Chapter 318 - 181: The Parents Decide to Pretend They Don’t Know
"Okay, let’s head back first. We can’t let those two find out we know about this."
Both sets of parents exchanged a glance, each reading a hint of anticipation in the other’s eyes.
To be honest, they were also quite curious to see how far things would go with these two kids.
After all, both Shen Yuan and Li Zhi had grown up right under their noses.
When he was little, Shen Yuan was always over at Li Zhi’s house.
And likewise, Li Zhi was often at Shen Yuan’s.
The character of the two kids was plain for them all to see.
So, regarding whether the two of them would actually end up together in the future, both Shen Yuan’s and Li Zhi’s parents had taken a hands-off approach.
If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. If not, so be it.
They would respect their children’s wishes.
With that, Shen Yuan’s parents left Li Zhi’s house and returned to their own.
Not long after Zhang Yuyan and Old Shen got home, they heard the sound of the front door opening.
Zhang Yuyan glanced at Old Shen, who nodded in understanding.
Old Shen quickly moved their luggage into the bedroom, pretending they had been home for a while.
Shen Yuan opened the door and saw the lights on in his house, freezing for a moment in surprise.
But he quickly recovered.
"Dad, Mom, you’re back."
Seeing the two figures in the living room, Shen Yuan’s heart tightened.
After all, as far as Shen Yuan was concerned, his thing with Li Zhi was still something to be kept secret.
And seeing his parents now, Shen Yuan had no idea when they had gotten back.
If his parents had gotten home early, that would be fine.
But if they had entered the complex after he and Li Zhi did...
Shen Yuan didn’t dare to let his thoughts go any further.
Hearing Shen Yuan’s voice, Zhang Yuyan slowly raised her head, her gaze meeting his.
Her eyes showed a trace of fatigue, but she still replied, "Yeah, we took an evening flight. Your uncle drove us home. What’s wrong?"
Shen Yuan shook his head and asked, trying to sound casual, "Nothing. Hey Mom, was Qinghai fun?"
Zhang Yuyan nodded, the corners of her mouth relaxing into a slight smile. "It was great. We’ll take you with us next time we have a chance."
"Thanks, Mom." Shen Yuan chuckled, but he still felt uneasy.
After a moment of silence, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but ask tentatively, "When did you get in?"
Zhang Yuyan glanced at her phone, then answered, "A little after 8:00, I think. We’ve been back for a while."
After saying that, she glanced at the time again and suddenly frowned. "Huh? It’s past 10:00? Why are you back so late again?"
Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly explained, "We have an exam tomorrow, and we were rearranging the seating in the classroom."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuyan nodded in understanding. "Alright, if there’s nothing else, you should head to your room. You have an exam tomorrow, and your dad and I are about to head to bed too."
As she spoke, she let out a big yawn, clearly looking sleepy.
"Oh... well, then you guys get some rest."
Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly, trying to keep his voice steady. Not daring to linger in the living room, he quickly slipped back to his room.
In the living room, the sound of Shen Yuan’s door closing seemed to ease the tense atmosphere slightly.
Zhang Yuyan turned her head, her gaze meeting Shen Guohao’s.
Zhang Yuyan let out a silent, long sigh of relief.
Shen Guohao raised a hand and gently massaged his temples. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said, "Let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything. We’ll stick to what we agreed on."
Zhang Yuyan nodded. "Got it."
Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Shen Yuan’s face was grim. He quickly pulled out his phone and started a video call with Li Zhi.
A few seconds later, Li Zhi answered the call.
"What do you want?"
Li Zhi furrowed her brow slightly, clearly confused as to why Shen Yuan was video calling her.
Shen Yuan glanced at her surroundings in the video; Li Zhi was obviously in her room.
But just in case, Shen Yuan still asked, "Are you alone right now?"
Li Zhi rolled her eyes at him. "If I’m not a person, does that make you a dog?"
Shen Yuan gave an awkward laugh, then lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard. "Li Bao, my parents are back!"
Li Zhi’s calm expression suddenly froze, and her fingers tightened unconsciously around her phone.
She asked hurriedly, "When did they get back?"
"My mom said a little after 8:00, but I don’t know the exact situation."
Hearing the time, Li Zhi lightly bit her lip, her voice full of hesitation. "That should... be okay, right? Did your parents ask anything?"
Shen Yuan shook his head. "Not really, they just asked why I got back so late. I told them we were changing seats."
Li Zhi nodded.
This was the alibi they had agreed on before heading home.
They really had changed seats during evening self-study today.
They didn’t know why Old Zhou had them do it, but their seats were changed regardless.
"Hey, did your parents say anything?" Shen Yuan asked.
Hearing Shen Yuan’s question, Li Zhi shook her head. "No, they didn’t say anything. It was just like usual."
Shen Yuan looked at the familiar face of Li Zhi on his phone screen. Remembering their earlier conversation about their parents’ attitudes, he felt a sense of relief, followed by a sly thought.
Shen Yuan lowered his voice, a meaningful smile playing on his lips as he whispered to the Li Zhi on his screen:
"Hey, Li Bao... you know, with us secretly calling each other to compare notes on our parents’ attitudes and coordinating our alibis before we go home... doesn’t it feel like we’re high school sweethearts hiding our relationship from our families?"
On the other end of the video call, Li Zhi’s fingers instantly tightened around her phone.
Her eyes shot wide open, and the relaxed lines of her face tensed for a moment.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush crept up the girl’s cheeks, and the tips of her ears began to burn.
But her tone became harsh, filled with feigned disgust and a clear rebuttal.
"Shen Yuan!"
Li Zhi’s eyes were wide, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her voice jumped an octave as she scolded him, full of indignation, "Who’s in a relationship with you?! In your dreams! I’m hanging up!"
The words had barely left her mouth when, before Shen Yuan could say another word, Li Zhi decisively ended the video call.
The phone screen instantly went black, leaving only the "Call Ended" notification.
In his room, Shen Yuan stared at the dark screen and couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter, though his smile was clearly tinged with a mix of exasperation and affection.
He rubbed the edge of his phone, muttering under his breath, "Such a tsundere..."
Meanwhile, next door, Li Zhi tossed her phone onto her desk after hanging up and leaned back into her chair.
Her gaze drifted vaguely toward the light fixture on the ceiling.
Her earlier rebuttal had been a knee-jerk reaction, but now, her heart seemed to be beating... just a little faster than usual.
She was a little annoyed, but she wasn’t sure if she was annoyed at Shen Yuan for his big mouth, or at something else entirely.
Li Zhi shook her head, trying to shake off this small ripple of emotion along with the phrase, "Who would want to be in a relationship with you?!"