Chapter 352 - 190: You’re So Greedy, Shen Yuan
Gossip is one of those things. Sometimes, you can smell it with just a look.
The moment He Zhiyu saw her bestie walk into the classroom, her sweet-stuff radar activated instantly.
"Zhizhi, how come you’re so late today?"
Li Zhi saw the eager anticipation in He Zhiyu’s eyes. The little author practically had "Just tell me you two went on a date!" written all over her face.
Li Zhi took her backpack from Shen Yuan’s hands as she casually explained, "Oh, I had dinner at his place, so I’m a little late."
Li Zhi’s tone was casual, but when He Zhiyu heard the offhand remark "I had dinner at his place," her eyes shot wide and her mouth fell open into a perfect "O," as if she’d just been told an earth-shattering secret.
Her mind raced, almost instantly latching onto a phrase that made her heart pound—meeting the parents!!!
’Holy shit?!’
’Have they already reached the "meet the parents" stage?’
Seeing He Zhiyu’s obviously overloaded expression, Li Zhi shook her head in resignation.
Caught between annoyance and amusement, Li Zhi reached out and gently poked He Zhiyu’s forehead. "What is that little brain of yours thinking now? We grew up together and live across the hall from each other. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to have a meal at his place?"
Her tone was light, tinged with exasperation at her friend’s over-the-top reaction.
Putting down his backpack, Shen Yuan chimed in at the right time. "Yeah, what’s the big deal? I eat at her house all the time, too. I love her dad’s cooking."
Seeing their completely matter-of-fact expressions, the fire of gossip that had been raging in He Zhiyu’s mind was mostly extinguished.
She blinked. The shock on her face slowly faded, replaced by dawning comprehension—a look that said, ’Oh, right... I guess that does make sense.’
The little author rubbed her nose in embarrassment and mumbled, "Ah... right. I forgot you two were childhood sweethearts."
A moment later, however, He Zhiyu looked up at Li Zhi and Shen Yuan.
"By the way, did the kittens’ spay/neuter surgery go well?"
Li Zhi nodded, her face full of relief. "Yeah, it went very smoothly. Now we just have to keep them from jumping around too much, so the incisions don’t reopen."
Shen Yuan, who was looking down and organizing his desk, heard her words, and the corners of his mouth curved up in a barely perceptible smile.
He turned, leaning his upper body toward Li Zhi until his shoulder almost brushed against hers. His tone held a hint of someone fishing for a compliment.
"Of course it did. I mean, look who did all the prep work."
At his words, Li Zhi couldn’t help but turn her head, her gaze falling on the face that was now extremely close to her own.
Her reflection was clearly visible in Shen Yuan’s eyes, which shone with an expectant light that screamed, ’Hurry up and praise me!’
Seeing his expression, so clearly begging for praise, a gentle smile slowly blossomed on the girl’s lips. The warmth reached her eyes, making them as radiant as a sunbeam melting the first snow.
She reached out her right hand. The small, fair hand rose gently and landed perfectly on the crown of Shen Yuan’s head.
Her fingertips gently ruffled his soft hair in a soothing gesture, filled with an obvious sense of indulgence.
"Yes, yes, it’s all thanks to you," she said. "I’m so glad you were there. I wouldn’t have known what to do otherwise."
The praise in her words was unmistakable, and they even held a faint, almost imperceptible trace of soft reliance.
He Zhiyu, whose brain had just barely accepted the logic that "having dinner at Shen Yuan’s place is normal," suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. She froze completely, as if hit by a petrification charm, the expression on her face solidifying!
Her eyes shot wide in an instant, and her mouth fell open, wide enough to fit an egg.
’What "big deal"? What "matter-of-fact"? What "normal"?’
He Zhiyu felt like her brain’s CPU was overloading!
’Wasn’t *this* worth making a big deal about? Was *that* a matter-of-fact tone? Was *that* a normal gesture?’
’And Li Zhi’s eyes! That tone of voice!’
’This... this... this was definitely not the Li Zhi and Shen Yuan who were always teasing and bickering with each other!’
’The concentration of sweetness in the air was so far off the charts it was enough to make a shipping connoisseur like her ascend to heaven on the spot!’
He Zhiyu could feel her shipping soul screaming.
’Damn this development!’
’This display of affection was so intense, so shameless!’
Her shock and the sheer ecstasy of her ship sailing were all mixed together, robbing her of the ability to speak.
The little author could only stare, dumbfounded, her gaze intense enough to burn a hole through the pair, absolutely fixated on this development that seemed to have hit the fast-forward button!
And of course, at the same time, He Zhiyu was screaming internally.
’Damn it!’
’Just what kind of sweet moments had she missed?!’