Chapter 473 - 219: A World for Two (3)
Chapter 473: Chapter 219: A World for Two (3)
Her slightly raised chin instantly retracted. Her body tensed as if pricked by a tiny, invisible needle, an almost instinctual, stress-induced state of alert.
’A world for two?’
’But we’re in our own world for two right now!’
Li Zhi stared fixedly at Shen Yuan, who was frozen in place by her sudden, suspicious gaze.
"Hey, hey, hey! I wasn’t the one who told them to leave!"
Shen Yuan hurriedly explained, feeling his ears and neck burning up.
"Hmph!" Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a glare before striding toward the room.
"I’m going to see the kitten."
Stepping into Shen Yuan’s room, Li Zhi felt a wave of cozy warmth envelop her.
The heater in the bedroom had clearly been on for a while, perfectly dispelling the winter chill and making the space warm and inviting.
Compared to the slightly chilly living room outside, this place felt like a warm nest.
Li Zhi’s gaze swept over the clean desk and floor before being drawn to the image on the wall.
This wasn’t the first time Li Zhi had been in Shen Yuan’s room. She remembered clearly that he didn’t own a projector.
Hearing him follow her in, Li Zhi turned her head to look at Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan offered a small smile.
Before he could say anything, he saw Li Zhi’s delicate chin jut out as she let out a short, soft "Hmph!" at him.
After that huff, the girl didn’t wait for his reaction. She strode forward on legs bundled in a heavy down jacket, taking a few steps into the center of the cozy bedroom.
Shen Yuan quickly followed behind her and closed the door.
Feeling the sudden warmth envelop him and noticing she was still bundled up tight, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but suggest, "If you’re hot, why don’t you take off your coat?"
Li Zhi’s steps faltered in the warmth, her back stiffening slightly as she faced away from Shen Yuan.
"What’s wrong?"
The moment Shen Yuan spoke, Li Zhi spun around, the blush on her ears impossible to hide in the warm light.
The girl glared at Shen Yuan. "None of your business!"
"Huh?"
Shen Yuan felt like his brain was short-circuiting.
But soon enough, he understood why.
After standing there stunned for a few seconds, Li Zhi found the room’s stuffy, warm air becoming unbearable.
She shot a quick glance at Shen Yuan, then looked down again. With an air of someone throwing caution to the wind, she grabbed the metal pull tab of her jacket’s zipper.
"...So annoying! Why is the heat on so high?!"
Accompanied by her quiet complaint, the long zipper of her down jacket was pulled open from top to bottom with a single ZIIIP.
The loose, bulky outer shell was shed, finally revealing the carefully coordinated outfit underneath.
A soft, warm, cream-colored crewneck sweater hung naturally, its skin-friendly fabric outlining her slender upper body.
Below the hem of the sweater was a crisply tailored, academy-style pleated miniskirt, its dark hemline ending a hand’s breadth above her knees.
But the most eye-catching part was what lay beneath the hem of the skirt—
Her long, straight legs were completely encased in a pair of soft, thick, dark tights.
The light fell on the matte surface of the tights. There was no excessive glare, yet it created a wonderfully soft luster, like fine silk.
The tights clung perfectly to the smooth lines of her legs. Every curve was clearly yet subtly defined by the delicate material, tapering evenly from her thighs down to her calves, and then to the delicate ankles tucked into fluffy slippers.
They were long, slender, and smooth, full of youthful elasticity.
The layer of warm, black fabric seemed to grant her legs a second skin, wrapping them in a way that was even more breathtaking. It created a visual impact completely different from her usual school uniform pants or ordinary cotton socks.
Shen Yuan’s gaze was instantly locked on them.
His eyes traveled down from her slightly shy, pursed lips, past the warm sweater, over the hem of her skirt, and then... they were glued to her perfect long legs, showcased flawlessly by the thick, dark tights.
Under the effect of Bright Eyes, Shen Yuan could clearly see the fine texture of the tights near the edge of her skirt and its subtle changes under the soft light.
Shen Yuan felt rooted to the spot. His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably. All sound, all thought, seemed to have been sucked away by the sight before him.
The air instantly became thick and heavy.
Li Zhi’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, the blush spreading deep into her neck, even tinting the sliver of collarbone visible above her sweater a delicate pink.
The girl subconsciously wanted to press her legs together, but she felt the gesture would only make things more obvious, leaving her frozen in place, at a complete loss.
The feeling of that scorching gaze licking at her legs was more searing than the direct heat of the radiator!
The beautiful girl quickly pulled her down jacket closed to hide her long legs.
"P... Perv!!"
Her voice, filled with utter shame and indignation, finally exploded like a cannonball, trembling and cracking.
"Where are you looking?! You wanna lose your eyes?!!"
The thunderous rebuke struck Shen Yuan like a lightning bolt!
In almost the same second, Shen Yuan jerked his gaze away as if he’d been zapped by electricity! He craned his neck back dramatically, as if that burning stare hadn’t been his.
"I wasn’t! I wasn’t looking at anything!" he yelled frantically, his voice rising to an unnatural pitch, his heart pounding a drum solo against his ribs. "I... I was looking at the ceiling! Ch-checking if the projector’s working well!"
Shen Yuan stiffly tilted his chin up, his gaze glued to the wall where the movie was being projected. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently a few times, and his entire face, right down to the base of his neck, was beet red.
He didn’t even dare sneak a peek with his peripheral vision at the source that was still making his breath catch. Like an idiot caught in the act, he could only helplessly fix his gaze on an absolutely safe, but incorrect, focal point.
But he couldn’t banish the image from his mind.
The matte, dark fabric under the soft light, tightly hugging those legs with their long, breathtaking lines.
Those legs, which he’d always thought were just straight and nice when hidden under pants, now perfectly outlined like this... their lethality had increased exponentially!
’This... This is a total foul!’
Shen Yuan felt a huge wave of heat rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, making his brain buzz.
’I didn’t mean to stare just now, really!’
’But the sight was like a magnet, sucking my gaze in and welding it there. It was impossible to pull away!’
This surprise—or rather, shock—had come too suddenly. It was just like one of her usual, unexpected curveballs, instantly shattering the mental defenses he thought he’d so carefully prepared.