Chapter 438 - 212: Li Zhi Decides to Go on the Offensive

Chapter 438: Chapter 212: Li Zhi Decides to Go on the Offensive

This time, before Li Zhi could even get up, a shadow fell over her.

The girl froze. "You..."

"What are you up to this time?" Shen Yuan asked, looking at Li Zhi.

"I..." Li Zhi’s mouth opened and closed before she finally found an excuse. "I’m going out for some fresh air!"

"Go ahead!"

Shen Yuan stepped aside.

But as she watched Shen Yuan step aside, Li Zhi felt as if her feet were rooted to the spot.

Now that he had willingly stepped aside, she didn’t dare to run away.

Seeing that the girl’s body was no longer so tense, Shen Yuan slowly sat back down.

By now, the students in the rows both in front of and behind them had noticed there was something strange going on between the two.

Ah Jie, Chen Mingyu, and Yang Ze exchanged a glance, then quickly got to their feet.

"Whoa, I’ve suddenly got to pee."

"Yeah, me too! Let’s go, let’s go! Time for a bathroom break!"

With arms slung over each other’s shoulders, the three of them quickly beat a retreat.

As for He Zhiyu, the little author, she saw her two deskmates run off and was suddenly at a loss.

’So what should I do?’

’If I leave, I’ll miss the show.’

’But if I stay, I’ll look like I can’t read the room.’

In the end, the little author chose a compromise.

She went over to Zhuo Peipei—to watch the show from a different angle.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and asked softly, "A score of 663... is it really that hot to handle?"

His words made Li Zhi’s heart skip a beat.

’Hot to handle?’

’It really is.’

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan.

The girl bit down on her lower lip, the pearly white of her teeth a stark crescent that hinted at her inner turmoil.

But soon enough, an expression Shen Yuan knew all too well appeared on Li Zhi’s face.

It was her usual look of disgust.

Li Zhi frowned slightly. "Is 663 really a high score? Was the test that difficult? All in all, it’s barely decent, nothing more."

But before the words were even out of her mouth, the blush she had tried to force down with a look of disgust came roaring back, spreading from her ears and instantly dyeing her entire neck a deep crimson.

As Shen Yuan watched, the crimson flush against her fair skin was like a red plum blossom suddenly blooming in the snow, a sight so stunning that even the winter sun outside the window seemed to dim in comparison.

The girl quickly whipped her head away, but her flaming-red earlobe and tense jawline had already betrayed her forced composure completely.

And just then, Shen Yuan thought he caught an almost inaudible huff.

The sound was low and indistinct, like a flower petal rustled by the evening breeze, yet it carried a sweet warning that struck a chord deep within Shen Yuan’s heart.

"If you dare score below 650 on the final exams... you’re dead meat!"

A smile Shen Yuan could no longer suppress bloomed across his face, as wide and unrestrained as a gushing stream after the spring thaw.

To his ears, that warning was sweeter than any vow.

He gazed at the stubborn set of her profile, at the pinkish glow that refused to fade from her cheek.

"Brat..."

Li Zhi went rigid, and the blush that still lingered on her neck shot straight to the crown of her head with a fiery WHOOSH.

That single, clear whisper was like a fine needle piercing a raw nerve, instantly shattering her carefully constructed facade.

She whipped her head back around to glare at Shen Yuan, her wide eyes sparking with shame and anger.

Li Zhi wanted to call Shen Yuan a dumbass, just like she usually did, but the words seemed to be caught in her throat, glued there by hot syrup. In the end, all that escaped was a short, sharp hiss:

"You... Shut up!"

Before the words were even out, she spun back around like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, burying her head and refusing to look up.

Her long hair fell forward, completely hiding her beet-red profile.

Her entire body was strung as taut as a bow, her shoulders rigid and motionless. Only the hand clutching her pen betrayed the chaotic state of her thoughts.

Watching her back as she tried to shrink into her chair, Shen Yuan knew that his calling her a "brat" had been the last straw.

It had utterly crushed this little kitten, so used to baring her claws, leaving her so mortified she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Meanwhile, the smile playing on Shen Yuan’s lips was brighter and more dazzling than the winter sun.

Shen Yuan was happy, but He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei, who were watching from the side, certainly weren’t.

’We’re missing the show!’

’We can’t see a thing!’

’What are you two whispering about over there?!’

All He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei could see was Li Zhi blushing, and then glaring at Shen Yuan.

And that was it.

’What in the world did Shen Yuan say to make Zhizhi react like that?’

He Zhiyu was getting desperate.

This feeling—of being right on the edge of the gossip field but missing the juiciest part of the melon—was a hundred times worse than not getting any gossip at all.

The little author slumped dejectedly over Zhuo Peipei’s desk, angrily drumming her fingers against her thigh.

’Next time, even if Shen Yuan glares daggers at me, I’m going to stay welded to my seat!’

By the time Ah Jie and his friends returned, Li Zhi had already hidden herself inside her hood.

Ah Jie and the others knew something must have happened, but they didn’t dare ask.

Right now, Li Zhi practically had the words "Don’t bother me" written across her forehead.

As for asking someone else...

Forget it. Couldn’t they see that He Zhiyu looked completely baffled too?

The next class was a study hall, and as long as no teacher came by, the rules were relaxed.

As long as you didn’t raise the roof, no one cared whether you wore a hood or not.

Seeing that Li Zhi had gone into full ostrich mode, Shen Yuan reined in his teasing.

Any more teasing, and his Li Bao would probably explode.

The study hall passed in a tense, yet strangely quiet atmosphere.

Finally, the bell rang, breaking the low hum of conversation in the classroom.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath, turned, and looked at Li Zhi, who was still trying to hide in her hood. He asked softly, "Want to go to the cafeteria? What should we get?"

Li Zhi’s shoulders twitched slightly. She seemed to hesitate for a second before pulling back the edge of her hood just enough to reveal the side of her still-flushed face. She did her best to keep her voice even. "...Anything’s fine."