Chapter 443 - 213: I’m Not Tsundere

Chapter 443: Chapter 213: I’m Not Tsundere

They walked on, clumsily linked together, their arms swinging in sync through the cold night air.

Their movements were stiff and childish, like a pair of toddlers who had just learned to hold hands to cross the street.

But the warmth spreading from their palms was more palpable and scorching than the afternoon sun.

The dim yellow halos of the streetlights stretched their shadows long. Their overlapping silhouettes swayed with their steps along the silent campus path, a silent, childish declaration.

The slightly clumsy yet incredibly intimate gesture was like a jolt of electricity, suddenly flipping a switch deep within their memories.

A distant, almost blurry image suddenly snapped into focus.

At the mouth of a narrow, crowded alley, the setting sun stretched two shadows long—one big, one small.

A little Shen Yuan had gripped her even smaller wrist tightly, taking large strides to lead her forward while swinging her arm gently, just like now.

This feeling, the pull and sway from her palm now, miraculously overlapped with that one from across the long years.

This pull, which the young woman now found childish but couldn’t bear to shake off, had been quietly etched into her memory since those ignorant days of her youth.

Back then, it was an innocent and taken-for-granted companionship.

But now...

The lower half of her face, hidden by her thick collar, couldn’t help but secretly burn a little hotter.

Shen Yuan seemed to feel this same warmth and pull, sighing softly, "It’s just like the old days."

Hearing this, the tips of Li Zhi’s ears, hidden under her hood, turned an even deeper shade of red. She immediately retorted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "...How is it the same! It’s not the same at all!"

Her words were harsh, but she didn’t dare look up at Shen Yuan, merely pinching his palm harder.

Feeling the movement in his palm and seeing the embarrassed way she was practically burying her face in her collar, Shen Yuan chuckled and leaned in closer.

His warm breath brushed against the rim of Li Zhi’s ear, which was cool from the wind. Shen Yuan’s voice was tinged with amusement:

"I never said *when* it was like."

The girl whipped her head around to glare at him fiercely. "You!"

Under Li Zhi’s gaze, Shen Yuan leaned in even closer and spoke in a softer voice.

"But you’re right, it is different."

"..."

"Now... you’re a tsundere."

"Shen Yuan!!"

That word, the one that had shattered the girl’s defenses this afternoon, was brought up by Shen Yuan again, hitting her right where it hurt most!

Shen Yuan’s response was a sharp, twisting pinch from her fingertips and a low growl of pure, mortified anger.

In the halo of the streetlight, the boy’s shoulders shook with faint laughter, while the girl indignantly whipped her head away and strode forward, their hands still tightly clasped.

That thrilling intimacy, born in childhood yet so different now, swayed silently into the deeper winter night.

A cold gust of wind blew past, and Li Zhi felt the heat on her face subside a little.

But Shen Yuan’s "tsundere," like a cursed refrain, still echoed in her mind—a sweet sound that made her want to grind her teeth.

She snuck a glance at the guy beside her, whose lips were fighting and failing to suppress a smile.

’Hmph!’

’Go on and laugh!’

’Sooner or later, I’ll get you back for this, with interest!’

As the school gate drew closer, an idea began to form in Li Zhi’s mind, a cunning glint flashing in her bright eyes.

’No, I have to stay calm.’

’Can’t laugh.’

Li Zhi started to feign composure.

Just as Li Zhi was secretly plotting her little "revenge," barely able to suppress the eager smile in her eyes,

the large hand holding hers suddenly let go!

Li Zhi froze. Her pace faltered for half a beat, and she looked up at Shen Yuan in confusion.

Just then, his newly freed arm slid expertly around her, pulling her into his embrace.

His other free hand even found and took hold of hers.

A wave of warmth—a mix of refreshing soap and his unique boyish scent—engulfed her like a silent tsunami.

Li Zhi’s mind went completely blank with a BUZZ!

Her body instantly froze in the cold wind.

The cunning and plotting she had just managed to rein in were completely shattered by this audacious embrace—he’d been given an inch, and he’d taken a mile.

’Hey, wait a minute.’

’Isn’t this something you’re only supposed to do after we leave school grounds?’

"You...!"

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan, her peripheral vision catching sight of the other students around them.

She didn’t even need to think about it; Li Zhi knew exactly how many of the surrounding students’ eyes were fixed on her.

Shen Yuan could feel the soft hand in his suddenly clench tight.

"Moron! Are you crazy?! We’re still at school! Let go!"

But even as Li Zhi said this, her first reaction wasn’t to struggle, but to bury her face deep into Shen Yuan’s chest.

Luckily, that guy Shen Yuan was wearing his backpacks today with one on his front and one on his back. By burying her face deep enough, Li Zhi could completely block out the outside world.

Watching that fluffy head burrow into his chest, Shen Yuan chuckled and pressed her body even more tightly against his.

His voice, laced with laughter, sounded right next to Li Zhi’s ear.

"Not letting go. What’s wrong? Think I’m too hot to handle now?"

At that, Li Zhi completely lost it!

She abruptly lifted her head from his chest, raised her small fists, and furiously pounded on his front backpack.

"Are you looking for a beating?"

Li Zhi glared at this audacious guy, but being held in his arms like this... felt exceptionally reassuring.

Shen Yuan chuckled, looking at the girl in his arms—furious yet helpless. His heart felt as if it had been tickled by a fluffy paw, an unbearable itch.

He ignored her kitten-like blows, instead rubbing his chin against the soft hair on top of Li Zhi’s head. He tightened his arms and coaxed in a low voice, "Alright, alright, don’t your hands hurt? Let’s go. Time to go home."