Chapter 371 - 197: Killing the Dog in Broad Daylight
Chapter 371: Chapter 197: Killing the Dog in Broad Daylight
The fluorescent lights cast a cold, white glow, freezing the silhouette of Shen Yuan hunched over a stack of test papers.
The tip of his pen flew across the answer sheet, its faint scratching a stark contrast to the stagnant air filling the classroom.
The gloom and heaviness from yesterday had vanished from his expression, replaced by an almost razor-sharp Concentration.
Electromagnetic induction in physics, equilibrium calculations in chemistry, genetic diagrams in biology... The formulas and corrected problems he’d reviewed last night now flowed smoothly through his clear mind.
Li Zhi’s command—"You have to do well on the science exam for me tomorrow"—was like an invisible string, keeping all his energy stretched taut and focused on the questions before him.
The moment the logical chain for the final question clicked into place and he wrote down the last answer, Shen Yuan set down his pen and let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.
The tension from the prolonged, intense thinking receded like a tide, replaced by the sense of relaxation that comes after the dust has settled.
He subconsciously raised a hand to rub his slightly throbbing temples, his gaze naturally drifting toward the window.
The early autumn morning light streamed in through the glass, carrying a hint of warmth.
In that brief, empty moment, the scene from last night under the stairwell’s voice-activated light crashed into his mind without warning.
That hug—as swift as the wind, yet so substantial.
Li Zhi had practically thrown herself at him, bringing with her the unique scent of a young woman. The sensation of her hair brushing against his jaw still seemed to linger on his skin.
Her arms around his waist were brief but firm, like a silent seal pinning down all his dejection, only to take it all away with her when she left.
The faintest hint of a smile crept onto Shen Yuan’s lips.
A thought silently crept into his mind.
’If I do badly on this one, too, I wonder if Li Bao will give me another soft, sweet-smelling hug?’
Hmm...
Shen Yuan considered this. A soft, sweet-smelling hug was probably out of the question, but a soft, sweet-smelling slap was likely unavoidable.
The image of Li Zhi swinging her palm toward him appeared vividly in his mind.
Her slender, delicate hands, carrying a soft, warm scent, yet backed by undeniable force.
If he really bombed the test, that slap would probably land squarely on his arm.
’That might actually hurt a bit.’
Shen Yuan instantly extinguished any feeling of complacency. He shot ramrod straight in his seat, the sharp Concentration returning to his face as he banished every shred of wishful thinking.
The scratching sound resumed, but this time it wasn’t the swift movement of answering questions, but the sound of his pen tip carefully retracing his work on the scratch paper.
He started from the first question, checking his formulas and logic line by line.
He re-examined every single character, terrified that the slightest mistake would earn him Li Zhi’s soft, sweet-smelling "reward."
Just after he finished checking his work, a shrill, piercing bell suddenly shattered the classroom’s silence.
Time was up.
The bell struck everyone’s nerves like a cold shard of metal. Shen Yuan’s hand instinctively froze, his pen tip resting on a crease in the scratch paper.
The proctor on the dais pushed up his glasses, stood, and announced in a booming voice, "Everyone, pens down! Time’s up. Stop writing, and do not touch your test papers!"
The air in the classroom seemed to freeze for a moment, followed by a ripple of pens being set down and quiet sighs.
The teacher strode down from the dais, his footsteps echoing on the polished floor as he began collecting the answer sheets desk by desk.
Test after test was whisked away from the desks, taking with them the ink-stained records of so much thought.
As Shen Yuan watched his answer sheet being collected, a wave of relief washed over him.
The science exam had been difficult, but it wasn’t the complete confidence-killer that the math exam had been.
Shen Yuan estimated he would score around 255.
In any case, after the ordeal with the math exam, Shen Yuan no longer expected his total score to reach 650.
’Better not to think about it. If I do, I’ll cry.’
He followed the surging crowd out of the freshman building where the exam had been held.
A breeze greeted him, sweeping away the stagnant fatigue of the exam room.
Shen Yuan subconsciously flexed his fingers, which were slightly stiff from holding the pen for so long.
He pushed open the door to the honors classroom, and the familiar buzz of discussion rushed out to meet him.
Shen Yuan’s eyes immediately landed on Zhou Shaojie, Yang Ze, and Chen Mingyu, who were gathered in the back row.
Zhou Shaojie was slapping the desk, arguing about something, while Yang Ze was frowning and scribbling on a piece of scratch paper. Chen Mingyu, meanwhile, stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"Hey, come on, man. You don’t trust your Brother Jie’s physics?"
"Huh?"
Ah Jie leaned in close, practically pressing his head against Yang Ze’s as he craned his neck from side to side.
"I’d get it if you didn’t trust my chemistry, but you don’t trust my physics either? You’re telling me you don’t trust your Brother Jie’s physics?"
Just then, the sharp-eyed Yang Ze looked up and saw Shen Yuan, calling out to him immediately.
"Yuan! Over here, quick! This problem! How’d you solve the last question in the physics section?"
Shen Yuan pursed his lips, walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. The relaxed look on his face vanished as he joined the debate.
The tense, excited atmosphere unique to post-exam answer comparisons thickened in the air.
Just as they were debating the details of electromagnetic induction, their voices rising unconsciously, Li Zhi walked into the classroom.
Her gaze habitually swept across the classroom, quickly landing on the small circle of people in the back row.
She saw Shen Yuan.
Unlike the dejected, heavy mood he was in after yesterday’s math exam, he was now leaning forward slightly, his finger tapping on Zhou Shaojie’s open scratch paper. Though his tone held a hint of uncertainty, his expression was relaxed and engaged.