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

What should have been a ten-minute walk felt endlessly long to Shen Yuan.

Unlike Li Zhi, Shen Yuan was actually treating this walk home from school as a "date."

’Fuck! Why does thinking of it that way make me sound so pathetic?’

Shen Yuan frowned, feeling like he was acting a bit like a simp.

Simps were even lower than dogs, and that was not a path he wanted to take.

Shen Yuan strode forward to catch up with Li Zhi.

"Hey, are you really mad?" Shen Yuan jogged a couple of steps to walk beside Li Zhi, tilting his head to look at her tense profile.

"Your schoolbag is with me right now. I have a hostage."

Li Zhi stopped in her tracks and spun around to snatch the bag. "Give it back!"

Shen Yuan dodged out of the way of her hand and quickly said, "Just kidding, just kidding."

Young Master Li shot him a fierce glare.

The girl immediately quickened her pace toward the neighborhood gate, with Shen Yuan following closely behind, carrying both their schoolbags.

The night wind swept up fallen leaves, making them rustle past their feet, while the sound of distant, rumbling thunder rolled in.

It seemed the typhoon was making landfall earlier than expected.

As they neared the neighborhood gate, Shen Yuan suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, I have a package that arrived. Wanna go get it?"

Hearing this, Li Zhi frowned slightly. "What did you buy now?"

Shen Yuan replied with a grin, "It’s that thing your dad was wearing last time. I thought it was pretty fun, so I bought two. But the package only just arrived today."

At his words, the order screenshot Shen Yuan had sent her immediately flashed in Li Zhi’s mind.

’Something that only cost a few bucks, just for fun... but he actually bought it!’

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I’m not wearing this thing with you," Li Zhi warned solemnly, her face stern.

She had no desire to be seen as an idiot, walking around wearing such a weird thing.

Shen Yuan nodded obediently. "Yep, got it."

’Anyway, I’ll just get the package first,’ he thought. ’Whether she wears it or not is another story.’

’If she doesn’t wear it, I can just use it as a decoration at home. But if she does... hehe, that would definitely be interesting.’

Lost in thought, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.

Seeing this, Li Zhi shook her head helplessly.

’This kid... forget it. What a moron.’

After getting the package, Shen Yuan eagerly tore it open right in front of Li Zhi.

Unlike the one Old Li had worn, Shen Yuan had chosen an exclamation mark and a question mark.

The light’s color, however, was still yellow, making it look very bright and eye-catching.

Right in front of Li Zhi, Shen Yuan turned on the Exclamation Mark Lamp and put it on his head without a second’s hesitation.

Instantly, a flashing yellow exclamation mark appeared on his head.

The "!" was especially conspicuous in the dim evening light.

Seeing his reflection in the glass, Shen Yuan exclaimed, "Holy shit! This is cool! This is so cool!"

"Li Zhi, what do you think? Is it bright?"

Shen Yuan bobbed his head, showing off the Exclamation Mark Lamp on his head to Li Zhi.

As for Li Zhi, she was pretty speechless.

For a moment, however, she felt that the question mark lamp wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

’Making my own confusion tangible with a question mark lamp...’

’That’s pretty interesting.’

"Give me that one." Young Master Li held out her hand for the question mark lamp.

Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Shen Yuan blinked in disbelief.

But soon, a look of delighted surprise burst forth in his eyes, a perfect match for the Exclamation Mark Lamp on his head.

"Here, here, here, you put it on too."

Li Zhi took the question mark lamp, shot Shen Yuan an annoyed eye-roll, and said, "I’m not going to wear it."

"Why not?" Shen Yuan asked, confused.

"Didn’t you say you bought this for me? So I’ll wear it if I want to, and I won’t if I don’t want to," Li Zhi replied, perfectly self-righteous.

Shen Yuan heard this and was instantly at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

"Alright..." He pouted a little, his cheerful mood instantly deflating by more than half.

Suddenly, Shen Yuan looked up at Li Zhi.

Young Master Li was startled by his movement. "What? Are you going to throw a fit just because I won’t wear it?"

"I’m not gonna throw a fit. I was just wondering if you were going to pull one of those moves where I turn my head, and you’ve already put the headband on."

Hearing this, Young Master Li rolled her eyes. "Have you been reading too much Sugar Text? Did it turn you sappy?"

Shen Yuan scratched his head.

"Let’s go back. I still have to shower and grind through practice problems. Tomorrow’s another school day."

Shen Yuan nodded and followed Li Zhi to the entrance of her apartment building. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The whole way, Shen Yuan kept hoping Li Zhi would suddenly put on the question mark lamp and give him a surprise.

But in reality, that didn’t happen. Li Zhi just carried the question mark lamp, showing no intention of putting it on.

After the elevator reached the 18th floor, Shen Yuan handed Li Zhi’s schoolbag back to her.

Looking at the door to Li Zhi’s apartment, Shen Yuan was suddenly reminded of yesterday’s scene.

Li Zhi saw his expression and said warily, "What are you thinking? Burglary is a criminal offense, even if you only steal one yuan!"

Shen Yuan looked up at Li Zhi. "Actually, not all kinds of stealing are criminal."

"They are!"

Shen Yuan said seriously, "Stealing a person doesn’t count."

The moment he finished speaking, the door slammed shut in his face, leaving behind the sound of Li Zhi’s flustered voice.

"Mom! There’s a kidnapper!"

Shen Yuan stared at the closed door as the system’s voice rang in his mind.

[Mission Complete!]

[Complete a date with Li Zhi. Reward: 5,000 Yuan! (Completed)]

Shen Yuan checked his account, and sure as hell, there was an extra 5,000.

’First, pray this income is legal. Second, remember to pay taxes if I ever go over the limit.’

’I’m a good citizen.’

’Oh, right. Remind me to file for a tax refund next March.’

...

The rain began to fall suddenly.

Once the wind grew stronger, the downpour began.

Typhoons rarely caused major damage in Jiyang.

In Shen Yuan’s memory, typhoons had seldom been severe enough for him to enjoy the perk of having school canceled.

He had, however, heard that some areas had been flooded before.

But Shen Yuan had never seen such a thing himself.

Listening to the wind and rain outside, Shen Yuan sat in his study, gazing at the pitch-black sky.

’The moonlight was so beautiful last night. Maybe that was also because the typhoon had swept the clouds away.’

"Tsk, good one day and bad the next. Just like that damn tsundere, Li Zhi."

The moment he spoke, a fierce gust of wind slammed against the window, sending a RATTLING spray of raindrops against the glass and making him jump.

If it startled Shen Yuan, it was even more terrifying for a kitten seeing such a scene for the first time in its life.

San Geng was huddled in a corner of the desk, trying to find comfort by pressing against the wall.

For Naonao, however, none of this had any effect.

She was deaf. No matter how the wind howled, to her ears, it was probably just a faint tapping sound.

Shen Yuan stroked Naonao’s head. "You’ve got it good. Since you can’t hear it, you don’t have to worry."

Shen Yuan looked at San Geng. "Look at your sister. She can hear and see everything, so she’s scared to death. I wonder who she takes after."

As he said this, his gaze fell on the wall again.

’What about Li Zhi, then?’

’And what about me?’

Shen Yuan felt a wave of irritation, so he took out the test papers he had brought home.

"Time to do test papers! Test papers! When you’re annoyed, you just have to fill your head with knowledge!"

"Hey, little test paper! Is my problem-solving method brilliant or what?! Who did it better, the official answer key or me? Huh? Speak up!"