Chapter 418 - 208: Under the Desk, Two People’s Hands
Chapter 418: Chapter 208: Under the Desk, Two People’s Hands
"Take it!"
The girl’s voice was short and crisp, a stark contrast to the warmth radiating from the can.
"Oh." Shen Yuan obediently replied, reaching out to take the milk.
But before he could even touch the can, Li Zhi’s sharp reprimand rang out again.
"Switch hands."
Shen Yuan glanced at his outstretched hand. ’What’s wrong with it?’
But it didn’t take long for Shen Yuan to realize what was wrong.
The hand he had extended was the one on the side closer to Li Zhi.
That way, he could warm his outer hand with the hot milk, leaving his inner hand free to hold hers.
’That’s my Li Bao, all right.’
’Being this tsundere is actually kind of cute.’
The muscles in Shen Yuan’s face tensed as he suppressed a smile. He obediently pulled back the hand closer to Li Zhi and held out his other one—the one on the outside.
His fingers had just brushed against the warm can, the heat not yet having had a chance to seep into his palm.
In almost the same instant, the hand he had just pulled back shot through the slightly chilly morning air with practiced ease, precisely capturing Li Zhi’s cool fingertips, which were hanging by her side.
Li Zhi’s fingers had just left the warm milk can, only to be suddenly enveloped by a palm just as warm, which even gave them a gentle squeeze.
"You idiot! Wasn’t kicking you earlier enough?!"
Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan almost as a reflex.
Shen Yuan ignored her retort. Instead, he juggled the milk can in his hand and flashed a brilliant, slightly fawning smile.
"The milk is pretty warm. Perfect for warming my hand."
As he spoke, the pad of his thumb unconsciously brushed against the back of Li Zhi’s hand, as if trying to chase away the last bit of chill from her fingertips.
Li Zhi turned her face away, refusing to look at him. She tried her best to maintain her disgusted expression, her gaze fixed straight ahead on the community’s exit.
Li Zhi let out a long, resigned sigh in her heart.
’Oh, whatever—’
’At least this guy isn’t a completely hopeless case.’
The girl pressed her lips together. The hand held firmly in Shen Yuan’s palm quietly relaxed its tension, finally settling peacefully within his grasp like a little bird that had found a warm nest.
And so, the two of them walked side-by-side, hands joined, heading steadily toward school.
All the way from the quiet, tree-lined path of the residential community to the streets occupied by almost no one but students and breakfast stalls, their hands never once parted.
Until the familiar, crowded area by the school gate came into view.
As students began to appear before them in twos and threes, the sense of privacy from their own little world was slowly squeezed out by the reality of their surroundings.
Li Zhi’s fingertips twitched in Shen Yuan’s palm—no longer a subconscious sign of affection, but a clear signal.
"We’re at the school gate."
Shen Yuan grunted in acknowledgment. Although he was reluctant to let the warmth fade, his sense of reason clearly returned.
He loosened his five fingers slightly, and Li Zhi’s hand pulled back with considerable speed.
The girl quickly shoved her hand into the large pocket of her jacket, as if she had just done the most ordinary thing in the world.
Shen Yuan curled his fingers, feeling the lingering warmth in his palm and the sudden gust of cool wind. A smile mixed with satisfaction and a hint of wanting more spread across his face.
What the two of them didn’t know, however, was that across the street, a figure had suddenly frozen in place.
The smile on He Zhiyu’s face vanished, her eyes wide as saucers.
Her face filled with disbelief, she looked from Li Zhi’s hand, which had been quickly pulled back and stuffed into a pocket, to Shen Yuan’s satisfied smile at her side.
The little author blinked.
’So this is the benefit of waking up early?’
He Zhiyu swallowed hard, and then a huge, goofy grin spread across her face.
’I just got my dose of sugar!’
He Zhiyu was still standing across the street, unable to contain her goofy grin, but her feet were already moving uncontrollably toward the pair.
She jogged across the crosswalk, her schoolbag bouncing on her shoulders, her deliberately raised voice full of a poorly concealed excitement, "Zhizhi! Shen Yuan! Morning!"
Li Zhi turned at the sound of her voice, but her eyes narrowed the instant she met He Zhiyu’s gaze.
’Something’s up.’
The little author’s overly bright eyes clearly spelled out what she had seen.
He Zhiyu’s initial excitement gradually faded when she saw the look in Li Zhi’s eyes.
By the time He Zhiyu was standing right in front of Li Zhi, the smile had completely vanished from the little author’s face.
"Hehe, Zhizhi..."
Before He Zhiyu could say anything, Li Zhi looked at her and issued a warning, "Just pretend you didn’t see anything. Got it?"
The little author shrank back and nodded repeatedly.
At this point, Shen Yuan also realized that He Zhiyu must have seen him and Li Zhi holding hands.
Seeing the little author’s meek and timid look, Shen Yuan decided to just let it go.
’Besides, I actually quite enjoy reading that story, *Defend and Steal*. It’s just that the updates have been getting slower and slower recently.’
While she was busy acting meek, He Zhiyu glanced at Shen Yuan.
Seeing Shen Yuan’s teasing expression, the little author suddenly realized something.
’Shen Yuan knows I’m the one writing *Defend and Steal*!’
Seeing He Zhiyu’s wide-eyed stare, Shen Yuan broke into a huge smile.
Everything was understood without a word.
Looking at the silent pair, He Zhiyu suddenly had another realization.
’These two must have known for a while that I’m the author of *Defend and Steal*. They just never called me out on it.’
’This...’
’These two are so devious...’
He Zhiyu felt a sense of helplessness, not even knowing where to begin her complaints.
’But... does this mean that from now on, they won’t be hiding from me to have their sweet moments?!’