Chapter 549: Shen Yuan’s Official Announcement Copy
“Closer, a little closer! Shen Yuan, lean toward Li Zhi… Li Zhi, don’t be so stiff, relax! Good! Yes, just like that!”
Following He Zhiyu’s directions, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi sat shoulder-to-shoulder.
They both tilted their heads slightly, leaning in toward the middle.
Li Zhi’s face was a mask of conflict, while Shen Yuan struggled to suppress a smile, his eyes filled with unconcealed anticipation and joy.
“Come on, come on,”
He Zhiyu said excitedly.
“Make a heart sign! A big one over your heads, and then a smaller two-person one in front of your chests! Hurry!”
Li Zhi took a deep breath, as if she had made some monumental decision. She raised her left arm with extreme slowness and rigidity, reaching it over her head. Her wrist twisted into a rather unnatural angle as she tried to form it into half of a circle.
Meanwhile, the beautiful girl’s right hand rested even more awkwardly in front of her chest, fingertips slightly curled, looking like she wanted to bolt at any moment.
Shen Yuan chuckled softly at her adorable predicament.
His movements were clearly much smoother and more natural.
His tall frame immediately moved closer to cooperate, his right arm easily reaching over Li Zhi’s head.
His fingers curved, precisely capturing the tips of Li Zhi’s fingers, which were hovering above her head.
Their fingertips touched gently above their heads, bending together to form the large, slightly clumsy, yet perfectly complete outline of a circle.
At the same time, Shen Yuan’s left hand quickly slid in front of Li Zhi’s chest. His large palm covered her small, helplessly curled hand, then gently guided her fingers to bend in the same way.
Li Zhi, as if giving up all resistance, let him arrange her hand. Under Shen Yuan’s guidance, her two slender, pale fingers gently formed the rudimentary shape of a much smaller heart.
In that instant, their gazes suddenly collided in mid-air.
Li Zhi looked up and met Shen Yuan’s smiling, focused eyes. They were so close she could clearly see the reflection of her own flushed, flustered self.
Shen Yuan’s fingers were still wrapped around hers, and the scorching heat seared through their touching skin, making her heart tremble.
“CLICK! CLICK CLICK!”
He Zhiyu precisely captured this moment, the sound of the camera shutter clicking in rapid succession.
As soon as she finished, He Zhiyu snatched her hand back, clutching her phone as if it were a priceless, newly unearthed treasure. Her eyes were shining with an astonishing light, glittering with a fervent creative glow.
‘The inspiration for *Defend and Steal* is practically gushing out right now!’
She and Zhuo Peipei, who was next to her, eagerly huddled in front of the small phone screen.
“Whoa—!”
He Zhiyu let out a short gasp and excitedly shook Zhuo Peipei’s arm again and again.
“Peipei, look! This one is perfect! It has so much feeling! This heart pose combined with the look in their eyes… It’s just… The chemistry is off the charts! Oh my god, this composition—”
Zhuo Peipei craned her neck excitedly, nodding repeatedly.
Like two girls who had discovered a treasure, they put their heads together, excitedly commenting back and forth on the freshly taken photos.
The two of them were completely immersed in the immense satisfaction of having personally captured such beautiful “official announcement” material.
He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei had their heads huddled over the screen, practically dancing with excitement over the material they’d just captured. Suddenly, a slender hand reached out in front of them.
“Let me see the photos.”
Shen Yuan had sidled up next to them at some point, his fingertips tapping twice on the phone case.
His brazenly self-assured air made He Zhiyu instinctively hand over the phone.
The moment Shen Yuan’s gaze fell on the screen, a short, low laugh escaped his throat. He tapped firmly on one of the photos.
“This is the one!”
Before the words had even faded, a gentle, peach-scented breeze swept past him. Like a startled kitten, Li Zhi darted over, her face flushed red as she tried to snatch the phone.
“Shen Yuan! Don’t you dare post that one!”
The young man was already prepared, easily avoiding the attack with a flick of his wrist.
He held the phone high above his head, its screen still lit.
In the photo, the young man and woman’s fingertips were clumsily linked into a heart shape. They were looking into each other’s eyes, and the shy blush at the corners of their eyes was more dazzling than the warm winter sun.
“I’m posting it! I’m posting it!”
Li Zhi’s hand missed, her fingertips only grazing Shen Yuan’s raised arm.
She stood on her tiptoes, her body nearly pressing against his. Her bright, clear eyes now clearly reflected Shen Yuan’s triumphant smile and the phone held high in the air.
“Shen! Yuan!” Li Zhi’s voice dropped lower, each word spoken distinctly, laced with a hint of unignorable, gritted-teeth frustration.
She suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes widening slightly. The emotion swirling within them was clearly a faint anger born from extreme embarrassment.
The beautiful girl’s delicate chin tensed. Her clear gaze shot toward Shen Yuan’s smug, triumphant face, carrying an absolutely clear warning.
“If you keep this up,” she said, lifting her chin slightly, her gaze like a thorny branch locked onto his eyes, “I’m going to get really angry.”
Her slightly commanding tone carried an obvious threat.
But in Shen Yuan’s eyes, the Li Zhi of this moment was more like a kitten with its claws out, trying its best to issue a warning with the most serious expression it could muster.
The next second, the triumphant look on Shen Yuan’s face froze. In the depths of his eyes, which were filled with Li Zhi’s reflection, a pure and scorching warmth spread like melting ice in early spring.
“Alright, alright.”
The curve of his lips didn’t falter; instead, it softened, carrying a sense of bottomless indulgence.
The arm he had held so high slowly lowered to his side, as if pulled by an invisible string, and precisely placed the phone back into Li Zhi’s open palm.
“Here, here, you’re the boss, my silly Li Bao.”