Chapter 305 - 177: Li Zhi Buries Herself Under the Covers Again
The cool touch of the back of her hand still lingered on Shen Yuan’s fingertips. Instead of pulling away at her words, he pushed his luck, brushing his knuckles against her taut joints.
"Hey, look—"
Shen Yuan pointed across the street. "Once we cross, we’ll be right at the residential complex. There’s hardly anyone on the road at this hour."
Li Zhi couldn’t help but look away from Shen Yuan’s smiling gaze. A faint, almost imperceptible tremor broke through her feigned composure.
She put on a brave face and took two steps forward, her voice intentionally raised but still sounding faint and weak. "Even if there’s no one around, don’t even think about holding my hand! It’s absolutely not happening outside the complex!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a warm palm suddenly covered her cool hand. His fingers slid decisively between hers, locking them in a firm clasp.
"Shen Yuan! You..." Li Zhi gasped, instinctively trying to pull her hand away.
But Shen Yuan gave her no chance to break free. A triumphant smile curled his lips as he gave a gentle tug, turning her toward the street.
The streetlights danced in his eyes, reflecting a spirited, youthful slyness. "Stop dawdling! The light’s green. Let’s go!"
Before he even finished speaking, he was already pulling her along, striding purposefully toward the complex entrance on the other side of the crosswalk.
The suddenness of it all made her heart skip a beat, then begin to hammer violently against her ribs.
Her cheeks instantly grew scorching hot. A deep blush spread all the way to the tips of her ears and down her neck, the heat so intense she could hardly keep her eyes open.
This wasn’t the first time they had held hands. It wasn’t even the first time they’d done so outside the complex.
But for some reason, Li Zhi felt as if they were on full display for all the world to see.
Her fingers tried to pull away, but Shen Yuan’s grip was steady and strong. With an undeniable firmness, he seemed to lock down both her fluttering heart and her futile resistance.
The struggling in her fingertips gradually lost its strength.
Li Zhi let out a sigh of resignation. Her tense hand relaxed, and she fell into step with Shen Yuan’s rhythm.
The streetlights stretched their entwined shadows long and thin. Li Zhi tried to hide behind Shen Yuan, her lips pressed tightly together in embarrassment.
Shen Yuan led Li Zhi across the street.
As soon as they crossed, her utterly unthreatening voice sounded in Shen Yuan’s ear.
"Let go..."
Hearing her soft, sweet voice, Shen Yuan didn’t let go. Instead, he just smiled and tightened his grip, locking her hand firmly in his palm.
Li Zhi was instantly both embarrassed and annoyed. She gave the back of his hand a light pinch and muttered, "Pervert..."
Despite her words, however, Li Zhi made no further attempt to struggle.
She simply let Shen Yuan lead her all the way into the complex.
The streetlights in the complex were much softer than the ones on the main road, casting a warm yellow glow. Their shadows stretched and intertwined on the ground, pulled along by their joined hands.
Holding Li Zhi’s hand, Shen Yuan couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
"Go on, laugh! Keep laughing, you pervert!"
Li Zhi angrily pinched the fleshy part of his hand between his thumb and index finger again. This time, she really put some force into it, making Shen Yuan wince in pain.
"I’ll stop! I’ll stop laughing! My bad, my bad."
Seeing Shen Yuan surrender, Li Zhi finally relaxed her grip.
They walked side-by-side in silence for a little while.
Li Zhi, who had been keeping her head slightly bowed, suddenly seemed to remember something important.
"Shen Yuan," Li Zhi said, looking up at him. "I need to get home early today. It’s getting late."
’Changing seats today took up a lot of time.’
Shen Yuan sensed the seriousness and slight anxiety in her voice. He turned to look at her profile, softly illuminated by the streetlight, and his eyes lit up.
He said in a teasing tone, "My parents are on vacation, so no one’s home. It’s fine if we stay out a little later."
Li Zhi shot him a glare, her cheeks seeming to flush a faint red again in the soft light.
Her almond-shaped eyes went wide, filled with obvious, flustered anger, and her voice rose unintentionally.
"W-what’s it to me if no one’s at your house?! I... I have people at my house! My parents are waiting! You—you pervert! What are you thinking?!"
Her indignant tone carried its usual touch of haughtiness and an undisguised panic. The word "pervert" was more like her go-to weapon for covering up her shyness.
The moment she finished speaking, Li Zhi seemed startled by the volume of her own voice. Or perhaps she was too embarrassed to look at the cheeky expression on Shen Yuan’s face any longer.
She quickly ducked her head, tugged on his hand, and muttered, "Come on, let’s just go!"
Seeing her like this, Shen Yuan’s smile deepened.
"Alright, I get it."
He squeezed her slender hand a little tighter and obediently picked up his pace, walking with her toward her apartment building.
An evening breeze drifted through the complex, carrying the faint sound of their conversation on the night air.
"You know, since we changed seats today, it’s fine if we get back a little late."
"Get lost! You pervert!"
...
Shen Yuan gently closed the front door behind him. In an instant, a heavy silence enveloped him in the foyer.
The intimate atmosphere from their walk—a mix of the peachy scent of her hair and the lingering echo of his own racing heart—was abruptly diluted by the empty chill of his home.
Shen Yuan walked straight to his bedroom.
CREAK—
He pushed the bedroom door open. He hadn’t turned on the lights yet, but the starlight filtering in from the night sky was enough to outline the general shapes inside.
Shen Yuan’s gaze instinctively fell upon his bed.
—It was still a total mess.
Moonlight slid silently across the surface of the comforter, casting dark little hollows into its tangled folds.
The bedding was still unmade, looking just as rumpled as it had a short while ago.
But unlike before, there was now a cat nestled in the blankets.