Chapter 188
Exam week.
The entire academy was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Shen Shuyu looked at the completed test paper in his hand and couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
He had to admit, Wen Jiafei was truly brilliant. His exam predictions were spot on. These past few days of exams could practically be described as easy; he didn’t have to worry about failing any subjects.
Shen Shuyu looked up. The timing was perfect. In five minutes, his first semester in this world would be over.
The bell rang. He left his seat.
Shen Shuyu walked into the hallway and stretched his arms. It was over, finally over.
He felt like he could burst into tears of joy.
Shen Shuyu walked toward the stairs, preparing to meet up with Wen Jiafei. Wen Jiafeiās exam room was downstairs. The two of them had agreed to go out for a meal after it ended, since they wouldn’t see each other again until after the New Year.
Just as he reached the corner of the stairs, he saw Wen Jiafei standing below waiting for him.
Shen Shuyu quickened his pace. Before he even reached him, he asked, “How do you think you did?”
Wen Jiafei said, “Average. And you?”
The two walked down side-by-side. Shen Shuyu said, “So an overachiever’s ‘average’ means an easy first place, right? Overachievers are so dishonest.”
Wen Jiafei pursed his lips and smiled.
Shen Shuyu didn’t see it and continued, “I did average too. I shouldn’t fail.”
Wen Jiafei gave a soft “Mm.” “That’s good.”
The two went to the lockers to retrieve their belongings. Shen Shuyu asked, “What should we eat? How about BBQ?”
“Okay.” Wen Jiafei added, “My treat.”
Shen Shuyu gave a thumbs up. “Then I won’t be polite.”
Wen Jiafei shook his head. “No need to be polite.”
He had already intended to treat Shen Shuyu to a meal, but everyone had been too busy lately. He lowered his eyes slightly, looking at Shen Shuyuās smiling face. His heart felt quite a bit more cheerful.
To make it easier to get home, the two found a BBQ shop on the academy’s back street. This shop’s business was always booming. By the time they arrived, it was nearly full. Most of the customers were students who had just finished their exams, all of them complaining about the difficulty of this year’s papers.
Shen Shuyu and Wen Jiafei followed the waiter inside. He said, “I’m suddenly feeling a bit lucky that I had private tutoring.”
He looked at Wen Jiafei with a grin. “Thank you, Teacher Wen.”
Wen Jiafei only smiled silently.
There were no seats on the first floor, only on the second. As soon as Shen Shuyu sat down, he peeled off his heavy down jacket.
Wen Jiafei handed him the menu, but Shen Shuyu said, “Whoeverās treating chooses the dishes. I’m not picky.”
Wen Jiafei thought for a moment, took it back, ordered several items, and handed the menu to the waiter.
By the time he finished ordering, Shen Shuyu had already folded his coat neatly and placed it aside. He looked at Wen Jiafei and asked, “Aren’t you hot?”
Only then did Wen Jiafei slowly take off his own coat and put it aside. The atmosphere in the BBQ shop was great. Shen Shuyu looked out the window and said, “The weather forecast said there would be snow today, but it’s already evening and I haven’t seen a single flake.”
BBQ paired with snowy sceneryāit couldn’t be more pleasant.
Shen Shuyu felt this was the most relaxed time he had experienced since coming to this world.
Wen Jiafei also looked in the direction of his gaze. “It should snow later.”
“I hope so,” Shen Shuyu murmured.
The food arrived quickly. Wen Jiafei skillfully placed the meat on the grill and flipped it. The meat sizzled on the pan, and the aroma instantly wafted out.
Wen Jiafei glanced at Shen Shuyu across from him, who was already looking on with great anticipation.
He placed the first finished piece of meat onto Shuyu’s plate. “Are you planning to stay home for the holidays?”
Shen Shuyu dipped the meat in the sauce. Hearing Wen Jiafeiās question, he said, “My parents are going on a trip and want me to go with them. We’ll be back before the New Year. I’m not sure about after that; I’ll probably just stay home.”
Wen Jiafei nodded.
Shen Shuyu asked, “What about you? Holidays start tomorrow, and there are still ten days or so until the New Year. Are you still going to do part-time work at the bar?”
“Mm, part-time work. I might go out for a trip with my mom after the New Year,” Wen Jiafei replied.
Shen Shuyu stuffed the meat into his mouth and nodded. “That sounds good. Auntie should go out and walk around more.”
Hearing Shen Shuyu say this, Wen Jiafei put another piece of meat on his plate and said nonchalantly, “If you don’t have anything going on after the New Year, you can come with us.”
The BBQ shop was noisy with voices. Wen Jiafei gripped the tongs tightly. He didn’t know why he was nervous, but his heart was pounding.
His gaze fell on Shen Shuyu, his Adamās apple bobbing as he waited for an answer. Then he thought, Is this crossing a line?
They were friends, but Shen Shuyu was an Omega after all. Going out on a trip with an Alpha seemed a bit ambiguous no matter how you looked at it.
Just as Wen Jiafei was about to say “forget it,” Shen Shuyu looked up slightly. His mouth was still full of BBQ as he said indistinctly, “Sure, but I’ll have to see then. I don’t know if my parents have other plans. If I’m free, I’ll go. If I’m busy, I won’t be able to.”
Wen Jiafeiās heart instantly settled. His smile deepened. “Alright, let’s leave it at that for now.”
Shen Shuyu nodded, indicating he had no objection.
However, after speaking, he had a tiny bit of concern. In this world, he was used to everything except for the whole ABO gender thing.
An Omega and an Alpha going out togetherāwas that a bit too intimate?
But he soon cleared his mind. There was nothing intimate about it; it was normal for friends to hang out.
Both of them quickly convinced themselves and continued eating their BBQ in peace.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Jiafei suddenly said, “Look outside.”
Shen Shuyu instinctively turned toward the glass window. The sky outside had darkened, and the streetlights had come on. More importantly, snow was falling.
Shen Shuyu marveled, “I’m satisfied now.”
Wen Jiafeiās eyes curved. “Mm.”
Shen Shuyu suddenly asked, “Wen Jiafei, do you like snowy days?”
Wen Jiafei didn’t answer immediately but asked back, “Do you like them?”
“I do.” Shen Shuyu had rarely seen snow in person; he usually saw it in videos or pictures, but it was never as beautiful as seeing it with his own eyes.
Wen Jiafei gave a soft “Mm.” “I like them too.”
I like them starting from today.
After parting with Shen Shuyu, Wen Jiafei walked home along the road. The snow continued to fall steadily. He looked up slightly, and snow landed on his face, icy and cool, but he didn’t feel cold.
He didn’t usually have much feeling about the weather. If he had to say, sunny days made him most comfortable because he wouldn’t feel cold on the road while working hard for his life.
But looking at it now, snowy days weren’t bad either. Although it was snowing, the temperature was still acceptable.
He took a deep breath and quickened his pace toward home.
He had told Wen Yue that he would be having dinner with classmates today, so Wen Yue hadn’t waited for him. When he got home, she was just about to go to her room to rest.
She looked at Wen Jiafei and smiled. “What happened? You look so happy.”
Wen Jiafei tilted his head slightly. “I finished my exams. Isn’t that something to be happy about?”
Wen Yue laughed. “It is.”
Meimei also ran over to rub against his leg. Wen Jiafei picked the cat up and, uncharacteristically, stroked it several times. Meimei let out a comfortable purring sound.
Wen Yue thought to herself that he truly did seem happy. She hadn’t seen him this relaxed in a very long time.
It seemed she should let him spend more time with friends in the future.
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