Chapter 478 - 220: Li Zhi, I Like You
Chapter 478: Chapter 220: Li Zhi, I Like You
Shen Yuan was completely taken aback by her sudden question, his eyes flying wide and pupils constricting as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He froze on the spot, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he couldn’t utter a sound.
After a split second of stunned silence, a rush of scalding warmth flooded his heart.
Shen Yuan suddenly broke into a grin, his eyes crinkling into mischievous crescents. The solemnity of his earlier confession was washed away completely, replaced by the triumphant mischief of a young boy who’d gotten his way.
He deliberately leaned in closer, his warm breath nearly brushing against her damp eyelashes as he lowered his voice to a soft, low whisper.
"So Li Bao is in such a hurry, huh?"
The words had barely left his lips when a solid, neither-too-light-nor-too-heavy kick landed squarely on his shin.
Li Zhi, flustered and annoyed by his teasing, had kicked out resentfully with a foot clad in tights.
"Go to hell! All you do is tease me! All you do is bully me!"
"Idiot Shen Yuan! You big idiot!! AHH—!!"
Li Zhi gave up and buried her face in his chest again, squirming and burrowing into his arms like a flustered kitten.
Warm tears continued to fall, soaking into Shen Yuan’s soft sweater and spreading into a darker patch.
She could feel his chest vibrating with silent laughter, which only made her more annoyed. Her clenched fists pounded against his shoulder—THUMP, THUMP—the blows less an outlet for her anger and more of a relentless declaration.
"Idiot! Dummy! I hate you! I hate you!"
Li Zhi mumbled indistinctly, her chin pressed stubbornly against his chest. Her body, however, showed no intention of struggling free as Shen Yuan held her tighter and more securely in his arms.
The only sound in the air was the girl’s sobbing, her heavily nasal voice repeating that one word over and over: "...Idiot... Idiot! Idiot!!"
Shen Yuan obediently hummed in agreement, but the curve of his lips only grew wider.
He gently rested his chin on the crown of her head and tightened his arms, as if he were embracing the most precious star in the universe, currently throwing a tantrum in his arms.
Feeling her sweet, whimpering cries of grievance, Shen Yuan’s heart melted completely.
"There, there, Li Bao..."
Shen Yuan’s deep, gentle voice sounded from above her head, practically overflowing with affection.
The arm around her loosened slightly, but still held her securely in his embrace.
He tilted his head slightly, carefully leaning down to try and see the expression hidden against his clothes.
Li Zhi lifted her head. Her face was streaked with tears, but she had stopped crying.
Shen Yuan gently curled his fingers. With the utmost care, the warm pads of his fingers softly brushed away the lingering dampness at the corners of her fever-hot eyes.
The sensation of her delicate skin and the cool dampness of her tears sent a small tremor through his heart.
"There, there, no more crying."
"Hmph..."
A soft, light sniff, like the whimper of a small animal, escaped her throat.
It was less a sound of displeasure and more a sign of pouting.
Holding Li Zhi, Shen Yuan posed a tempting question. "Want some ice cream?"
At his words, Li Zhi’s eyes instantly lit up.
The girl nodded repeatedly.
"I’ll go get it, then. Wait here for a minute."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yuan noticed that the arms Li Zhi had wrapped around him hadn’t loosened.
In fact, the arms already holding his waist tight tightened a fraction more, and she buried her face deeper into the collar of his warm down jacket and the crook of his neck.
She was like a small, tired, yet satisfied animal that had finally found its sanctuary.
In the cozy, warm air, Li Zhi’s soft, muffled voice, still thick with the remnants of her sobs, sounded out. "...Idiot..."
The word came out muffled from between the layers of fabric, the final syllable drawn out. It was no longer her usual, distant scolding, but more like a faint protest, or a vow not to let go.
"...Just hug me a little longer."
Those whispered, almost weightless words, rooted Shen Yuan to the spot just as he was about to move.
"Okay." Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He tightened his arms again, turning what had been a light embrace into a firm, solid one.
His chin rested gently on the crown of her soft hair. He inhaled the faint peach scent from her strands, feeling a sense of belated, yet incredibly solid, intimacy.
The young man’s chest filled with a heavy, deep warmth, and he could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
But after a moment, Shen Yuan’s mischievous side resurfaced.
"Hey, so, uh... you want to go sit on the bed for a bit?"
The words were barely out of his mouth when Li Zhi, who had been nestled in the crook of his neck with soft whimpers, jerked her head up!
Under the light, the blush on the girl’s face hadn’t faded, and traces of her earlier tears still clung to her cheeks. But her eyes held none of their previous confusion or vulnerability, only sheer astonishment at Shen Yuan’s audacity.
"You idiot, Shen Yuan!!!"
Li Zhi’s voice shot up, thick with indignant fury.
Heedless of her tear-soaked eyelashes, she aimed a precise kick with her long, black-tight-clad leg at the outside of Shen Yuan’s shin!
"You Selaan!! It’s—it’s only been a few minutes since you confessed and you’re already thinking about things like that?! Pervert! A super pervert!!!"
The girl’s voice was fast and urgent, trembling on the verge of cracking, and her furious accusations made Shen Yuan’s ears ring.
The girl’s cheeks were burning hot and flushed an even deeper red than when he’d complimented her legs earlier.
Shen Yuan felt completely helpless in the face of Li Zhi’s accusations.