Chapter 367 - 195: Perhaps This Is a Big-Game Player
Chapter 367: Chapter 195: Perhaps This Is a Big-Game Player
The rustling of flipping pages that filled the room abruptly ceased, and dozens of gazes instantly fixated on her hands.
Xu Ziqiong efficiently called out names in order of student ID number.
"Li Zhi."
The girl whose name was called got up, walked to the lectern, and received her exam admission ticket.
After Li Zhi returned to her seat, Shen Yuan curiously glanced at the admission ticket in her hand.
He had to admit, the beautiful girl’s looks were unbeatable, even from the notoriously terrible angle of a school ID photo.
Li Zhi, keenly aware of Shen Yuan’s gaze, suddenly turned the admission ticket she was holding toward him.
The stark white paper reflected the clear outline of her ID photo under the light.
The girl turned her head to the side and asked in a low voice, "Look good?"
Shen Yuan nodded instinctively, his gaze still fixed on the photo. "Very."
An almost imperceptible smile touched Li Zhi’s lips, but she deftly slid the admission ticket back into her desk drawer and casually remarked, "If you have time for this, you should be studying!"
Shen Yuan rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath, "But it’s true..."
Shen Yuan was still savoring the memory of Li Zhi’s student ID photo.
"Shen Yuan!"
Shen Yuan snapped back to his senses and hurried to the front.
After getting his admission ticket, the first thing Shen Yuan did was look at his own photo.
’Yep, still as handsome as ever.’
Once all the admission tickets were distributed, the class monitor, Xu Ziqiong, reminded everyone, "Turn in your admission tickets after the exam. Don’t lose them."
The time to enter the examination hall drew nearer, but the classroom remained shrouded in silence, broken only by the scratch of pen tips on paper and the soft rustle of turning pages.
Occasionally, someone would get up to use the restroom, hoping to take care of business beforehand to avoid any awkward situations during the exam.
The digital clock above the blackboard ticked on relentlessly. When the numbers changed to 8:15, a sharp bell rang throughout the campus, instantly shattering the tense silence.
The ringing was like countless tiny needles piercing everyone’s eardrums. For a split second, every bowed head in the classroom froze before a stir went through the room.
As if startled awake, the students began to pack up their stationery.
After placing their stationery and admission tickets into clear document pouches, some were the first to stand.
Li Zhi stood up, the hem of her uniform creating a faint breeze. She glanced at Shen Yuan, her voice low but exceptionally clear.
"Do well on the test." She paused, her fingertips tapping lightly on the desk. "You can do it."
Shen Yuan, who had just tucked his admission ticket into his pocket, looked up and met her gaze.
He broke into a brilliant smile. "Got it, Li Bao. I’ll do my best."
The words had barely left his lips when a head popped up beside him.
Yang Ze, a cheeky grin on his face, said, "Aww, Yuanbao, can’t you cheer me on too?"
"Get lost! The sight of you makes me sick! I’m going to write in my essay about you getting into some ’Nantong’ business at school!"
His words were met with a burst of laughter from that corner of the classroom.
Though the group was joking around, they didn’t dally.
The hallways quickly filled with students rushing to their exam rooms. Their footsteps, chaotic and heavy, were like the mustering of troops before the war drums sound, completely shattering the silence of the science building.
Morning light slanted through the windows, illuminating one tense yet resolute face after another.
Shen Yuan’s and Li Zhi’s shadows briefly intertwined at a bend in the corridor before they each disappeared down the hallways leading to their respective exam rooms.
"Do well on the test."
"I know, I know!"
Shen Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned toward his exam room.
His exam was in Class 108, on the second floor of the first-year high school building.
Shen Yuan’s pace was a bit slower than most of his hurried classmates. In fact, one might even call it leisurely.
The pressure for the Language Arts exam wasn’t actually that high, and Shen Yuan wasn’t particularly worried.
’I just need to perform as I usually do.’
The room number was posted by the door. After a quick glance to confirm he was in the right place, Shen Yuan ambled over to the side of the hallway.
’Can’t go in yet.’
As the crowd grew, two proctors finally arrived, fashionably late.
They were clutching two file folders, their expressions stern.
As the proctors pushed the door open and entered the classroom, Shen Yuan seized the opportunity to peek inside.
Inside, there were only thirty silent desks.
They were arranged in a standard examination formation as per regulations: five columns and six rows, each line as straight as if drawn with a ruler.
The desktops had been wiped clean, reflecting the cool morning light. All the books and notes that once lay scattered upon them were gone, leaving only a thin layer of dust visible in the light beams.
A conspicuous white label with a seat number was affixed to the corner of each desk, like name tags on the chests of neatly arrayed soldiers.
Bare metal legs supported the polished tops. The chairs were tucked under the desks, their backs flush against the edges, creating a uniform and subtle geometric pattern.
This uniformity and vast emptiness made the entire space feel exceptionally solemn, almost unnervingly sparse and unfamiliar.
The once-familiar environment had been completely transformed into a sterile, emotionless vessel for the examination.
Thirty sets of desks and chairs stood in silent formation, waiting for their occupants to begin this battle of wits, and the next, and the one after that.
Shen Yuan lazily scuffed the toe of his shoe. As he looked at the scene inside the classroom, the faint tension he’d felt downstairs while watching the room full of students cramming had, for some reason, strangely dissipated.
’Maybe this is what it means to be a big-game player!’
A smile crept onto Shen Yuan’s face at the thought.
8:30 AM.
A bell tore through the silence again, its ring sharp and urgent as it echoed across the campus.
This ring was shorter and more forceful than the previous one, as if urging every student still in the hallway to move immediately.
Shen Yuan was momentarily startled by the sudden noise, but he quickly returned to his usual unhurried demeanor.
One of the proctors, a tall, thin man, stepped out of the classroom and stood sternly at the door. He cleared his throat and announced in a booming voice, "You may now enter! Please form a line, have your admission tickets ready, and proceed in an orderly fashion."
As if by magic, the crowd instantly formed a crooked line down the hallway.
Shen Yuan found a spot in the middle of the line, his steps unhurried as he shuffled along with the queue.
When he reached the front, the proctor carefully compared his face to the photo on his admission ticket. Shen Yuan handed over the paper with his "still as handsome as ever" photo. The tall, thin teacher merely glanced at it before giving a slight nod.
Then, the other proctor, a woman, took a black handheld scanner and quickly ran it over him, starting from his head.
’In reality, this was just going through the motions.’
’How could the real college entrance exam be over with just a quick scan like this?’
’This was just to get the students used to the procedure.’
With no issues found, the proctor waved him in.
Shen Yuan strode into the classroom, found his seat, and lazily pulled out his chair to sit down.
The metal legs of the chair made a faint but distinct scraping sound as they slid across the floor.
The moment he sat down, he habitually leaned back, pulled a pen from his document pouch, and casually set it on the polished desktop.
Once settled, he glanced around the room.
Other students were taking their seats, some taking deep breaths or adjusting their pens. A sense of a silent countdown filled the air.
Shen Yuan, however, was in no rush. His gaze drifted to a cloud floating past the window as he mentally mulled over the possible essay topics for the Language Arts exam.