Chapter 389 - 201: She and Shen Yuan, at the Hotel (Part 3)
Chapter 389: Chapter 201: She and Shen Yuan, at the Hotel (Part 3)
They entered their separate rooms and closed the doors.
Shen Yuan closed the door, his gaze sweeping across the room.
It was an exquisite and spacious lake-view room, offering a glimpse of West Lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Soft, warm sunlight filled the room, where dark wood furniture and a light-gray carpet created an atmosphere of understated luxury.
With a sigh of relief, he shrugged the backpack off his shoulder and tossed it onto the sofa by the window, then collapsed heavily onto the soft, large bed.
His hand unconsciously drifted to his chest, where his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Only now did Shen Yuan completely drop his facade.
The composure he had forced himself to maintain in front of Li Zhi instantly crumbled, and his taut nerves went slack like a snapped string.
In truth, the moment he stepped into the hotel with Li Zhi, his heart had already been pounding like a drum.
’So what if the pretty girl was on her first trip with a guy? Wasn’t it the same for him, Shen Yuan?’
’He was a pure and innocent boy, too!’
The dark door closed behind her, shutting out the warm, tranquil light of the hallway and the sight of Shen Yuan.
She took several deep, forceful breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.
Although her nervousness had eased somewhat on the way over, now that she was actually in the room, the feeling came rushing back.
Li Zhi looked around the brightly lit room, pursing her lips.
The carved nightstand, the polished coffee table, the seemingly soft, large bed...
This place was even more unfamiliar than she’d imagined, and it only emphasized the unavoidable fact: she and Shen Yuan were in a hotel.
Even with a wall separating them, the private atmosphere of the space made her feel an indescribable unease.
To distract herself, she began to inspect the room, almost on instinct.
The somewhat compulsive action gave her a sliver of a false sense of security.
After finishing her "security check," Li Zhi collapsed onto the plush bed, letting the soft duvet envelop her.
"...This is so annoying..."
A muffled voice came from under the pillow. "You idiot, Li Zhi, why did you agree to this! That moron Shen Yuan... bringing me all the way to Hang City for a beef bowl. You’re so dead when we get back!"
Li Zhi lifted her head, then turned to the side to look at the bathroom, which was separated from the bedroom by a wall of clear glass.
The girl blushed.
"Moron Shen Yuan! And that stupid Selaan!"
Li Zhi rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling and trying to empty her mind.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about that guy, Shen Yuan.
’I wonder what he’s doing next door.’
At that thought, Li Zhi fell silent, straining her ears for any sound from her room, as if that would help her hear what was happening next door.
Time seemed to fly by.
A little over twenty minutes later, a clear knock came from the other side of the door.
Li Zhi tensed, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.
She didn’t open it right away, instead leaning in to look through the peephole.
A familiar figure was standing outside.
As if sensing her presence, Shen Yuan’s eyes moved to the peephole.
He leaned in close, his magnified eye creating a comical sight for Li Zhi.
"Li Bao, open up."
At his words, Li Zhi opened the door.
Their eyes met.
The warm yellow light of the hallway outlined Shen Yuan’s silhouette.
The moment he saw her, his eyes seemed to light up, and his lips curved into a goofy grin. "Hehe."
"Moron!"
Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "I heard a weird noise just now. You weren’t doing anything strange in your room, were you?"
Evidently used to this kind of "treatment," Shen Yuan’s lip twitched, a complex expression of helplessness and amusement crossing his face.
"What are you thinking about? I was just lying down for a bit..." As he spoke, a look of mock horror appeared on his face. He pointed a finger at Li Zhi. "You were eavesdropping on me!"
"Who’s eavesdropping on you, you moron!"
The tips of Li Zhi’s ears reddened again without her realizing it.
The girl let out a loud "Hmph!", pulled the door shut behind her, and started to walk away.
Just as Li Zhi was about to walk past him, Shen Yuan reached out to grab her hand.
But Li Zhi quickly snatched her hand away, dodging his grasp.
"Bleh! You can’t hold my hand!"
Like a prankster who’d gotten her way, Li Zhi turned and stuck her tongue out at him before quickly spinning around to run off.
She had only taken two steps before he caught her by the wrist.
"Why are you running? What if you fall?"
Hearing his words, Li Zhi puffed out her cheeks and huffed. The adorable sight made Shen Yuan’s breath catch in his throat.
"I’ll run if I want to!"
Li Zhi tried to yank her wrist free, but she couldn’t break Shen Yuan’s grip.
Shen Yuan tightened his grip slightly, pulling the struggling Li Zhi even closer.
"Why bother running? It’s not like you can get away."
Caught off guard by being pulled so close, Li Zhi’s body stiffened slightly as she tilted her head up to look at Shen Yuan.
A flash of astonishment crossed her eyes, as if she hadn’t expected him to speak in such a direct, almost shameless tone.
Beneath the astonishment, a faint blush quickly spread from her neck to the tips of her ears, and she quickly averted her gaze.
But a second later, she forced herself to glare at Shen Yuan again. The blush on her cheeks had yet to fade, but her tone was deliberately raised, laced with her usual haughtiness.
"I... I wasn’t trying to run! You stupid moron, Shen Yuan, stop making things up! I-I’m just excited to go see West Lake!"
As she spoke, Li Zhi’s wrist gave another token struggle in his palm—less an act of resistance than an attempt to hide her recent moment of shyness.
Shen Yuan didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his grip.
"Right, right, we’re going to see West Lake. All the more reason not to run around. If we get separated and a certain someone can’t find me, they might just start crying."
Hearing this, Li Zhi instantly bristled like a kitten, glaring at Shen Yuan with cheeks flushed in anger. "Who would cry?! You moron, Shen Yuan, stop spouting nonsense! I wouldn’t get lost!"
With that, she gave Shen Yuan’s arm a hard tug, urging him on. "Let’s go! Stop dawdling, what are you doing!"
"Alright, alright."
Shen Yuan took her hand in his. "We’re going."