Chapter 357 - 192: It’s All the Period’s Fault (2)
"Are you an idiot?! Have you just been standing in the rain this whole time?!"
Shen Yuan was taken aback by her sudden proximity and touch, following her gaze down to his arm.
The feeling of wet clothes clinging to his skin was certainly unpleasant, but he'd been so focused on looking down at her that he hadn't even felt the cold.
But now, as she pinched his frigid sleeve, and he saw the genuine worry in her eyes and heard her affectionately scolding tone, an indescribable warmth instantly flooded his heart, chasing away the chill on his skin.
"You're still smiling! What's so funny?!"
Seeing that Shen Yuan could still manage a smile, Li Zhi's brow furrowed even tighter.
Shen Yuan waved his hand dismissively and rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I was just worried about you getting wet. Your period is coming soon, so it's not good for you to get a chill. I'm fine, I'll just take a shower in a bit."
Looking at Li Zhi's fingers clutching his sleeve and the unconcealed anxiety on her face, Shen Yuan's voice softened unconsciously, as if he were afraid of startling away her heartfelt concern.
Hearing his words, Li Zhi asked, still unconvinced, "Are you really okay?"
Shen Yuan nodded. "Don't worry, I promise. Young guys like me are full of vigor. A little rain is nothing."
Li Zhi shot him a huge eye-roll at his nonchalant attitude and muttered irritably, "Right, right, so full of vigor you need to..."
"Okay, okay!"
Seeing her about to bring up that old topic again, Shen Yuan quickly cut her off, gently steering her by the shoulders toward the building's entrance.
"Let's hurry upstairs! I've been soaking for ages! I need to go take a shower!"
Li Zhi snapped back to reality at his words. "Let's go, let's go! Hurry up and go shower. If you catch a cold, just you see how I'll deal with you!"
Li Zhi grabbed Shen Yuan's hand and started pulling him toward the building's elevator lobby.
Watching her, the smile on Shen Yuan's lips deepened, and he obediently kept pace with her.
The two of them quickly reached the elevator bank.
Li Zhi reached out and pressed the button. The elevator was already on the first floor, and the doors slid open with a DING.
"Get in, quick! It's your floor, too, so stop dawdling." She gave Shen Yuan a shove, then followed him in to stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
After she pressed the button for 19A, the elevator doors slid shut. The small space filled with the damp scent of rain and the smell of Shen Yuan's wet clothes, but Li Zhi's tense expression finally relaxed a fraction.
As the elevator ascended smoothly, Li Zhi's gaze kept drifting involuntarily to Shen Yuan's soaked sleeve.
Seeing her expression, Shen Yuan tried to reassure her again. "Hey, it's really fine. A shower will fix it. Besides, haven't I gotten soaked during a typhoon before?"
"It was warm during that typhoon! It's early November now, and your clothes are soaked through. How is that the same thing?"
Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan.
Just then, the elevator came to a stop with a DING.
They had arrived at 19A.
The elevator doors slid open slowly.
Before Shen Yuan could even take a step, Li Zhi grabbed his wrist, her grip firm and her tone brooking no argument. "Hurry! Stop dawdling!"
She practically dragged Shen Yuan to his front door.
"I know, I know! Slow down, slow down. We're only a few steps away."
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Li Zhi had already pulled him to his front door.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the way she was marching him along like a captured fugitive.
"Keys! Open the door!"
At Li Zhi's command, Shen Yuan obediently fished the keys from his pocket and opened the door.
In the living room, Zhang Yuyan looked up at the sound of the door opening.
The first thing she saw was Li Zhi "marching" Shen Yuan inside. The clothes on the better part of his left shoulder and arm were a large, dark, and obviously damp patch.
Before Zhang Yuyan could even furrow her brow, she saw Li Zhi pushing Shen Yuan toward his bedroom.
"Go take a shower right now, you idiot!"
"I know, I know! Stop pushing. You should head home now," Shen Yuan said as Li Zhi propelled him toward his room.
"No! I'm going to watch you go in and take that shower!"
Witnessing this scene, Zhang Yuyan wisely kept her mouth shut.
After the two disappeared into the room, Zhang Yuyan glanced at Old Shen beside her and said with a smile, "See? She's already starting to look out for Shen Yuan."
Old Shen blinked, looking at his wife in confusion. "Huh?"
Zhang Yuyan rolled her eyes at him. "Think about it. If Shen Yuan had come in alone just now and I saw his clothes were wet, wouldn't I have given him a piece of my mind?"
Old Shen nodded. "You would've said a thing or two, at least. But what does that have to do with Li Zhi looking out for him?"
Zhang Yuyan shot Old Shen another eye-roll and continued her explanation.
"Li Zhi doesn't normally come home with Shen Yuan, does she? So why did she bring him all the way back this time, and even insist on pushing him into the shower?"
Hearing his wife's analysis, Old Shen finally understood.
"Ohhh—"
With that, Old Shen smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, those two..."
Zhang Yuyan smiled faintly. "Just you watch. In a little while, Li Zhi will definitely come out and explain to me why that boy of ours got soaked."
Old Shen chuckled. "Then I'll look forward to seeing it."
Not long after, the door to Shen Yuan's room slid open.
Li Zhi stepped out, her expression back to normal, though a hint of worry for Shen Yuan still lingered around her eyes.
She gently pulled the door closed and turned around, only to meet Zhang Yuyan's gentle, all-knowing gaze from the living room.
Li Zhi paused for a moment. Her gaze fell on the dripping umbrella Shen Yuan had left by the entryway, and her lips thinned slightly.
"Auntie," Li Zhi began, clearing her throat. Her voice was quiet, her tone partly explanatory, and partly a defense of Shen Yuan.
"Shen Yuan... he only got wet because I forgot my umbrella. So please... don't blame him."