Chapter 294 - 173: You Put It On For Me
Li Zhi was thrown into a bit of a fluster by his sudden, fierce attack. Squealing, she clumsily used a pillow to block him as she retreated, but the smile on her face only grew wider and wider.
The girl seemed to be lost in the pure, instinctual joy of the chase and their playful fight.
She stood on the bed, swinging the pillow in her hands as she chased after Shen Yuan, her feet sinking into the soft mattress only to bounce back up. In the midst of the frantic action, she didn’t even have time to notice that one of her pure-white socks had slipped down.
"WHAM!"
Another solid collision.
Perhaps the duvet was too soft, or perhaps she had put too much force into her swing and lost her balance.
Li Zhi’s foot suddenly slipped! Her entire body instantly lost its equilibrium.
"Ah—!"
With a short cry of alarm, Li Zhi, who had been ferociously brandishing her pillow just a second ago, fell backward uncontrollably.
The soft, fluffy mattress instantly caught her.
The impact of her delicate body sinking into the bed created a dull THUD and a slight bounce, sending her hair and the hem of her clothes fluttering up before settling back down.
The young woman lay on her back amidst the bedding, a few strands of her slightly messy hair clinging to her lightly flushed cheeks. She was breathing in short, shallow gasps from the vigorous exercise and the shock of the fall.
The bedsheet beneath her was now even more of a mess, and the white sock that had already slid down her ankle was completely stripped from her foot by the unexpected tumble, landing pitifully to the side.
Before Li Zhi could even react, a smug, teasing face appeared in her vision.
Shen Yuan let out a mischievous chuckle. Under Li Zhi’s panicked gaze, he gently tapped the pillow on the girl’s face.
"Shen Yuan!!"
Li Zhi grabbed the pillow and sat up, glaring at Shen Yuan, who was now beside her.
"Give up?"
The smile on Shen Yuan’s face was dazzlingly bright.
"No way! Moron!" Li Zhi stared stubbornly at Shen Yuan, fine strands of hair sticking to her slightly sweaty forehead.
Shen Yuan’s gaze swept over the messy bed, and a new curve formed on his lips.
He suddenly leaned down, his fingertips precisely hooking the pure-white cotton sock that had fallen to the foot of the bed when Li Zhi fell.
His long fingers suddenly closed, and the two balls of pure white fabric dangled between them.
"One more trophy."
Shen Yuan deliberately raised his wrist, letting the socks sway gently in front of Li Zhi’s eyes.
Li Zhi subconsciously glanced down, and the sight of her own pale skin against the messy sheets was particularly jarring.
Only then did she realize with a jolt that both of her feet were completely bare, exposed to the cool air.
The girl let out a startled cry and hastily grabbed the comforter that had been tossed aside, pulling it in front of her. She stuffed both her feet and ankles deep into the bedding, leaving only the crumpled edge of the comforter wrapped tightly around the contours of her legs, terrified of revealing even another sliver of skin.
After hiding her feet, Li Zhi looked up and glared at Shen Yuan.
"You moron, Shen Yuan! If you don’t give them back... believe it or not, I’ll start crying right here, right now! I mean it!"
Hearing this, the smile in Shen Yuan’s eyes deepened.
"Cry?" He drew out the word, letting out a soft hum, his tone filled with playful certainty. "I don’t believe you."
The moment Shen Yuan’s words fell, the beautiful girl’s eyes instantly welled up with moisture.
Tiny teardrops, like morning dew, gathered at the rims of her eyes, but they stubbornly refused to fall.
Her lips formed a pout, the corners of her mouth turning down pitifully, and a barely audible sob escaped her throat.
"Sob... You’re bullying me..."
Li Zhi sniffled sharply, her voice trembling and nasal. She bit down hard on her plump, glistening lower lip.
The look of certainty on Shen Yuan’s face instantly froze.
He immediately dropped his smug expression and rushed forward a step, leaning down toward the figure curled up on the bed.
"Hey, hey, don’t actually cry..." His voice subconsciously softened, tinged with a panic he himself didn’t notice.
In his haste, Shen Yuan instinctively raised his hand, wanting to brush away the teardrop that was about to fall from the corner of Li Zhi’s eye.
However, in the next second—
"SMACK!"
A crisp slapping sound rang out.
Li Zhi jerked her head to the side to dodge, and at the same time, she unhesitatingly used all her strength to slap away Shen Yuan’s outstretched wrist.
"Get away!"
Li Zhi’s voice was thick and nasal, but even through her sobs, it didn’t lose any of its force.
"You’re holding socks in that hand, you moron!"
Shen Yuan froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
But the moment he started laughing, Shen Yuan was met with a kick from Li Zhi.
Through the comforter, the force of her foot kicking his body was completely painless.
"Moron! What are you laughing at!"
The beautiful girl’s voice still held a hint of a sob.
Shen Yuan waved his hands repeatedly. "I’m not laughing, not laughing! Here, you can have your socks back!"
He held out the socks in his hand, offering them to her. His eyes, however, were locked on Li Zhi’s, waiting for her reaction.
Li Zhi looked at the socks in Shen Yuan’s hand, quickly snatched them, and clutched them in her palm. When her fingertips felt the residual warmth on the cotton, a look of disgust suddenly appeared on her face.
"They’re so gross, all covered in your hand sweat."
Shen Yuan blinked. "Well, should I get you a new pair?"
Shen Yuan had plenty of socks at home, after all.
"I don’t want them!" Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan. "I don’t want your socks! Not even new ones."
"Then what?"
The beautiful girl glared fiercely at Shen Yuan, then suddenly threw the socks in her hand forcefully back into his lap.
"They’re covered in your hand sweat, so you put them on for me!"
Caught off guard, Shen Yuan caught the two balls of pure white cotton socks that had been thrown back at him, slightly stunned.
He looked down at the fabric in his palm, which still held the girl’s body heat and faint scent. An indescribable feeling quietly crept from his fingertips to his heart.
’This wasn’t some stolen property being returned, was it?’
’This was clearly... a reward of sorts, born from her flustered compromise.’
The moment the thought occurred to him, Shen Yuan couldn’t stop a deeper smile from spreading across his face.
"Pervert! What are you smiling at!"
"Nothing, nothing!"
"As you command, Young Master Li!" Shen Yuan’s tone was deliberately lazy, the amusement nearly overflowing from his eyes.
Just as Shen Yuan finished speaking, a fair, well-proportioned, jade-like foot peeked out from under the covers, shy yet with a hint of bold entitlement.
The top of the foot was delicate and smooth, with faint, pale-blue veins visible beneath the skin. The lines of the slender ankle were exquisite, and the small, rounded toes were curled slightly, like budding flowers.
Li Zhi only stuck out her left foot.
Hidden beneath the comforter, the beautiful girl’s fingertips clenched the edge of the blanket, her pale knuckles turning white, betraying a trace of lingering nervousness and embarrassment.
Her voice came, muffled from under the comforter, laced with urging and feigned impatience, yet unable to hide the slight tremble in her tone:
"Hurry up! Stop dawdling... moron!"
Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly. "Got it."
As requested, Shen Yuan bent down, his movements imbued with a seriousness that had been absent before.
Looking at the girl’s delicate skin, Shen Yuan’s heart stirred.
He lowered his gaze, carefully unfolding the pure-white cotton sock that he had "tainted."
He stretched the soft opening of the sock and slowly, little by little, slipped it over Li Zhi’s slightly curled toes.
Li Zhi stared intently at Shen Yuan’s movements. Her toes could feel the coolness of the cotton mixed with the warmth from Shen Yuan’s palm, a strange sensation as it fitted against her skin.
Shen Yuan’s hands were steady, his movements focused as he smoothed the sock on, his fingertips gently adjusting the cuff to ensure it covered her entire ankle.
A slight tickling sensation made Li Zhi’s toes reflexively curl again, causing the arch of her foot to tense up slightly.
Shen Yuan seemed to feel this subtle tremor and glanced up at her.
"Done."
Li Zhi immediately averted her gaze and pulled her now-socked foot back.
Shen Yuan looked at the left foot Li Zhi had withdrawn, just about to ask a question.
"There’s still the other one!"
Li Zhi’s voice came again, still with that forced fierceness, but the end of her sentence seemed a little softer than before.
As she spoke, her other right foot, as slender and flawless as white jade, emerged from under the covers with a bit of hesitation but even more "bold entitlement," and rested lightly on the edge of the bed.
Under the light, her fair skin seemed to be enveloped in a soft glow, and her small, rounded toes were also slightly curled.
Only this time, there was less of the previous tension and more of an imperceptible hint of... anticipation?