Chapter 392 - 202: I Want to Go Back and Do Homework
Chapter 392: Chapter 202: I Want to Go Back and Do Homework
It was a bit early for dinner, but really, shouldn’t you eat when you’re hungry?
"Li Bao," Shen Yuan said, putting down his chopsticks and breaking the silence of their meal.
"What should we do after this? The night view by West Lake is nice, or we could wander around Yintai again? I remember there was a claw machine arcade..."
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi, his voice tinged with enthusiasm for planning their next move.
Li Zhi glanced at Shen Yuan, then immediately looked away.
"Hmm..."
"As for what’s next..." Li Zhi said flatly, "I think I’ll go back and do my homework."
With that, the pretty girl blinked as she looked at Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan froze. "Tired?" he asked softly.
"I’m a little too tired to keep walking." Li Zhi said, propping herself on the table with a weary expression.
"We’ve been out since this morning and only took a twenty-minute break at the hotel. I don’t have your stamina."
Li Zhi watched Shen Yuan, her eyes sweeping over his furrowed brow. Her voice was tinged with guilt. "This is kind of a buzzkill, isn’t it?"
Shen Yuan shook his head. "No, the main problem is that I’m the one who suggested this, and I didn’t plan it out very well."
Looking into Li Zhi’s eyes, Shen Yuan seemed to recall something amusing, and a smile spread across his face. "Besides, didn’t I tell you before we left? I absolutely love doing homework. I’ll go back and knock out a few test papers!"
Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, a smile immediately broke through the faint weariness on Li Zhi’s face.
"Alright, alright. I’d like to see you try and knock out a few test papers later!"
Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. "So... I’ll come over to your room?"
Li Zhi shook her head frantically. "No, no, no! I’ll come over. I’ll come to you. I’ll bring my papers."
Seeing Li Zhi’s slightly nervous expression, Shen Yuan nodded. "Okay, whatever you say."
"Okay! I’ll treat you to milk tea later!"
...
Carrying two cups of milk tea, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi returned to the hotel.
"Open the door for me in a minute," Li Zhi said before swiping her key card and heading into her room.
She closed the door, and with a soft CLICK of the lock, it was as if the quiet, flowing world outside was completely shut away.
The brief moment of relaxation from dinner vanished, and a familiar feeling of awkwardness quietly crept back in.
Li Zhi walked over to the chair and stared at her backpack.
After a deep breath, her fingers moved stiffly to unzip the backpack. Her movements halted the moment her fingertips brushed against the stack of test papers inside.
’Am I really going... to his room to do homework?’
The thought surfaced clearly in her mind, and her cheeks began to burn.
Sure, Li Zhi often went to Shen Yuan’s house to do homework, and he was always at her place too.
’But this isn’t one of their homes!’
’Childhood friends, in the same hotel room...’
’This is way too intimate!’
’Wouldn’t it be better to just do my homework here, all by myself? Why do I have to go over to Shen Yuan’s room?’
Li Zhi bit her lip, starting to have second thoughts.
’But...’
’But I promised I’d supervise his studies before we left.’
As if she’d found the perfect justification, Li Zhi nodded firmly.
’Yeah!’
’That’s it!’
’I’m just going to make sure Shen Yuan actually does his homework! It’s not like I want to go over there or anything!’
Li Zhi gave another forceful nod, then gathered her test papers and a pen.
Just as Li Zhi turned to leave.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
She could feel her heart starting to race.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, Shen Yuan was pacing by the entrance.
"Phew..."
’Calm down, calm down—’
He might be telling himself that, but the thought of being alone in a hotel room with Li Zhi—even if it was just to do homework—was enough to make his heart pound erratically.
Just as Shen Yuan was pacing, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Li Zhi held her breath, waiting for a response from the other side of the door.
The moment the knocking stopped, the lock gave a soft CLICK and the door was pulled open from the inside.
Completely unprepared, their eyes met.
"Ahem!"
Shen Yuan cleared his throat, hastily stepping aside to let her in. He struggled to keep his voice level. "Come on in."
"Mhm," Li Zhi replied, her voice a little tight.
She darted a quick glance at Shen Yuan’s face before her eyes dropped again, her gaze roving over the pattern on the carpet as if it couldn’t find a place to land.
Her heart was thumping in her ears. She subconsciously fiddled with the hem of her shirt with her free left hand as she stepped inside.
The bright light in the room instantly enveloped her.
’Is his room brighter than mine?’ The thought flashed through Li Zhi’s mind before she immediately pushed it away.
’Why am I thinking about this now?!’
Li Zhi walked into the center of the room, her gaze landing on Shen Yuan.
"You take the chair, I’ll just sit over by the coffee table."
"Oh, okay," Li Zhi replied. She felt her response was too quick, too stiff.
The young woman walked to the desk, gently setting down her test papers, pen, and milk tea. She pulled out a chair and sat down, her back ramrod straight.
Shen Yuan casually sat on the nearby sofa, placing his own test papers on the coffee table.
A peculiar silence hung in the air.
Shen Yuan laughed sheepishly. "I guess this 1,000 yuan was worth it. At least there’s plenty of room to do homework."
The words fell, and the awkwardness in the air only thickened.
Shen Yuan scratched his head, annoyed with himself.
’Damn it, Shen Yuan, are you a fucking idiot?’
Just then, Li Zhi’s voice broke the silence. "What test papers did you bring?"
"Huh? Math, physics, and chemistry."
Shen Yuan’s reply was almost instantaneous, startlingly fast.
Li Zhi opened her mouth. "Oh, I, I brought the same ones. If... if you don’t understand anything later, you can ask me."
Shen Yuan nodded.
Almost in unison, they both feigned nonchalance and lowered their heads, hovering their pen tips over the paper as they pretended to ponder the questions before them.