Chapter 290 - 172: Li Zhi! You Have to Maintain Your Bottom Line
Li Zhi crossed her long legs on the chair, propped her chin in her hands, and watched Shen Yuan with a grin. She answered unhurriedly, "An exam. The midterm, of course."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "This midterm is a joint exam, so it’s definitely going to be harder. If you can score 650 on this one too, then I’ll believe you."
Shen Yuan was clearly not satisfied with this condition. He furrowed his brows and retorted, "That’s it? Just to get you to believe me? Doesn’t that make me look like a total simp?"
"You already scored a 650, what more do you want from me?"
Li Zhi’s voice was filled with dissatisfaction. She huffed, unhappy with Shen Yuan’s idea. "I’m not making another bet with you! You’re a Selaan with ulterior motives!"
Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Shen Yuan didn’t immediately retort as he usually would. Instead, he slowly stood up from the bed.
Seeing this, Li Zhi was instantly on guard.
She quickly pulled her long legs back onto the chair and tucked her feet into her pant legs, leaving only the tips of her toes showing.
She stared intently at Shen Yuan, wary of his every move.
"What are you trying to do?" Li Zhi’s voice was a little tense. She watched Shen Yuan with wide eyes, afraid he was about to do something strange.
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, "I’m going to do my test papers! What else? You’re so dirty-minded, what’s going on in that head of yours!"
Li Zhi’s tension eased slightly at his words, but she still scoffed and said, "Well, it’s not my fault someone has such a terrible reputation with me!"
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi innocently and asked in confusion, "It’s not that bad, is it? I’ve always been pretty strong. Haven’t you felt it?"
Li Zhi’s face turned red in a flash. She snatched a cushion from the chair and hurled it at Shen Yuan like a grenade, yelling,
"Who was asking about *that*?! Selaan! Get your mind out of the gutter! If you say something like that again, I’m telling your mom!"
Shen Yuan chuckled, a sly grin on his face. He winked and said, "What did I say? Wasn’t I just talking about how high my credibility is with you?"
Seeing this, Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a fierce glare and said irritably, "Don’t you play word games with me. Now get lost!"
Shen Yuan shrugged. "Fine, fine. I’m going to do my test papers now. What about you?"
Li Zhi remained on the chair. She shook her head and answered lazily, "Don’t feel like moving. I’ll just play with the cats."
Seeing this, Shen Yuan sighed helplessly and added, "You’re really not going to get some sleep? There’s still evening self-study tonight."
"Not tired. You aren’t either, are you?"
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes at her.
’I have Vigorous and Full of Energy from the system. Do you?’
But since Li Zhi had said so herself, Shen Yuan didn’t press the matter.
"I’m going to do my test papers then."
Li Zhi nodded, watching as Shen Yuan walked into the study off to the side. Her attention then returned to San Geng and Naonao.
"Hehe, Daddy won’t play with you, so Mommy will."
Li Zhi picked up a laser pointer, and the moment she turned it on, San Geng immediately leaped up.
Time ticked by, second by second. About an hour later, Shen Yuan finally finished the remaining half of his test paper assignment.
Lifting his head from the desk, Shen Yuan stretched luxuriously.
"Done. Li Bao, I finished..." As he spoke, Shen Yuan’s gaze drifted out of the study.
But when his eyes landed on the scene, the rest of his sentence caught in his throat.
The beautiful girl had reclined the chair’s back, her whole body slouched against it. Her pair of long, slender legs were casually propped up on Shen Yuan’s bed.
The girl’s chest rose and fell gently with her even breaths. A stray wisp of hair from her temple had fallen against her flushed cheek. Her fingertips, resting on her stomach, were loosely curled around her phone—its screen had long since gone dark from inactivity.
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. "And she said she wasn’t tired. So stubborn."
Catching sight of the girl’s precarious sleeping position, curled up on the reclined chair, Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He held his breath and tried to move the chair back half an inch, but the wooden floor let out a faint creak.
The moment Li Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered, he froze like a mechanical doll that had just been paused.
Only after confirming that Li Zhi hadn’t woken up did Shen Yuan tiptoe out of the study.
Shen Yuan crept to the closet, gently opened it, and took out a light comforter. Then, just as quietly, he returned to the area outside the study.
Looking at the sleeping Li Zhi, Shen Yuan slowly draped the comforter over her.
As he covered her, Shen Yuan carefully watched for any movement.
As the comforter gently settled over the girl’s delicate shoulders, Shen Yuan, as if moved by some impulse, bent his index finger and brushed aside the strand of hair that had fallen beside her cheek.
The instant her faint scent curled around his fingers, Li Zhi’s eyes suddenly opened.
Shen Yuan’s gaze abruptly met the girl’s. His fingertips, not yet pulled back, froze in place.
Li Zhi’s hazy eyes were still steeped in sleepiness. Her shoulders, weighed down by the comforter, curled inward unconsciously, and even her toes, resting on the edge of the bed, curled up slightly.
"Hm?"
The beautiful girl looked at Shen Yuan in confusion, but her gaze locked precisely on his hand, which he hadn’t had time to retract.
Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice in quick succession. As his knuckles curled, they brushed against her slightly hot earlobe. "I saw you were asleep. I was afraid you’d get cold."
Li Zhi lifted her leg slightly and glanced at the comforter, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.
"Why pretend to be a gentleman?"
The beautiful girl’s eyes gradually cleared, a smile playing on her lips. "You were just looking for an excuse to get closer."