Chapter 35: Chapter 35: When You Played House as Kids, You Two Must Have Played the Married Couple

For dinner, Shen Yuan chose the cafeteria.

He had just taken a hit and wasn’t in the mood to go out for food.

The cafeteria would do.

Shen Yuan precisely located the cafeteria where Li Zhi was. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Li Zhi’s routine was sometimes as predictable as an NPC’s. If she wasn’t eating out, she was almost always in the same spot in the cafeteria.

Besides, it was Friday.

The first and second-years had already left for the weekend, so the school had only opened Cafeteria No. 1. If he looked carefully, he was bound to find her.

"I heard you bombed your math test."

The moment Shen Yuan sat down, Li Zhi twisted the knife.

"There goes my appetite." Shen Yuan was crushed.

Li Zhi smiled faintly. "In that case, can I have your chicken drumstick?"

"No way! I’d rather feed it to a dog!"

With that, Shen Yuan picked up his drumstick and took a large bite.

"Well, then you are feeding it to a dog."

The words had barely left Li Zhi’s mouth when she realized she’d walked right into his trap.

Sure enough, Shen Yuan’s head snapped up, and he said with a shit-eating grin, "Did you just call yourself a dog?"

The beautiful girl clenched her fists.

’My fists are itching for a fight.’

’I really want to give this guy a one-two punch and be done with it!’

"You’re buying me a late-night snack tonight."

"Fine, I’ll treat you!"

’Heh heh, scored another free meal, fam.’

Shen Yuan was happy again.

Nearby, He Zhiyu looked up from her tray. Although she couldn’t understand what the two of them were going on about, she couldn’t shake a strange feeling.

’Are these two really not dating?’

He Zhiyu had, in fact, heard rumors about Li Zhi and Shen Yuan recently.

After all, the two of them always left together after the evening self-study session.

And Shen Yuan would even carry Li Zhi’s backpack for her.

People had even seen Shen Yuan and Li Zhi laughing and chatting on the way home.

Add to that how Shen Yuan was always bringing Li Zhi milk tea and things like that lately... it was all just too suspicious.

’If they tried to claim they were just childhood friends, that would be even more damn suspicious.’

’What do people think "childhood friends" even means?’

’Huh?’

’Just think about it. What does being childhood friends really imply?’

’To put it bluntly, when they played house as kids, they were definitely the ones playing husband and wife!’

’Besides, the rumors about them started with the whole "childhood friends" thing!’

’It was a whole inspirational story: the "good-for-nothing male childhood friend works his butt off to get into the honors class just to be near his top-student female childhood friend."’

’The kind of story that makes you want to date in high school.’

If Shen Yuan found out, he’d probably go have a word with the shipper, Peipei.

’That Kissing Association... shipping people left and right!’

He Zhiyu glanced at her best friend, then at Shen Yuan, who was in the middle of a heated exchange with said best friend.

’How should I put it?’

’This is probably that "fighting means flirting, and arguing means love" thing, isn’t it?’

The girl blinked, simplifying the situation before her.

’They might not be dating now, but they’ll definitely date in the future.’

Just then, Shen Yuan, still mid-banter with Li Zhi, suddenly felt a familiar gaze on him.

He quickly pinpointed the source: He Zhiyu, sitting nearby.

’So familiar. I swear I’ve seen that damn look somewhere before.’

Seeing Shen Yuan’s gaze fall on He Zhiyu, Li Zhi looked over as well.

As expected of a top student, Li Zhi immediately saw that something was off about He Zhiyu’s expression.

"We’re arguing," she clarified.

He Zhiyu nodded, showing that she understood completely.

At this, Li Zhi closed her eyes in despair.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and asked instinctively, "Kissing Association?"

Li Zhi nodded silently.

Shen Yuan was speechless.

In truth, if Shen Yuan knew what He Zhiyu was thinking, he would have definitely called her a prophet.

After all, according to the system, he was pretty much dating Li Zhi right now.

And it was because Li Zhi’s dazzling brilliance had stung his fragile ego that he had even started to study hard.

’Damn it!’

’After all these years, how is she still dragging me into this competition?’

’Is the essence of society just one big, spiraling machine of internal competition?’

’If the competition doesn’t get you today, it’ll definitely get you in the future.’

’You see your old high school classmates driving BMWs, Benzes, and Audis, living in spacious high-rise apartments, married with kids and living a perfect life, and then you look at yourself...’

’Shift!’

’...and you have nothing.’

’Thirty-five and all alone.’

’But then again, that’s just another way to live.’

’You run fast, start a family at twenty-two, and you’re surrounded by admiration.’

’You run slow, and at thirty you’re still chasing your dreams.’

’What’s wrong with that?’

’Besides, I have a daughter now too, okay? Who says a kitten doesn’t count?’

’But at thirty-five... seventeen years from now... will little San Geng still be with me?’

Shen Yuan didn’t know, and he didn’t want to think about it.

It would only bring unnecessary sorrow.

After dinner, Li Zhi quickly scurried back to the classroom. Shen Yuan, on the other hand, strolled over to the school store alone and bought a large bottle of AD Calcium Milk.

He had thought about getting a bottle for Li Zhi, but after a moment’s consideration, he decided against it.

If the Kissing Association saw that, they’d never be able to clear their names, even if they jumped into a river as mighty as the Amazon.

’What’s this? The childhood friend is bringing her AD Calcium Milk? Is he trying to reminisce about the good old days when they played house as husband and wife?’

’No need to reminisce, you can just be a real couple now!’

’If that’s not good enough, I’ll write a post about it right now and put it on the campus confession page tonight!’

Back in the classroom, the sweet and tangy aroma immediately alerted the senses of Chen Mingyu, who sat in front of him.

"Lao Yuan, what did you buy?"

"Childhood."

Just like iced tea, AD Calcium Milk had its own legion of loyal fans.

The reason was probably just as Shen Yuan had put it.

They were making up for the childhood self who could only stare longingly at the drink but never have it.

’Damn it. "Making up for your childhood"... It’s all just a consumerist trap.’

’Am I the only one who thinks AD Calcium Milk tastes just okay?’

Shen Yuan twisted the cap off and took a large swig.

"Tsk. Delicious."

Despite what he said, Shen Yuan still felt that the only authentic childhood experience involved punching a straw into the bottle.

Ah Jie sidled up to him conspiratorially. "Gimme a sip?"

"Nope."

After Shen Yuan’s refusal, Ah Jie was suddenly overcome by a fit of theatrics.

"Bro, let me have a sip, I’m dying here, I’m begging you, bro. I feel like there are ants crawling all over me, I’m shaking, I can’t breathe, please bro, just one more sip. Just one, that’s all I need. I’ll never touch it again, I promise. Please, bro, for real, just a taste. I swear I’ll never touch this stuff again after this."

’Damn it.’

’These idiot high school boys will do anything for a snack.’

Shen Yuan quickly offered the bottle of AD Calcium Milk to Ah Jie.

But just as Ah Jie reached for it, Shen Yuan snatched it back.

"Call me ’Dad.’"

"Hey, you..."

In the end, Ah Jie gave in.

The title "Godfather" had pretty much lost all its original weight, just like the word "babe."

"Babe" in particular had become so overused that even guys were calling each other that.

But in Shen Yuan and Li Zhi’s case, if Shen Yuan ever dared to call her "babe"...

...what awaited him was most likely a swift punch from the beautiful girl.

It wasn’t that Li Zhi found the word itself inappropriate—girls called each other "babe" all the time.

When it came from Shen Yuan, however, Li Zhi just found it plain disgusting.

It was because the bastard always liked to use vocal fry when he called her "babe."

It made her skin crawl.

But thanks to them sitting far apart recently, and with the Kissing Association keeping a close watch, Shen Yuan had been much better behaved.