Chapter 597 - 242: Going Home? Which Home?
Chapter 597: Chapter 242: Going Home? Which Home?
"We’re off, we’re off!"
As Eldest Female Cousin departed with the younger boy, the winter night seemed to instantly regain its former tranquility.
From the distant villages came the sporadic crackle of firecrackers.
Shen Yuan sighed in relief, glancing helplessly at the shadow of the departing car before looking down at Li Zhi in his arms, who was still secretly pursing her lips in amusement.
The last firework blossomed in the night sky, showering flecks of molten gold light upon the boy’s faintly flushed ears and into the depths of the girl’s mischievous eyes.
A breeze swept past their embracing forms. Li Zhi snuggled deeper into the warm crook of Shen Yuan’s neck, soaking in the warmth they shared.
Even the faint, lingering scent of gunpowder in the air seemed to be tinged with a hint of sweetness.
Shen Yuan’s arm around Li Zhi’s back tightened.
He lowered his head. In the quiet of the night, his voice was exceptionally deep and gentle, carrying a barely detectable trace of anticipation. "Shall we go?"
Li Zhi looked up at him, the lingering smile still in her eyes. The shy blush from Yang Yishui’s earlier teasing hadn’t fully faded yet.
She hummed softly in agreement. "Mhm."
Shen Yuan took her hand, lacing their fingers together.
The warmth where their palms met quickly chased away the night’s chill. He clutched her fingers tightly within his own.
They didn’t head toward the empty field where the fireworks had dissipated, nor did they meander aimlessly along the village paths.
Shen Yuan led Li Zhi, his steps purposeful, heading straight for his family’s courtyard.
The brightly lit courtyard of the Li Family cast a long, warm, yellow glow behind them.
"Hey!"
After being pulled along for a few steps, Li Zhi paused. She gave a gentle tug on the hand Shen Yuan was holding and asked, puzzled, "Where are we going?"
She jutted her chin in the direction they were headed.
It was the warm light spilling from Grandmaster Shen’s doorway; clearly, the adults in Shen Yuan’s family were still chatting away warmly.
Shen Yuan didn’t break his stride. He simply turned his head to look at Li Zhi, his lips curving into a smile that was both mischievous and completely frank.
"Going home."
Li Zhi froze.
’Going home?’
He’d said "going home" so naturally, yet Li Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
She looked up at Shen Yuan’s chiseled profile. His eyes, exceptionally bright and deep in the darkness, reflected the scattered lights of the distant village.
’Going home?’
’Which home?’
’His grandfather’s brightly lit house, just a few steps away?’
’Or was it a bit farther away, her own grandparents’ house, the door of which she had just closed with a thud? Or perhaps...’
The thought made her cheeks burn even hotter.
’The "home" he spoke of... could it be...’
’That space that belonged only to Shen Yuan?’
’It’s New Year’s Eve, and all the adults are out... but aren’t you in a bit too much of a hurry?!’
A torrent of chaotic thoughts flooded her mind. The shyness she’d felt under the adults’ watch seemed to have barely faded before it came rushing back, all because of that one ambiguous word.
Her slender knuckles curled reflexively inside Shen Yuan’s warm palm.
"G-go where?"
Feeling a bit nervous and flustered, Li Zhi shot a quick glance at the brightly lit window of Grandmaster Shen’s house before her eyes darted back to Shen Yuan’s face. She lowered her voice slightly.
"Your grandfather’s house? Or my grandparents’ house? Or..."
The last possibility was too scandalous to voice, so she stopped herself just in time.
She simply stared directly at Shen Yuan with her beautiful eyes, the blush that had finally started to fade from her cheeks now threatening a full-blown comeback.
’This damn idiot Selaan. It’s always like this. He can send her heart into a flutter with a single word.’
But Li Zhi had no idea that her one sentence had just caused Shen Yuan to completely short-circuit.
"—!!!"
Shen Yuan froze mid-stride.
The "going home" he had just blurted out instantly backfired, turning into a giant boulder hanging precariously over his head.
The moment Li Zhi uttered that "Or...", his heart began to pound like a drum!
’Go where?’
’Your grandfather’s house?’
’My grandparents’ house?’
Each of Li Zhi’s questions hammered against his nerves. And when the final, meaningful "Or..." fell...
Shen Yuan’s brain was like an overloaded circuit board—it instantly smoked, short-circuited, and went completely dark!
’The third option!’
’She... she... she... how does she dare?’
’At a time like this, in a place like this, how could she mention *that* place in such a casual tone?!’
Shen Yuan’s eyes went wide as saucers. As if petrified, he stared at Li Zhi’s little face, which seemed to scream, ’It’s exactly what you think it is.’
’Heavens... Oh my God...’
A clap of thunder was the only thing echoing in Shen Yuan’s mind.
’How does she dare... How can she be so... so...’
He racked his brains but couldn’t find the right word to describe Li Zhi’s audacity.
A whirlwind of complex thoughts buzzed frantically in his head, like a swarm of angry bees.
’Is she doing this on purpose?’
’Her face is so red, she must be dying of embarrassment!’
’But why did she have to bring it up?!’
’What exactly comes after that "Or"?’
’My room?!’
’New Year’s Eve... my room... just the two of us... and our parents won’t be home until late...’
At this moment, Shen Yuan had only one thought in his head.
’—It’s over! I’m utterly and completely at this little vixen’s mercy!’
The sound of the adults’ laughter, the occasional pop of a distant firecracker...
...all of it receded into the distance, blurring into a meaningless cacophony of white noise.
Shen Yuan stood frozen in place, like an old robot that had been abruptly unplugged.
His entire world had been completely shut down by Li Zhi’s unfinished "Or..."
Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan’s eyes, which screamed, "My God, what kind of shameless things are you saying?!" She took in his rigid posture, the way he stood as if his soul had left his body...