Chapter 407 - 206: Shen Yuan, You Really Deserve to Die
Chapter 407: Chapter 206: Shen Yuan, You Really Deserve to Die
’Goddammit, Shen Yuan, you fucking deserve to die!’
Shen Yuan wished he could reach into the system and give his 35-year-old self a good, hard punch.
’Look at you! Look at the fine mess you’ve made, you dumbass!’
’Couldn’t even bring yourself to talk to her? Pathetic! You’re a worthless coward!’
’Damn it.’
’Shen Yuan, you really deserve to die!’
Just as Shen Yuan was mentally flogging his 35-year-old self, a voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
"Shen Yuan, doesn’t this receding scenery remind you of your receding grades?"
The moment she spoke, Li Zhi’s gaze naturally fell upon Shen Yuan’s face.
At first, her eyes held the mischievous glint of someone making a joke, ready to enjoy the awkward expression he’d surely have after hearing her words.
However, the instant she met Shen Yuan’s eyes, Li Zhi’s heart gave a jolt.
His gaze was locked firmly on her, his eyes swirling with an overwhelming mix of emotions.
This was not the look of the usual, goofy, perpetually smiling Shen Yuan.
Li Zhi had seen this kind of look once before.
It was in the library at Zhejiang University.
Shen Yuan had looked at her just like that back then.
It was a look as if... as if he were watching some kind of heart-wrenching scene.
The mischievous curve of Li Zhi’s lips froze instantly, like a still painting.
The lights of the train car reflected in her bright pupils, and a flicker of confusion could be seen passing through them.
The teasing look in her eyes faded away, as if she had been scalded by the silent, surging emotions in his.
The girl swallowed the retort she had been about to make.
Li Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly felt that in the familiar atmosphere of the train car, something was different.
She subconsciously wanted to turn her head away and pretend to keep watching the scenery, but she found her gaze held captive for a moment by his heavy stare.
A brief silence stretched between them.
Li Zhi cleared her throat, trying to suppress the sudden flutter of panic in her heart.
She leaned slightly toward the window, her gaze still on Shen Yuan, but now with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.
"Hey,"
She tried to keep her voice at its usual pitch, tinged with her customary disdain.
"I just asked you about your grades. What are you spacing out for?"
She paused, then couldn’t help but add, "That expression on your face... it’s like... it’s like you suddenly owe me a lot of money and can’t pay it back."
Her direct question pulled Shen Yuan back to his senses.
Seeing the confusion in the girl’s eyes, Shen Yuan offered a gentle smile.
He raised his hand, not to respond to her "owing money" metaphor, but very naturally placed it gently over the back of Li Zhi’s hand, which was resting on the armrest.
Watching his movement, Li Zhi’s heart leaped.
Just then, Shen Yuan’s voice reached her ears.
"I wasn’t spacing out. It’s just... I just suddenly felt," Shen Yuan said, his gaze shifting to the rapidly receding mountains and fields outside the window. His tone was casual, yet it seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
"The scenery receding outside the window, it’s like... like doing a Silent Reading of a very, very long book. As I was reading, I got a little distracted."
Shen Yuan paused, looked into Li Zhi’s eyes, and gave her palm a gentle squeeze.
"As for the money... COUGH, I mean, the score. I’ll get it. I’ll score a 650 for you on the next monthly exam."
The moment Shen Yuan finished speaking, the back of Li Zhi’s hand curled slightly in his palm.
"Right, right, ’next time for sure’!"
Li Zhi snorted. "Next time, next time. Tell me, when are you ever going to get your score to stabilize at 650?"
"All you do is stare at the scenery. Did you finish the rest of that math test from yesterday?"
"Hmm?"
Li Zhi lifted her chin. "Score 650 in your dreams!"
With that, Li Zhi turned her head to look at the scenery, no longer looking at Shen Yuan.
But a moment later, she whipped her head back around and shot Shen Yuan a glare.
"Still staring at me? If you don’t start your homework, I’m going to get really angry!"
Shen Yuan threw his hands up as if surrendering. "Okay, okay, I get it, I get it. I’ll do the test right now."
Under Li Zhi’s watchful eye, Shen Yuan quickly took his homework out of his backpack and started working on the problems.
Seeing Shen Yuan obediently working on his test, Li Zhi huffed softly before turning to look out the window again.
Her gaze fell on the fleeting greenery outside, the city skyline long since left behind. Ahead was the road home.
It was an ordinary short trip, with no real plans. Even lunch had just been beef over rice.
They had walked until they were too tired to wander anymore, had a rushed dinner, and ended up spending their first time together in a hotel room... doing homework.
Of course, there was also the panic when her mom called to check on her, Shen Yuan hastily scrambling out of the room, and finally, a goodbye that was just like any other.
Even their hotel rooms were separated by just a single wall, the same as at home.
Plain and simple.
’But did nothing really happen?’
The moment they arrived in an unfamiliar city, their tightly clasped hands had already said it all.
When, in the morning light on the temple steps, he had so frankly blurted out, "What do we need a Bodhisattva’s blessing for?"...
...something that had been wrapped in layers by the years was silently confirmed during this seemingly uneventful trip to Hang City.
Some paths no longer required the guidance of gods or buddhas, nor did they need to shake the heavens and earth.
They existed in every "uneventful" moment of daily companionship, and in the certainty that was growing ever clearer in her heart.
Li Zhi turned her head to look at Shen Yuan, who was engrossed in his homework.
’Dumbass. 650. I’ll remember that.’
...
The high-speed train zipped through the network of veins connecting the cities.