Chapter 510 - 226: Li Zhi: Are the Strawberries Sweet, or Am I Sweeter? (Part 4)

Chapter 510: Chapter 226: Li Zhi: Are the Strawberries Sweet, or Am I Sweeter? (Part 4)

Shen Yuan stood at the door, taking in the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. Even though he had more or less guessed this would be the case, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of... disappointment.

Just then, the beautiful girl with her back to him seemed unable to hold it in any longer.

She slowly turned her head, her clear, bright eyes landing on the figure standing frozen at the door.

A barely perceptible smile touched the corners of Li Zhi’s lips. Her large, expressive eyes clearly reflected Shen Yuan’s crestfallen and resigned expression.

With a hint of smug satisfaction, Li Zhi’s voice rang out softly.

"What are you doing just standing there, dumbass?"

Shen Yuan cleared his throat, trying to shake off the disappointment in his heart.

"I’m here."

Shen Yuan quickly walked over to the chair on the other side of the desk and set his heavy backpack on it. As he unzipped it, he tried to cover up his earlier blunder with conversation.

"I brought my homework, some practice exams, and my error-correction notebook."

However, Li Zhi didn’t seem inclined to let him off the hook so easily.

The beautiful girl propped an elbow on the desk, rested her chin in her hand, and tilted her head to look at Shen Yuan.

Her smiling eyes seemed to pierce right through his facade, seeing straight to the little disappointed thoughts in his mind.

"Hey," Li Zhi lowered her voice, a mischievous smile in her tone as she asked what she already knew, "You’re disappointed, aren’t you?"

Shen Yuan’s hand, in the middle of unzipping his backpack, froze.

"Huh? D-Disappointed? What’s there to be disappointed about?" Shen Yuan tried to play dumb, his voice wavering from guilt.

Seeing his transparent attempt to cover things up, Li Zhi let out a snort of laughter.

She pointed a finger at him from across the desk, her expression turning mock-stern as she chided him in a warning tone.

"Selaan! Stop playing dumb! What’s going through that head of yours?!"

She lowered her voice slightly. "Dumbass Shen Yuan, get this through your head! This is my house! My dad is right there in the living room!"

"How could I possibly wear... wear something like I did yesterday to see you here?! Do you take me for an idiot?"

"You are going to sit there, do your work, and be serious about it! Stop thinking about other things!"

Li Zhi sat up straight, picked up her pen again, and tapped her fingers on the desk as she gave Shen Yuan his orders.

"Hurry up! Get your practice tests out! Finish three of them before we head back to school, and make sure you correct your mistakes!"

Shen Yuan was just about to pull the tests out of his backpack when Li Zhi suddenly leaned over again, lightly poking his arm with her index finger.

Shen Yuan froze and turned to her, confused.

The girl’s sweet scent washed over him. Her soft, pink lips parted slightly, her voice hushed and gentle.

"Dumbass, if you can actually finish your work on time and do it well..." She paused, her eyes glinting mischievously at Shen Yuan. "Then for study hall back at school tonight, I might give some... special consideration to what I wear."

After saying this, as if scalded by her own bold words, the beautiful girl shot back into her seat and pretended to be engrossed in her book.

A BUZZ went through Shen Yuan’s head. The disappointment he’d felt over her conservative homewear was instantly ignited, exploding into a sky full of fireworks!

’Special consideration’!

’Study hall tonight’!

’What I wear’!

These three phrases were like bombshells, setting his heart racing.

"I’ll do it! Right now!"

The boy’s voice carried a barely perceptible tremor from his sheer excitement, and his eyes were shining with an astonishing light.

The caution and nervousness he’d felt when facing Old Li earlier vanished completely, replaced by an almost fanatical focus and a blazing motivation.

At that moment, Shen Yuan didn’t even spare a glance for the girl beside him, immediately burying his head in his work and throwing himself into conquering the practice tests.

Soon, Shen Yuan entered a state of Concentration.

Li Zhi caught sight of his intense focus out of the corner of her eye—as if he’d just been given a shot in the arm—and the corners of her lips curled up involuntarily.

The tip of his pen glided smoothly across the paper, making a soft, rhythmic RUSTLE.

Boosted by his Concentration skill, Shen Yuan’s problem-solving efficiency was incredibly high.

A little after 2:00 PM, Shen Yuan stretched languidly.

’Done.’

Three practice tests completed, answers checked, and mistakes corrected.

Shen Yuan picked up his tests and error-correction notebook. "Li Bao," he asked, looking at Li Zhi, "do you need to check them?"

Li Zhi waved a hand and closed her own book of practice exams, a relaxed smile in her eyes. "No need. Your speed and accuracy have improved a lot."

She stood and patted Shen Yuan’s shoulder. "Go ahead and pack up. Take a break."

Li Zhi tapped a finger on the desk calendar. Her voice was cheerful, but held a note of reminder. "New Year’s Day is almost over. After this, it’s the final sprint to exams."

Shen Yuan followed her gaze to the calendar, where January 21st was heavily circled in red.

The hand he was holding his pen with paused for a moment. He then met Li Zhi’s smiling gaze, and a silent understanding passed between them as they both grinned.

Their pact—to score 665—was one step closer.

...

As dusk settled outside the window, the aromas of different dishes drifted from the kitchens of their two homes.

Not long after dinner, Shen Yuan received a message from Li Zhi, reminding him it was time to head to school.

After sending a reply, Shen Yuan put on his down jacket and slung on his backpack, ready to leave. But at the entryway, his mother, Zhang Yuyan, shoved a container of washed strawberries into his hands. "Take these to Zhizhi!"

"None for me?"

Zhang Yuyan rolled her eyes. "If you want some, you can ask her yourself."

Shen Yuan sighed in resignation but took the strawberries and left.

The door clicked shut, and the motion-sensor light behind him flickered on.

Shen Yuan instinctively turned his head, and his gaze was immediately locked onto the figure standing a short distance away.

Li Zhi wasn’t dressed in the style he had anticipated, but the sight of her still made his heart skip a beat.

The beautiful girl had shed her casual homewear from the daytime. Compared to her usual self, she looked like a completely different person.