Chapter 372 - 197: Killing Dogs in Broad Daylight
Chapter 372: Chapter 197: Killing Dogs in Broad Daylight
He was completely engrossed in discussing the problems with his friends, his face free of the upsetting dejection that had worried her, and gone was the overly sharp intensity he’d worn during the exam.
Li Zhi paused at the doorway for a moment.
A faint, almost imperceptible trace of relief quietly touched the corners of her lips and eyes.
The string of tension that had been pulled taut within her since yesterday’s math exam, and even before this morning’s science composite exam began, finally slackened a little.
It was clear Shen Yuan was in a good state of mind.
Just as Li Zhi walked over, Ah Jie called out to her.
"Sister Li! Come over! Tell us, how were you supposed to do the last part of the second-to-last big chemistry problem?"
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow, glancing briefly at the scratch paper Ah Jie handed her.
Her gaze then landed on Shen Yuan, a small smile playing on her lips. "Let’s go eat first. We can talk on the way."
The afternoon exam was English, a subject Shen Yuan wasn’t the least bit worried about.
Utterly relaxed.
Watching Ah Jie hunched over his desk, diligently memorizing vocabulary, a smug smile spread across Shen Yuan’s face.
’Damn it. Comparing answers at lunch had been soul-crushing.’
Granted, the mistakes were on problems that weren’t even scored, which was to be expected.
Still, the feeling of having a result you’d painstakingly calculated get completely refuted was awful.
Ah Jie had been absolutely relentless.
But after lunch, Ah Jie had deflated.
Now it was his turn to get slaughtered.
「At 3:00 PM, the English exam officially began.」
Shen Yuan leaned back in his chair. The crisp audio for the listening comprehension section filled his ears, each word flowing into his mind as smoothly as a gentle stream.
To him, the listening section was nothing more than a series of familiar rhythms, posing no difficulty whatsoever.
The moment the broadcast ended, he picked up his pen. His hand flew across the answer sheet, filling in his choices smoothly and without the slightest hesitation.
While working on the reading comprehension, he could even silently read the questions and write down the answers with ease. A sense of effortless confidence enveloped him like a warm current, a stark contrast to the tension he’d felt during the science composite exam.
Meanwhile, in another exam room, Ah Jie was staring blankly at his test paper.
The echo of the broadcast still seemed to swirl in his ears, but the dense blocks of English text before him looked as alien as hieroglyphics.
He gripped his pen, fingertips trembling slightly. His vacant gaze was fixed on the questions, as if he were frozen to the spot.
He hadn’t understood most of the listening section, and now he couldn’t make heads or tails of the multiple-choice questions. He’d occasionally move to write something, only to hesitate and pull his hand back, his face a mask of helpless confusion.
Any lead he might have pulled in math was now being completely erased by English.
「...」
When the shrill, piercing bell to hand in the tests rang out, it was like a clarion call of liberation, instantly shattering the tense atmosphere of the exam.
Inside the classroom, whether they had been furrowing their brows or sitting back confidently, the students’ frayed nerves collectively snapped the very instant the bell rang.
The tests were collected one by one, but no one cared about right or wrong answers anymore.
Everyone’s attention had already flown to the upcoming two-day holiday!
The air, thick with the smell of ink and paper, was even more saturated with the relief of a trial concluded and the thrill of freedom regained.
The classroom door was thrown open, revealing a hallway already roaring with noise.
Cheers from the third-years soon echoed throughout the entire academic building.
Books, tests, and stress were all forgotten. The short holiday was a warm ray of sunshine, illuminating everyone as they streamed out of the exam hall.
"PHEW—!"
"It’s finally over!"
"HOLIDAY!!!"
Two days of pent-up silence shattered like a bursting dam. A massive wave of cheers erupted, instantly sweeping through the classroom before merging with the roaring tide of students in the hallway.
The chatter swelled, punctuated by excited shrieks and talk of holiday plans.
Shen Yuan was jostled forward by the surging crowd in the hallway.
He followed his cheering classmates down the long corridor, his feet unconsciously carried by the human torrent toward the familiar science building.
"WOOHOO! It’s the holidays!"
Back in the Class 15 classroom, Ah Jie was no longer the tragic figure from the exam room; he was now the very picture of giddy relief.
With such a long holiday to look forward to, the gloomy tension from the joint exams had vanished from everyone’s faces, replaced by pure, radiant glee.
Dust motes danced in the air, which was saturated with a vibrant energy, as if even the cold white fluorescent lights had been tinged with warmth.
Yang Ze slung an arm around Shen Yuan’s shoulders, his voice raised to be heard over the din. "Lao Yuan! What’re you doing this weekend? Wanna play some games?"
Shen Yuan swayed under the force of Yang Ze’s arm, his face still alight with the infectious joy of the moment. "Maybe go out somewhere?" he replied offhandedly.
"Huh?"
Yang Ze tightened his grip. "What do you mean, ’maybe’? Don’t be so hesitant, it’s the holidays! What’s up, Lao Yuan? Did you bomb the exams and plan to stay home and cram?"
Shen Yuan gave a helpless smile. Just as he was about to deflect, he caught sight of a figure walking through the doorway.
It was as if her presence had a filter for all the surrounding noise, and Shen Yuan’s voice was unconsciously tinged with an expectant smile.
He tilted his chin in her direction and said to Yang Ze, "See? Li Bao hasn’t agreed yet. I still have to be on my best behavior."
"Holy crap!"
The words had barely left Shen Yuan’s mouth when Yang Ze snatched his arm back as if he’d touched something disgusting.
Then, Yang Ze let out a pained, heartbroken cry.