Chapter 287 - 171: They’re All Gifts for Mom
Shen Yuan nodded.
After returning to his room, Shen Yuan took the opportunity to start a video call with Li Zhi.
Neither of them had showered, and they stayed on the video call until it was time to sleep.
The next day, they were both glad they had gone to bed early and woken up late.
Because they had a full day of fucking exams again on Saturday!
It was utterly insane and inhumane!
After evening self-study ended, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi dragged their exhausted bodies on a walk through their residential complex.
The ground lights cast a warm yellow glow on everything, but they did nothing to dispel the weariness clinging to the two of them.
Their schoolbags weighed heavily on their shoulders, and their feet felt as if they were filled with lead. All they wanted was to float home and collapse onto their beds.
Neither had the energy to talk. Like two small animals with their batteries drained, they moved slowly along the complex’s paths out of sheer habit.
Perhaps because this was the second time they’d gone through such an ordeal, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi somehow still had the strength to hold hands today.
Hand in hand, they walked and walked, their steps unconsciously straying from the direct path home. They circled aimlessly beside the complex’s garden, both of them cherishing these fleeting moments.
After circling about halfway, Shen Yuan finally turned his head to look at the equally weary girl beside him.
He cleared his slightly dry throat, his voice a little hoarse. "Li Bao?"
"Hmm?" Li Zhi responded languidly without even lifting her eyelids, her foot unconsciously kicking at a small pebble by the roadside.
Shen Yuan paused, seeming to gather his words. "Um... later, do you want to... come over to my place for a bit?"
His words finally made Li Zhi lift her eyelids slightly, her gaze holding a question and a trace of instinctual hesitation.
Shen Yuan quickly added, "...It’s just, I have something I want to give you."
His voice wasn’t loud. His tone held a hint of anticipation, hard to detect beneath his exhaustion, but also the cautiousness of someone afraid of being rejected.
"Huh?"
Li Zhi was a little confused.
’Giving me something? What’s the occasion?’
"You’ve been giving me a lot of things lately."
Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Shen Yuan wasn’t concerned. "So what? It’s not like I’m giving you anything expensive."
"But you always have ulterior motives after you give me things."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan almost lost his composure. "You..."
But Shen Yuan didn’t say much more, instead continuing, "Come on, you’ll definitely like it! Just think of it as... going to see those two little ones."
"...Alright," Li Zhi responded softly, the hesitation on her face replaced by a barely perceptible trace of agreement. "Then... just for a little while. I’m really only going to see them... mmhm!"
"Yup! Don’t worry, it’ll be quick!"
Shen Yuan instantly perked up, a smile appearing on his face as if some of his exhaustion had been washed away.
Taking Li Zhi’s hand, Shen Yuan headed toward his home.
A short while later, Shen Yuan brought Li Zhi to his apartment.
"Come on, let me show you what I’ve prepared!"
As he spoke, Shen Yuan reached out to take Li Zhi’s hand again.
But Li Zhi quickly took half a step back, warily hiding her small hands.
The beautiful girl’s delicate brows furrowed. "What are you doing!"
Seeing her reaction, Shen Yuan’s tone became coaxing. "There’s no one home. It’s just the two of us."
Li Zhi’s gaze hesitated for a moment between Shen Yuan’s expectant face and his hand, which was suspended in mid-air.
But in the end, she took a deep breath and looked at Shen Yuan with unwavering resolve. "No. Shen Yuan, not in the house."
"But didn’t we hold hands at your place? And no one was home then, either."
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi, his gaze very serious.
"That was..."
The girl pursed her lips, at a loss for words.
Finally, Li Zhi resorted to playing stubborn. "It’s just not okay! If you insist on holding hands, then I’m going home."
Looking into Li Zhi’s eyes, Shen Yuan finally relented.
"Alright, have it your way."
But he quickly cheered up again. "Come, come, let me show you what I bought! You’ll definitely love it!"
Watching Shen Yuan walk toward his room, Li Zhi followed, half-convinced and half-doubtful.
As soon as she stepped into the room, Li Zhi heard the meows of two little kittens.
The joy that immediately filled the girl’s previously hesitant face was unmistakable.
"Genggeng, Naonao, Mama’s here to see you!"
Shen Yuan glanced at the girl cuddling with the kittens, then went to get the hair clips himself.
When Shen Yuan emerged again, he was holding a palm-sized, deep blue velvet box, almost identical to the one that had held the necklace.
A trace of subtle nervousness on his face, he walked over to Li Zhi.
"Here, open it and see," he said, holding out the box.
Li Zhi took the box, her fingertips brushing across the smooth velvet surface.
She glanced up at Shen Yuan—the boy’s expression was a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.
The girl lowered her lashes and gently opened the lid.
Nestled in the soft lining were two pearl hair clips.
Their design was simple, small, and exquisite. The smooth pearls, which had a gentle luster, were delicately set on the base of the clips.
Li Zhi’s gaze lingered on the hair clips for several seconds. When she looked up at Shen Yuan, her pretty eyebrows rose slightly.
"Isn’t this the gift you got for your mom?"
"Ahem!" Caught red-handed, Shen Yuan’s ears instantly turned crimson.
But he immediately started explaining.
"Ah, right! It was for my mom, that’s correct! But, my mom’s gift is a different one. I just wanted to give you a surprise, so... I didn’t tell you."
That’s what Shen Yuan said, but he was thinking something else entirely.
’How is it not for a mother? It’s for San Geng and Naonao’s mother. Isn’t that still for a mother?’
Watching Shen Yuan try to act tough while failing to hide his guilt, Li Zhi couldn’t help the slight upward curl of her lips.
Her fingertips gently caressed the smooth surface of one of the pearl hair clips. Feeling its cool touch, her expression softened considerably.
She didn’t speak right away. She just took the delicate clip from the box, held it between her fingers, and examined it under the room’s light, the pearl’s luster reflecting in her eyes.
Seeing that she didn’t press the "for your mom" issue, Shen Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a low voice, "So? Are they nice? I picked them out myself. I think this style is great, very versatile."
Li Zhi, still holding the clip, looked up at him. The room’s light was reflected in her beautiful eyes, as was the boy’s expectant and slightly anxious face.
She didn’t immediately say whether she liked them or not, but her focused gaze and the slight curve of her lips said it all.
In the small room, the only sounds were the contented purring of the kittens and the warm, unspoken understanding that passed between the two of them in the silence.
The pearl between the girl’s fingers seemed to have a gentler glow than moonlight.
And the girl before him was gentler still than the pearl.
[Mission Complete!]
[Give Li Zhi a new hair clip. Reward: A portion of Li Zhi’s memories! (Completed)]