Chapter 360 - 193: Is This the Same Thing?
All Shen Yuan could think after he finished was, 'Those poor kids taking the college entrance exam that year really had it rough.'
After laying out the math test, Shen Yuan took a deep breath, as if to inhale the tension in the air and transform it into fuel for solving the problems.
Gazing at the problems before him, Shen Yuan's brow furrowed unconsciously as the tip of his pen flowed across the paper, jotting down formulas and circling key information.
When he encountered a complex deduction, he would habitually tap the end of his pen on the desk a few times. He was so engrossed it was as if he had shut out all surrounding noise.
Sunlight gradually crept up the windows, tracing a fine, bright golden line around the silhouettes of the many boys and girls in the classroom who were focused on their studies.
The sight of students hunched over their desks, grinding through problems, became one of the most common yet symbolic scenes in the classroom during this unique time.
His shoulders began to ache from the prolonged concentration and nonstop calculations, forcing him to pause. He subconsciously rubbed his temples, but his eyes quickly returned to the unfinished problem on the page.
Just as Shen Yuan was about to resume his work, a familiar figure entered the classroom.
Zhou Shaojie strode in. Spotting Shen Yuan, he broke into a wide grin and waved. "Yuan! Grinding away at problems this early?"
His voice, neither too loud nor too soft, stood out in the otherwise quiet classroom.
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Shaojie's gaze swept over to Zhuo Peipei, who was sitting near his desk.
Zhou Shaojie's smile froze on his face. Like a chicken with its neck being wrung, a strangled "Er…" escaped his throat before he clamped his mouth shut.
His expression instantly morphed into one of embarrassment and panic. Even his footsteps softened as he sheepishly made his way to his seat and sat down.
Shen Yuan looked up, and as he watched this unfold, his slightly furrowed brow relaxed. A knowing smile flickered in his eyes.
With the combined efforts of Shen Yuan, Yang Ze, and Chen Mingyu, a partial outline and detailed summary for Ah Jie's Sugar Text had finally been completed last week.
And judging by the way Ah Jie was acting now, he had most likely already sent the finished Sugar Text to Zhuo Peipei.
That would explain Zhou Shaojie's current behavior.
To put it simply, he had a guilty conscience.
Shen Yuan didn't say anything as Zhou Shaojie sat down next to him, just shot him a knowing look.
Zhou Shaojie had just pulled out his chair to sit, his heart still pounding nervously, when he looked up and met Shen Yuan's gaze.
That look seemed to see right through him, laying bare all his little schemes—especially the mortifying details of his Sugar Text.
Ah Jie instantly felt blood rush to his head, and the embarrassment that had just begun to fade flared up on his face again.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly, silently baring his teeth at Shen Yuan in a look filled with warning.
But Shen Yuan was completely unfazed by this empty threat.
Instead, Shen Yuan's smiling eyes also widened slightly as he unceremoniously glared right back.
He even raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling into a taunting smirk.
At Shen Yuan's glare, Ah Jie's blustering bravado instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.
He was struck by a harsh realization.
'I still have to rely on Shen Yuan to woo Zhuo Peipei.'
Recalling that his monumental, arduous quest required Shen Yuan's "technical support" and "resource library," Ah Jie could only swallow his shame and indignation.
He quickly averted his gaze, let out an awkward cough, and ducked his head, pretending to straighten a nonexistent stack of books on his desk.
The fierce, ready-to-rumble attitude from a moment ago vanished, replaced by a coward who wished he could shrink into his desk drawer.
"Look at your English. Copy the vocabulary. What the hell are you doing with a math test? Is math something you should be messing with? Just stick to English for me, and don't let me see you studying math."
Shen Yuan warned, pointing at Ah Jie with a serious tone.
"Oh."
Ah Jie reluctantly pulled out his English vocabulary notebook.
Over the past week, Ah Jie's attitude toward copying English vocabulary had changed drastically.
The reason could be summed up in a single sentence: Zhuo Peipei's grades were better than Ah Jie's.
At the time, Shen Yuan had said—
"Jie, since you're so determined, do you really want to end up at a different university than Zhuo Peipei after the entrance exams?"
The moment he heard that, Ah Jie had an awakening. He roared that he would study English with all his might and become an English master.
And so, just like that, Shen Yuan dragged Ah Jie into the painful world of studying English.
Even morning self-study was dedicated to English.
The first period on Monday was math class.
Before class started, Pan Hao came in holding a stack of the weekly quizzes and began passing them out.
Looking at the test paper that landed on his desk, Shen Yuan pursed his lips.
His hunch had been right.
He'd managed to score a 118 on the last monthly exam, but with the increased difficulty of this week's quiz, his score had plummeted to 105.
After seeing his own score, Shen Yuan craned his neck to glance at Ah Jie's.
'Never mind, no need to even look.'
'Still a perfect score.'
Ah Jie noticed Shen Yuan's movement and leaned over to peek at his score. His lips split into his signature, dazzling grin.
"Yuan, I'd say in our entire class, you're the only one who comes close to my level."
'105 and 150. Yeah, a real clear difference in level, all right.'
As Ah Jie spoke, he gave Shen Yuan a solid pat on the shoulder. He deliberately lowered his voice, but couldn't hide the teasing tone. "What happened to all that swagger from your 118 on the last monthly exam?"
Shen Yuan irritably slapped his hand away. "Piss off. Didn't you notice how hard the questions were this time?"