

"Pfft!" He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei, who were in the car together, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhou Shaojie was so choked by this double blow that his face turned red. Just as he was about to retort, his instructor in the car began to helplessly shout instructions: "Straighten the steering wheel! Straighten it! Look in the rearview mirror! Sigh..."

Shen Yuan withdrew his head with satisfaction, closed the car window, and met Li Zhi's amused gaze.

He pressed the clutch again and shifted into reverse.

The clutch was smoothly released, the steering wheel turned smoothly, and the car body seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, precisely moving into the parking space, with just the right distance in all directions.

"Beautiful!" Even the coach next to him couldn't help but exclaim.

Shen Yuan deftly shifted gears and pulled the handbrake, then turned to look at Li Zhi with a smile in his eyes and his chin slightly raised towards the steering wheel: "Your turn, Li Bao."

"Hmph, no big deal." Li Zhi replied, unbuckled his seatbelt, and nimbly walked around the front of the car to get into the driver's seat.

She adjusted the seat and rearview mirror, took a deep breath, and gripped the steering wheel with her fair fingers.

Unlike Shen Yuan's casualness that exuded a sense of control, her knuckles were slightly tense, revealing a focus and seriousness unique to beginners.

Depress the clutch, shift into first gear, and release the handbrake.

The start was smooth and stable.

"Screech—" Zhou Shaojie's car next to him stalled again as expected, causing him to scramble to catch his breath.

Li Zhi seemed not to hear, her attention completely focused on the operation in front of her. She carefully drove the car to the starting point of reversing into the parking space, engaged reverse gear, and slowly released the clutch.

The car body began to move backward.

"Slow down, slow down, turn the steering wheel too early." Shen Yuan sat in the back seat, his voice low but carrying a hint of reminder, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror and the car's position.

Li Zhi pursed her lips, her eyes focused, and slightly turned the steering wheel according to the points taught by the instructor. The car's angle was slightly off, and her delicate brows furrowed, as if she were silently calculating in her mind. Unlike Zhou Shaojie, she didn't panic and jerk the steering wheel, but instead made careful and small corrections.

“Go back a little…go back a little…” Shen Yuan’s voice rang out at the right time.

Li Zhi immediately did as instructed. The action of straightening the steering wheel was a little slow, even with a hint of tentative hesitation, but the rhythm was well controlled and there was no sense of hesitation.

Under her control, although the car's trajectory was not smooth and a bit clumsy, it steadily and surely reversed into the parking space step by step.

Although the wheels eventually came to a stop on the line.

In the second part of the driving test, this falls under the category of failing.

"Phew..." The moment the car came to a stop, Li Zhicai let out a small breath, his tense shoulders relaxed, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from his previous focus.

She turned to look at Shen Yuan, her watery eyes filled with a hint of trepidation, but also with a glimmer of expectation for affirmation, as if she had accomplished something significant: "...How was it?"

Shen Yuan couldn't help but smile as he watched her movements, which, though not very skillful, were unusually steady.

He reached out and gently ruffled the top of her head, his voice filled with undisguised pride and doting: "Very good! Although it wasn't a success! But it's still much better than Ah Jie's failed attempt!"

As he spoke, Shen Yuan rolled down the car window and yelled at A-Jie beside him, "Zhou Shaojie! Do you even know how to drive?!"

“Shut up!!”

Yang Ze glanced at Li Zhi's parking space, then opened the car door and looked inside: "Damn? You've been driving for ages and you're still in the same spot?"

"Hahaha!" He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei's laughter rang out again. Hearing her teammates' teasing and Shen Yuan's praise, Li Zhi's earlier disappointment due to her imperfect operation was instantly dispelled.

She tilted her delicate chin towards Zhou Shaojie and said, "Ah Jie, study hard!"

Zhou Shaojie's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

After finally getting the engine running again, he took a deep breath and slammed the clutch all the way down to shift gears. However, in his haste, he released the clutch too abruptly and abruptly.

With a muffled "whoosh!", the engine shook violently a few times, and then... it shut down cleanly again.

The air seemed to freeze for a second.

"Tsk."

Ah Jie broke down.

By the time the morning driving practice ended, the summer sun was already high in the sky, its intense rays making the concrete ground of the driving school scorching hot, creating a swirling, distorted vapor. The cicadas chirped incessantly in the camphor trees, adding to the oppressive heat.

The group of people walked out of the training ground, looking tired but relaxed, and paused for a while under the sparse shade of trees at the entrance of the driving school.

Of course, except for A-Jie.

Zhou Shaojie's face was filled with despair, a sense of hopelessness, and burning resentment.

"There's definitely something wrong with this lousy car!"

Ah Jie's voice carried an unwavering accusation.

"I bet you can do that!" He waved his arms excitedly, sweat dripping down his hair.

"That clutch! That clutch is definitely broken! If you release it even a little bit, it lurches like a rabbit; if you go even slightly slower, it'll 'poof' and stall completely!"

Ah Jie stood with his hands on his hips, glaring angrily at the car that was quietly parked in the training area, as if it were not an ordinary training vehicle, but the ultimate stumbling block on his life's path.

Yang Ze pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a calm light in the sunlight, and delivered a subtle retort.

"Well, based on my experience driving it, I think the car is fine. It's mainly your terrible driving skills. It has little to do with the car."

He Zhiyu nodded: "That's right, Peipei and I were in the same car as you, so why didn't we have any problems?"

Shen Yuan stood lazily to the side, holding Li Zhi in one hand, a gloating smile on his lips.

“Jay, admit it, you’re the ‘King of Stalling’ at our driving school. If there really was something wrong with the car, would the instructor have let you drive it for so long? You’re just exceptionally talented.”

Li Zhi couldn't help but smile, and whispered to Shen Yuan, "Yeah, A-Jie probably needs to build up some rapport with the car."

"Damn it! You guys! Don't you have any compassion at all!" Zhou Shaojie angrily denounced his indifferent companions.

"I've been tortured by this junk car all morning! I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally! Instead of comforting me, you're kicking me when I'm down! This damn driving school! This damn car!"

Seeing that Ah Jie was about to explode on the spot, Shen Yuan patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go, it's on me, all-you-can-eat hot pot?"

Ah Jie came back to life instantly.

"real?!"

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Tsk, when has your father ever lied to you?"

Half an hour later, the group was already seated in a well-air-conditioned hot pot buffet restaurant.

The chilled drinks dispelled the heat and stuffiness from the driving school.

The rising steam, carrying the aroma of spicy and savory flavors, filled the well-air-conditioned restaurant.

Zhou Shaojie was engrossed in "fighting" with the freshly cooked beef rolls, sweating profusely as he ate, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Just as Shen Yuan was placing the cooked shrimp paste into Li Zhi's bowl, his phone suddenly rang clearly amidst the noisy background noise.

It's Li Zhi's phone.

Li Zhi put down her chopsticks, took out her phone from her bag, and saw an unfamiliar Hangzhou landline number displayed on the screen.

She frowned slightly and answered with a puzzled look, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Li Zhi?" A gentle middle-aged woman's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I am Li Zhi. May I ask who you are?" Li Zhi's voice carried a hint of caution.

"Hello Li Zhi! I am a teacher from the Admissions Office of Zhejiang University. Congratulations! You have been officially admitted to our university!" The other party's voice was clearly smiling and congratulatory.

"what?"

Li Zhi didn't react for a moment.

The teacher on the other end of the phone said with great certainty, "Yes, Li Zhi. I'm calling today to confirm your admission information and to formally inform you that your admission letter will be sent via EMS soon. Please check your mail!"

It was only now that Li Zhicai finally realized what was happening.

"Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome. Congratulations on becoming a member of Zhejiang University!"

The other party clearly had other calls to make and quickly hung up.

Li Zhi held her phone, still somewhat dazed.

"What's wrong?" Shen Yuan asked Li Zhi curiously.

The girl looked up and met Shen Yuan's concerned gaze, her voice light and cheerful.

"It's nothing." She paused, then the curve of her lips widened.

"Zhejiang University called to tell me I was admitted."

The entire hot pot table fell silent instantly, with only the bubbling of the soup pot and the hum of the air conditioner remaining.

Time seemed to have been briefly paused at that moment.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Li Zhi's face, as if drawn by a magnet.

The rising steam from the hot pot blurred the edges, but made the face in the center, with its bright smile and proud expression, even clearer.

Looking at the shocked expressions on her companions' faces, Li Zhi's small nostrils twitched slightly, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up, forming a slightly smug yet feignedly calm smile.

"Hey, hey, hey," the girl's clear voice broke the frozen silence.

"Look at you all, so unsophisticated."

With her chin slightly raised and under the focused gaze of everyone, she spoke in a tone that was both matter-of-fact and playful:

"Calm down!"

Zhou Shaojie was about to retort, "You got admitted to Zhejiang University, how are we supposed to stay calm?" before he could even utter the words—

A crisp cell phone ringtone suddenly broke the silence, sounding particularly jarring.

The sound came from Shen Yuan's cell phone, which was on the table.

The atmosphere, which had just become slightly more lively because of Li Zhi's words, was instantly put on pause again.

The gaze that had just shifted to Li Zhi instantly focused on Shen Yuan!
Shen Yuan himself was stunned for a moment, his heart skipped a beat, as if he had a premonition of something.

He quickly picked up his phone, the screen's light illuminating his slightly tense face.

Upon seeing the caller ID displayed on the screen, the boy unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He took a deep breath and looked up to meet the burning gazes of all his companions at the table.

"From Hangzhou."

(End of this chapter)