Chapter 460 - 216: Shen Yuan’s Lowly Family Status

Chapter 460: Chapter 216: Shen Yuan’s Lowly Family Status

During evening study hall, the faint throb of a drumbeat slipped through the cracks of the windows and into the classroom.

At first, it was very weak, but it grew clearer and clearer. A powerful electronic beat, backed by a booming bass, traveled from the distance, feeling as if someone was hammering a drumstick on the valves of your heart.

Ah Jie’s eyes lit up when he heard the sound. He was about to share this discovery with Shen Yuan, but when he turned, he saw his two deskmates hunched over their desks, grinding through practice problems.

Fair enough...

It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

With that thought, Ah Jie bent down and went back to his book.

The end of next month was the Chinese New Year. Although the third-years’ vacation started late, their final exams were scheduled at the same time as the first and second-years.

This meant the third-years got to unlock a special achievement.

You get to find out your final exam scores before winter break even starts!

Aren’t you thrilled?

There was no need to spend winter break worrying about your final exam scores, because they would arrive before the break even did.

And you didn’t need to worry about your winter break being ruined, either.

Because all told, it was only eleven or twelve days long anyway.

Of course, on top of that wonderful news, there was something even more thrilling.

The final was another joint exam.

Not a Jiyang-wide joint exam, but one between the high schools in the various districts of Huaiji.

The good news was that not many schools were participating—maybe only a dozen or so.

The bad news was that these were all the best high schools in the area.

The exam would be even harder than the last one.

Shen Yuan was genuinely afraid his score would drop below 650.

...

"This is brutal, my dude."

Ah Jie slumped over his desk, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness, not even knowing where to start his rant.

"The New Year’s Gala is tonight, and I still have to take exams all day."

Jiyang Middle School’s New Year’s Gala was usually held during the evening study hall on December 30th.

So, what did they do with the morning?

Old Zhou’s answer: exams.

The logic was, since everyone would be at the gala at night, they might as well simplify things during the day—by holding exams.

Math and physics in the morning to get your mind buzzing, Chinese and English in the afternoon to let it cool down.

Then tomorrow, before the break began, they’d knock out chemistry and biology.

Wow, what a fulfilling two days!

At last, the morning’s math and physics exams were finished. The scratching of pens on paper gave way to the rumble of hungry stomachs and the clamor of the rush to the cafeteria.

A tide of students, driven by a craving for lunch, flooded out of the academic building. The group of friends was swept along in the current, their steps hurried.

Shen Yuan had one hand tucked in his pocket, the fingers of his other loosely hooked with Li Zhi’s. She didn’t take his hand fully, just played along with their little finger-linking game.

"Brother Jie, is that street dance performance tonight really going to be all that? You’ve been its number one hype man, so you’d better not be getting our hopes up."

Roused by the teasing, Ah Jie puffed out his chest. "You bet it is! My cousin saw their rehearsal with his own eyes, said it was insane! It’s gonna blow the roof off the gym! You just wait and see!"

"Pfft."

Beside them, Yang Ze wore the seasoned expression of someone who has seen it all. His tone was slightly disdainful. "It’s just street dance. If you ask me, last year’s dance was better. Now *that* was the real deal!"

As Yang Ze finished speaking, the dance performance from last year’s New Year’s Gala surfaced in all their minds.

They couldn’t remember the actual choreography.

But they could definitely remember all those long, pale legs.

Pulling a stunt like that in the dead of winter... yeah, that was *really* something.

Just as the guys were lost in thought, Shen Yuan, who was walking alongside them, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side and let out a surprised "AOW!"

He didn’t need to look to know who was responsible. That slender hand, which had just been linked with his fingers, had instantly relocated to the soft flesh of his side and delivered a precise, vicious pinch.

"Pfft—"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Ah Jie, Yang Ze, and the others following behind were stunned for a moment, then instantly burst into uproarious laughter.

Shen Yuan’s face was a twisted, exaggerated mask of pain. The way he rubbed his side made him look just like a cat that had its tail stepped on, fur standing on end.

"Damn! Sister Li, that was... vicious!"

Ah Jie was doubled over, howling with laughter.

Yang Ze was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face. "Yes, yes! *That’s* the real deal! Even more so than last year! Hahahaha!"

Li Zhi, walking at the head of the group, quickly retracted the offending hand, tucking it into her sleeve. She lifted her chin slightly and stared straight ahead, as if nothing had just happened.

But the tips of her ears, usually so pale, had quietly flushed a light pink. They stood out in the winter sunlight, especially against the backdrop of her friends’ wild laughter.

Shen Yuan was still grimacing, sucking in a sharp breath. He rubbed the "ground zero" on his side while turning to Li Zhi with a theatrical pout to lodge his complaint.

"Hsss—! Li Bao, that was way too vicious!"

Li Zhi, who had been struggling to keep a straight face, finally broke. A soft snort escaped her lips, and an irrepressible glint of amusement flashed in her shining eyes before she quickly tried to compose herself again.

She raised her hand and gave him a crisp smack on the back.

"You moron! Who said you could smile like such a perv! Do it again and I’ll rip your mouth off your face!"

Though she tried to make her voice sound fierce, the last few words wavered slightly.

Shen Yuan seized the opportunity, leaning into her. His tall frame deliberately bumped her delicate shoulder, and his arm, still "rubbing" his waist, casually slid around to her side.

Shen Yuan’s arm loosely encircled the space just above her soft waistline.

Though he could hardly feel the curve of her body through their thick winter coats, the sudden intimacy of their closeness seemed to raise the temperature of the air around them by several degrees.

Shen Yuan lowered his head, leaning close to the pink tips of her ears. His voice was still a bit whiny from the lingering pain, but it was mixed with a low chuckle only she could hear.

"Li Bao, you play too rough... That’s it, my back’s broken. I guess I’ll have to lean on you to watch the gala tonight."