Chapter 370 - 196: How About a Hug?
Chapter 370: Chapter 196: How About a Hug?
"Give me your backpack." Shen Yuan reached for Li Zhi’s bag out of habit.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on his somewhat downcast face, then she looked away.
"It’s fine. I’ll just carry it myself today."
When Shen Yuan saw Li Zhi turn and leave after she spoke, he didn’t press the issue.
The backpack wasn’t that heavy, after all. It wasn’t as if Li Zhi couldn’t manage it.
The two of them followed the sparse stream of people out of the brightly lit science building.
On the main path between the academic buildings, figures were sparse, a stark contrast to the daytime bustle.
The evening breeze brushed by, crisp and refreshing, but it couldn’t dispel the heaviness weighing on their hearts.
They walked side by side, their pace deliberately slow.
Li Zhi gripped her backpack strap, her knuckles tightening slightly.
The only sound was the soft scraping of their soles against the ground.
Shen Yuan kept his head down, watching the shadows at his feet stretch and shorten, his thoughts still circling that torturous math problem from the afternoon.
Silence, like a thin veil, enveloped the two of them.
They walked all the way to the road across from their apartment complex. As Shen Yuan looked at the glaring red light, he subconsciously began to reach for Li Zhi’s hand.
Just as he went to take her hand, the moment his fingertips brushed her cool skin, his wrist was seized by a firm grip.
Surprised, he looked up, his gaze abruptly meeting Li Zhi’s calm eyes.
Her gaze lacked its usual sharpness. Instead, it was like the surface of a tranquil lake, silently enveloping all his anxiety.
Just then, the glaring red light turned green.
"Let’s go," Li Zhi murmured, her grip tightening with undeniable force.
She pulled the stunned Shen Yuan straight onto the crosswalk, her steps more determined than when he usually led her by the hand.
The cool breeze brushed past his ears, and Shen Yuan passively followed her lead.
Looking at Li Zhi’s back, Shen Yuan knew exactly why she was doing this.
But he didn’t say a word, simply enjoying the feeling of being led by Li Zhi.
She led him by the hand all the way to the entrance of their apartment complex.
Shen Yuan instinctively glanced toward the gatehouse and caught the envious look in Gatekeeper Xiaoguo’s eyes.
That previously hidden emotion seemed to find an outlet, and a wide grin instantly spread across the young man’s face.
Li Zhi led Shen Yuan into the complex, but her quick pace began to slow.
When they reached a tree-shaded path, Li Zhi suddenly stopped walking.
The girl stopped short and turned to face Shen Yuan.
The soft light from a streetlamp fell on her delicate features, illuminating a subtle hint of hesitation and concern.
"Hey..." Her voice wasn’t its usual crisp tone, but instead held a soft, tentative quality.
"The math test this afternoon... it was genuinely hard. Everyone coming out of the exam hall looked like they’d lost their souls."
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and nodded slightly, a nearly inaudible "mm" from his nose serving as his reply.
Li Zhi pressed her lips together, as if searching for the right words. A moment later, she continued in a tone that was a little softer than usual:
"So... um... what I mean is, it’s not a big deal if you didn’t do well, since everyone bombed it anyway."
The moment the words were out, she seemed to realize that such a soft approach wasn’t her style.
Then, her tone took a sharp turn. Her voice grew louder, and her gaze sharpened.
"But what’s past is past! Tomorrow! You absolutely have to do well on the science exam tomorrow! Snap out of it, you hear me? If you mess that one up too..."
Li Zhi paused, then said quietly, "...then I’m really not going to hang out with you."
A faint smile touched Shen Yuan’s lips, and some of the gloom that had shrouded him seemed to lift.
He reached out, as if by habit, and gently ruffled Li Zhi’s hair. "I know, I know," he said, his voice low and soft.
But Li Zhi reacted as if he’d struck a nerve, swiftly dodging his hand. Her delicate brows furrowed as she huffed, "Keep your hands to yourself!"
Shen Yuan’s smile deepened. He held out his hands and replied in a half-joking tone, "Li Bao, if you really want to comfort me, how about a hug? That might work even better."
Hearing this, Li Zhi reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. She bristled and shot back without hesitation, "Hug? What hug! In your dreams! Just go home already!"
Her clear voice held a barely concealed trace of panic, and her cheeks seemed to flush a light pink under the dim yellow streetlight.
"Alright, alright."
Shen Yuan agreed with a smile.
The two of them, one in front of the other, silently walked into the elevator.
The metal doors closed, and in the small space, only the hum of the elevator and the sound of their soft breathing remained.
Shen Yuan leaned against the elevator wall, while Li Zhi stared intently at the ascending floor numbers, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with her backpack strap.
The silence continued until, with a DING, the elevator reached their floor.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and Li Zhi was the first to step out. Shen Yuan followed behind her.
Li Zhi walked to her front door and took out her keys to open it, while Shen Yuan subconsciously continued walking forward, ready to go to his own apartment across the hall.
He had taken just two steps and was almost at his own door.
"Hey." Li Zhi’s voice suddenly came from behind, carrying a hint of imperceptible hesitation.
Shen Yuan instinctively stopped and turned back in confusion. "Hm?"
The moment he turned, a soft, warm figure suddenly crashed into his arms.
Shen Yuan was caught off guard, his body swaying for a moment before he regained his balance.
Li Zhi had practically thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist for a brief but solid hug.
Her head was slightly lowered, the top of it resting against his jaw, and the faint scent of her hair instantly enveloped him.
The hug was as quick as a gust of wind.
Before Shen Yuan could fully recover from the shock and the tingling sensation, before he could even raise his arms to hug her back, Li Zhi had already taken a sharp step back, quickly putting distance between them.
The light from the motion-activated hallway lamp fell on her face. Shen Yuan could clearly see her lips pressed tightly together, her gaze flickering about, and the tips of her ears bright red.
The pretty girl commanded in a harsh voice, "You’ve had your hug now! ... You must do well on the science exam tomorrow! Or else you’re done for!"
Her voice was laced with an undisguised, flustered anger and a forced ferocity.
Without waiting for a response, she spun around, unlocked her door with a clean CLICK, slipped inside, and SLAMMED it shut.
The hallway instantly returned to silence, leaving only Shen Yuan standing there, a little dazed.
After a moment of bewilderment, a goofy, uncontrollable smile slowly spread across his lips.