Chapter 398 - 204: Nothing Happened
Chapter 398: Chapter 204: Nothing Happened
"You idiot, Shen Yuan! What are you laughing at?!"
Li Zhi’s voice suddenly jumped an octave, filled with the flustered anger of being caught. But she shot a quick glance at Shen Yuan and just as quickly retracted it. Her imposing manner fell completely flat; the bright red tips of her ears gave everything away.
"I’m not! Not laughing! I’m really not! That was just... um... my throat was itchy!"
Shen Yuan quickly tried to wipe the smile off his face.
’That’s right,’ he thought. ’All that walking and shopping takes a lot of energy, and we ate dinner so early. Plus, she’s been battling this sea of practice problems for so long... How could she not be hungry?’
His heart softened, and his teasing mood was immediately replaced by concern.
Shen Yuan cleared his throat, pulled out his phone, and swiped through a food delivery app. His tone returned to its usual, inquisitive cadence.
"What do you want to eat? How about some barbecue? Pork loin, pork belly, enoki mushrooms..."
Shen Yuan tentatively listed a few of the barbecue skewers Li Zhi usually liked.
Before he could finish, another distinct "GURGLE" echoed through the room.
Li Zhi froze as if someone had hit the pause button. Her cheeks instantly went from flushed pink to the color of a ripe tomato, and even her ears and neck were tinged with crimson.
Watching Li Zhi bury her head in her chest, her ears glowing red, Shen Yuan’s heart gave an embarrassingly heavy thump. He almost lost the battle to keep the smile from spreading across his face.
’Holding back my laughter right now is way harder than solving that electric field problem!’
After a brief silence, Li Zhi suddenly snapped her head up as if to cover up her embarrassment. Her eyebrows shot up as she glared fiercely at Shen Yuan.
"Did you hear that or not! If you heard it, then go order the food!!"
Li Zhi snatched up the other pillow from the sofa and quickly threw it at Shen Yuan.
"Ordering, ordering, I’m ordering right now!"
Shen Yuan quickly opened the food delivery app.
"Pork belly, enoki mushrooms, and rice cakes. Some potato slices too? And a couple of grilled chicken wings? Want some eggplant?"
Shen Yuan rattled off the menu items, his fingers tapping nimbly on the screen.
At that moment, Li Zhi wished she could just shut Shen Yuan’s mouth.
’Just order the damn food! Why are you announcing it all out loud!’
Fortunately, Shen Yuan was a fast orderer, and he was done in no time.
"All set! It’ll be here within 40 minutes!"
As Shen Yuan finished speaking, he looked up and met Li Zhi’s eyes, which were filled with "indifference."
Li Zhi didn’t say a word, just shot him a cold, sidelong glance that seemed to ask, ’How long are you going to be this clueless?’
The room fell silent in an instant.
The few seconds of silence felt like they stretched on for an eternity.
In the end, it was Li Zhi who broke the strange silence.
She cleared her throat and tapped her knuckles—index and middle finger—lightly on the coffee table, making two soft "TAP, TAP" sounds.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a hint of someone trying to force the conversation back on track.
"Are you done with your math worksheets?"
"Huh?" Shen Yuan was taken aback and answered subconsciously, "Not yet."
Li Zhi immediately glared at him. "Then what are you waiting for? Get back to it! Don’t just stand there like an idiot waiting for the food!"
"Oh! Right!"
Shen Yuan quickly took out his homework.
...
The fragrant aroma of barbecue, a mix of cumin and rendered fat, still lingered faintly in the room.
A few empty plastic containers were stacked on a corner of the coffee table, with bamboo skewers scattered haphazardly among them, silently proclaiming their "victory" from the recent late-night meal.
The feeling of a full stomach soothed away much of their earlier tension and fatigue.
Li Zhi let out a contented sigh and subconsciously rubbed her slightly bulging tummy, a satisfied, full-bellied look on her face.
Leaning back on the sofa, Shen Yuan casually gathered the skewers on the table while watching Li Zhi. Seeing how happy she clearly was after eating, a smile unconsciously spread across his face.
Just then, the alarm on Li Zhi’s phone, which was sitting to the side, began to chime softly—it was the reminder she’d set to mark the end of her study time.
The crisp ringtone was like a tiny needle, perfectly piercing the lazy tranquility.
Li Zhi’s eyes instantly brightened. She stretched, then stood up with brisk efficiency.
"Alright," she said. Her voice held a hint of post-meal laziness, but her tone was crisp.
"I’ve eaten my fill and rested enough."
With that, Li Zhi deftly organized the worksheets, pens, and her unfinished milk tea that were spread out on the desk.
Her movements were sharp and efficient.
Seeing her actions, Shen Yuan understood. The relaxed, contented smile on his face froze slightly, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
But he still stood up right after her.
"Oh... uh, okay," he replied instinctively, his gaze following her as she tidied up.
Li Zhi quickly gathered her school supplies and held them in her arms.
She turned to face Shen Yuan.
The young woman’s gaze swept quickly over Shen Yuan’s face. Then, as if she had found a suitable closing remark, she spoke in the relaxed tone of someone who had completed a task.
"Today’s worksheet quota was... acceptable, I guess. Tomorrow... remember to wake up on time tomorrow. We still have to go to the temple."
Shen Yuan nodded. "Got it. We’ll have breakfast at the hotel tomorrow; it’s included with the room. So... I’ll wake you up early."
Li Zhi hummed in acknowledgment.
By now, the two of them had reached the door.
Li Zhi pulled the door open, stepped outside, and gave Shen Yuan a small smile.
"I’m heading out."
The brief farewell hung in the doorway, followed by the soft click of the door closing.
CLICK.
Crisp and clean.
The door was shut decisively in front of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the closed door.
The leftover barbecue containers on the coffee table seemed even emptier than before.
All that remained in the air was the faintest trace of food and the silence from beyond the firmly shut door.
Standing alone in the hotel room, Shen Yuan let out a soft sigh.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, Li Zhi leaned against her own door, clutching her worksheets, and also let out a long sigh of relief.
There were no dramatic scenes from a TV show or a novel, nothing worth letting one’s imagination run wild over. Everything was just like any other day.
Ordinary and simple.
Nothing happened. Everything was normal.
"...Idiot."
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi spoke at almost the exact same time, each in their own room.