Chapter 416 - 207: Looks Like You’ve Been Captured
Chapter 416: Chapter 207: Looks Like You’ve Been Captured
The sound of the key turning in the lock was exceptionally clear. The door opened, and a wave of warmth rushed out to greet him.
A single floor lamp was lit in the living room, dispelling the darkness of the entryway.
Shen Yuan closed the door as quietly as he could, afraid of disturbing his parents.
He had been coming home later recently because of Concentration.
Of course, the reason Zhang Yuyan had slipped back to her room so early wasn’t because Shen Yuan was late.
It was simply because the weather was too cold, and she had burrowed under the covers early.
The moment Shen Yuan returned to his room, two fluffy figures leaped nimbly down from the cat tree in the corner.
Naonao dashed to Shen Yuan’s feet, MEOWING.
Shen Yuan scooped him up.
After being neutered, Naonao finally had the full coat of a Lion Cat, his fur astonishingly thick.
The only downside was probably that the little guy shed a lot.
Of course, that wasn’t much different from San Geng.
San Geng’s fur might look short, but he had a dense undercoat!
"San Geng."
San Geng looked at Shen Yuan, flicked his tail, and sauntered away.
Watching his two little cats, the flame of ecstatic joy in Shen Yuan’s heart felt like it had finally found an outlet.
He went over, scooped up San Geng, and carried both little cats to the bed.
"Hey, you two..."
A smile appeared on Shen Yuan’s face. He looked at the three blue eyes and one yellow one before him, and his grin widened.
"I have huge news for you," Shen Yuan whispered, leaning close to the two cats. His voice held a conspiratorial tension, yet it was filled with unprecedented pride and satisfaction.
"Your mom... I think she said yes to your dad today!"
He stuck out a finger, reenacting the precious scene from the hallway. He gave the air a solemn nod, imitating Li Zhi’s expression.
"Just now, when I swore I would definitely score a 650, she nodded! She just said ’En’! ’En’! Did you hear me? It was just one word! But that means she agreed!"
Shen Yuan spoke with ecstatic animation, as if trying to etch every last detail into his two little cats’ minds.
"Your mom, that hopeless tsundere, she nodded! Without any hesitation, she just nodded!"
Shen Yuan nuzzled Naonao’s head. Just as he was about to nuzzle San Geng, San Geng lifted a paw and pressed it against his face with a look of utter rejection.
Shen Yuan chuckled. Ignoring San Geng’s disdain, he swept both cats into his arms with one large motion and nuzzled their warm fur with his chin.
"Do you know what that means? Hmm?"
Shen Yuan looked down at the two little space heaters in his arms, the smile on his face lingering for a long, long time.
That casual "en" from the hallway was now magnified infinitely in his heart, transforming into a sun warm enough to light up the entire winter.
Shen Yuan buried his face and took a deep breath, his nose filling with the clean, warm scent of his cats.
"After the exam is over in a day or two, after the scores come out, then..."
Shen Yuan didn’t say the rest, but the smile on his face grew even brighter.
Shen Yuan laid himself flat on the bed.
He murmured to himself, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, as if he were piercing through time to glimpse a definite future.
「In the room next door.」
After her shower, Li Zhi lay under her covers, feeling their warmth. Her thoughts naturally drifted to that moment in the residential complex.
The firm strength and scorching heat of Shen Yuan’s large hand wrapping around hers.
’This is insane.’
Li Zhi shrank back under the covers.
’I’m savoring it!’
’How could I... How could I have such a clear craving for that level of closeness?’
The moment the elevator doors opened and the icy hallway air rushed in, the instant he pulled his arm away—the huge sense of loss that suddenly washed over her was almost like having a supporting bone pulled from her body, making her falter for a second.
Li Zhi knew perfectly well.
The warmth he provided was a comfort that went far beyond the physical, a kind of... security that her subconscious wanted to drown in.
’This is a dangerous signal.’
Getting used to holding hands was one thing, but becoming attached to his body heat was something else entirely.
And then... there was that "en."
After hearing Shen Yuan’s words in the stairwell, as if possessed, a simple "en" had just slipped out. Even she hadn’t been able to stop it in time.
’Why did I... nod?’
Li Zhi shrank back under her covers again.
She thought about how seriously Shen Yuan had been studying for the past half-month.
’Actually, if the monthly exam tomorrow is a little easier, that guy Shen Yuan could definitely get a 650.’
’Was my nod really just a simple acknowledgment of his changed attitude toward studying?’
’Li Zhi, oh Li Zhi, it seems you’ve been totally won over by that dumbass Shen Yuan.’
’Won over, my ass!’
Li Zhi’s face flushed red.
’Clearly...’
’Clearly, I’m the one who won him over!’
At this thought, the beautiful girl’s head disappeared completely under the covers.
’Dumbass Shen Yuan!’
’If you don’t score at least a 645 on the exam tomorrow, you’re dead meat!’
’Hmm...’
Over the past half-month, her baseline of 650, just like her baseline for holding hands, had been lowered again and again.
But that said, if Shen Yuan really couldn’t even get a 645, then he truly was a dead man.
「The next morning, the cold air gripped the entire city like an invisible hand.」
The miserable children still had to get up in the morning and go to class.
Six o’clock, and the sky wasn’t even light yet!
Shen Yuan shouldered his backpack and pushed open his front door, filled with a kind of indescribable excitement.
At almost the exact same moment, the door across the hall also opened with a CLICK.
Li Zhi’s figure appeared in the doorway.
She was bundled up against the winter chill; it was still a bit cold at this time of the morning.
The moment she stepped out her door, Li Zhi sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
Shen Yuan’s gaze lingered on her for two seconds.
The corners of his mouth lifted instinctively. He was about to say something, but Li Zhi had already looked up at him, her gaze clear and bright, with a coolness unique to the early morning.
"Morning."
Hearing Shen Yuan’s voice, Li Zhi nodded.
’Too cold to talk.’
Shen Yuan reached out and pressed the elevator button. The two of them waited for the elevator to ascend.
While they were waiting, Li Zhi saw a hand appear in front of her.
Shen Yuan’s long, slender fingers twitched, as if in invitation.
Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan’s hand, then pulled her left hand out and placed it on top of his.
The beautiful girl gave a soft hmph.
Shen Yuan immediately clasped Li Zhi’s hand.
Just then, Li Zhi’s front door suddenly opened.
Before the two could separate their hands, they saw Old Li appear at the door holding two cans of milk.
The two of them snatched their hands back as if electrocuted! Their movements were perfectly synchronized!
Old Li watched their guilty reactions and handed the milk to Li Zhi. "Here, warm your hands on the way."
"Oh."
Li Zhi pressed her lips together and shot Old Li an irritated look.
Seeing his daughter’s expression, Old Li knew he’d been misunderstood.
’Heaven and earth as my witness, I really had just come out to give the two kids some milk.’
As for Shen Yuan.
He felt incredibly guilty.