Chapter 517 - 227: Dog Abuse

Chapter 517: Chapter 227: Dog Abuse

The determination, ignited by their mutual promise, transformed into a tangible focus. Bit by bit, it was etched onto every answer-filled test paper in a steady advance toward the final goal.

The bell signaling the end of evening self-study was like a stone tossed into a lake of thick concentration, shattering the classroom’s tranquility in an instant.

"Time to switch seats! Switch seats!"

An uproar surged like a tidal wave.

The chaotic scrape of desks and chairs instantly filled the air.

Shen Yuan slowly put down his pen and let out a long breath. The intense state of concentration, in which he felt fused with the test paper, shattered abruptly, as if his spine had been ripped out.

A powerful, delayed wave of exhaustion washed over him in an instant.

He felt as if he had just been pulled from deep water. His vision blurred for a moment, and a distinct ache radiated from the back of his neck and shoulders.

Shen Yuan’s temples throbbed, and his entire body felt briefly drained of strength. He could even perceive a distinct buzzing in his sea of consciousness as a tightly wound string finally snapped loose.

"Ugh..."

An almost inaudible groan escaped his throat as he instinctively raised a hand to rub the tension between his eyebrows.

His gaze, which had been as sharp as a knife just a second before, was now dazed and sluggish. He watched the figures of his classmates packing up to leave as if through a sheet of frosted glass.

Li Zhi, in the adjacent aisle, noticed his sudden listlessness. She tilted her head and gave him a concerned look. "What’s wrong? Did you fry your brain studying?"

However, this overwhelming fatigue had come on quickly, and it vanished just as fast.

The moment Li Zhi finished speaking, in time with Shen Yuan’s breathing, the dizziness and heaviness from his overexertion began to recede as quickly as a withdrawing tide.

The ache in his weary shoulders eased considerably, the throbbing in his temples subsided, and the world before him snapped back into sharp focus.

Within a matter of breaths, Shen Yuan felt the emptiness in his body rapidly refilling, and his thoughts became clear and sharp once more.

Intermediate Vigorous and Full of Energy was taking effect.

His recovery speed after such exertion was far beyond normal.

Shen Yuan shook his head, dispelling the last trace of sluggishness.

He turned to Li Zhi with a smile. "I’m fine. Just still thinking about how to solve that last problem. Let’s switch seats first!"

As he spoke, Shen Yuan began to deftly pack up the mountain of test papers, workbooks, and scratch paper on his desk. The heavy, sluggish feeling from a moment ago had vanished without a trace.

In stark contrast to Shen Yuan’s ease, Ah Jie, who had just been complaining about what a beast Shen Yuan was, was packing his desk listlessly with his head hung low.

But when he caught a glimpse of Shen Yuan, who looked completely revitalized, he almost choked. "Holy shit?! Is that stamina even human? No wonder you’re improving so fast. It’s like you’re not a person with a liver—you’re a goddamn liver that grew a person!"

Shen Yuan couldn’t be bothered to respond. With a quick ZIP, he closed his bag, then stood and pushed his desk next to Li Zhi’s.

"Ta-da! We’re reunited! Your most handsome boyfriend is back!"

His words, filled with a youth’s unique cheerfulness and an eager desire for her attention, tumbled warmly into her ears.

The smile that had been hiding at the corners of the beautiful girl’s lips now bloomed brightly, like sunlight piercing through morning mist.

She didn’t speak right away, instead propping her chin on one hand and tilting her head to look at him.

Her slender, fair fingers tapped idly against her cheek.

Her clear eyes curved into two beautiful crescents, sparkling with a light brighter than the overhead lamps, as if they held countless tiny stars.

Her gaze was like soft silk threads, slowly and gently winding around Shen Yuan.

Then, Li Zhi leaned forward slightly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to Shen Yuan, who had just sat down beside her, laced with a sweet hint of temptation and a direct question.

"So... this ’most handsome boyfriend’..."

She drew out the last word, her voice like a feather tickling his eardrum. "...during the time we were sitting apart, did you miss your girlfriend at all?"

The girl’s question was so matter-of-fact, yet so completely unexpected.

"BOOM—!"

Those light, airy words seemed to press the pause button on this corner of the classroom.

The surrounding clamor was instantly sucked away.

The world turned into a giant silent film.

Nearly every student who heard her—their movements, the sounds from their lips, the expressions on their faces—all seemed to freeze in that instant.

’Again?!’

For the past two weeks, these two had become a high-intensity PDA machine, giving everyone around them diabetes from all the sweetness.

After a brief moment of stagnation, a collective tsunami of sound erupted.

"They’re killing us singles, AHHHHH—!!!"

"Spare me! I’m begging you, have some mercy!!!"

"This is too damn cruel! School just ended!"

"Shen Yuan!! You bastard!! I’ll have your head!!!!"

A tsunami of accusations and wails instantly drowned out all rational sound.

The back of the classroom once again became a vast ocean, and churning within its waves was the wreckage of all the singles, utterly devastated by this ultimate critical hit.

And at the center of the storm, Shen Yuan felt his just-recovered brain go BUZZ once again.

Li Zhi had hit him with a "sweetness bomb" once before, so Shen Yuan was now able to maintain some semblance of composure.

"WRAAAGH—Shen Yuan, you fiend, prepare to die!! Huh?!"

All eyes instantly focused on them! One moment, Shen Yuan was still in a daze; the next, he had firmly grabbed Li Zhi’s slender wrist!