Chapter 541: Does Kissing the Corner of the Mouth Count as a First Kiss? (3)
A dizzying thrill crept into her heart, as if she had been tossed up into the clouds. It made her instinctively hug his neck tighter, burying her warm cheek deeper into the crook of his neck.
The howling winter wind outside was completely shut out from their little world, leaving only their overlapping silhouettes and ever-quickening heartbeats.
“…Idiot!”
Li Zhi’s playful rebuke, tinged with a dizzying tremor and a smile she could no longer hide, was muffled against the comforting fabric of his shoulder.
The young man’s spinning steps, as he held the girl in his arms, were filled with a giddy, carefree joy.
But right in the middle of this sweet vortex—
Shen Yuan, caught up in the moment, accidentally slammed his foot into the bedpost!
Before he could even let out a surprised “Huh?!”, his body instantly lost its balance.
“AHH—!”
The world suddenly spun even faster for Li Zhi. Shen Yuan’s arm around her tightened abruptly as he tried to steady himself.
But the sudden forward momentum was too strong. Pulled along, Shen Yuan’s back slammed hard onto the bed!
A dull thud.
And Li Zhi, still in his arms, was carried forward by the inertia.
The moment Shen Yuan fell back, she was thrown by the force, her slender frame landing solidly on top of him!
The world seemed to freeze for a moment.
Shen Yuan was dazed by the impact. His head sank into the soft pillow, and a dull ache spread across his chest from the weight of Li Zhi landing on him. He let out a short, involuntary grunt of pain. “Oof!”
Li Zhi was even more disoriented by the fall. When her head cleared a bit and she realized her predicament—
She was sprawled across Shen Yuan’s chest in an utterly mortifying position!
‘Her legs… were they… draped beside his in an incredibly awkward yet intimate way?’
Her arms, having instinctively grabbed for support during the fall, were now clutching his shoulders tightly.
One of Shen Yuan’s hands, which had instinctively shielded her as they fell, was still wrapped around her back. The other was… spread awkwardly on the bedsheets.
Their eyes met.
The air instantly froze.
In the dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, their breathing returned.
The dull ache in Shen Yuan’s chest hadn’t fully faded before it was completely overwhelmed by the soft, real weight on top of him.
Through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could clearly feel the soft pressure of her chest against his.
Just then, Li Zhi’s arms, braced against his shoulders, began to tremble slightly as she tried to push herself up and create some distance.
But this subtle movement was like a pebble tossed into a still pond, instantly shattering the frozen atmosphere.
Acting on instinct, the arm Shen Yuan had wrapped around her back tightened unconsciously.
It was a grip laced with a reluctance to let go, an unwillingness to separate, pulling her a fraction closer into his embrace.
This sudden tightening and their renewed closeness made Li Zhi freeze instantly.
Her panicked gaze lifted, locking with his once more.
They were too close.
So close she could see the heat swirling in their depths.
That heat seemed to have a tangible pull, making every nerve ending in Li Zhi’s body hum.
His pupils were a clear reflection of her flustered expression.
Her crimson cheeks looked like they were about to catch fire, and her glistening eyes were filled with shock and a hint of timidity she hadn’t even noticed herself.
All sound from outside the window vanished. The world shrank until there was only the two of them and the romantic tension growing wildly in the silent space between their gazes.
Shen Yuan’s gaze slowly drifted downward, tracing the elegant bridge of her nose before finally settling on her soft pink lips, slightly parted in nervousness.
Their dewy sheen, an invitation so close he could almost taste it, seemed to silently summon his deepest desires.
In that moment, with their breath held in near-stagnation, Li Zhi slowly raised her eyes.
She no longer looked away, instead gazing straight into the depths of Shen Yuan’s eyes.
The beautiful girl’s cheeks were flushed like a sunset cloud, but in her clear eyes, a light she had never shown before began to shine.
Li Zhi’s pink lips trembled slightly. Her voice was quiet but clear, carrying a tone that brooked no argument.
Her words tapped gently against his eardrums:
“Hey! Idiot, we made a deal—”
She paused deliberately, as if to add weight to her next words. The gaze she fixed on Shen Yuan shone with an intense seriousness.
“Until the exam results are out… you’re not allowed to kiss me!”
“Hah…”
A sharp puff of hot air escaped Shen Yuan’s nose. The intense desire swirling in his eyes was brutally extinguished by her words.
The young man’s tense arms relaxed for a moment, but he was still unwilling to completely release the soft weight in his embrace.
In the midst of this forcibly cooled stalemate, Shen Yuan felt Li Zhi’s hands, braced on his shoulders, shift slightly.
She seemed to have lifted her torso just a bit, creating the slightest gap in their suffocatingly close contact.
At the same time, a soft, breathy whisper, both intimate and imperative, sounded next to Shen Yuan’s ear.
“Close your eyes.”
Shen Yuan froze, looking down at her in surprise.
Li Zhi didn’t look away. Her clear eyes were now filled with seriousness, a commanding stubbornness, and even a firmness that belied her shyness.
The girl’s stare held a strange, irresistible magic.
All of Shen Yuan’s confusion and impulses were held captive by her gaze.
He hesitated for only the briefest of moments before, urged on by her eyes, he obediently closed his.