I'm in Senior Year, and the System Says I'm Going on a Blind Date with My Childhood Sweetheart

"Damn that Old Zhou."

"I’ve decided! I’m going to do my English homework during math class!" Ah Jie said through gritted teeth, as if that could somehow quell his dissatisfaction.

Beside him, the corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched into a helpless smile. "Dude, English class is in the afternoon. Do you even know what the homework is?"

"Class 14 has English in the morning. I can go ask them!" Ah Jie retorted, apparently thinking his plan was flawless.

But Shen Yuan shook his head. "That’s fourth period, for crying out loud! Sister Shui never tells us the homework until after class is over!"

Ah Jie’s expression suddenly froze.

His neck tilted back slightly, his jaw set in a rigid line. His gaze bored into the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. As his Adam’s apple bobbed, a heavy sigh escaped from deep within his chest, and even his shoulder blades seemed to sag in defeat.

His wide eyes gradually lost focus before slowly closing. He muttered to himself:

"Oh, vast heavens, why are you so cruel to me?"

Seeing this, Shen Yuan quickly patted Ah Jie’s shoulder. "Forget the heavens," he comforted him. "How about I tell you a wild history story to cheer you up?"

Hearing the words "wild history," Ah Jie’s eyes suddenly lit up. He asked eagerly, "Oh? What story? Tell me, tell me!"

Shen Yuan coughed twice, then began.

"They say that after Zhou Yu’s old wounds reopened and he knew his days were numbered, he devised a plan to use himself as bait. He would fake his death to lure Zhuge Liang to pay his respects, then ambush and kill him. To make sure he could breathe and signal, he had a small hole drilled in the coffin lid."

"But before Zhuge Liang even left to offer his condolences, he’d already considered the possibility that Zhou Yu was faking his death. When he arrived at the memorial hall, he quickly discovered the secret. He threw himself onto the coffin, wailing loudly, while secretly plugging the little hole with his finger. Then he just stalled for a long, long time."

"When Zhou Yu realized the hole was plugged by Zhuge Liang’s finger, he immediately started trying to save himself. He tried to pinch Zhuge Liang’s finger to make him pull back, but of course, Zhuge Liang wasn’t going to let him succeed. He kept his finger just at the opening and slapped the coffin loudly so no one outside could hear Zhou Yu’s movements."

"Finally, in desperation, Zhou Yu resorted to licking Zhuge Liang’s finger, hoping to gross him out and make him leave. But he never expected that Zhuge Liang had already thought of this and had secretly coated his fingertip with poison."

"And so, Zhou Yu died just like that."

Ah Jie’s mouth twitched. "What a load of ’wild history.’ Truly... eye-opening!"

Shen Yuan laughed and patted Ah Jie’s shoulder. "So that’s mine. Ah Jie, have you discovered any new wild history stories lately?"

Ah Jie shook his head. "I’ve been busy ranking up in my game lately. I haven’t had time to pay attention to that stuff. I’ve been slacking."

A hint of regret and self-reproach was in Ah Jie’s tone.

Hearing this, Shen Yuan teased him with a smile, "Ah Jie, that’s not good enough! When the Wild History Society’s ship to the new world sets sail, you’re going to miss it!"

A casual smile touched Ah Jie’s lips. He said slowly, "We’ll just have to see about that. Who knows how things will turn out? Maybe by then, our deep friendship will be enough for me to trade you for a ticket to the new world!"

Shen Yuan’s reply was exceptionally crisp and decisive: "Impossible!"

His voice was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "Not now, and not then, either. Absolutely impossible! You can just dream on."

Despite Shen Yuan’s resolute words, Ah Jie wasn’t discouraged. On the contrary, he seemed even more confident.

Ah Jie responded unhurriedly, "Tsk, you never know. Maybe we’ll get into the same university in the future. We might even end up in the same dorm! By then, won’t our friendship be even deeper?"

Hearing this, Shen Yuan grabbed Ah Jie by the collar. "Are you trying to jinx me? With your grades, you want to get into the same university as me? You must be dreaming!"

Faced with Shen Yuan’s accusation, Ah Jie didn’t back down in the slightest. Instead, he straightened up and retorted with self-righteous indignation, "My English is just a little weak, that’s all! Just wait until I have a sudden epiphany and defy my fate. I’ll show you! You’ll see me in a completely new light!"

Seeing this, Shen Yuan let go of Ah Jie’s collar with a sneer. "Fine, I’ll wait and see how you ’defy your fate’! But if you ask me, it’s just a fool’s dream!"

Ah Jie took a deep breath, threw his chest out, and declared, "You just wait! I will get a ticket to the new world!"

Shen Yuan wasn’t sure if Ah Jie would get a ticket to the new world.

But there was one thing Shen Yuan was sure of.

He had managed to snag a return ticket for the afternoon of the 2nd.

But just getting one ticket was more than enough for Shen Yuan. What’s more, it was a return ticket, which made it even more valuable.

’"I came here just fine, but now I can’t get back."’

Shen Yuan had no desire to utter those words in Hang City.

’Sneak into Hang City, sneak back to Jiyang.’

’Don’t let my family know, and don’t let Li Zhi know. Perfect.’

...

On the afternoon of the 30th, sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the lectern where Old Zhou stood, facing the restless group of students below.

He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice heard over the classroom din.

"Settle down, everyone!" Old Zhou shouted, but it didn’t have much effect. The kids continued to chatter excitedly, as if they couldn’t wait to burst out of the classroom and welcome the coming holiday.

"I won’t say much. I’ll just make three points. When I’m done, you’re on vacation."

The moment he finished speaking, the class immediately fell silent.

Old Zhou held up three fingers and continued, "First, the holiday schedule. You all should know this already. As third-years, you only get three days off. You need to be back for evening self-study on the 3rd. Don’t forget."

"We know! We know!" the students replied in unison, their voices tinged with impatience.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" someone urged from the back.

"Old Zhou, it’s vacation time!" another student shouted.

Old Zhou waved his hand, signaling for quiet. "Let me finish. It won’t take long."

However, the students didn’t seem to be buying it.

"We’re gonna miss the bus!" someone yelled.

Old Zhou ignored them completely and continued, "Second, the same old topic: safety. I know you’re all third-years with tight schedules and heavy workloads, but it’s impossible to expect you not to go out at all during the National Day holiday."

"So you must pay attention to your own safety. Watch out for traffic when you’re out. The college entrance exams are coming up. Getting into a minor accident now would be a loss that outweighs any gain. It’s better to wait three minutes than to rush for one second."

"Besides that, eat well during the break."

"Third, you’ve all been assigned homework. Do it properly. Don’t just think about playing on your phones the whole break. You can go for walks with your parents, have a heart-to-heart talk, and avoid binge-watching shows or gaming all night. Then use your spare moments to study and read."

Old Zhou said, "There are twenty-four hours in a day. You can spare six of them for studying, right?"

Listening to Old Zhou, the students of Class 15 pouted.

’Spare six hours for studying,’ they thought.

’Can’t even catch a break during the holiday, huh?!’

Seeing the students’ expressions, Old Zhou knew it was about time.

"One last thing."

Sure enough, as soon as Old Zhou spoke, everyone’s eyes in the classroom lit up.

"Every minute of your third year is precious. These three days are a station for rest, but also a chance to sprint after replenishing your energy. I hope you’ll all make the most of it."

"On the evening of October 3rd, I expect to see all of you full of energy and fighting spirit! Oh, and the safety pledge has been handed out. Have your parents sign it and bring it back on October 3rd."

"Alright, you’re dismissed!"

The moment Old Zhou’s voice fell, the class erupted in cheers.

Shen Yuan had already packed his bag while Old Zhou was still talking.

"Vacation!"