Chapter 280 - 169: This Is How the Bottom Line Is Broken
He opened one of the boxes. Inside was a simple yet elegant pearl necklace with a gentle luster—exactly as he’d imagined.
This one was for his mom.
He nodded again and again. "Perfect. Thanks, Sister Shui. And please thank the owner for me, too."
Yang Yishui waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t be so formal. What about the other one?"
Shen Yuan set the necklace box down and opened the other one.
Inside lay two exquisite pearl hair clips. The style was almost identical to what Shen Yuan had in mind; in fact, they looked even nicer.
The design was fluid, and each pearl was perfectly round and plump, gleaming with a soft luster.
Shen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
Yang Yishui leaned in for a closer look, clicking her tongue in admiration.
"They do look rather youthful. A perfect gift for your ’mom’."
Yang Yishui deliberately stressed the word "mom," the mischief in her eyes practically overflowing.
Shen Yuan just grinned, completely unfazed by his Eldest Female Cousin’s teasing.
"Words can’t express my gratitude. I’m buying your milk tea all next week!"
Hearing this, Yang Yishui waved her hands frantically. "No, no, forget it. I’m already getting a little chubby."
"Hey—my cousin has a killer figure! You don’t need to diet at all!"
Yang Yishui laughed. "Alright, alright, I won’t argue. If you’re happy with them, then take them and let’s go."
Shen Yuan nodded, so Yang Yishui had the shopkeeper wrap them up.
The two of them left the jewelry plaza and headed back. They just grabbed some burgers at a KFC for lunch. Before returning to school, Shen Yuan also ordered a few milk teas from the shop at the school entrance.
By the time Shen Yuan made it back to school with the milk teas, the lunch break was just ending.
"Li Zhi!"
Li Zhi was in the middle of her schoolwork when she looked up to see Shen Yuan holding out a milk tea to her.
The beautiful girl took the milk tea and asked casually, "Where did you go just now?"
"My mom’s birthday is coming up, so I had my cousin order something for her."
Shen Yuan gestured with the gift in his hand.
Li Zhi didn’t ask what gift he had bought. After all, it was for his mother.
When Shen Yuan returned to his seat, he was grilled by Ah Jie, but his answer remained the same.
’Indeed. They were all gifts for "Mom."’
...
On Thursday afternoon, they had PE class.
After the formation run, Shen Yuan spotted Li Zhi walking toward the gym.
He quickly wove through the crowd to her side and gave her arm a natural nudge with his elbow.
"Want to go for a walk?"
Li Zhi turned her head to look at him. There was a hint of a question in her clear gaze, but she quickly gave a small nod. "Okay."
With that, Li Zhi looked over at He Zhiyu.
Although the little author was reluctant to part ways, she remembered that the "president" was resting in the classroom, so she decided to go keep her company.
"You guys go on ahead. I’m going to check on how Peipei is doing."
Li Zhi gave a slight nod, and the three of them went their separate ways.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi broke away from the crowd heading toward the gym, instead beginning to stroll aimlessly side-by-side on the spacious track.
It was an afternoon in late October. The sun-baked running track was still a little warm, and the air was filled with the clamor of students from other classes.
"Should I get a gift for your mom’s birthday?" Li Zhi asked.
"It’s up to you. Anything is fine, really."
Shen Yuan pouted. "I think my mom would be thrilled even if you just gave her a black pen."
"I’m being serious. Stop messing around."
"I’m being serious, too."
Seeing Li Zhi’s eyes widen slightly, Shen Yuan relented. "Okay, okay. You could get her something fun. My mom is pretty fond of strange and quirky little things."
"Asking you was pointless." Li Zhi shook her head. "Forget it, I’ll figure it out myself. What did you get her?"
"A necklace. A pearl necklace."
Li Zhi nodded but didn’t say anything.
As they chatted, Li Zhi’s gaze returned from the far side of the track, and she inadvertently glanced at the signs around them.
The beautiful girl paused, stopping to look around. A hint of realization and light teasing entered her voice. "Shen Yuan, where are you planning on taking me? It looks like we’re getting a little far from the track."
Shen Yuan didn’t stop walking. He turned his head to look at Li Zhi, a matter-of-fact smile on his face. "Oh, we are. Isn’t this nice?"
He lifted his chin, gesturing toward the somewhat crowded track behind them as he explained:
"Look how crowded the track is. Besides, it’s PE class. The teacher doesn’t sweat the small stuff, and they’re not taking attendance or calling us to assemble. It’s free activity time."
"Wouldn’t finding a quieter place to walk be much better than squeezing through the crowds by the track?"
Shen Yuan’s tone was coaxing.
Li Zhi huffed softly and lifted her chin slightly, her gaze drifting toward a nearby tree-lined path.
The corners of her mouth curved up almost imperceptibly, but she deliberately turned her head away.
"Hmph. Do what you want. But don’t go too far. I want to get ice cream at the campus store later."
Li Zhi leisurely followed Shen Yuan onto the secluded path leading to the back of the school, her steps so light they seemed to follow a rhythm.
The two of them soon left the clamor of the track behind, stepping onto an empty campus path.
The path was shaded by tall trees, and the afternoon sun cast dappled shadows through the canopy. The ground was littered with fallen leaves that rustled softly with each step.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi strolled side by side, at first keeping a subtle distance. Shen Yuan kept stealing glances at Li Zhi’s profile as the sunlight filtered down on her.
After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Yuan’s fingers twitched.
Just as Li Zhi looked up at the trees beside the path, Shen Yuan took the opportunity to reach out, stealthily closing in on her left hand.
But the beautiful girl noticed in an instant. She snatched her arm back as if she’d been struck by lightning, taking half a step back and glaring at Shen Yuan with a frown.