Chapter 479 - 220: Li Zhi, I Like You
Chapter 479: Chapter 220: Li Zhi, I Like You
"No, listen to me."
"Fine, talk!" Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan, her gaze seeming to say, ’I’d like to see what you can possibly say to get out of this.’
Shen Yuan reached out and stroked her soft, long hair. "First of all, if we don’t sit on the bed, were you thinking we’d sit on the chair?"
Li Zhi glanced back at the chair, which was now quite a distance from her.
"There’s only one chair. If I want to hold you, you’d have to sit on my lap. That would be even more inappropriate."
Li Zhi blinked, imagining the scene of herself sitting on Shen Yuan’s lap.
’This... let’s not. It’s still too soon.’
"And besides the chair, we can’t just sit on the floor, can we?"
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi earnestly. "In conclusion, the bed is our only option."
Hearing Shen Yuan’s twisted logic, Li Zhi got angry and kicked him again.
"You’ve got an answer for everything!" she muttered, glaring fiercely at Shen Yuan. "Go get me some ice cream. I’m craving it."
"Okay! Just wait here for a minute!"
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but grin, a goofy smile filled with immense satisfaction.
With that, Shen Yuan loosened his hold slightly, and the beautiful girl naturally slipped out of his embrace.
"I’ll go get it right now!"
Shen Yuan dashed to the door in a few steps and headed for the refrigerator.
Li Zhi watched Shen Yuan’s departing figure, her gaze falling on his bed.
For tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebration, Shen Yuan had clearly made a lot of preparations.
The duvet cover before her was even a plush, velvety material. One could only imagine how comfortable it would be to lie on.
She gently bit her lip. The secure, warm feeling from when he’d held her hadn’t faded, mingling with the warmth of the room.
Looking around, she’d already sat in the chair earlier. Sitting there again would feel a bit forced.
The girl slowly walked toward the bed.
The subtle shyness she felt about "sitting on the bed" hadn’t completely disappeared, but another thought soon took over.
’Anyway, it’s not like I haven’t been on it before.’
’That idiot Shen Yuan also said we were just sitting... so I’ll just sit!’
Li Zhi walked to the side of the bed and stopped, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
The girl smoothed her skirt, then sat down on the bed. Slowly, bit by bit, she shifted her weight deeper onto the mattress.
She could clearly feel the thick, soft mattress sinking slowly beneath her, a sense of being enveloped washing over her.
Her toes left the floor, and her body settled completely onto Shen Yuan’s large bed.
She was no longer on the tentative edge, but in the center of the bed.
The moment she settled in, a soft, warm sensation spread out from beneath her, smoothing away any lingering apprehension.
Her legs sank into the soft bedding, feeling exceptionally relaxed.
She couldn’t help but scoot back a little more, letting her back relax slightly so she could lean against the soft headboard.
’This feeling... is actually really comfortable.’
Li Zhi subconsciously let out a soft breath. The slight emptiness she’d felt after the confession and Shen Yuan’s departure seemed to be filled a little by this soft, warm nest.
The arms she’d been hugging around herself also relaxed. One hand unconsciously came to rest on the bed beside her, her fingertips sinking slightly into the soft plush fabric.
The only sounds in the room were the soft, gentle background music from the projector and the occasional pounce from San Geng and Naonao, who were attracted by the play of light and shadow.
Li Zhi’s gaze was fixed on the doorway, but her full weight was now entrusted to the bed that had completely accepted her. The blush on her cheeks deepened under the warm light, carrying a languor that spoke of lowered defenses.
’Now I’m just waiting for that idiot to bring the ice cream...’
She grumbled inwardly, but her lips curled up into a tiny, uncontrollable smile.
For a moment, Li Zhi’s thoughts drifted to everything that had happened since the start of her senior year.
She thought of that night under the pale moonlight—the first time Shen Yuan had proactively taken her hand, even if it was just her wrist. The memory still made her heart race.
Then there was the time he grabbed her foot and tickled it, forcing her to call him "big brother."
Watching a movie together was also the first time they began to subtly express their feelings for each other.
After that was making Xishi Tofu for him, and then he held her foot and massaged it for a good while.
The pillow fight, the hug through the duvet.
Later on, it seemed she’d become a bit immune to him massaging her feet, even deliberately wearing a pair of thin socks...
And then there was Shen Yuan’s reaction to that...
Just thinking about it made Li Zhi’s cheeks burn.
After that came the trip to Hang City.
It was short, but it had left a deep impression on Li Zhi.
Especially the time at Faxi Temple.
"Our relationship doesn’t need any blessings from a Bodhisattva."
Her own words echoed in her mind, and Li Zhi pressed her lips together.
Weren’t the words on the plaque at the entrance of Faxi Temple exactly in line with what she had said?
’Seek not from without.’
Just then, with a soft CLICK, the door was gently pushed open.
Shen Yuan walked into the room holding an ice cream.
"Li Bao, here’s the ice cream." His face was still beaming with the joy of a successful confession.
But the sight that met his eyes made him freeze on the spot.
In the center of the bed.
Li Zhi was leaning against the headboard, her knees bent, her long legs crossed casually.
Her slender legs, perfectly encased in thick black tights, were crossed in a pose that was both elegant and slightly unguarded.
The soft, matte black fabric obediently traced the gentle curve of her calves, extending to her inner thighs before being cut off by the hem of her skirt, creating a reserved yet powerfully alluring beauty at the intersection of light and shadow.
She seemed to have just found a more comfortable position, tilting her head slightly to look at him.
The girl’s bright eyes reflected the warm light, clear and captivating, but the visual impact of her posture was a hundred times more potent than she realized.
’Does this damn girl have any idea how lethal she is?’
At this moment, Li Zhi also seemed to notice the intensity of his gaze and instinctively followed his line of sight down to her own crossed legs.
"...Idiot!" The girl’s face instantly flushed crimson, a blush spreading from her neck to the tips of her ears.
But this time, Li Zhi didn’t shy away from Shen Yuan’s gaze.
"What are you looking at?! Are you trying to be a door god, just standing there?!"
Shen Yuan snapped back to his senses at her scolding, then quickly walked to the bedside and handed the ice cream to Li Zhi.
Seeing the ice cream held out in front of her, Li Zhi’s eyes instantly lit up as if filled with stars.
The lingering blush and tear tracks on her face hadn’t yet dried, but her hungry anticipation instantly brightened her expression, diluting her earlier shyness.
She reached out naturally. The moment her fingertips touched the cold packaging, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve slightly upward.
"Thanks."
She took the ice cream, her voice still holding a soft, nasal tone from having cried earlier.
However, her next action made Shen Yuan’s heart skip a beat.
Li Zhi simply transferred the ice cream to her other hand and then patted the duvet beside her.
The motion was casual and natural, carrying an air of taken-for-granted ownership and intimacy.
Li Zhi lifted her chin slightly, looking at Shen Yuan, who was still standing stunned by the bed. Her eyes were clear, yet held a hint of slyness.
Her voice was soft, but it echoed clearly in the cozy room, like that of the lady of the house.
"Sit, boyfriend."