Chapter 409 - 206: Shen Yuan, You Really Deserve to Die
Chapter 409: Chapter 206: Shen Yuan, You Really Deserve to Die
Old Li smiled, acting as casually as ever, as if he hadn’t just seen a thing.
Li Zhi forced a smile. It was an ugly one, looking as though she had simply twitched the skin on her face.
Old Li then turned to Shen Yuan, his expression turning a bit more serious. "Shen Yuan, I asked you to take care of Zhizhi. Did you do a good job?"
"Uh... Uncle Li." Shen Yuan’s throat felt tight. He croaked out the address and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, I did. I did."
The moment the words left Shen Yuan’s mouth, Li Zhi’s voice cut in from the side.
"Like hell you did! Taking me all the way to Hang City just for a beef bowl... seriously?"
Shen Yuan: "?!"
Shen Yuan stared at Li Zhi, his face a mask of disbelief.
Seeing his expression, Li Zhi immediately glared back.
"What? Did I say something wrong? Didn’t you take me to Zhejiang University for a beef bowl?"
Holy shit?!
HOLY SHIT????!!!
’Li Zhi, you... you’re really doing this?!’
Shen Yuan’s mind instantly went to static, with only giant question marks and the words "HOLY SHIT" scrolling frantically across the screen.
"Hey, weren’t you the one who agreed to the beef bowl?! And you even said it tasted better than the ones at school!"
"Agreeing is one thing, but you not planning it well is another!"
The girl lifted her chin, selling Shen Yuan out without a moment’s hesitation.
’Better you than me.’
’So long, Shen Yuan.’
"I...!" Shen Yuan was choked with anger and was about to retort again when...
"Alright, alright, that’s enough!"
Old Li, who had been standing to the side, couldn’t take it anymore and quickly cut them off.
"Okay, let’s head home for now. Dinner is ready; we were just waiting for you two to get back."
As Old Li spoke, he glanced at the childhood sweethearts, then stepped forward. He loosely draped an arm over Li Zhi’s shoulder, gently guiding her forward while also shooting a look at Shen Yuan.
"Let’s go, let’s go. Your mother misses you. You hung up on her video call yesterday, and she was upset for a while. You’ll have to go cheer her up later."
As Old Li led her away, Li Zhi didn’t forget to look back and huff at Shen Yuan.
But as she huffed, Li Zhi suddenly gave Shen Yuan a quick wink.
The corner of Shen Yuan’s eye twitched uncontrollably.
’Smooth.’
’So, dear Zhizhi, is this your master plan?’
’When Old Li might have figured us out, you use our usual bickering to cover up the real situation?’
’You’re really something else.’
Shen Yuan sighed helplessly, his shoulders slumping slightly.
’You’re such a fucking idiot.’
’A complete and utter one.’
’Old Li probably saw everything!’
’What’s the damn point of putting on an act?!’
’In your dad’s eyes, this probably just looks like a young couple flirting and bickering.’
’Flirting with his beautiful, just-turned-18 daughter right in front of my potential father-in-law...’
’Maybe I should just go die?’
That being said, Shen Yuan still trudged after them helplessly.
After all, no matter what...
’Tsk, that wink just now was pretty damn cute.’
...
The car came to a steady stop in the underground parking garage, and Shen Yuan and Li Zhi quickly got out.
After getting out, Old Li reached over and took the backpack from his daughter’s hands.
"Zhizhi, just go straight to Shen Yuan’s place in a bit. We’re having lunch there today. Your mother should already be over."
Li Zhi nodded upon hearing this.
It was just lunch, so it didn’t matter whose house they ate at.
Shen Yuan kept his head down, not daring to interrupt.
The elevator stopped smoothly at 19A. Li Zhi followed Shen Yuan to his apartment, while Old Li made an excuse about going to get some wine.
When Shen Yuan opened the door, Xu Chan was the first to greet them, her face beaming with obvious delight.
"You’re back! Let me have a look at you!"
Xu Chan pulled her daughter close, looking her up and down. "Was the long ride tiring? Are you hungry? The food’s all ready, we were just waiting for you!"
"Shen Yuan, are you hungry? Hurry and sit down to eat."
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi were thus dazedly pushed toward the dining table.
Both of them could clearly sense that something was off, but for the moment, they couldn’t quite put their finger on what it was.
Just as the two were feeling bewildered, Old Li arrived.
Old Li walked in with a bottle of wine and gave Xu Chan a slight nod.
Seeing Old Li’s expression, Xu Chan also breathed a small sigh of relief, then turned to help in the kitchen.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Xu Chan smiled at Zhang Yuyan.
Ms. Zhang Yuyan immediately understood and also felt a wave of relief.
Parents’ worries about their children are often on a whole other level.
After all, when kids go out on a trip, safety is the top priority.
At the dinner table, the parents on both sides chatted with perfect unspoken agreement, asking about this and that, but deliberately avoiding any mention of the hotel.
Shen Yuan had intended to keep up his little act, but the four adults gave him no opportunity whatsoever.
Though, if they had actually brought it up, Shen Yuan might have truly been "physically liberated from this mortal coil."
It was, after all, a very expensive stay.
After lunch, the afternoon sun slanted through the bay window in Shen Yuan’s room, casting a warm patch of light on the floor.
Shen Yuan closed his bedroom door, shutting out the soft clatter of the elders clearing the dishes in the living room.
He turned around to see Li Zhi already sitting comfortably cross-legged in his chair.
Naonao was naturally sprawled across the girl’s lap, enjoying being petted and letting out a rumbling PURRR.
The sight filled Shen Yuan with envy.
"Hey."
Shen Yuan sat down on the edge of his bed. "Say, Li Bao..."
"Hm?" Li Zhi didn’t look up, still gently stroking Naonao’s head.
"Don’t you think..." Shen Yuan lowered his voice, a hint of confusion and probing in his tone, "that your aunt and uncle, and my parents... were all acting a little strange today?"
Li Zhi nodded, raising her eyes to look at Shen Yuan.
"Strange?"
"Yeah," Shen Yuan said with a serious expression. "During lunch, they talked about Hang City, about West Lake, about how big the Zijin Port campus is... They talked about the weather, the traffic, they even mentioned what time we caught the subway..."