Chapter 533: Xu Chan: Stay Safe
After a moment, the confusion on Li Zhi’s face froze. Then, like a sudden Siberian cold front, the temperature in the room plummeted.
The eyes that had held a hint of confusion just moments ago now slowly lost all their warmth.
Her slender eyebrows lowered slightly, her lips pressed into a displeased line, and her delicate chin tensed.
She walked silently into the living room, her gaze locked firmly on her own father. Her stare was calm, yet it carried a silent interrogation, as if to say, ‘Care to explain?’
Caught in his daughter’s death stare, the smile that had just appeared on Old Li’s face when he saw her froze solid.
He flinched, almost as a reflex, and instantly plastered a guilty smile on his face. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled sheepishly.
“Um… Zhizhi, you’re done with your exams? Ahem… you’re back early… Did you get caught in the rain? The exams… did they go okay?”
Every word screamed with a desperate “I was wrong” survival instinct.
Li Zhi’s gaze slowly swept over her father’s face, which was written all over with guilt and an attempt to bluff his way through. But then, her lips curved upward, bit by bit, into a remarkably clear arc, forming what could only be described as a dazzling smile.
And yet, there was no warmth in her eyes. Instead, they were like a frozen lake, piercingly cold.
She even tilted her head slightly.
The warm lighting in the living room seemed powerless to dispel the heavy atmosphere that had suddenly formed.
Shen Yuan seemed to pick up on some kind of danger signal at the exact same time. He instinctively flinched, feeling a chill run down the back of his neck.
The smile, filled with absolute pressure, made Old Li’s scalp tingle. He couldn’t help but shrink back again, sinking a little deeper into the sofa.
His sheepish smile was about to collapse, leaving only a single thought in his mind: ‘I’m a dead man.’
Standing to the side, Shen Yuan quietly shifted his weight, trying his best to fade into the background.
The living room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the only sounds being the soft rustle of Li Zhi’s down jacket and the sight of her exceptionally “gentle” yet incredibly dangerous smile.
“Um… Zhizhi,” Old Li’s voice softened, laced with an undisguised attempt to curry favor. His words trailed off, long and weak.
“It’s just that… work has been so busy these past few days, you know?”
Old Li tried to pass the buck.
“Oh.”
Li Zhi wasn’t buying it, her response cool and detached.
But soon, an incredibly wronged expression appeared on the beautiful girl’s face.
She took a step forward, stopping almost on top of Old Li’s toes and forcing him to lean back slightly.
“Me! Your daughter! Final! Joint! Exams! Are over!” she enunciated, punching out each word.
“And you! Actually! Forgot! You even went out for dinner all happy! You knew to ask if I got caught in the rain?! Then why didn’t you come pick me up?!”
“I came home! And no one answered! Do you have any idea how sad I was?!”
Old Li was completely overwhelmed by his daughter’s logic and intensity.
Faced with his daughter’s up-close, soul-crushing interrogation, he was utterly defeated. Any trace of a middle-aged father’s dignity vanished, leaving only the predicament of a dad completely wrapped around his little girl’s finger.
He knew any attempt to defend himself now would be futile and would likely just add fuel to the fire.
Just then, a soft cough echoed through the living room. Li Zhi whipped her head around to see Shen Yuan quickly lowering his head.
The beautiful girl lifted her chin slightly and gestured to the empty spot on the sofa next to her father. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable command. “Shen Yuan, come here. Sit!”
A chill ran down Shen Yuan’s neck.
‘Wait… I’m innocent!’
The thought had barely formed when Shen Yuan saw Li Zhi’s gaze sharpen.
Although he was resisting internally, his body was far more honest.
Under the pressure of Li Zhi’s stare, his legs had already started moving on their own.
He moved almost stiffly to the sofa and cautiously sat down next to Old Li.
The moment his butt touched the cushion, the two of them, as if they had rehearsed it, simultaneously shrank their necks into their collars. They hunched their backs slightly, only daring to peek at Li Zhi, who stood before the coffee table, with the corners of their eyes.
One old, one young, the two men huddled side by side on the sofa like a pair of quails, heads down, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Xu Chan watched the scene unfold with great interest from the side.
“I’ll deal with my dad later. What about you, Shen Yuan? Why didn’t you tell your aunt and uncle that we were coming back today after exams? Hmm?”
On the sofa, Shen Yuan, who had been trying so hard to go unnoticed, jerked his head up. His face was a mask of incredulous shock, and his voice jumped an octave.
“I’ve been framed! Li Bao! Honest to God! I… I told them! I thought they knew!”
As if he’d finally found an outlet to speak, his previous quail-like demeanor vanished. He straightened his back, trying to defend himself.
Shen Yuan’s tone was filled with grievance and confusion, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice.
He instinctively looked toward Zhang Yuyan at the kitchen entrance, seeking support. “Mom! You be the judge! Didn’t I tell you?”
Everyone’s gaze instantly focused on Zhang Yuyan, who had just poked her head out of the kitchen.
Zhang Yuyan looked at her son on the sofa, flustered and desperately trying to explain himself, then glanced at Li Zhi opposite him, who was radiating an intimidating aura. She let out a mischievous chuckle.
“Hmm? Did you now?”
Upon hearing his mother’s light, teasing counter-question, Shen Yuan felt as if an invisible bolt of lightning had struck him right in the forehead.
His pupils contracted violently in an instant!
“Huh?”
Shen Yuan was stunned.
Shen Yuan’s mouth hung slightly open, his jaw seemingly a rusted lock that refused to close.