Chapter 538 - 231: Xu Chan: Be Safe
The unfamiliar position and the intense pressure made her forget how to speak, leaving only the frantic beating of her heart.
Time seemed to freeze under their locked gaze.
Li Zhi forgot to struggle.
In the silence of their overwhelming gaze, all her shame and anger melted into a profound helplessness.
In her eyes, which reflected the young man's face, a dazed look rippled out—a willingness to be trapped that even she hadn't realized.
Shen Yuan's hot breath brushed against her forehead and temples.
He gazed down at her, his deep black pupils vividly reflecting her flushed and helpless face.
The girl's heaving chest and slightly trembling lips were right before him, a silent invitation.
Shen Yuan swallowed with difficulty, his Adam's apple bobbing.
The impulsive anger he'd felt while restraining her vanished in an instant, replaced by a desire that sprang from the depths of his heart.
He felt like his heart was about to explode. Its drumming vibrated his eardrums, and blood roared through his veins.
His fingers, wrapped around her wrist, tightened unconsciously. He could even feel the frantic thrum of her pulse beneath his fingertips.
He lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes tracing the line of her nose before finally settling on her lips, which gleamed with a faint, moist sheen.
The air in the cramped space grew thin and heavy.
Shen Yuan leaned in, unable to stop himself.
His presence closed in on her, bit by bit.
They could feel each other's body heat clearly through their clothes. The searing temperature made Li Zhi's eyelashes flutter violently, like the startled wings of a butterfly.
Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat!
An enormous wave of shame crashed over her, drowning her ability to think.
She could clearly feel his searing breath draw near, the heat in his deep eyes threatening to melt her completely.
A wave of unprecedented panic seized her, and she squeezed her eyes shut instinctively.
That subtle, willing daze from before vanished without a trace, leaving only a burning shame that threatened to consume her.
Li Zhi could feel her cheeks heating up at an alarming rate, as if her very earlobes were about to catch fire.
She didn't dare look. She couldn't.
'Even though I've kissed Shen Yuan before, that was just on the cheek.'
'Besides, this is completely different!'
'My parents are right outside!'
'What if they find out?!'
Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat.
Just then, a sound came from the door!
Next came Old Li's voice, deliberately raised.
"Zhizhi! Time to go home!"
Old Li's voice paused for half a second, as if carrying the subtext: 'Daughter, time to go home. Stop getting all mushy with that damn kid.'
The familiar voice instantly shattered the charged, almost tangible atmosphere in the room!
Shen Yuan, as if pricked by an invisible needle, suddenly sprang back!
His hand on Li Zhi's wrist flew open as if he'd been shocked. He scrambled to straighten up, taking a clumsy step back and nearly crashing into the desk behind him.
The searing, oppressive presence that had enveloped Li Zhi vanished in an instant.
With her restraints suddenly gone, Li Zhi let out a soft "Ah!" Her eyes, squeezed shut in tension, flew open instinctively.
Her first instinct was to snatch back her newly freed hands and hug them tightly to her chest. Her glistening eyes were filled with profound embarrassment and a hint of daze.
Outside the door, before Old Li could speak again, Li Zhi's voice rang out.
"I know!"
She replied to her father, her voice subconsciously raised, carrying a rushed, flustered tone that she herself didn't notice.
Old Li stood at the door, his hand twitching, but he was ultimately pulled away by his wife.
"Come on, let's go. Why are you bothering the lovebirds?"
Xu Chan said with a laugh, "I already said my piece. Do you really think they'd try anything reckless?"
Old Li looked at his wife and shook his head helplessly.
Now, the only sound in the room was their ragged, awkward breathing. The abruptly severed tension left behind a heart-pounding warmth.
Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan, and, as if to vent her frustration, raised her hand and smacked his arm, which was still propped on the armrest.
"Selaan!"
Her voice, hushed to a whisper, was filled with irritation and lingering mortification.
The instant the word left her lips, she shot up from her chair like a startled deer.
She quickly uncrossed the arms she'd been hugging to her chest, as if the chair itself were scalding hot.
Her movements were surprisingly quick. The blush on her cheeks, far from fading, seemed to deepen with the sudden motion, as if she'd been steamed all over again.
She was blushing an even deeper red, a pink flush spreading down her pale neck.
She couldn't bring herself to spare Shen Yuan another glance.
"I... I'm going home!"
Leaving behind words that were barely more than a breath, Li Zhi became a whirlwind of sweet perfume, dashing to the door in just a few steps.
Just as Li Zhi's hand was about to close around the cool metal doorknob, a faint gust of wind carrying a familiar scent brushed past her.
A long, slender hand shot past her shoulder and—SLAM!—pressed heavily against the closed door.
The movement was filled with an irresistible force and urgency, like an invisible gate slamming shut, instantly blocking her escape.
"Wait!"
Shen Yuan's ragged breathing sounded from behind her ear. His warm breath ghosted over the soft strands of her hair, his presence searing.
Li Zhi's body went rigid. The oppressive feeling, so close it was suffocating, made her freeze in place.
Her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
The girl's knuckles whitened with tension.
Mustering the last of her strength, Li Zhi turned around with painstaking slowness.
Shen Yuan's arm was still braced against the door beside her. He was leaning forward slightly, trapping her in the narrow space between his body and the door.
The distance between them shrank in an instant, so close they could feel each other's breath.
The girl's back was pressed flat against the door, as if the solid surface could offer her some small sense of security.
Li Zhi lifted her head, and at such close range, her eyes collided with Shen Yuan's scorching gaze.
"You..." Li Zhi's throat tightened. She tried to summon her usual forcefulness.
But when she spoke, her voice was involuntarily tinged with a slight tremor, betraying the helplessness and turmoil in her heart.
"...Wh-what do you think you're doing?"