Chapter 494 - 223: A Girlfriend’s Duties (Part 3)

Chapter 494: Chapter 223: A Girlfriend’s Duties (Part 3)

A DING from the elevator shattered the tranquil warmth.

Li Zhi shifted slightly in his embrace, finally looking up.

She didn’t struggle free right away. Instead, she gazed up at him, her eyes still glistening, her voice muffled by the collar of her down jacket. It was a sound of kitten-like affection and dependence:

"Dumbass... the elevator’s here."

"Let Uncle Li and Aunt Xu wait a little longer."

Li Zhi stared at Shen Yuan in disbelief and poked him on the forehead.

"You must have a death wish."

Shen Yuan chuckled. "Just kidding. I’ll take you down."

The girl’s voice suddenly softened, muffled by her jacket but carrying a natural, matter-of-fact intimacy. "What do you think? Taking your girlfriend downstairs—isn’t that your duty? My dumbass boyfriend."

Her words struck a chord deep in Shen Yuan’s heart, and the bittersweet pang of their impending farewell was instantly replaced by overwhelming sweetness.

"Duty? Heh!" Shen Yuan grinned. He pulled Li Zhi into a tight hug, leaning down slightly. His gaze was intense as he looked at the blushing girl, a teasing smirk playing on his lips as he lowered his voice.

"I’m more than happy to fulfill that duty. But... Li Bao," he said, deliberately drawing out his words, a cunning glint in his eyes, "since we’re talking about duties... what about yours as my girlfriend? Hmm? You can’t expect to just enjoy all the perks, can you?"

The boy’s gaze lingered on her face, his roguish smile growing bolder. The implication was obvious.

Li Zhi instantly understood the hint in his eyes. Her face flushed a deeper shade of red, and she even found her breath catching in her throat.

A flame of indignant embarrassment flickered, but when she saw Shen Yuan’s silly, expectant expression, it transformed into something else entirely.

"Selaan! What kind of dirty thoughts are you having now!" She stood on her tiptoes and jabbed her fair fingers firmly against Shen Yuan’s forehead, pushing him back half an inch.

The girl tilted her chin up, her bright eyes sparkling with a familiar, imperious glint. Her tone was firm. "My duty?"

She paused, then announced, enunciating each word with perfect clarity, "Is to make sure you study hard and score a 665! If you can’t... you’re finished!"

...

In the underground garage.

Old Li stood by the elevator, a helpless look on his face.

Beside him, Xu Chan smiled. "Well? Getting a taste of what my dad went through?"

Hearing this, Old Li sighed. "That damn girl..."

"Oh, come on. See? The elevator’s coming down now. They weren’t up there for long."

Old Li watched the elevator descend, his gaze sharp and severe.

"You think that Shen Yuan kid is in there?"

Xu Chan rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think?"

The answer was obvious.

DING!

The elevator doors opened, and Shen Yuan appeared in Old Li’s line of sight.

Shen Yuan instinctively stood up straighter. The natural intimacy he’d shared with Li Zhi moments before vanished, as if instantly frozen by the cold air of the garage.

Old Li’s gaze was so intense it felt physical. It swept over Shen Yuan’s still-uneven breathing and the slight disarray of his clothes, finally landing on the boy’s young, slightly stiff face.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment.

Not a word was spoken, but a heavy, unspoken understanding filled the air.

Old Li’s expression was complex—a mixture of understanding, scrutiny, and a trace of something hard to describe... annoyance?

He furrowed his brow slightly, the line of his mouth visibly tightening.

Shen Yuan felt his breath hitch, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

Standing before his future father-in-law, especially after having just "stolen" his precious daughter away, the boy’s guilt and awe were magnified a thousandfold by the silent stare-down. It felt as if an invisible string at the back of his neck had been pulled taut.

He was frozen to the spot.

Just as the silence threatened to crush Shen Yuan, a small hand abruptly grabbed Old Li’s arm.

"Jeez! Dad—! What are you staring at? Let’s go!" Li Zhi’s crisp voice, full of urgency, instantly shattered the stalemate.

Li Zhi tugged hard on Old Li’s sleeve, half-complaining and half-forcibly dragging her father, who was still rooted to the spot.

"Let’s go, let’s go! Stop dawdling!"

Without daring to spare Shen Yuan another glance, she quickly pulled Old Li toward the car.

"Hmph!"

Only then did Old Li retract his tangible gaze, allowing his daughter to pull him toward the car.

He gave Shen Yuan one last, heavy look—a look that was both meaningful and tinged with a hint of resignation.

Shen Yuan wanted to say something, but...

’I feel like Old Li would kill me if I opened my mouth.’

In the end, Old Li was all but dragged away by Li Zhi toward their car parked nearby.

Just as they were about to round the corner, Li Zhi suddenly looked back at Shen Yuan and gave him a stealthy wink.

Shen Yuan broke into a smile, but by then, the girl had already turned away.

Watching Old Li and Li Zhi disappear around the corner, Shen Yuan slowly let out a sigh of relief.

That brief stare-down had been so intense that a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his back.

His heart was still thumping loudly in his chest.

Shen Yuan stood at the entrance of the now-empty garage. He could faintly hear the engine of Li Zhi’s family car start up and drive away, the sound gradually fading into the crisp winter air.

As the voices faded, the sense of loss he had temporarily suppressed resurfaced.

Shen Yuan rubbed his face. The morning air was crisp and carried winter’s chill. He realized his stomach was, in fact, quite empty.

The tension of the farewell, combined with the lingering grogginess of an early morning, demanded some warm comfort.

Instead of heading straight home, he took a familiar path out of the residential complex and walked toward the breakfast stall on the corner.