Chapter 433 - 211: Shen Yuan’s Monthly Exam Results Are Very Ideal (Part 2)

Chapter 433: Chapter 211: Shen Yuan’s Monthly Exam Results Are Very Ideal (Part 2)

"Are your hands magnetic or something?! I spent twenty tokens and only got one, but he gets three with twenty... Damn!"

Ah Jie dramatically rubbed his hands together and leaned in, staring at the transparent bag dangling from Shen Yuan’s wrist. "Yuan! Master! Please, teach this child your ways! I blew twenty damn tokens and didn’t snag a single thing!"

Ah Jie counted on his fingers as he complained, "Even Yang Ze managed to grab a doll by taking advantage of my mistake!"

Yang Ze sighed softly at Ah Jie. "This is what you call talent. You can’t learn it. You just can’t."

He Zhiyu hugged the only doll she’d won—a little cat in a Santa hat—her gaze glued to Li Zhi.

The beautiful girl was clutching the light brown, long-eared rabbit, her chin nearly buried in its soft head.

Li Zhi didn’t say a word, but the slight upturn of her eyes and the lightness in her step betrayed her mood.

But honestly, Li Zhi holding the stuffed rabbit had a certain indescribable cuteness about her.

She seemed so soft, completely different from her usual self.

This stark contrast had the young author screaming internally.

’This is how you act when you’re in front of someone you like, isn’t it?’

Shen Yuan smugly swung his bag of prizes. "I told you, it’s all skill. Got it?"

He glanced over at Li Zhi, his voice unconsciously dropping a few decibels. "Mostly, it’s because my Li Bao has good luck. When she stands next to a machine, it has to obey."

The words had barely left his mouth when the toe of Li Zhi’s shoe accurately kicked his shin. The force wasn’t heavy, but it carried a clear warning. "Moron. Shut up."

Despite her words, her hands clutching the rabbit didn’t loosen in the slightest. Under the mall’s overhead lights, the reddish tips of her ears were just visible through her hair.

The crown for Jiyang’s King of Claw Machines was firmly settled, and with it, the warmth of victory seemed to take on a tangible form in the winter air.

After leaving the arcade, the group didn’t head home at all. Instead, they found a coffee shop and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon there.

They had dinner at the cafeteria.

The cold wind was still blowing, making their ears ache.

The stream of people flowing from the cafeteria to the academic building was bustling. Shen Yuan habitually walked by Li Zhi’s side, his gaze sweeping over the other students hurrying past.

When the group arrived at the academic building, Shen Yuan suddenly pulled a doll out of the prize bag.

Li Zhi, beside him, noticed the movement. She instinctively glanced at the doll, a questioning look in her eyes.

Shen Yuan grinned at her and said quickly, "Wait for me a sec. I’m going to give one to Sister Shui!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yuan darted into the office.

The door to the faculty office on the third floor of the administration building was ajar.

Shen Yuan, knowing the place like the back of his hand, gently pushed open the ajar door. His eyes immediately locked onto the familiar desk in the corner.

No one was at Yang Yishui’s desk. The Eldest Female Cousin had probably gone out to eat.

A few other teachers were in the office, working overtime or chatting, but they were already used to Shen Yuan, this "frequent visitor," suddenly barging in.

After placing the doll down, Shen Yuan also left a note.

"Good luck at the New Year’s Gala, babe!"

Shen Yuan didn’t even need to sign his name. Yang Yishui would know with one look that this was Shen Yuan’s handiwork.

Besides this bastard, no one else would be such a jackass.

After dropping off the gift, Shen Yuan sauntered back to the classroom.

The lights in the classroom were already on, and unusually, the heat was running. Students were gradually returning to their seats, the noisy atmosphere tinged with a sense of post-exam relaxation.

He walked to his seat, his gaze naturally falling upon Li Zhi.

The girl was already seated, her head lowered as she organized the test papers spread out before her.

Her thick coat was casually draped over the back of her chair, and the soft white sweater she wore underneath accentuated her figure nicely.

But when Shen Yuan reached his seat, he completely lost his composure.

He saw that the beautiful girl was using a doll as a cushion—she’d placed the long-eared bunny on her chair and was sitting on its ears.

It was just...

For a moment, Shen Yuan didn’t know how to describe the scene.

Just a moment ago, she’d been hugging it so lovingly, and now that they were in the classroom, it had become a seat cushion.

Then again, those two rabbit ears did seem pretty well-suited for being a cushion.

Still, when he thought about its reversal of fortune, Shen Yuan felt a pang of sympathy for the doll.

...

The bell signaling the end of the evening study session pierced the classroom’s tranquility.

Shen Yuan broke from his state of deep Concentration, letting out a long breath as if surfacing from deep water.

He rubbed the corners of his tired eyes, feeling a familiar mental exhaustion.

But this time, beneath the fatigue, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and eagerness swelled in his chest.

As usual, Li Zhi had already packed up and was sitting quietly beside him, waiting.

The two of them silently packed their bags in unison, squeezed through the boisterous crowd, and, pulling their coats tight, left the academic building.

Shen Yuan held Li Zhi’s hand inside his pocket. She was quiet, making no move to object, as if she’d already gotten used to it.

A small, triumphant smile played on Shen Yuan’s lips. He said nothing, simply pulling her along as they merged into the tide of people hurrying home under the dim lights of the school path.

As they left the school gates, the crowd began to thin.

A cold wind swept a few withered leaves across the empty street, and the streetlights cast the shadow of the two of them huddled closely together.

The moment they were out of the school, Shen Yuan pulled Li Zhi into his arms.

Li Zhi took the chance to sneak a peek at Shen Yuan, only to see that the guy’s smile still hadn’t faded.

"Moron..."

The girl lowered her head, burying her nose in her collar. Her voice was low and muffled, lacking any real force, more like some kind of tacit protest.

Feeling this familiar warmth, the irrepressible certainty in Shen Yuan’s chest finally broke free.