No homework was allowed during the evening study session.

It was the weekly biology quiz.

Biology wasn’t so bad, really. Shen Yuan was pretty good at anything that involved memorization.

But as soon as things got a bit more complex, Shen Yuan was a total Muggle.

Like those damn peas, for example.

The peas were always where Shen Yuan lost points.

Once the quizzes were collected, Yang Ze from the row ahead turned around and piped up, "Hey, Ah Jie. For mixed-race people, which dominant genes are more pronounced?"

"Depends on the situation, I guess."

"Oh? Like what?" Ah Ze asked.

Ah Jie pointed to himself. "Take me, for instance. My dad’s from Jiyang, and my mom’s from Shanghai. The result is, I look handsome."

For a moment, all eyes nearby landed on Ah Jie.

"Moron."

"The mix resulted in a total dick."

"I can’t stand him."

Hearing their comments, Ah Jie retorted, "Hey! Am I not handsome? Am I not handsome? Seriously, do you people even have eyes?"

"Does anyone even like you?" Zhuo Peipei delivered a critical hit.

"You’re not as handsome as our Yuan."

Shen Yuan struck a handsome pose, framing his chin with his hand.

Ah Jie gave Shen Yuan a disgusted look. "Change your hairstyle just a little and you’d be a fucking scene kid."

"Who even talks about scene kids anymore? That’s so dated," Chen Mingyu chimed in.

"It’s a renaissance! This is a renaissance!!"

As if a keyword had been triggered, the group started cheering.

And this renaissance movement quickly swept through the whole class, sparking a small, after-class frenzy.

With their hormones suppressed, teenagers always need a bit of absurdity to blow off steam, even for a moment.

Zhuo Peipei silently watched the group go wild, making a mental note.

’Teenagers grow jealous of each other’s looks, but come together through shared ideas.’

But the high of the revelry was always followed by a low.

Ah Jie leaned against his desk, a pen refill dangling from his mouth. After taking a drag, he blew out a puff of imaginary smoke.

Shen Yuan said regretfully, "If you actually managed to suck up the ink, now *that* I’d call a special talent."

Ah Jie glanced at Shen Yuan and said flatly, "Sucking in ink is how you fuse knowledge with your blood. Yuan, this is performance art."

"Then you might as well eat your Wu San directly, or shave your head bald on top and go mourn in front of the ’Model Class’ banner."

Ah Jie’s eyes lit up. "Holy crap, what if the Dean of Students cried in front of the ’Model Class’ banner?"

Seeing Ah Jie’s eager expression, Shen Yuan asked, "Do you have the guts to shave your head bald on top?"

Ah Jie immediately wilted.

My head can roll, my blood can flow, but my hairstyle must not be ruined.

Shaving his head bald on top... that was a bit too avant-garde.

"Don’t worry, Lao Jie. You’d just have to buy a wig."

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! You go shave your head bald!"

After the evening study session, students left the classroom in twos and threes.

Shen Yuan watched Li Zhi pull her usual stunt and offered a silent, one-second prayer for the people sitting next to her.

"You really need to earn some good karma. You can’t keep one-upping everyone like this every day."

That was the first thing Shen Yuan said to Li Zhi when they met up on the way home.

"Don’t mention that to me! Just thinking about it pisses me off!"

The moment she heard "good karma," Li Zhi’s expression soured.

"What’s got you so mad? Missing the goldfish in your tank?"

"What else?"

Shen Yuan laughed. "You have the gall to bring that up? If I hadn’t set them free, they all would have gone belly-up! We caught 10, but by the time I released them, there were only 7 left. What happened to the others, did you eat them?"

Li Zhi’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she said nothing.

Just as Shen Yuan was laughing at Li Zhi, the System’s voice sounded in his mind.

DING!

[As you stroll through the apartment complex, Li Zhi hears about your recent efforts to study hard. She is very gratified and remarks that 35 is the perfect age to be taking risks.]

[As you walk, you arrive at the small river in the complex. Watching the goldfish swimming leisurely in the water, Li Zhi is reminded of the few goldfish you once released, as well as the cat you two raised together.]

[Though they are all long gone, they remain a part of the beautiful memories you share.]

[Quest: Convince Li Zhi to adopt a pet with you. Reward: 2000 Yuan.]

Shen Yuan couldn’t laugh anymore.

A pang of bitterness welled up in his heart.

Hearing Shen Yuan suddenly stop laughing, Li Zhi turned to look at him.

She noticed his expression was a little off.

"What’s wrong?" The girl astutely noticed that his mood had shifted.

Shen Yuan shook his head. "It’s nothing. By the way, are we petting the cats today?"

"We were talking about fish. What’s this about cats?"

"How long do you think San Geng and Naonao will be with us?"

Li Zhi froze.

After a long moment, the girl kicked Shen Yuan’s leg. "What are you talking about all of a sudden! They’re just kittens! You just had to say something sad, didn’t you?"

"Are you trying to ruin my appetite for our late-night snack? Hmm? Are you? Answer me! look my eyes!"

"No." Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi seriously.

The girl had hoped to use a joke to get Shen Yuan to drop the subject and push the sadness away.

But Shen Yuan clearly wasn’t in the mood to play along.

She thought of little deaf Naonao, who would still meow and meow upon seeing her.

She thought of San Geng, who was usually a little brat, but would come running and meowing the moment his name was called.

Li Zhi’s eyes grew red-rimmed.

"What is wrong with you!" the girl exclaimed, her voice cracking as she thumped Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan scratched his head.

When Shen Yuan was little, back when he was still in the countryside, his family had a dog.

A puppy had been with Shen Yuan from first grade all the way through sixth.

It would walk Shen Yuan to school and greet him when he came home.

But later, it was gone.

When Shen Yuan came home from school, it didn’t come out to greet him.

Right in front of Shen Yuan, a few adults dragged it away by its chain.

Shen Yuan couldn’t stop them and could only hide behind the door, watching it through a small crack.

He was too small to stop them from being separated.

In the end, Li Zhi didn’t eat a late-night snack. After getting home, she threw her schoolbag aside and ran to Shen Yuan’s house to pet the cats.

Her sad mood instantly vanished the moment she saw the two little furballs.

"Little kitty, come here for a hug."

The two little ones were still familiar with Li Zhi’s scent and didn’t resist.

But it was a different story with Shen Yuan.

Naonao was never settled in Shen Yuan’s arms, always trying to run off.

San Geng wouldn’t struggle, but he would use his hind legs to push against Shen Yuan’s face, not letting him get close.

None of this applied when it came to Li Zhi.

The two little ones were surprisingly well-behaved.

Sitting on Shen Yuan’s bed, Li Zhi gently stroked Naonao and said, "Don’t think about things like that anymore."

"Just felt a little sentimental, that’s all."

Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a discontented glare. "You got to feel your feelings, but I’m still starving!"

Shen Yuan smiled awkwardly. "Uh, I can make you some instant noodles?"

Li Zhi shook her head, her gaze landing on the cat. "It’s fine. I’ll make you pay tomorrow."

Parting was still a long way off. It wasn’t worth worrying about.

[Quest Complete.]

[Quest: Convince Li Zhi to adopt a pet with you. Reward: 2000 Yuan. (Completed)]