Chapter 335 - 185: Li Bao Is a Bad Woman
"What’s wrong? Did you forget something?" Shen Yuan asked instinctively.
Li Zhi pivoted in her slippers, turning to face Shen Yuan inside the room.
A trace of post-nap languor lingered in her eyes, now joined by a hint of mischief.
She tilted her head slightly, the curve of her neck stretching into the shadows toward her delicate collarbone. Her gaze fell straight into Shen Yuan’s eyes.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant, leaving only the silent, interwoven connection between them.
The moist glimmer in Li Zhi’s eyes was like a gently stirred undercurrent in a deep pool, probing straight into the depths of his chest.
Shen Yuan felt his heart skip a beat.
He had absolutely no idea what Li Zhi was about to do.
After a few brief seconds of staring, Li Zhi pursed her lips, and then a soft chuckle broke the silence.
Her voice, with its teasing, upward lilt, was like a little hook, beckoning him. "That’s right, Master Shen. It seems this young master... has forgotten something..."
She paused deliberately, taking a slow, small step forward, the soles of her slippers whispering against the floor.
Light and shadow danced in her hair, and her mischievous smile deepened.
Li Zhi stopped in front of Shen Yuan, and the faint blush on her cheeks, which had been fading, suddenly flared back to life like a firework.
"I seem to have forgotten to give a tip~"
As she spoke, her hand was already rising.
Her fingertips, light and tentative, first touched the fabric of his inner arm, then slid gently as she wrapped her whole arm around him.
A soft but brief hug enveloped Shen Yuan. Her forehead rested in the crook of his shoulder, her voice muffled by their clothes, carrying both a lingering tease and a rare hint of gentleness.
"You worked hard today."
Shen Yuan froze completely.
The sudden softness in his arms, carrying her unique, warm scent, froze him in place.
The warmth and feeling in his arms were so real, yet so unexpected, that it was as if a brief avalanche had occurred in Shen Yuan’s mind.
—It went completely blank in an instant.
He could clearly feel the faint tickle of Li Zhi’s hair brushing against his neck and the warm, tangible pressure of her forehead against his shoulder.
Every tiny sensation was instantly and infinitely magnified.
His heart seemed to stop for an instant, then began to hammer against his chest with a force so ferocious it felt like it would burst right out.
His throat felt as if it were being squeezed by something invisible, strangling any sound. He held his breath as all the blood in his body rushed to his cheeks and ears, making them burn.
His arms, stiff and forgotten, hung limply at his sides. He had no idea what to do.
He felt as if that fleeting hug were a gentle yet irresistible wind, sweeping through all his senses and scattering his thoughts.
This moment of tenderness was fleeting.
Before Shen Yuan’s frozen mind could fully thaw, the warm, soft body pulled away from his embrace.
Li Zhi took a small step back. Her face still held a blush that hadn’t entirely faded, but her almond-shaped eyes were now filled with a lively, cunning smile, even showing a bit of the smug satisfaction of a successful prankster.
She seemed quite pleased to see him looking so dumbstruck.
"Alright!" Li Zhi’s voice was as crisp as ever, though it held a laugh and a hint of an imperceptible rush, as if to conceal the bravado she’d just mustered.
"Tip paid, we’re even! This young master is heading back now!"
Before she had even finished speaking, she had already spun around crisply, her slippers making a quick SLAP-SLAP-SLAP sound as she hurried to the door.
At that moment, Shen Yuan finally remembered to breathe, taking a ragged breath.
"Hey—" Shen Yuan called out. His voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed clearly in the entryway.
Li Zhi’s hand paused on the doorknob, and she looked back in surprise.
Shen Yuan stood his ground, his chin slightly raised. The blush on his face hadn’t completely faded, but his eyes now held a glimmer of his returning wits.
Li Zhi arched an eyebrow at him, her hand still on the doorknob. "What? You want to haggle over the tip?"
Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His gaze landed on her face as the question he’d been holding back slipped out: "So, are we doing this again tomorrow?"
His voice was low, laced with a lingering hoarseness and a barely perceptible thread of hope.
The night seemed to freeze for an instant, pressing down heavily between them. It was as if that thin paper screen separating them had just been quietly poked with another small hole.
The corners of her lips faltered. Then, as if his words had scalded the tips of her ears, the faint blush crept back onto her cheeks at a visible pace.
A soft, indefinable hum escaped her throat.
It was neither an agreement nor a refusal—just a light sound that brushed through the air like a feather.
Right now, Li Zhi just wanted to flee from the air, which was saturated with an unspoken, intimate tension.
The next second, Li Zhi threw open the door to Shen Yuan’s room.
Her slippers beat a slightly rushed, flustered SLAP-SLAP-SLAP against the floor outside, as if the soles of her feet had been burned by the hug she’d just given.
Shen Yuan was stunned for only half a second before his body reacted, moving before his mind could catch up. He crossed to the door in a few strides and followed her out.
The moment he stepped out of the room, Shen Yuan quickly scanned the living room.
His parents were nowhere in sight, and Shen Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.
Shen Yuan quickly caught up with Li Zhi at the front door.
Looking at Shen Yuan beside her, Li Zhi asked warily, "What do you want?"
"I’m seeing you out."
Li Zhi rolled her eyes at him. "It’s literally a few steps. Do you think I’m going to get lost?"