Chapter 324 - 183: What Are You Doing, Sneaking Around
Almost on instinct, the girl hid her body behind the observation room wall, leaving just her small head peeking out.
From this hidden vantage point, she had a perfect view of Shen Yuan’s relaxed form.
Shen Yuan was looking down at his phone screen. The worry that had previously furrowed his brow was now completely gone.
The faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips seemed to silently soothe the lingering tension in the air, while also gently tugging at Li Zhi’s heartstrings.
The sunlight from the window traced his silhouette with a soft golden edge.
Li Zhi’s fingers unconsciously tightened on the cold metal edge of the window frame, her gaze fixed on him, unable to look away.
’This guy... he’s actually kind of handsome sometimes.’
Just as the thought popped into Li Zhi’s head, Shen Yuan looked up abruptly, as if he had sensed her gaze.
Their gazes slammed into each other.
The instant she was caught peeking, Li Zhi’s heart leaped into her throat, and blood rushed to her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
Like a startled fawn, her head snapped back behind the wall with incredible speed.
Hidden behind the wall, her heart pounded like a drum. She fixed her gaze on the operating table, filled with regret.
’What was I looking at! There’s nothing to see! What’s so good-looking about that moron?!’
Meanwhile, after catching a fleeting glimpse of her flushed profile and the startled way she’d pulled her head back, the smile on Shen Yuan’s face, which had never quite faded, suddenly deepened.
A soft chuckle escaped his throat. When his gaze fell back to his phone, his eyes had curved into crescents, filled with a teasing glint and an undeniable softness.
The image of her flustered retreat lingered in his mind.
Shen Yuan stood up quietly, his movements slow and deliberate, as if approaching a small, easily startled animal.
At that moment, the girl had her head bowed, pressing her forehead against the glass as if it were the only way to contain her overwhelming embarrassment and shyness.
The very next second, Li Zhi suddenly sensed a presence beside her.
Startled, she tensed her shoulders, her body giving a slight tremble as if she’d received an electric shock.
She snapped her head up. Shen Yuan’s smiling face was much, much closer than she’d expected!
In that instant, Li Zhi’s pupils visibly dilated, her eyes, like those of a startled fawn, wide with surprise and a deeper, mortifying embarrassment.
A rush of hot blood, almost audible, shot to her head. A brilliant crimson blush spread from her delicate ears all the way down her slender neck.
Her full lips parted slightly in shock. It was as if she wanted to cry out, but the sound caught in her throat, escaping as only a faint, breathy gasp.
Shen Yuan grinned down at Li Zhi. His warm breath ghosted over her ear as he lowered his voice, a teasing note in it. "Hiding here... all sneaky like. What were you looking at?"
"You...!" Li Zhi finally managed, her voice trembling in shock.
She quickly averted her gaze.
"...I-I wasn’t looking at anything!" Her voice was a mixture of guilt from being caught and forced composure. "Just... just watching the surgery. San Geng is in surgery!"
"Oh? Just watching the surgery?"
Shen Yuan leaned in a fraction closer, his intense gaze locking onto her evasive eyes. "You’re sure you weren’t looking at anything else?"
"N-No! Nothing at all!"
Li Zhi’s ears were so red they looked like they might burst.
The lovely girl shot him a glare born of frustration and embarrassment, but it held no menace. If anything, it only served to announce her shyness before she quickly turned her head away.
"You stay here with Genggeng! I’m going to go sit down for a bit!"
Watching Li Zhi’s retreating figure—her pace a little too quick, yet determined to appear composed—Shen Yuan’s lingering smile remained. His gaze softened, resting on her back for a moment.
He let out a soft breath, then collected himself, refocusing his gaze through the large, transparent observation window.
The soft, focused beam of a shadowless surgical lamp illuminated the center of the operating table.
On the table, draped in green sterile cloth, Shen Yuan couldn’t see San Geng’s face.
But Shen Yuan could see the doctor operating with intense Concentration, his movements precise and steady.
Although Shen Yuan had acted much calmer than Li Zhi since they’d arrived at the pet hospital, it didn’t mean he was without worry.
Now that Li Zhi was gone and he was keeping watch alone, that worry settled more clearly in his eyes.
His hands fidgeted unconsciously in his pockets as he sent silent well-wishes to the little one on the operating table.
Li Zhi sat by the window, pretending to scroll through her phone, but she kept stealing quick glances at Shen Yuan from the corner of her eye.
Gradually, the rhythm of the work on the operating table began to change.
Shen Yuan saw the subtle movements of the doctors as they began suturing and performing the final steps.
A little while later, he saw a doctor snip the final suture and start carefully removing the sterile drapes from around the surgical area.
Shen Yuan’s spirits lifted at the sight.
The surgery was over!
Shen Yuan immediately looked over at Li Zhi.
"Li Bao!"
Shen Yuan waved her over. "It’s done!"
Li Zhi shot to her feet without a moment’s hesitation and hurried over to the glass window of the observation room.
Inside the operating room, San Geng was still lying quietly on the table, the anesthesia clearly not having worn off yet.
The doctors methodically tended to their post-operative tasks, then carefully lifted San Geng’s small body and carried it out of the room.
As San Geng disappeared from view, Shen Yuan gently squeezed Li Zhi’s shoulder. "See? Everything will be fine once it wakes up."