Chapter 283 - 170: Li Zhi: I Have Someone I Like (2)
Shen Yuan shrugged at the dark screen, set down his phone, and let his gaze fall back on the draft paper covered in his thoughts. The only sound in the room was the soft scratch of his pen on the paper.
About fifteen minutes later, Shen Yuan finally got up and went to the bathroom.
Before he left, Shen Yuan didn’t forget to send Li Zhi a message.
Shen Yuan showered quickly; it was just a matter of rinsing off.
And Li Bao was also pretty fast, as long as she wasn’t washing her hair.
But given the time, she was most likely washing it now.
When Shen Yuan came out of the shower, he saw that Li Zhi had replied to his message.
’Now that’s what I call a time management master!’
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle as he read Li Bao’s reply.
But his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, once again tapping on that familiar name and initiating a video call.
The call rang for a long time before it was answered.
The other end of the video was a blur of glaring light, accompanied by a loud WHIRRING noise.
Li Zhi’s face was a little blurry on camera. Her head was tilted to the side, a hairdryer in one hand while the other haphazardly tousled her damp, long hair.
Having showered, Li Bao had changed into a set of light-colored cotton pajamas that looked incredibly soft. The loose collar and sleeves gave her an unexpectedly gentle appearance.
Through the screen, Shen Yuan’s gaze rested on the damp, slightly messy tips of Li Zhi’s hair, her pink-tinged cheeks, and that soft set of pajamas.
The ROAR of the hairdryer paused. Li Zhi held it a little farther away and asked irritably, "What is it now? Don’t tell me you’re stuck again."
Li Zhi waited a few seconds without a reply, then lifted her eyes in confusion to look directly at the screen—
And then she caught Shen Yuan’s focused gaze fixed right on her.
Li Zhi’s brow furrowed instantly. "What are you looking at! You creep!"
Faced with Li Zhi’s rebuke, Shen Yuan didn’t show the slightest hint of embarrassment. Instead, his lips curved into an even more obvious, appreciative smile.
He met Li Zhi’s glare from the other side of the screen, his voice filled with unconcealed amusement as he said clearly, "I’m looking at how beautiful you are, Li Bao."
As expected, Li Zhi immediately rolled her eyes, her disdain practically spilling off her face.
The words "You’re hopeless" were practically written all over the beautiful girl’s face.
"Shut your mouth! Don’t gross me out."
The roar of the hairdryer whirred in the background of the video call.
Watching Li Zhi, the smile on Shen Yuan’s face deepened.
He switched hands propping up his head and casually changed the subject, as if her "creep" comment had never happened.
"By the way, it’s been getting colder lately. Should I wake you up a bit later tomorrow morning? Let you sleep in a little?"
Li Zhi shot him a sidelong glance through the screen and nodded. "Fine. If someone’s having trouble getting up, then later it is. We can push it to :25? So *you* can get some more sleep."
Hearing Li Zhi’s words, the corners of Shen Yuan’s mouth lifted slightly.
"Alright, then I’ll call you at 5:25 tomorrow. We’ll leave at the usual time."
Li Zhi nodded. "Okay, got it. I’m hanging up if there’s nothing else."
"Can’t you just leave it on?"
"No way. Gross!"
With that, Li Zhi reached for her phone screen. "Hanging up. Sleep early."
After saying their good nights, Shen Yuan watched Li Zhi end the video call.
’5:25. An extra 15 minutes of sleep is good too.’
As the weather got colder, people were more and more inclined to stay in bed.
But there was a good reason for the extra 15 minutes of sleep.
The next day, when Shen Yuan called, the usual grogginess was gone from Li Zhi’s voice.
...
"Mmmph—"
As the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang, the beautiful girl stretched lazily.
Hearing the movement behind her, He Zhiyu turned to look at the just-awakened Li Zhi. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke.
"Zhizhi, look at this."
As she spoke, He Zhiyu handed her phone to Li Zhi.
Li Zhi glanced down and saw it was a photo of herself on her way back with her food tray. It looked like it was taken during dinner yesterday.
"Who took this?"
"It’s from the confession wall. It was posted last night."
Li Zhi looked at the photo of herself, then looked up at He Zhiyu. "What about you?"
"Hm?" The little author was a bit confused.
Li Zhi said, "Didn’t I have dinner with you yesterday? How come you’re not in the picture?"
The little author froze, her mouth falling open. In a slightly melancholic tone, she said, "I was probably cropped out."
He Zhiyu had barely finished speaking when Li Zhi’s voice rang out.
"Well, then that person has terrible taste. Isn’t our Zhiyu adorable?"
Saying this, Li Zhi reached out and pinched He Zhiyu’s cheek. "So adorable. How dare those guys completely ignore our Zhiyu! Damn them!"
He Zhiyu’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like a ripe apple.
The tips of the little author’s ears turned red, clearly flustered by the sudden, intimate gesture.
Ji Ningning, who was organizing her books nearby, heard the commotion and craned her neck to look.
Seeing the photo on He Zhiyu’s phone, Ji Ningning pursed her lips.
In terms of looks, Ji Ningning was already considered one of the top few in Class 15.
But compared to Li Zhi, Ji Ningning always felt like she was two or three tiers below.
Especially when she thought about Li Zhi’s grades, the gap felt even wider.
’The thought of all these first-year high schoolers getting ideas after seeing Li Zhi’s picture on the confession wall is just hilarious!’
Just as Ji Ningning was thinking this, Li Zhi stood up beside her.
"Excuse me."
Ji Ningning quickly made way for her.
He Zhiyu, in the front row, was also getting out of her seat.
After leaving their seats, the two girls walked towards the back door of the classroom.