Ah Jie was not having a good day.
At least, not during the morning reading session.
During the break after the second period, while they were going for a leak together, Ah Jie pulled Shen Yuan aside and asked secretively, "Yuan, are you… seeing someone?"
"Seeing someone? What do you mean, seeing someone? Ah Jie, what are you talking about?"
Shen Yuan looked at Zhou Shaojie with disdain. "For us seniors, the most important thing is studying! How could we possibly get into a relationship?"
A look of contempt appeared in Zhou Shaojie's eyes as he stared at Shen Yuan's earnest expression.
Shen Yuan was obviously full of shit.
Tong Churou was in the class right next door. He, Zhou Shaojie, had been navigating the honors classes for years; was he really not going to dig up some dirt?
"Bullshit. Your fucking old flame next door doesn't count as dating?"
When his embarrassing past was brought up, Shen Yuan was surprised to find he wasn't as sensitive about it as before.
'Damn it, Li Zhi has trained me into desensitization!'
"That was when I was a sophomore. You can't just bring up sophomore year stuff now that I'm a senior!"
"You motherfucker!"
Zhou Shaojie felt like he was going to puke, but he couldn't find an angle to attack.
'This won't do. I'll have to ask Li Zhi later for a comeback to use on this shameless punk Shen Yuan.'
After they were done, Zhou Shaojie washed his hands but still wasn't ready to give up.
"But when I came to the classroom today, I clearly saw you and Li Zhi talking and laughing together. You guys weren't like that before."
"Oh, is that what this is about? Maybe she was just in a good mood today."
"Tsk, I don't believe it. There's definitely something fishy going on between you two."
Shen Yuan pointed an accusing finger at him, his expression deadly serious. "Why are you suddenly asking so many questions about Li Zhi? Speak! Do you have a secret crush on her?!"
Zhou Shaojie was completely stunned by Shen Yuan's reversal.
Although he, Zhou Shaojie, acted like a goofball, he wasn't some love-sick idiot.
Li Zhi was definitely good-looking. If she talked less, most of the guys in Class 15 would probably have a thing for her.
But as it happened, the girl had a poisonous tongue.
Her brutal tirades about grades were just Li Zhi's most basic method of attack.
Although Li Zhi had never opened fire on Zhou Shaojie directly, as someone whose grades were all over the place, Zhou Shaojie had been hit by the shrapnel more than a few times.
"Hey buddy, do you even know all your ABCs?"
"Get a clue!"
"You know what they say about practice."
"You should try it sometime."
Zhou Shaojie shuddered, as if he'd just snapped out of a firefight.
"Eat shit! You're the one who likes Li Zhi!"
Shen Yuan didn't take the bait, and after being sidetracked by him, Zhou Shaojie couldn't be bothered to ask about it anymore.
When they got back to the classroom, Shen Yuan habitually picked up his cup to get water from the back, while Zhou Shaojie eagerly turned to Li Zhi.
"Li Zhi, I have a question for you."
Li Zhi blinked. Though a little confused, she nodded. "Go ahead."
"So, someone says they won't date as a senior, but they were a total simp as a sophomore. Then they shamelessly say, 'Sophomore year was sophomore year, and senior year is senior year.' What's a good comeback for that?"
The moment Zhou Shaojie finished asking, Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and answered instantly, "Oh, right, right, right."
Zhou Shaojie's eyes lit up, and he gave Li Zhi a thumbs-up.
"You're the best, sis."
Li Zhi nodded and went back to her book.
The corners of Zhou Shaojie's mouth curled up; he already knew exactly how he was going to get back at Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan quickly returned with his water.
As soon as he got near his seat, Zhou Shaojie started, "Yuan, you wouldn't get into a relationship, would you?"
"Ah Jie, how many times do I have to say it? The focus in senior year is studying. Don't let love blind you."
"But why were you blinded by Tong Churou's black stockings?"
Zhou Shaojie's gaze was intense, just waiting for Shen Yuan to say, "Sophomore year was sophomore year, and senior year is senior year."
Sure enough, Shen Yuan's next sentence was: "Sophomore year was sophomore year, and senior year is senior year."
"Oh, right, right, right! Sophomore year was sophomore year, and senior year is senior year."
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow, then leaned his head over and pressed it against Zhou Shaojie's.
'Hard CC!'
The next moment, Shen Yuan's voice sounded in Zhou Shaojie's ear.
"Right, right, right. If it were you, wouldn't you love them? Huh? Black stockings, you love 'em? Huh? Do you? Answer me! Look into my eyes! Tell me! BLACK STOCKINGS! DO! YOU! LOVE! THEM! OR! NOT!"
Ah Jie shrank back like a little chick, stammering repeatedly, "I do, I do, I do."
"Class dismissed!"
An easy victory.
Zhou Shaojie had obviously forgotten one thing.
He was one person, and Shen Yuan was another.
How long had Shen Yuan been sparring with Li Zhi?
He, Zhou Shaojie, had already been mentally defeated without ever having gone head-to-head with Li Zhi.
But Shen Yuan had to face off against Li Zhi every single day.
Just as Shen Yuan finished roasting Ah Jie and sat down, Li Zhi's voice came from beside him.
"Sounds like true love."
Shen Yuan put on a shy expression. "If Young Master Li were willing to wear them, I'd love that too."
Li Zhi smiled faintly. "Say, what if I got a pair from my cousin, told you I'd worn them, and gave them to you? Would you take them?"
Shen Yuan trembled.
"That's a little too vicious, don't you think?"
Shen Yuan knew about Li Zhi's cousin—a plus-sized girl who wore a schoolgirl uniform.
'I swear,' Shen Yuan thought to himself, 'from now on, unless I see Li Zhi take them off with my own two eyes, I'm not taking anything.'
DRINGGG—
The bell for the last class of the day rang, and the entire senior year building erupted in cheers.
For the seniors, the seven-hour break on a weekend afternoon was a rare chance to breathe.
The boys of Class 15 quickly grew boisterous.
"Internet cafe! Anyone down for a four-stack at the net cafe? My M762 recoil is rock solid!"
"Stable my ass! Last time I played with you, we parachuted twenty fucking times in one hour! It was a goddamn parachute simulator!"
"LoL five-stack, anyone?! Five-stack! Looking for a support!"
"You be Ashe, I'll be your Soraka!"
"I love it!"
Ah Jie also turned to look at Shen Yuan. "Yuan, net cafe?"
"To watch online classes?" Shen Yuan asked with a look of pure innocence.
"Get lost! You damn tryhards will die a horrible death! Senior year just started and you're already grinding this hard!"
Muttering curses, Ah Jie left for the internet cafe with Yang Ze.
Shen Yuan didn't leave right away, and neither did Li Zhi.
He Zhiyu, who sat in the front row, turned around. "Zhizhi, I'm heading home now!"
Li Zhi nodded. "Mhm, go on. Be careful on your way."
"My mom's picking me up, don't worry!"
With that, He Zhiyu got up and left.
Shen Yuan watched He Zhiyu's retreating back for a moment, and then Li Zhi's voice sounded in his ear.
"Zhiyu's family is very rich, you know. She's a rich girl."
Shen Yuan let out a surprised "Oh." "Wonder which bastard is going to get lucky with her then."
"Why don't you try being that bastard?"
"Hey, hey, Li Zhi. Are you getting jealous?"
Li Zhi patted Shen Yuan on the head. "Jealous my ass. Your mom here is just worried about your future. With your score hovering around 600, if you don't hurry up and find a rich girl to latch onto, I'm afraid you'll be eating trash later in life."
Shen Yuan's mouth twitched.
'Damn it, now I can't even smile.'
'It's true, in the future I really did go back to Jiyang and get a stable public sector job, the kind where you can see your entire life mapped out before you.'
'From my twenties to retirement, everything was crystal clear.'
'And this fucking system, of all the times it could have chosen, it had to pick age 35.'
'Fucking hell, one year older and I would have been past the age limit for the civil service exam.'
'Shen Yuan had a strong suspicion that the system might pop out an "ambition" quest later, forcing him to take the civil service exam.'
'For fuck's sake. What kind of boomer system is this?'