Chapter 560: Shen Yuan’s Joint Exam Scores
Li Zhi had already exposed He Zhiyu for writing “Defend and Steal,” so now Zhiyu felt free to openly discuss the sweet romance’s plot in front of Shen Yuan and Li Zhi.
Having her own love story discussed right in front of her made Li Zhi feel inexplicably awkward.
‘I shouldn’t have exposed Zhiyu back then!’
The walk home after evening self-study was a quiet time that belonged only to the two of them.
Shen Yuan’s arm was still wrapped tightly around Li Zhi. This time, it wasn’t just because of his excess Yang Qi and the desire to keep her warm, but also to keep the rest of the world at bay.
Li Zhi nestled obediently in this warm, safe harbor.
Much of the time, they just walked quietly, hand in hand. It was a shared respite from the day’s academic exhaustion, filled with a silent anticipation for the final joint exam scores that could be announced at any moment.
Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and the light from the streetlamps would shatter into tiny stars within their gazes.
Seemingly convinced that Shen Yuan couldn’t kiss her, Li Zhi’s own advances grew bolder.
The pretty girl had escalated from kissing his cheek to nibbling on his ear.
This led to a rather awkward situation.
Shen Yuan, with his overabundant Yang Qi, had to get up twice during the night in this period.
It was becoming a bit frequent.
While awkward things tended to happen when he was home alone, the moment Shen Yuan was eagerly awaiting was also drawing closer, step by step.
The agony of waiting for his grades, though temporarily diluted by the small, warm moments of their daily life, had not disappeared.
Instead, it settled and fermented in the warm air of the classroom and in the heat of their clasped hands, waiting for the moment it would finally explode.
Five days trickled by, second by second, lost in a sea of endless practice problems and the constant rustle of turning pages.
On the sixth day after the exams, just as the lunch break was about to end, Old Zhou walked into the classroom as usual.
“Alright, everyone, quiet down for a moment!”
The moment he heard Old Zhou’s voice, Shen Yuan instinctively looked up.
Old Zhou’s next words immediately set the entire class on edge.
“The final joint exam scores are out.”
“I have the results right here. I’ll post them on the back wall in a bit for you to look at.”
Old Zhou waved the sheet in his hand and continued, “Also, the overall results for the joint exam are in the group chat. You can check your parents’ phones when you get home to see your overall ranking.”
“Also… today is the 27th of the lunar month, and vacation starts tomorrow. You’ll be off until the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Even though it’s only a short break, I hope you all take the time to relax.”
“Of course… while you’re relaxing, you still need to study. The class representatives can come to my office after class to pick up the practice tests.”
As he spoke, Old Zhou ambled to the back of the classroom and taped the grade sheet to the wall.
“Alright, you can come look for yourselves after class!”
With that, Old Zhou slowly made his way out of the classroom.
The instant Old Zhou’s figure vanished from the doorway, a sudden cacophony of chairs scraping against the floor erupted from the back of the room!
One figure shot out like an arrow, moving at a jaw-dropping speed.
It was Shen Yuan.
He whipped out his phone, snapped a quick picture, and rushed back to his seat.
“Phew…”
The moment he collapsed back into his chair, Shen Yuan placed the phone on Li Zhi’s desk.
“Li Bao, you—you look for me!”
Li Zhi gave Shen Yuan a surprised look. “Oh? Something this important and you’re not going to look at it yourself?”
But despite her words, her hands were already moving.
The pretty girl’s sharp gaze focused on the photo, and she quickly found Shen Yuan’s name.
Shen Yuan’s name was ranked quite high this time.
“Ooh, not bad. Your rank is pretty high.”
Hearing Li Zhi’s voice, Shen Yuan’s heart leaped with joy. He quickly asked, “What about my scores?”
“Don’t be so anxious. Let me tell you, nice and slow~”
Li Zhi’s eyes fell back to the grade sheet.
“Language Arts, 124. You did great.”
“Math, 125. You outdid yourself.”
“English, 148. Very consistent.”
As Li Zhi read out the scores, Shen Yuan was frantically calculating in his head.
‘397… That’s 268 points away from 665!’
‘That means I have to score 268 on the Science Composite to hit my goal!’
Shen Yuan swallowed hard, his nerves shot.
“Science Composite… two hundred… and sixty…”
Li Zhi glanced at Shen Yuan, and under his intense, nervous gaze, she said, “268. Total score, 665. Congratulations~ boyfriend~”