Chapter 500 - 224: Reward for a Good Performance (5)

Chapter 500: Chapter 224: Reward for a Good Performance (5)

Shen Yuan’s gaze fell on her exceptionally ordinary clothes. The glimmer of anticipation in his eyes dimmed slightly, and a hint of unconcealable disappointment flickered across his face.

Li Zhi keenly caught the change in his expression. The corners of her lips lifted into a teasing smile as she tilted her head and asked, "What’s wrong, boyfriend? Are you... disappointed to see me dressed like this?"

Before Shen Yuan could even organize his thoughts, she quickly dropped her playful expression, took a step forward, and held out her hand to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The young woman’s voice held a hint of a command, yet it was laced with a smile. "Alright, your girlfriend is here to check your homework. Hand it over. Let’s see how my boyfriend did, shall we?"

Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Shen Yuan’s eyes instantly lit up with pleasant surprise.

’She’s going to check my performance!’

Even though Li Bao was heading down the path of a "bad girl" with no return, Shen Yuan had to admit he liked it.

He loved this feeling of being motivated to improve.

Without another word, Shen Yuan grabbed Li Zhi’s wrist and started walking toward the study.

"Hey? What are you doing?" Li Zhi was caught off guard as he pulled her along, but the warmth spreading from his fingertips made her heart skip a beat.

"Didn’t you want to see how I did?" Shen Yuan glanced back, his smile bright and a little eager, his pace never slowing.

"Come on, come on, I’m taking you to the study."

Shen Yuan reached the study door and stepped aside to let Li Zhi in. But instead of following her immediately, he blocked the doorway, leaning in slightly, his burning gaze fixed on her eyes.

"Girlfriend? What do you want to eat later? Ice cream? Or something else?"

This sudden attentiveness and inquiry, tinged with an unconcealed desire to please, was so direct it made the tips of Li Zhi’s ears burn.

She turned her head away, pretending to look at the exam papers spread out on the desk, but she quietly tapped his arm with her fingertip. "...None of that. We’ll talk after I’ve finished checking!"

But the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her sweet feeling of being cherished.

She leaned over for a closer look, her fingertip tracing over Shen Yuan’s densely packed problem-solving steps. His logic was clear, and his scratch work was neat.

A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes. She subconsciously pursed her lips, wanting to find a couple of things to criticize, but she couldn’t find any trace of carelessness.

"...The auxiliary line for this problem is drawn incorrectly," she said, deliberately pointing at a geometric diagram. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shen Yuan’s shoulders instantly tense up. "But the problem-solving approach is reasonable, I guess."

Seeing him lower his gaze in disappointment at her first comment, Li Zhi finally couldn’t resist poking his arm. "Just kidding. You were so diligent, were you hoping I’d praise you?"

Shen Yuan’s eyes suddenly lit up. He was just about to take her hand, but Li Zhi took a half-step back, her ears turning red as she crossed her arms. "Don’t get cocky!"

"So, Li Bao, how did I do?"

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan, silent for a moment. Finally, she let out a soft hmph and nodded. "I’ll say you did pretty well. I’m very satisfied!"

Shen Yuan’s eyes brightened, and he immediately leaned in closer to press, "So... is there a reward?"

Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, the tips of Li Zhi’s ears flushed red. Glimpsing his burning gaze, she looked down and bit her lip.

"Se... Selaan! All you think about is rewards!"

Shen Yuan chuckled. "I need to recharge too! I spent all day yesterday grinding through my New Year’s homework, and today I did three more exam papers. Li Bao, are you really not going to give me a little reward to soothe my weary soul?"

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan’s sorrowful act and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him.

The beautiful girl looked at Shen Yuan and stammered, "F... Fine. But you have to promise me—no getting handsy!"

Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly.

A sweet and slightly tense atmosphere filled the room.

Li Zhi’s cheeks were slightly flushed, her long eyelashes lowered. She didn’t dare meet Shen Yuan’s fiery gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

First, she shuffled back slightly, her heel pressing against the edge of her slipper. Her small foot slid out with a hint of hesitation. Her slender ankle and soft arch were snugly wrapped in a thin layer of black tights, her toes curling quietly against the floor through the fabric.

Shen Yuan’s breath caught in his throat. His gaze was uncontrollably glued to that pair of delicate, silk-clad feet.

Then, a scene unfolded that made his pulse race.

Li Zhi bit her lip, her trembling fingertips lightly grasping the hem of her loose pants, and began to lift it up, bit by bit, slowly...

The smooth fabric of her pant leg was slowly raised, exposing the slender calf wrapped in black tights, inch by inch, to the bright light.

The smooth material of the tights clung perfectly to the lines of her skin, outlining the even, flowing curve of her calf. It started from her delicate ankle and extended upward, filled with an ineffable grace and refinement.

Beneath the hazy black wrapping, the soft curve of her calf was faintly visible, exuding a forbidden sort of allure.

Li Zhi’s cheeks felt like they were on fire, and even her small earlobes had turned the color of red agate.

She helplessly covered half her face with her other hand, her glistening eyes stealing a shy, timid glance at Shen Yuan before quickly looking down again.

The contrast between her proactive "reward" and her youthful, bashful shyness was enough to make a heart race out of control.

The visual gut punch of "tights under pants" made Shen Yuan’s mind go completely blank.

’She’s just too good at this.’

’How... how could she even think of something like this as a reward?’

The sound of Shen Yuan swallowing was so obvious that Li Zhi’s ears instantly burned bright red. The hand pulling up her tights trembled, and the black fabric rustled against her skin.

"Th-that’s enough, isn’t it!" she stammered, turning her face away and unconsciously twisting the corner of her shirt.

How could Shen Yuan possibly have seen enough?

"I..."

Before Shen Yuan could get the full sentence out, he saw Li Zhi glare at him.

"Don’t even think about it! You... you haven’t even gotten that far yet!"

Seeing Li Zhi’s triggered reaction, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s not like I haven’t touched them before."

"Get lost! Selaan!"