Much, Much Bolder Than Usual

Not only was the classroom lively, but the hallways and connecting corridors were also filled with students. The entire building was in a state of boiling excitement.

Many people were still tearing up exam papers and throwing them downstairs. Looking down, large handfuls of paper scraps covered the grass and concrete ground below the teaching building.

It only happened once a year, so the school allowed it. Later, they would hire dedicated cleaning ladies to collect it all.

Seeing this ground full of books and exam papers, the cleaning ladies would probably go home and write ten copies of "The Peach Blossom Spring" overnight.

Shen Nian came out of the classroom, leaning against the hallway railing with a piece of candy in his mouth to get some fresh air.

He had already seen quite a few couples holding hands on the nearby corridor.

There were also suspected confessions going on. Some happily held hands, while others hung their heads in dejection. There were boys chasing girls, and quite a few girls chasing boys too.

Was this a concrete manifestation of the phrase "leave no regrets in your youth"?

The moon was big and round. The night the college entrance examination ended was indeed very suitable for confessions.

Yet Shen Nian didn't even have a target to confess to. He felt that his youth was full of regrets... Haha, wait, who confessed to the number one cutest nemesis beautiful girl in the world? Oh, it was me. Never mind then.

With sharp eyes, he also spotted Lin Xiyuan and Huang Chen on the corridor of the floor below. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, Huang Chen's awkward head-scratching made it quite obvious without needing to hear.

He was confessing to Lin Xiyuan.

It ended faster than expected. Lin Xiyuan awkwardly waved her hand and walked away, leaving Huang Chen alone there, staring blankly in dismay.

A failed confession? Pretty miserable. Shen Nian had experienced it too, but he was just coaxed better by Chunbao with kisses.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Xia Yanchun patted Shen Nian's shoulder, her cheeks puffed out, leaning against the hallway railing beside him.

"Watching people confess."

"Where?"

"There were quite a few just now. If you wait a bit longer, you might see one."

"Hmph, after all, today is the last day. If they don't confess now, they'll only be able to confess over their phones later."

Shen Nian scanned his surroundings, and confirming there was no one around, he leaned in, rubbed against Xia Yanchun's arm, and chuckled softly.

"I'll definitely think about it."

"666, you bad woman just knows how to string a guy along."

"Hehe, when you beg me to agree, I will definitely agree, just like during the New Year. That way, you'll remember that you were the one chasing me."

"I couldn't tell you were so scheming."

"Hmph, I have eight hundred schemes in my head."

"Then I have a thousand."

Xia Yanchun raised her smooth chin. "I have two thousand."

"I'll always have two hundred more than you."

"You'll always have two hundred less than me!"

"Alright, alright." Shen Nian was helpless against her. And she called him childish every day? He really couldn't say who was the more childish one.

Looking at the girl's self-righteous expression, Shen Nian felt wonderful inside.

He suddenly realized he used to be really dense. He only noticed the ambiguity between him and Xia Yanchun after Chen Dong pointed it out.

Was this a case of the bystander seeing things more clearly?

He really needed to treat Chen Dong to a five-hundred-yuan Haidilao hotpot meal to properly thank him.

After enjoying the summer breeze in the hallway for a while, they returned to the classroom to continue the evening party.

They stayed until past ten o'clock when the party finally wrapped up. It was actually one class period earlier than their usual evening self-study.

Most of the students lived in the dorms and would start packing their luggage tomorrow.

After cleaning up the classroom, Su Kexi found Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun.

"You two must be careful on your way back," Su Kexi reminded them.

"Don't worry, teacher, we drive very slowly," Shen Nian said, scratching his head.

"Did you two come together?"

"Yeah."

Looking at Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun, who was slightly shy and keeping her head down, Su Kexi seemed thoughtful.

Good heavens, now that they've graduated, they've stopped acting?

The trope of the top student and the second-best student in the grade getting together only ever appeared on TV, but today she had finally encountered it.

With an "I understand everything" expression on her face, Su Kexi nodded and turned to walk back to the office.

"Let's go back too."

"Mhm."

Xia Yanchun walked briskly in front of Shen Nian, her small ponytail swaying back and forth, just waiting for Shen Nian to play with it.

Shen Nian had zero resistance when it came to playing with hair. He was quickly captivated by Xia Yanchun, following behind and playing with it the whole way until they walked out of the school gates. Shen Nian originally wanted to ride a shared yellow bike home with Xia Yanchun, but Xia Yanchun wanted to walk, so Shen Nian had no choice but to follow along.

In the past, he would have ridden the yellow bike slowly beside Xia Yanchun, teasing her, and then sped up when she got mad and tried to chase him.

That was how nemeses acted.

Times had changed. Shen Nian still wanted to cuddle with Xia Yanchun when they got home; he couldn't play like that anymore, or Xia Yanchun would kick him out of bed.

Upon returning home, Shen Nian received a call from his family.

Chen Minyue asked a bit about the exams, chatted for a few sentences, and hung up. She also transferred two thousand yuan to Shen Nian, telling him to go have fun, relax, and that it was fine to come back to their hometown a bit later.

Shen Nian accepted it with peace of mind. The family wasn't lacking this two thousand. Although it was just moving money from the left hand to the right hand, who would ever complain about having too much money?

This was his mom's good intention; not accepting it would be disrespecting her.

Shen Yue was taking a shower. Shen Nian called out to let her know he was back, brushed his teeth, and then ran over to Xia Yanchun's house.

Xia Yanchun was half-lying on her bed scrolling through her phone, a small quilt covering her stomach, looking incredibly cozy. She didn't even look up when Shen Nian arrived.

"Did you close the front door tightly?"

"I closed it tightly."

"That's good, that's good."

"Chunbao..." Shen Nian climbed onto Xia Yanchun's bed, hugged her soft body, and rubbed his face against hers. "What are you looking at?"

"Look, someone is already analyzing the final college entrance exam questions."

"There are always people doing that around this time every year. It's a huge topic, after all."

"Seeing them explain it so logically and clearly, you understand it at first glance. Teaching others is truly an art."

"Of course. That's why there are strong and weak teachers. Some teachers explain things so well that you get it immediately."

"Wu..."

Xia Yanchun really couldn't stand Shen Nian continuously rubbing and kissing her face. Unable to help herself, she tilted her head and placed her phone on the desk.

Taking a deep breath, she nestled into Shen Nian's embrace with a muffled voice, "Phew... I'm a bit tired today. I want to go to sleep early."

"Yeah, I'll sleep too."

"Hmph."

In Shen Nian's embrace, Xia Yanchun was bubbling with comfort. Just like how Shen Nian couldn't resist kissing her, she also couldn't control herself from pressing her face against his collarbone.

Shen Nian half-squinted his eyes, hugging Xia Yanchun tighter, his heartbeat growing faster and faster.

Chunbao was playing around again. He was going to be scared to tears by this bad woman.

"Didn't you say you wanted to sleep early, you rascal..."

"I can sleep anyway."

"You're not the one suffering, right? Fine, fine. Tonight, once you fall asleep, I'll slap you awake and make you go back to sleep all over again."

"Hehe." Xia Yanchun wasn't afraid at all. Her eyes curved into crescents, and with a blushing face, she rubbed against him and shifted her body. This time, she even stripped Shen Nian of his right to speak.

She could feel Shen Nian's stirring desire, carrying a trace of aggressiveness. It wasn't until their lips parted and that slight connection between them broke that she softly pulled back from his embrace.

Panting lightly, Xia Yanchun felt completely satisfied. She poked Shen Nian's chest with her finger. "Nianbao... Nianbao... Hehe."

"Haji-Chun, you rascal, you've gotten so bold now that we've graduated..."

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"You're invincible."

Shen Nian's Adam's apple bobbed. He breathed in Xia Yanchun's sweet scent, hesitating and torn, before gently letting go of her and attempting to get up.

"Mmm...?" Sensing his intention, Xia Yanchun immediately clung to his arm.

"What are you doing..."

"Don't go." Xia Yanchun's lips parted slightly as she let out a soft breath. Pressing her lips together, she buried her face in Shen Nian's chest to hide it from him, her restless little hands gripping his shirt. "You're just not allowed to go. I... I..."

The air conditioning blew a cool breeze. With all her stress swept away and her body completely relaxed, Xia Yanchun found herself feeling much, much bolder than usual.