Chapter 483 - 221: I Like You, How Could Once Be Enough?
Chapter 483: Chapter 221: I Like You, How Could Once Be Enough?
The girl bit her lower lip and finally let out a soft whimper. The breathy sound was like a wisp of steam born from the surrounding warmth. "...You idiot, Shen Yuan..."
Her voice was as light as a feather, tinged with the bewilderment of being hit by another direct confession, and a faint note of protest.
"D-didn’t you just... just confess to me?!"
Li Zhi didn’t dare to look up at Shen Yuan.
With her head bowed, the pretty girl exposed only the red tips of her ears and the nape of her slender neck to Shen Yuan’s gaze, trembling slightly in the warm light.
Watching her adorable attempt to hide, Shen Yuan couldn’t resist moving closer.
His lips almost brushed against her burning-red ear, his warm breath carrying the searing heat and unabashed candor unique to a young man.
"That’s right, I confessed."
His voice was tinged with amusement, yet it was also incredibly earnest and firm, as if he were stating an eternal truth.
"But Li Bao—"
"When it comes to telling you I like you, how could once ever be enough?"
This direct, almost playfully defiant question and declaration was like a sweet cloud of cotton candy, instantly enveloping all of Li Zhi’s attempts to hide her shyness and struggle, making even her fingertips tingle.
The girl wanted to call him an "idiot" again, but her throat felt as if it were coated in scalding honey, and she couldn’t even force out a single syllable.
All she could do was futilely bury her face deeper into her bent knees, trying to use the fluffy cuffs of her sweater to block out the heat that threatened to burn through her eardrums.
Shen Yuan watched her adorable, utterly shy reaction, tilted his head slightly, and got an even clearer view of her exposed, crimson cheeks.
Seeing Li Zhi trying to hide like an ostrich, Shen Yuan coaxed her with a knowing question, "Hm? Why are you so quiet, my silly Li Bao?"
Shen Yuan leaned in beside her hidden face, pressing her with each clearly enunciated word, "What about you, Li Bao? Do you... like me?"
Hearing Shen Yuan’s knowing question, Li Zhi was choked speechless by his shameless persistence.
The burning wave of shyness she had just forcibly suppressed came rushing back, accompanied by the frantic, uncontrolled pounding of her heart.
Another tiny whimper escaped the girl’s throat.
"You idiot... No, didn’t I already answer you?"
Her words were as light as a feather, carrying a faint note of protest and immense shyness.
Seeing the girl practically curled into a ball, Shen Yuan’s heart melted completely, yet he mischievously leaned in even closer.
His hot breath brushed against her sensitive skin. "That... was your previous answer, Li Bao."
He paused, then clearly stated the crucial point: "I’m asking about now. Right now, do you like me?"
Shen Yuan felt like a villain coaxing a little girl.
If Old Li were to find out about this conversation, Shen Yuan figured his legs would be out of commission for a while.
Li Zhi could feel how close Shen Yuan was.
The persistence in his voice and the intimacy of their near-zero distance instantly shattered Li Zhi’s final defenses.
Just as Shen Yuan thought she would resist to the end with silence, and was internally debating whether to add a little more fuel to the fire...
The fluffy head finally moved.
Li Zhi slowly lifted her head, and then, a reply softer than a mosquito’s buzz was heard.
"I like you, too."
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and gently pulled her into his arms.
She yielded to the gentle pressure, leaning forward slightly to rest her cheek against his chest.
The tender embrace, warm with his body heat, seemed to insulate her from all her shyness.
Her soft hair brushed against his chin, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.
All her previous shyness strangely settled in that moment, transforming into a grounding warmth that flowed quietly between them as they held each other close.
She could even hear the slightly hurried beat of his heart in his chest.
Only then did Li Zhi realize that Shen Yuan was a little nervous, too.
The girl relaxed her legs, letting her knees press against Shen Yuan’s, and silently accepted the reassurance the embrace brought.
The last of her thorny defenses, raised by shyness, completely dissolved in his warm embrace.
Li Zhi rested in Shen Yuan’s warm embrace, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat.
The earlier restlessness born of her shyness gradually subsided, transforming into a quiet sense of peace.
The winter night outside was silent, and warmth suffused the room. She suddenly thought of her parents at home, and of why her mother was always telling Old Li, "I love you."
In that moment, Li Zhi felt like she was beginning to understand.
’Because when you’re with the person you truly love, saying "I love you" just once is nowhere near enough.’
At this thought, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around Shen Yuan.
After cuddling for a moment, Li Zhi suddenly stirred, lifting her head from his chest.
Her cheeks still carried a lingering flush, but her gaze held an unprecedented resolve.
Li Zhi gazed ardently into his clear eyes.
Her soft lips parted, and her voice, much gentler than usual, landed clearly in the quiet space that was theirs alone.
"Shen Yuan, I like you."
Those four words, gentle yet firm, were like a stone dropped into the lake of his heart, creating ripples that were even clearer and more stunning than the first time.
This wasn’t a shy response coaxed out by his questions; this was her, taking the initiative!
Shen Yuan could clearly see the brilliant, utterly pure light shining in her eyes.
Her head was tilted slightly upward, the lingering blush on her porcelain-white cheeks like a spring dawn. Her long eyelashes trembled with each soft breath, and the plump, soft lips that had just spoken such sweet words glistened with a hint of moisture.