Chapter 557 - 235: Shen Yuan’s Joint Exam Scores
Chapter 557: Chapter 235: Shen Yuan’s Joint Exam Scores
"It won’t be that fast. This is the joint exam! It’s organized by the city, not the school. We have nothing to do with the grading."
In a residential complex in Jiyang, Yang Yishui, who had just taken a shower, was doing her skincare routine.
Her phone was on the table, and Shen Yuan’s exasperated sigh came through it.
"Then how long will it take?"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! How should I know?! It has nothing to do with me!" his Eldest Female Cousin said, looking completely helpless.
"But is there a general timeframe?"
"Bro! You’re my bro, okay?! You just finished the exam yesterday!"
His Eldest Female Cousin rolled her eyes, then applied a face mask. "About five days, maybe. In any case, the results will definitely be out before your winter break starts. Why are you in such a rush?"
On the other end of the line, Shen Yuan didn’t answer right away.
Yang Yishui, her face covered by the mask, let her eyes dart around as the image of Shen Yuan’s grand, nine-photo-grid relationship announcement on his social media feed flashed through her mind.
’Shen Yuan, that little punk, being so weird today, pestering me about the results over and over...’
A mischievous smile that even the face mask couldn’t hide crept onto her lips.
"Wait a second..."
Yang Yishui drew out the words, her voice full of gossipy curiosity and amusement.
"Shen Yuan, you’re in such a hurry to get your scores..."
She paused deliberately, then asked with a knowing smile, enunciating every word.
"Don’t tell me you want to hurry up and get your report card so you can show off to your future father-in-law? Oh, my bad—so you can make a good impression?"
"PFFT... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"
"Yang Yishui! What the hell are you thinking!"
The sound of Shen Yuan violently coughing after choking on his own saliva erupted from the phone, followed by a flustered silence, leaving only his slightly heavy, awkward breathing.
"Hehehe," Yang Yishui laughed so hard her mask felt like it was about to crack. It was as if she could already see her cousin’s face turning beet-red on the other end of the line.
"I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I?"
"You little punk. Now that you’ve made it official with your Li Bao, your next step is to curry favor with Uncle Li? Tsk, tsk, quite the go-getter! You figured out you can use your grades to get your foot in the door, huh?"
"Wh-What nonsense are you talking about!"
Shen Yuan’s voice finally returned, laced with forced composure, but he couldn’t hide his flustered exasperation at being found out.
"I’m concerned about my studies! I’m purely concerned about my own academic performance! What’s this about a father-in-law... Don’t go spreading rumors! I was just asking, is there a problem with just asking?"
"Alright, alright, you’re concerned about your studies. You’d better *really* be concerned *only* about your studies."
Yang Yishui suppressed her laughter, her tone lilting upwards, filled with the teasing implication of ’I get it, I totally get it’.
"Well then, our little ’model student’ who’s so concerned about his studies can just wait patiently for five more days, okay sweetie? When the results are out, remember to report to your Li Bao first thing."
"Oh, right, and don’t forget to report your ’academic’ progress to me, your Eldest Female Cousin! I’ve got high hopes for you~"
The moment his Eldest Female Cousin finished speaking, the line went dead.
"BEEP... BEEP... BEEP..."
Listening to the dial tone, Yang Yishui pictured the embarrassing sight of that little punk Shen Yuan hanging up in a flustered retreat.
His Eldest Female Cousin finally let out a loud "Pfft!" of laughter, wrinkling the face mask on her face.
’That little punk, trying to play it cool with me...’
His Eldest Female Cousin shook her head. "Ah, the sour stench of young love! Ah Xi, when will my own romance ever arrive!"
Shen Yuan grimaced at his now-dark phone screen, as if his Eldest Female Cousin was hiding inside, giving him a sly, knowing grin.
Sulkily, he shoved the phone back into his pocket and raised a hand to rub his slightly hot earlobe.
The boy’s face wore the expression of someone whose little scheme had just been exposed on the spot—a look of barely concealed embarrassment mixed with forced composure.
’What "curry favor with Old Li"? What the hell do you know! I’m just... I’m just purely curious about my score, okay? It’s the city-wide joint exam!’
Shen Yuan muttered to himself before flopping down onto his bed.
’Concerned about my studies... screw it. I just want to kiss Li Bao. Who am I kidding?’
In the end, the boy couldn’t stop the corners of his tense mouth from curving up into a small smile.
Just then, a certain image crashed into his mind without warning.
It was from that chaotic, feverish night.
Li Zhi’s face suddenly leaning in, the soft, cool press of her lips against the corner of his mouth, a ticklish sensation like melting snow.
And her eyes, especially bright with nervousness and shyness, her long lashes nearly brushing against his jaw...
The feeling from that moment—the roar of his own blood rushing in his ears when she kissed him—now seemed to creep back up the vines of his memory, even more vivid and alive than before.
Shen Yuan felt his throat suddenly tighten.
The boy instinctively closed his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the corner of his lips, where the phantom of that wonderful sensation seemed to linger.
In the darkness, Li Zhi’s face was inches away, her dewy pink lips, her shallow breaths...
Every detail was perfectly clear.
It was no longer that clumsy, accidental peck. This time, he was the one to initiate.
His breath, carrying absolute Concentration and an undeniable force, descended upon her, tightly seizing that soft, cool source of sweetness.
No longer the corner of her mouth, but...
The impact of the scene in his fantasy was too powerful, his senses infinitely amplified.
His breathing suddenly grew heavy and rapid, and his heart hammered in the silent room, the pounding so loud it made his eardrums ache.
The intense longing brought on by his imagination spread like wildfire, leaving his mouth dry and his throat parched, even making his fingertips tingle.
The darkness felt like a scorching cage, trapping that intensely beautiful illusion, searing it onto his retinas, refusing to fade.