Chapter 390 - 202: I Want to Go Back and Do My Homework
Chapter 390: Chapter 202: I Want to Go Back and Do My Homework
Stepping out of the hotel, they were greeted by the sudden, expansive vista of the lake.
A moist breeze, heavy with water vapor, rushed to embrace them.
West Lake was right before their eyes, like a colossal ink wash painting unrolling itself.
The afternoon sun slanted down, and the lake’s surface rippled with fine, silver waves in the autumn breeze, reflecting the deep blue sky.
Fallen leaves danced down like butterflies, blanketing the winding path and making soft rustling sounds.
Shen Yuan didn’t let go of Li Zhi’s hand. Instead, he took the opportunity to squeeze it a little tighter, turning his head to look at her.
Li Zhi’s gaze was completely captured by West Lake. Her deliberate haughtiness quietly faded away before the magnificent scenery, leaving only a girl’s genuine curiosity.
This wasn’t the first time Li Zhi and Shen Yuan had been to West Lake.
Jiyang was so close to Hang City that a day trip was entirely feasible.
But this was, in the truest sense, their trip to West Lake together.
Shen Yuan watched Li Zhi, chuckled, and teased, "Li Bao, you’re so captivated. Is West Lake better looking than me?"
Li Zhi snapped back to reality and glared at him. "Dumbass! Who wants to look at you?"
Hearing her words, Shen Yuan just chuckled slyly. "Then there’s no problem with me looking at you, right? Li Bao, you’re so beautiful..."
Before Shen Yuan could finish, he was met with Li Zhi’s disdainful gaze. "Then why did you bring me out? You could’ve just looked at me at home if that’s all you wanted."
"Ah, that’s where you’re wrong."
Shen Yuan’s gaze fell upon West Lake, then shifted back to Li Zhi’s eyes.
"Because West Lake is even more beautiful in your eyes."
Reflected in Li Zhi’s eyes at that moment was the shimmering light of an autumn afternoon on West Lake.
Sunlight, shattered against the deep blue sky, danced on the lake in fine silver waves, which in turn sparkled perfectly in her clear pupils, as if the entire vista of lake and mountains were held within the starlight of her eyes, rippling gently with the water.
That fleeting, genuine curiosity was magnified by the unique reflection, making her eyes seem even more vivid than the ink wash painting before them.
However, this picturesque mood was instantly shattered.
Hearing Shen Yuan’s straightforward, cheesy pickup line, the shimmering in Li Zhi’s eyes froze. The natural reverie of a moment ago was instantly replaced by her familiar disdain.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, the corners of her mouth turning down in disgust as she let out a short "TSK."
"Ewww—!" Li Zhi deliberately dragged out the sound, her tone dripping with unbearable annoyance.
"Shen Yuan, that’s enough! So corny! You’re corny as hell! You’re still using cheesy lines from a hundred years ago to hit on people? Did you just crawl off the set of some old-school drama?"
As she spoke, Li Zhi made an exaggerated gagging motion, as if trying to spit out his greasy pickup line.
"Dumbass, I’m warning you, you’d better shut up. Otherwise, I’m calling the cops and telling them you’re deliberately inflicting harm."
Shen Yuan burst out laughing. "Alright, alright, I get it. Let’s go, let’s go for a walk."
The two of them ambled slowly along the stone path by the lake, hands intertwined.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, casting dancing spots of light at their feet.
The autumn wind was gentle, carrying a moist vapor as it swept a few golden leaves into a swirl at their ankles.
The shore of West Lake was teeming with visitors today, yet it didn’t feel noisy.
Not far from Shen Yuan and Li Zhi, an elderly couple supported each other as they walked. A young father lifted his small child high overhead; the child pointed at a distant tour boat, giggling with excitement, their crisp laughter melting into the breeze.
Groups of two and three, young women in Hanfu were taking selfies with their phones by the lake or on an old bridge, whispering and laughing. Some leaned against railings, letting their friends capture a photo of them against the scenic backdrop.
The passersby they brushed past mostly walked at a leisurely pace.
People strolled shoulder to shoulder, chatting in low voices.
A chubby squirrel darted from the roadside grass up the trunk of a tree, causing a passing tourist to gasp softly before pulling out their phone to chase after it for a picture.
The squirrels by West Lake were, perhaps, even more alluring than the scenery itself.
Although Li Zhi’s gaze was occasionally drawn to these lively snippets of life, most of the time her eyes were still involuntarily pulled toward the vast, shimmering surface of the lake and the distant, dark silhouette of the mountains.
Shen Yuan sensed her Concentration and stopped talking, simply holding her hand and slowing his pace even more.
Their hands never parted. They walked on in silence, just like all the other ordinary tourists around them.
As they walked, Li Zhi suddenly stopped before a stone railing by the water, her gaze quietly fixed on the hazy silhouette of a distant, solitary peak.
Shen Yuan noticed the pause in her steps and leaned close to her ear. "What’s wrong?"
Li Zhi’s eyes danced over the scenery. She pursed her lips into a smile, then suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Shen Yuan, I’m giving you a writing prompt. The topic is ’A Trip to West Lake.’ Write an essay and submit it. On the spot."
Shen Yuan froze at her words. The brilliant smile on his face instantly stiffened, and his eyes widened in sheer bewilderment.
"Huh?? Now? Here? Write an essay?!"
"That’s right, now. What’s wrong? Can’t you even manage to write one little essay for me?"
Seeing Li Zhi waiting for an answer with a raised eyebrow, Shen Yuan cleared his throat and quickly adopted a look of serious contemplation.
"Er... um... hold on. An essay. ’A Trip to West Lake.’ Um... The autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright. Li Bao and I arrived at the West Lake Shore, full of excitement..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Hold it right there!" Li Zhi couldn’t help but roll her eyes and grimace in disgust after hearing just the opening.
"Dumbass! Is that opening the best you can do? ’Full of excitement’? ’Gentle and bright’? Are you writing a grade-school essay?"