Chapter 467 - 217: Come to My Place for New Year’s Eve? The Little Kitty Misses You
Chapter 467: Chapter 217: Come to My Place for New Year’s Eve? The Little Kitty Misses You
He took a breath, as if he had finally mustered up some courage, but his voice grew even lower, almost lost in the wind. "So, do you... want to come to my place and... and keep them company? I’m sure they miss you too. You haven’t come over much lately."
Before he could even finish, Shen Yuan felt his cheeks flush. He immediately turned his head away, not daring to look at Li Zhi’s expression.
Li Zhi looked at him, so nervous that even the tips of his ears were red, and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
’Hah, what a moron, Shen Yuan. Using San Geng and Naonao as an excuse... How shameless.’
’If a certain someone wants to ask, he should just say it directly instead of hiding behind the kittens!’
’This clumsy excuse and cover-up is just... unreal.’
The girl silently roasted him in her heart, but the corners of her mouth curved into a smile she didn’t even notice herself.
’Ah, this little trick of using the kittens to "lure" her over... truly brilliant.’
Li Zhi remembered that she hadn’t been to Shen Yuan’s house in a while, and she did miss the two little guys.
"Li Bao?"
After a few seconds without a response, Shen Yuan’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t help but turn his head back slightly, asking with a mix of anxiety and urgency, "So, are you coming?"
Under the glow of the streetlight, Shen Yuan saw Li Zhi tilt her head slightly and glance at him.
Her gaze seemed to see right through him, a knowing look mixed with a hint of helpless indulgence.
In the end, she said nothing, simply giving him a small nod.
"Mm."
That one light syllable was like a pebble dropped into a calm pool of water.
Shen Yuan’s heart leaped.
It felt as if his chest was suddenly filled with something scorching hot and light, threatening to burst from his throat.
His throat tightened involuntarily. A low, suppressed hiss of air escaped his nostrils, like the beginning of a goofy laugh that was forcibly held back.
Hearing Shen Yuan’s stifled, silly laugh and feeling the undeniable tightness of his grip on her hand, Li Zhi once again started silently complaining in her head.
’Hmph, what an idiot, Shen Yuan... getting this excited...’
’Still using San Geng and Naonao as an excuse. So stupid!’
’It’s obvious you’re the one who wants it!’
Even the winter night’s wind seemed to have grown a little gentler.
Shen Yuan felt his steps become exceptionally light, as if he were walking on clouds.
The girl’s soft breaths formed white puffs that drifted in the halo of the streetlight, mingling with his own slightly ragged breaths.
Seeing the unstoppable smile on Shen Yuan’s face, Li Zhi’s own lips curved upward.
In truth, Li Zhi was very clear about one thing.
Her family didn’t have any New Year’s Eve plans.
Old Li and Ms. Xu would probably watch the New Year’s gala for a bit and then fall asleep. They couldn’t be bothered to stay up late for any celebration.
Of course, even if her parents did have plans for New Year’s Eve, what did that have to do with her?
Was she supposed to go be a third wheel?
Li Zhi certainly didn’t think she had that kind of hobby.
The girl sneakily turned her head, catching a glimpse of the boy beside her out of the corner of her eye—his lips slightly taut from suppressing his excitement, his eyes shining brightly.
’Oh, well.’
’I’ll just consider it keeping the kittens company.’
’Shen Yuan is just an incidental part of the deal.’
Beneath their sleeves, their intertwined fingers concealed a silent understanding and the boy’s joy at his first taste of victory, hiding them both within the darkness of the walk home.
...
The clamor and splendor of the previous night felt like a brilliant, distant dream, swirling away into the cold air.
Inside the classroom, a furnace-like warmth mingled with the lingering excitement from last night.
Ah Jie, sporting two faint dark circles under his eyes, was nevertheless unusually hyped. He slapped his textbook on the desk and looked at the others around him.
"What’s the plan for New Year’s Eve tonight? Wanna go out and watch the fireworks?"
"No, no, no, it’ll be too crowded. No fun. I’m not the type who likes big crowds," Chen Mingyu said, waving his hands dismissively.
Yang Ze nodded. "I have to go back to my hometown."
"Huh? What a buzzkill."
Yang Ze shot back at him. "I’m just going to my damn hometown, not dying. See you in the Rift tonight, and don’t you dare bail. I’ll show you what a real King is."
"Bring it on! Like you’re the only King here?!"
"Alright, all-nighter in the Rift tonight. Whoever chickens out is trash."
Listening to Ah Jie, Yang Ze, and the others discuss their New Year’s Eve plans, Shen Yuan’s gaze drifted unconsciously to the figure beside him.
’Honestly, using the kittens as an excuse to "lure" Li Bao to his room for New Year’s Eve felt a bit like a desperate, last-ditch effort.’
’He should have at least found a decent reason!’
’How is this any different from saying, "My cat can do a backflip"?!’
’But Shen Yuan really hadn’t expected Li Bao to just agree like that.’
’Maybe... she just needed a reason, too.’
At this thought, Shen Yuan’s gaze toward the beautiful girl softened even more.
Li Zhi seemed to feel Shen Yuan’s stare. She turned her head and shot him a warning look.
"What are you looking at, you moron!"
Hearing that familiar, disdainful tone, Shen Yuan just smiled helplessly.
’Is this the same person who was so sweetly calling me "big brother" yesterday?!’
The excited discussion about New Year’s Eve plans in the classroom was soon interrupted by a bell.
The morning was, once again, dedicated to exams.
The chemistry class representative, holding a stack of papers reeking of ink, began mechanically handing them out, row by row.
The eyes that had just been sparkling with the light of the upcoming holiday instantly dimmed, as if a shadow had fallen over them.
In the warm classroom, the air seemed to solidify into a leaden weight, pressing down heavily on everyone’s heart.
The anticipation, like last night’s brilliant fireworks, left only the acrid smell of gunpowder in its wake.
The rustling of test papers replaced the previous clamor about New Year’s Eve. The crisp sound of the papers landing on desks became the only rhythm in the room.
Previously straight backs slumped slightly, and taut lips betrayed a silent resistance.
But no matter what, before the official holiday arrived, their school day had to continue.
Li Zhi twirled a pen between her fingers, her gaze fixed on the chemistry test in front of her.
Shen Yuan took a deep breath and, as if resigning himself to his fate, wrote his name and student ID on the test paper.
’A third-year’s holiday, as expected, kicks off with an exam.’
After the brief revelry, the cold reality and even colder test papers were the battlefield they now had to face.
As the chemistry tests were collected one by one, the cold aftertaste of the morning exam faded, and an invisible restraint seemed to loosen. The air began to flow again.
The afternoon sky held the unique gray-white hue of winter, and the cold wind tapped against the windows from time to time.
The last test was biology. When the class representative in the last row collected the final paper, the oppressive silence was like a string stretched to its limit, waiting for a signal to be released.
A short while later, a familiar figure walked into the classroom.
In an instant, every student who had been slumped in their chair sat up straight, as if a switch had been flipped.
Gazes that had been drifting idly to the clouds outside were now drawn as if by a magnet, SWISH, focusing on the teacher’s podium.
An air of irrepressible longing filled the room.
Old Zhou cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping from the back of the room to the front like a searchlight. Dozens of pairs of eyes below immediately met his with excited expressions.
"Finished with your exams, have you!"
Old Zhou let out a breath. "You have three days off for New Year’s Day. Be back in the classroom on time before the evening self-study session on the 3rd."
Old Zhou’s voice was stiff and formal. Each word landed in the quiet air like a drop of water sizzling in hot oil.
Suppressed exhales could be heard from several corners of the room simultaneously.
The breathing of many more quickened for a moment, their backs straightening even further.
Old Zhou, as if he didn’t see the dozens of gazes that were so intense they were almost tangible, continued to slowly assign tasks.
"Relaxing for one day during the New Year’s holiday should be enough. Ah, the final joint exams are only a dozen or so days away. I hope you all have some self-awareness."
"Take your holiday homework with you. Don’t let me find anyone copying it on the 3rd!"
Finally, Old Zhou surveyed the room, looked at the restless students, and at last uttered the words that sounded like a heavenly decree.
"Alright, you’re dismisse—"
"WAHOO!!"
The instant the word left his lips, it was like a dam breaking.
A tidal wave of voices rose from all over, instantly drowning out the rest of Old Zhou’s sentence—"...be safe on your way home."
The cheers exploded violently, like a pot of boiling water.
At the same time, the entire Jiyang Middle School academic building erupted in celebration.
Figures from the first, second, and third-year classrooms surged toward the doors at a dizzying speed, swept up in a desperate rush for freedom, and poured into the equally tumultuous tide of people in the hallway.
In that moment, the cold winter afternoon air seemed to be briefly ignited by the restless passion of youth.