Chapter 461 - 216: Shen Yuan’s Lowly Family Status (Part 2)

Chapter 461: Chapter 216: Shen Yuan’s Lowly Family Status (Part 2)

Li Zhi’s body stiffened slightly, startled by his sudden proximity, the warmth of his breath, and his even more audacious request for a hug. She turned her head to glare at him fiercely.

"Shen! Yuan! Get away from me! I’ll kill you if you spout any more nonsense!"

As she spoke, she reached into Shen Yuan’s winter coat, preparing to pinch him again.

"Don’t, don’t, don’t! I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Shen Yuan quickly raised his hands in surrender.

Only then did Li Zhi withdraw her threatening hand, but her gaze suddenly swept toward Ah Jie and the others, who were still snickering behind them.

The girl’s face was taut, the lingering traces of embarrassed anger still in her eyes. Her clear eyes glared at each of them in turn, like she was flinging little daggers of ice.

Ah Jie instantly shrank back, exchanging a knowing glance with Yang Ze. He tried desperately to press his lips into a straight line, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching.

Chen Mingyu gave a tactical cough or two and pretended to study the flowerbed by the road.

Nearby, He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei were already pinching each other’s arms.

After lunch, the afternoon battlefield was ready.

The faint smell of instant noodles lingered in the classroom—someone had clearly been eating them in here—but it was soon overwhelmed by a much heavier, solemn atmosphere.

Familiar-looking test papers were distributed, one after another. The smell of ink was especially sharp in the classroom, sliced by the slanted rays of the warm winter sun.

The Chinese language exam.

The RUSTLE of the test papers being unfolded seemed to press the mute button on the room.

Li Zhi habitually took out her pen. Her fingertips tapped twice against the barrel out of habit before she dove into the sea of questions, her speed and accuracy leaving others in the dust.

Only the faint sound of friction as she turned a page could momentarily break her Concentration.

Shen Yuan, sitting beside her, could feel the silent but powerful aura she exuded while answering the questions.

He took a deep breath and quickly entered a state of Concentration himself.

The only sounds left in the entire classroom were the rustling of pen tips across paper and the unique, rhythmic cadence of test papers being turned.

The afternoon sun filtered through the window panes, casting slanted patches of light on the desks. The edges of the test papers glowed faintly yellow in the light. Time itself seemed to flow with exceptional slowness in this focused silence.

When the long, brain-burning Chinese exam finally came to a close, the short break was filled with a relaxed atmosphere, a mixture of exhaustion and relief.

A few low sighs and quiet conversations began to emerge.

However, this reprieve didn’t last long.

The papers for the subsequent English exam were handed out almost seamlessly.

Shen Yuan’s mastery of English allowed him to handle the exam with complete ease.

But Ah Jie, on the other hand, was a different story.

Ah Jie’s face was a mask of agony. He stared at the multiple-choice options for the cloze test with a look of utter despair, muttering silently to himself.

A low hum of activity once again enveloped the classroom.

Only the occasional sound of a microphone check from outside, like a pebble tossed into a calm pond, served as a brief reminder that the evening’s festivities were quietly approaching.

But once those sounds faded, the entire space was once again dominated by the soft whispers of pen tips and the rustling of turning pages.

Amidst the hunched backs and dancing pen tips, time pointed slowly but surely toward the end of the exam.

The final reading comprehension question of the English exam was answered, and the last period was placed at the end of the essay.

The bell rang, announcing the end of the battle.

The test papers were collected, and the air in the classroom instantly felt like a punctured balloon. A huge sense of relief and a clamor of discussion erupted, filling the space that had just been so tense.

"Oh my god! It’s finally over!"

"We can finally relax tonight!"

"Street dance! Street dance! Ah Jie, your info was legit!"

"Doesn’t the program say there’s a choir performance too? I wonder if Sister Shui will be in it."

"I wonder what Sister Shui will sing this time. Her song last year was so hype."

The chattering voices intertwined, filled with anticipation for the upcoming entertainment and washing away the fatigue from the exams.

Before the final class of the day ended, their homeroom teacher, Old Zhou, appeared at the door.

A gentle smile graced Old Zhou’s crafty old face.

He didn’t waste words. He clapped his hands to quiet the classroom for a moment. "Alright, settle down! We’re meeting back in the classroom at 6:30 PM. If you’re late, you’ll be sitting in the back row!"

"WOO—!!!"

"Long live Old Zhou!"

"Let’s go, let’s go! Move it!"

"Time to eat, time to eat!!"

"Anyone going out for bubble tea? Grab one for me!"

A loud cheer erupted in the classroom, along with the SCRAPE of chair legs against the floor.

The oppressive weight of the exams vanished completely, replaced by an impatient commotion.

Ah Jie was the first to shout, as excited as if he’d been shot up with adrenaline, "Let’s go, brothers! Time to chow down! We’ll eat our fill so we can watch the real show tonight—"

Before he could finish, he felt two icy gazes shoot toward him from the front of the room.

He flinched, decisively swallowed the rest of his sentence, and let out a tactical cough. "Ahem, I mean... eat our fill so we have the energy to watch the gala! And hey, should we buy some provisions? We’ll be sitting there for two or three hours. It’ll be boring to have nothing to snack on, right?"

This sentence instantly ignited the enthusiasm of those around him.

"Yeah, yeah! Bubble tea, bubble tea! We have to get some!"

"Potato chips, sunflower seeds, AD Calcium Milk! Gala essentials!"

"Let’s get some spicy strips to keep us awake!" Yang Ze’s eyes lit up as he immediately agreed, "That’s right! Replenishing our ammo is serious business!"

Hearing this, Shen Yuan looked down at the girl beside him and asked in a low, smiling voice, "Li Bao, what do you want to drink?"

Li Zhi turned and looked at Shen Yuan with pleading eyes. "Can I have ice cream?"

The corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched.

’Li Bao’s love for ice cream is the real deal.’