Chapter 579 - 239: Li Zhi: I’m Not Ready Yet
Chapter 579: Chapter 239: Li Zhi: I’m Not Ready Yet
He knew he had gone too far.
Far beyond the boundaries she could accept at this moment.
The hum of the air conditioner in the room became audible once more, but it no longer brought a trace of warmth, leaving only a suffocating silence and the deep, lingering regret in Shen Yuan’s eyes.
He watched Li Zhi, his breathing shallow, as he waited for her judgment, or... for her to flee.
Li Zhi was curled up in the indentation his body had left, her fingertips digging deep into the plush blanket beneath her as if to draw some small measure of strength from it.
The moment she uttered the word "afraid," the air seemed to freeze.
She could feel Shen Yuan’s sudden panic, his heavy breathing. The dull thud of him hitting the headboard was like a hammer blow to her frayed nerves.
He had pulled away, and the oppressive feeling was gone, but the terror and helplessness still clung to her.
The unconcealed regret and helplessness in Shen Yuan’s eyes pricked her heart like needles.
She wanted him to stop looking at her that way, but her own mind was a mess, overwhelmed by a strange emotion.
The sense of danger from his position over her and the accompanying feeling of being dominated were completely beyond her ability to process at that moment.
The sweet aftertaste of their first kiss still lingered, but this overly aggressive advance had made her panic instinctively.
The silence stretched on.
A few seconds felt like an eternity.
Li Zhi finally stirred. She didn’t look up at him, instead lowering her head slowly, her gaze fixed on the rumpled edge of the blanket she had been clutching.
The messy creases she had made seemed to magnify before her eyes.
"Shen Yuan..." Her voice was soft, laced with a faint tremor, like a taut string.
Shen Yuan’s heart leaped into his throat. He watched her lowered head with bated breath.
"I..."
Li Zhi’s throat seemed to catch. She swallowed hard before continuing, her voice so quiet it almost disappeared into the hum of the air conditioner.
"...I’m not... ready for this..."
She spoke the words slowly, as if each one drained her of all her strength.
She didn’t specify what she wasn’t ready for, but they both knew exactly what she meant.
That kind of forceful hold, the complete press of his body against hers, went far beyond a simple kiss. It was an unknown territory she was not yet able to face.
After speaking, she buried her head even lower. The hickey he had left on the side of her neck stood out with startling clarity against her pale skin, looking exceptionally fragile.
After the terror she had just experienced, the mark looked less like a kiss and more like a searing brand.
Seeing her completely lost in her own anxiety and resistance, Shen Yuan felt an invisible hand squeeze his heart even tighter. Each breath he took was tinged with a sour ache.
The fingers at his side tightened, then relaxed. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse.
"...I’m sorry."
Li Zhi didn’t respond, simply remaining in her curled-up posture like a terrified fledgling that wanted only to hide itself away.
The sunlight outside shifted slightly, casting a pale band of light across the space between them.
Shen Yuan’s gaze swept over Li Zhi’s tense shoulders before falling, downcast, onto the bedsheet beside her, which she had twisted into a mess.
Meanwhile, Naonao, who had been lounging in a corner of the room, seemed to sense the tense atmosphere. The cat let out a soft "Meow," and leaped lightly onto the bed.
Naonao cautiously padded over to Li Zhi’s feet, found the closest yet least intrusive spot, and quietly curled up.
San Geng followed, nuzzling its nose against her calf. The warm touch was slightly ticklish.
The little cat’s body heat radiated through her tights like a small heating pad.
At this small touch, Li Zhi finally shifted slightly.
San Geng didn’t stop comforting her.
Its soft paw pads kneaded at Li Zhi’s tense side before stepping with a gentle weight onto her stomach.
"Mmh..."
San Geng’s warm body and the light pressure it exerted on her brought a strange sense of comfort.
Then, San Geng padded steadily across her chest and finally stopped right over her heart.
San Geng seemed to find the spot comfortable. It shifted its position, rested its little head against her, and settled down docilely.
Its completely relaxed posture, its warmth, and the faint purr rumbling in its throat—a sound that seemed to dispel all anxiety—were transmitted clearly through her thin cashmere sweater, right to her heart.
With that small, tender spot on her chest enveloped by the cat’s weight and warmth, Li Zhi’s tense body finally began to relax.
Her head, buried amongst the pillows, tilted slightly, revealing one teary eye. It shot a glare full of grievance at Shen Yuan, who sat frozen nearby.
"What... what are you looking at..." Li Zhi sniffled, her voice muffled, thick with a nasal tone and petulant accusation.
"Idiot! Even the kitties... they’re a hundred times more considerate than you..."
Her faint accusation hung in the quiet room. Then, she gently pressed her cheek against San Geng, who was snuggled up against her.
"They... they know to take things slow. All you know how to do is... is push it... and scare people..."
Her mumbling complaints grew fainter and fainter, until they were finally swallowed by the plush blanket, leaving only San Geng’s faint, steady purring.
Naonao, as if sensing the calmer atmosphere, also tentatively nudged its head closer, rubbing against the crook of Li Zhi’s knee.
In the quiet room, only the steady purring of the cats and the sound of the two humans’ still-unsettled breathing mingled in the air.
Shen Yuan’s gaze lingered for a long time on San Geng, nestled over Li Zhi’s heart.