Chapter 525: The Same Examination Room, Part 3

Chapter 525 -229: The Same Examination Room, Part 3

Li Zhi watched him in silence. A faint red imprint remained on her cheek, the last vestiges of sleep completely gone. Her heart felt a soft pang, an incredible tenderness mixed with a deep, unshakeable ache.

‘This fool… He’s so exhausted…’

Her gaze flowed like water over his taut profile, settling on the dark circles under his eyes—a testament to his hard work.

The thought was like a gentle breeze, softly tugging at her heartstrings.

She watched the smooth lines flowing from his pen, as if she could hear his unyielding stubbornness in the scratching of its tip.

‘Forget it.’

The thought barely lasted a second before she decisively crushed it.

Her fingertips unconsciously tightened on the edge of the practice exam booklet, its paper slightly wrinkled from where she’d been resting her head.

Her bright eyes returned to Shen Yuan’s focused profile, and that fleeting moment of softness was immediately replaced by another, stronger emotion.

Trust.

Shen Yuan might be a little goofy, but he was fighting tooth and nail for that score now, and it was for far more than just their original, simple goal.

It was a declaration aimed at Old Li, with the young man wielding his exam papers as a sword.

‘And she was going to suggest lowering the standard?’

‘Shen Yuan would probably flip out.’

‘He’d probably take her good intentions as a dismissal of his hard work.’

‘I can’t back down.’

A hint of a smile, almost proud, replaced the soft ache in her heart and quietly bloomed in Li Zhi’s eyes.

Just as he had clumsily but firmly grabbed her hand on New Year’s Eve, she now chose to firmly hold on to this stubbornness of his.

‘A score of 665 wasn’t just a sweet burden. How could she be the first one to waver?’

And so, the fragmented shadows of struggle in her eyes vanished, leaving only a clarity and determination as pure as a stream after the first snow melts.

Li Zhi let out a soft breath, exhaling that trivial moment of hesitation.

She adjusted her posture slightly, straightened her back, flipped to a clean sheet of scratch paper, and gripped her pen once more.

Her gaze grew clearer and more focused as the tip of her pen returned to her own paper.

Her pen began to move across the test paper, scratching softly.

Shen Yuan had his goal, and Li Zhi had hers.

Just then, the classroom’s front door was pushed open gently.

Old Zhou walked in, his expression serious but his bearing calm, like a soldier on the eve of battle.

He said nothing. Holding a piece of paper, he strode purposefully toward the blackboard at the back of the room.

Heads turned instinctively in his direction, and the last vestiges of post-lunch lethargy vanished in an instant.

Old Zhou stopped in front of the blackboard and used the clear tape he’d brought to post the paper in a blank space that had been left for it on the back wall.

“This is the seating chart for tomorrow’s final exams,” Old Zhou finally said, turning to face the class. His voice was level, yet it carried with perfect clarity in the silent classroom.

“It’s posted here with your exam room number, seat number, and corresponding student ID and name. Every one of you, make sure to check it carefully this afternoon. Confirm your exact testing location and seat to avoid any panic tomorrow morning.”

His gaze swept over the class, pausing for a moment on Shen Yuan and a few other students who were clearly concentrating intensely.

“First thing tomorrow morning is Language Arts. Make the most of your time!”

“Got it!” The replies were sparse, but laced with tension.

“Good. Oh, and during study hall this afternoon, move your books to the science building. Same spot as always.” Old Zhou nodded, and without another idle word, strode steadily out of the classroom.

The moment Old Zhou left, a thick crowd instantly swarmed the notice board.

Ah Jie was the first to squeeze through, craning his neck and standing on his tiptoes while muttering, “Let’s see if I got a lucky number.”

The other students also pushed forward to find their spots, their hushed discussions and nervous whispers blending into a low hum.

“Ooh, 211! Not bad!”

Ah Jie was very pleased with his exam room number. He then instinctively started searching for Shen Yuan’s and Li Zhi’s names, wanting to see if the couple who had turned the classroom into a pink bubble factory were assigned far enough apart.

But in the next instant…

“HO—LY—SHIT—!!!”

An earth-shattering cry, loud enough to pierce the background hum, exploded from the crowd!

All eyes instantly snapped toward Ah Jie.

Ah Jie whirled around, his face a mask of horror, as if he’d just seen a ghost.

“MONSTER!!! YOU’RE A MONSTER!!!” Ah Jie’s voice was filled with incredulous anguish and accusation, as if he’d suffered the world’s greatest injustice.

“You two! Shen Yuan! Sister Li!!”

Ah Jie was utterly heartbroken, looking as if he was about to start beating his chest and stamping his feet.

“Good heavens! Are you blind?! Why… Why Exam Room 211?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER, EVEN FOR THE EXAM—AAAAAHHH!!!”

Ah Jie gasped dramatically and accused, “Shen Yuan! You monster! You damn scoundrel! You pulled some strings, didn’t you?!”

“This has to be your scheme! There’s no way something this coincidental could just happen!!”

“Sister Li! You’ve got to do something about him! This is the exam hall we’re talking about! A solemn and sacred place!”

Ah Jie’s tragic wail echoed through the classroom, causing the onlookers to first stare in astonishment, then break out into uproarious laughter and sympathetic sighs.

After all, Ah Jie, Shen Yuan, and Li Zhi had always been deskmates.

Ever since Shen Yuan and Li Zhi had gone public with their relationship, Ah Jie had been constantly subjected to their public displays of affection.

And now, to top it all off, they were even in the same exam hall!

There was no escape. Absolutely no escape!