Ye Jinzhi cast his eyes down, glanced over the documents by the other person's hand, and nodded.
"Why?" Mr. Li calmed himself down, his tone revealing a hint of confusion.
"Although as a teacher I am very gratified, you have clearly already secured a guaranteed admission spot... There's really no need for you to suffer through the entire senior year of high school all over again, is there?"
Only then did Ye Jinzhi look up, his expression as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather:
"I just thought about it seriously. As a student, I still want to experience a complete college entrance examination. I don't want to leave any regrets in my life."
I just don't believe it. I haven't forgotten the look on your face before the summer break when you heard you didn't have to come to school.
"This..."
Mr. Li wiped the fine sweat seeping from his forehead. For a moment, he didn't know whether to say the boy was a perfectionist or just too fond of making trouble for himself.
"Don't worry, Mr. Li, I won't slack off on my grades."
Thinking of how the young man had ranked first in the grade every single time since he enrolled, as well as the competition trophies that almost stuffed the display cabinets, Mr. Li finally let out a helpless yet gratified sigh and nodded.
"Alright, since you have this intention, I will support you. When you're in class, remember to help guide the other students too."
"Okay," Ye Jinzhi replied briefly, bidding a polite farewell.
Turning around, his gaze once again seemingly inadvertently swept over a stack of documents on Mr. Li's desk.
In the photo on top, a young girl with a high ponytail was smiling brightly and flamboyantly at the camera. Her eyes were sparkling and full of spirit.
He silently repeated the name on the document in his heart, and the eyes hidden behind black-framed glasses that he had just seen on the sports field surfaced in his mind.
A very faint curve silently spread across his aloof brows and eyes. The smile was fleeting, so shallow it seemed like an illusion.
He then pulled open the office door and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor with brisk steps.
Bella returned to the classroom to pack her things, went to pick up her new school uniform, and headed straight home.
Sitting on the bus, she ordered fruits, vegetables, and takeout on her phone, then her fingertips flew across the screen to sketch a draft.
It was past one o'clock when she got home.
Seeing that Shen Wenjing hadn't returned yet, Bella ducked into her room and started reviewing.
She had a strong foundation in English, so she simply went through the high-frequency vocabulary and left the bulk of her time to memorize ancient poems, math formulas, and history...
It wasn't until the setting sun brushed past the windowsill that the sound of the door opening and Shen Wenjing's slightly exhausted sighs came from the living room.
"Oh man, I'm exhausted to death..."
Shen Wenjing collapsed onto the sofa, weakly waving her phone:
"Bella, I sent all the photos to your WeChat. They are all exclusive high-definition shots.
I also privately sent you the alt account for TikTok. The rest of our great enterprise depends on you. Keep it up, my great artist."
Hearing her voice, Bella pushed the door open and came out, quickly glancing over the materials on her phone.
"Not bad, not bad," Bella commented with an air of old-fashioned composure, staring at the screen.
"He has a nice physique, even has that male mom vibe, big and very reassuring."
"Right? I think it's pretty good too," Shen Wenjing nodded.
"What's wrong with you?" Seeing her looking as if her life force had been drained, Bella leaned over curiously. "It was just a school registration, did it really paralyze you like this?"
"I... I..." Whenever Shen Wenjing thought about how she was actually caught by that person after school for forced tutoring, she looked extremely unhappy.
Bella observed her leisurely from the side. Seeing her face turn as dark as charcoal one moment and then flush with a suspicious blush the next, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time, she couldn't help but shake her head secretly.
This appearance was obviously a typical case of being trapped by love, and it was the phase where she was being completely manipulated.
"Have you eaten?"
"I ate."
Bella nodded and said nothing more.
"Alright, I'm going back to my room. Get some good rest."
Bella returned to her room and started drawing.
She didn't just draw one piece. The pressure of tomorrow's exam made her inspiration burst forth, and she planned to draw a few more.
This time she planned an original character setting with animal traits. The male lead, Garuda, as a secretary bird, and the female lead, She Dai, as a green snake.
This natural enemy plus mortal enemy setting was simply full of tension. Bella felt thrilled just thinking about it.
Time slowly passed, and the picture gradually became richer.
In the picture, Garuda looked down condescendingly at the female lead. Those astonishingly long legs exerted slight force, with the front of a thin-soled leather shoe pressing right against the female lead's shoulder.
He lowered his eyelashes, his golden pupils full of a judge's coldness: "Your fangs have already been pulled out. How long are you going to keep struggling?"
She Dai chuckled lightly, her long hair scattered like a waterfall on the cold ground, a hint of mockery playing at the corners of her mouth.
That snake tail covered in fine green scales silently climbed up his ankle.
It wasn't in a hurry to strangle; instead, with an almost blasphemous slowness, it slithered up along his straight trouser leg.
The man lowered his eyes, his sharp golden pupils tightly locking onto the tail wreaking havoc between his legs.
He didn't step back; instead, he allowed the icy touch to coil around circle by circle, tightly binding his legs together and making him unable to stand firm.
The cold scales rubbed against his hot muscles through the thin fabric.
"These legs..."
She propped herself up, her icy fingers hooking onto his tie. The two were so close that their breaths intertwined.
The snake tail tightened little by little between his slender legs, feeling his body trembling slightly from restraint.
She Dai breathed softly by his ear, carrying a provocation:
"Rather than judging me and stepping on me from up high, why don't you... kneel down and beg me."
The scene shifted, and Bella drew a beautiful snake tail:
The tip of the tail seemed to have a mind of its own, lightly and teasingly rubbing against the flesh of his inner thighs.
That green tail tip was truly wicked to the core, lingering in that intimate space, as if measuring the prey's bottom line, or silently declaring war.
Blood rushed wildly within the body. Was it the excitement of a predator, or the thumping of being captured?
Bella deliberately drew a close-up of Garuda's hand.
Garuda suddenly reached out and grabbed her throat. He leaned down, his powerful predator aura completely enveloping her, the tip of his nose almost bumping into hers.
"Kneel down?" He wore a dangerous smile,
"Do you know that it only takes an instant for me to stomp and break your spine?"
Hearing this, She Dai immediately used her snake tail to give the target a crisp smack.
Garuda's back suddenly stiffened, and the five fingers that were originally pinching She Dai's neck tightened uncontrollably.
"She Dai, you are playing with fire."
Not only did she not hide, but she tilted her head up. A snake's tongue flicked slightly, sweeping across his Adam's apple, and then she voluntarily offered her fragile vital spot into his palm.
"Don't you winged creatures love the thrill of diving from high altitudes the most? Why not change the venue this time and look at me, hmm?"
Garuda didn't speak, but the tension in his muscles had reached a critical point.
That tail became restless again, wreaking havoc with what felt like taps, flicks, and caresses.
