Chapter 439 - 212: Li Zhi Decides to Take the Initiative

Chapter 439: Chapter 212: Li Zhi Decides to Take the Initiative

"That’s good." A slight smile curved Shen Yuan’s lips as he stood up. "Let’s go."

Li Zhi didn’t get up right away. She quickly tidied her books and pencil case on the desk, as if it were a task more important than eating. She even adjusted the books to be perfectly aligned with the edge of the desk.

After Li Zhi finished, she perhaps felt it was a little absurd herself, and stole a glance at Shen Yuan.

When she saw Shen Yuan looking at her with a knowing smirk, the girl’s head shot down, and she stood up with a WHOOSH.

Shen Yuan smiled faintly and stepped out from his seat. Li Zhi slowly followed.

They walked almost side-by-side, but a subtle space remained between them as they headed out of the classroom, one slightly ahead of the other.

Without a word, He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei exchanged a look. With a silent understanding, they rose from their seats and began to trail Shen Yuan and Li Zhi from a distance of a few paces.

And behind the two lovebirds were Ah Jie, Yang Ze, and Chen Mingyu.

The group deliberately kept their distance, giving the pair in front an invisible bubble of space.

As their friends watched, just as Shen Yuan stepped out of the classroom and Li Zhi was about to follow, Shen Yuan suddenly stopped.

He turned around. To Li Zhi’s slightly surprised eyes, he reached out with extreme naturalness, took hold of her cool wrist, and slid his hand down to hold hers.

Li Zhi’s fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Shen Yuan’s voice.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

The girl’s tightly pursed lips didn’t utter a single word. She simply let his warmth envelop her hand and quietly relaxed her curled fingers.

In that instant, Zhuo Peipei, Ah Jie, and the others trailing behind them froze solid.

Zhuo Peipei clapped a hand over her mouth, sucking in a sharp breath. Her fingers dug into He Zhiyu’s sleeve as if to confirm that what she was seeing was real.

Meanwhile, Ah Jie, Yang Ze, and Chen Mingyu were rooted to the spot, having forgotten to even breathe.

The same Shen Yuan who could usually get a rise out of Li Zhi with just a few words was now holding her hand so steadily, and she wasn’t even struggling!

Huh?

Their minds were a chaotic mess.

Ah Jie swallowed hard, squeezing out a few words in a hoarse whisper: "Damn! Did these two... evolve or something?"

"What part of the plot did I miss?"

Yang Ze, on the other hand, stared at their intertwined fingers, feeling his entire worldview crumble.

’No, no!’

’How are you two so practiced at this!’

He Zhiyu watched their reactions, unsure for a moment if she should share what she’d noticed.

’Actually, those two have been holding hands for a while now!’

To the others, the progression of Shen Yuan and Li Zhi’s relationship was jarringly abrupt, like a video that had skipped frames, showing only the result while hiding all the buildup.

They tried to recall the silent stillness of the study session, but they couldn’t logically connect her earlier avoidance with this current open display.

As they walked through the hallways, the campus lights had already come on.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi walked along the school’s concrete paths. He tightened his grip, pulling her a little closer.

"Still cold?" he asked in a low voice, his gaze landing on the strands of hair trembling beside her cheek.

Li Zhi looked up at Shen Yuan. "If I say I’m not cold anymore, will you let go?"

Shen Yuan gave a dry laugh.

’Let go? Are you kidding me?’

’It wasn’t the first time they’d held hands on campus, but it *was* the first time they’d done it so brazenly during school hours!’

’The sky had already darkened, sure, but weren’t there still all those people watching?’

’So what if Li Zhi was wearing a hat?’

...

The walk from the academic building to the cafeteria seemed much shorter than usual.

Shen Yuan held her hand without a hint of hesitation, the undeniable warmth of his palm enveloping Li Zhi’s cool fingertips.

Li Zhi let Shen Yuan lead her along, her pace quickening slightly as he pulled her forward.

The moment they walked into the cafeteria, not only did Shen Yuan not let go, he actually adjusted his grip more naturally.

As they neared the line, He Zhiyu and the others saw Shen Yuan lean down to ask Li Zhi something, after which the two of them split up.

Obviously, one was getting their food while the other was saving a table.

At that, Ah Jie’s group of three and He Zhiyu’s group of two exchanged a look. He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei quickly followed Li Zhi, while the three boys went to "arrest" Shen Yuan.

Just as Shen Yuan was getting in line, three figures closed in from behind.

"Yuan!!" Ah Jie’s hushed voice carried an undeniable air of judgment. He clapped a hand on Shen Yuan’s shoulder, his gaze so intense it threatened to burn a hole through his face.

"Come on, spill it. We’re your bros, so fess up!"

Chen Mingyu flanked him from the other side, his face alight with intense curiosity. "What was that? Huh? You tell me what that was!"

Yang Ze simply crossed his arms and blocked Shen Yuan’s path, not saying a word.

Surrounded by the three of them, Shen Yuan just laughed.

He disdainfully shoved Ah Jie’s hand away. "Get your paws off me. You’re leaning on my shoulder. Is this somewhere you’re allowed to touch?!"

"What do you mean, ’what was that’? We held hands. So what? It’s dark, it’s crowded—what’s wrong with me holding my Li Bao’s hand?"

"ARGHHHH!"

Ah Jie instantly clapped his hands over his ears, feeling like those three little words, "my Li Bao," had just dealt him critical damage.

If Shen Yuan had said that before, Ah Jie would have just laughed. But hearing it now, he couldn’t take it.

"I can’t take it anymore! This damn dog’s gotten completely shameless, hasn’t he!"

Ah Jie felt a pang of sour jealousy so sharp his teeth ached.

"Don’t you fucking change the subject! Li Zhi actually let you hold her hand?"

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes, replying with righteous indignation, "Duh! If she hadn’t let me, would I be doing this? If she didn’t want me to, she would’ve just slapped me across the face!"