Chapter 509 - 226: Li Zhi: Which is Sweeter, the Strawberry or Me?

Chapter 509: Chapter 226: Li Zhi: Which is Sweeter, the Strawberry or Me?

DING-DONG—

The crisp doorbell rang through the quiet hallway, its echo reverberating like a stone tossed into a placid lake.

Shen Yuan’s heart leaped into his throat. He held his breath, waiting for the world behind the door to open up to him.

A moment later, the sound of a doorknob turning was followed by the distinct click of the bolt sliding back.

The door swung open slowly. A blast of cozy warmth from inside, mixed with the faint, tantalizing aroma of a home-cooked meal, washed over him.

Standing in the doorway was Old Li.

Old Li’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, instantly locking onto Shen Yuan.

Their gazes met for a brief moment, and the air in the hallway seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Shen Yuan could clearly feel Old Li’s scrutinizing gaze sweep over him.

From the bulging backpack on his shoulders, to his slightly tense posture, and finally to the stiff expression on his face that he hadn’t yet managed to fix.

His heart began to pound like a drum in his chest. The brave front of a "scholarly warrior" he had painstakingly constructed was instantly punctured.

His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He could almost hear the blood rushing in his ears.

But in the next second, Shen Yuan took a sharp, deep breath!

’This is it! Time to show my determination!’

Shen Yuan straightened his back and spoke, his voice loud and clear, his tone so much more confident than the hesitation he’d felt at his own door moments ago.

"Uncle Li! Good morning!"

His voice was booming and enthusiastic, shattering the hallway’s silence. Even his smile seemed exceptionally sincere and... deliberate.

He even gave a slight bow, and the backpack on his shoulders shifted, revealing the solid weight of its contents.

"I’m here to do homework and review with Li Zhi!!"

Shen Yuan beamed like a sun that had finally burst forth after being suppressed for too long, trying to melt the invisible pressure in the air—and Old Li’s frosty, appraising stare—with the pure heat of his scholarly passion.

The warm, yellow light from inside Li Zhi’s home illuminated his exuberant face. There seemed to be a faint glint on his forehead.

It was probably a thin sheen of nervous sweat.

Old Li stared at Shen Yuan’s face, a smile that could almost be described as "excessively sunny."

His sharp gaze lingered for a moment, as if assessing whether this sudden burst of enthusiasm was a genuine impulse or just some clumsy acting.

"Hn."

Old Li nodded and stepped aside, opening the door wider.

"Come in. It’s cold out."

Shen Yuan worked to keep his "radiant" smile plastered on his face as he replied loudly.

"You got it, Uncle Li!"

Crossing the threshold, the winter chill was instantly replaced by the spring-like warmth inside.

But the pressure of his future father-in-law’s gaze on his back made him feel like he was walking on thin, trembling ice, each step taken with caution.

Old Li closed the door behind him, shutting out the cold hallway draft.

His gaze fell placidly on the bulging backpack on Shen Yuan’s shoulder. The corner of his mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly, a hint of understanding and... a rare touch of gentleness?

"Zhizhi is in the study."

Old Li’s voice was much more relaxed than it had been in the hallway, almost bordering on amicable.

He gestured with his chin toward a room down the hall, his tone as natural as if he were stating a simple fact, as if Shen Yuan coming over to study together was the most normal thing in the world.

Shen Yuan forced a smile, his voice involuntarily tightening. "Got it, Uncle Li! I’ll head right over!"

He didn’t dare let his eyes linger on Old Li’s face for even a second, terrified that the pair of seemingly all-seeing eyes would catch the anxiety he was desperately trying to suppress.

The bulging backpack felt like his only lifeline at that moment. Shen Yuan practically jogged to the study.

Underneath his warm down jacket, a small patch of fabric over his back was already slightly damp with cold sweat.

He struggled to keep his expression fixed, to stop the corners of his mouth from drooping, but deep down, he was screaming internally.

’Hold it together, Shen Yuan!’

’Forget it, Li Bao, save me!’

With a sense of relief like he’d just survived a disaster, mixed with anticipation, Shen Yuan gently pushed open the study door.

Li Zhi was sitting with her back to the door.

She seemed to have heard the noise at the entrance but didn’t turn around immediately. Her fair fingers unconsciously twirled a stray lock of hair by her ear, her gaze fixed with Concentration on the open workbook in front of her.

The moment Shen Yuan’s eyes landed on Li Zhi, his feet froze involuntarily at the doorway. He felt a soft thump in his heart, followed by an indescribable wave of disappointment.

The Li Zhi before him was no longer wearing the eye-catching outfit from last night.

In its place was the most ordinary of loungewear.

A large, light-gray, thin-fleece hoodie, its long sleeves covering half of her hands, revealing only the tips of her slender fingers.

What made Shen Yuan even more "desperate" was her lower half.

The visually striking, thick black leggings from before were gone without a trace, replaced by a pair of extremely loose, soft, light-colored, fleece-lined pajama pants.

Because of how she was sitting, the long pant legs bunched up loosely at her ankles. Her slender legs were completely hidden, not a single curve of their lines visible. Even her ankles were swaddled in thick, fluffy socks.

She looked like a little bunny wrapped in cotton candy—fluffy and utterly adorable, yet all youthful fantasies were hermetically sealed away beneath the soft fabric.

The beautiful girl radiated an aura of pure domestic comfort and studious Concentration, a stark contrast to the alluring images that he couldn’t get out of his head.