Chapter 511 - 226: Li Zhi: What’s Sweeter, the Strawberries or Me?

Chapter 511: Chapter 226: Li Zhi: What’s Sweeter, the Strawberries or Me?

She was wearing a soft, beige, full-length down jacket. It was open, revealing a long, cream-white knit dress underneath, the hem falling gently just above her ankles.

But most importantly, Li Zhi’s hair was styled in a way Shen Yuan hadn’t seen in a very, very long time.

Her long, smooth hair, which she usually wore down, was now meticulously tied into two cute pigtails that fell playfully over her shoulders.

On the side of one pigtail, the small, delicate pearl hair clip he had given her shimmered with a gentle luster under the motion-sensor light.

This outfit was a world away from her usual simple or slightly sultry style; it was overwhelmingly sweet and adorable.

The pigtails, in particular, made her look even cuter, radiating a breathtaking, youthful energy.

Shen Yuan was so stunned that for a moment, he stopped walking, stopped breathing.

Just then, the sweet-looking girl standing before him suddenly moved, taking a few light, skipping steps until she was right in front of Shen Yuan.

The light from the motion sensor washed over her from above, illuminating her slightly tilted head.

Her clear, bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Shen Yuan, filled with a hint of cunning and deep playfulness.

Her smooth pigtails swayed gently with her movements.

The corners of the girl’s lips curved into a brilliant smile, tinged with a hint of devilish pride. She deliberately lowered her voice, speaking in a soft, sweet tone Shen Yuan had never heard from her before.

"Captain!"

That single, unexpected word was like an electric current, instantly piercing through Shen Yuan’s cerebral cortex and sending a tingling numbness through him from head to toe.

"Do I look pretty?"

Li Zhi tilted her head and asked again, her big eyes fluttering as if she were savoring the undoubtedly spectacular expression on his face.

Shen Yuan felt as if an invisible hand had seized his heart, then abruptly flooded it with a searing heat. It hammered wildly in his chest, a frantic drumbeat that felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.

The sight of her, the sound of her voice, and the explosive impact of that one word—"Captain"—instantly turned his thoughts to mush. His mind was blasted completely blank, wiped clean.

His mouth hung open, but no sound came out. All he could see was the girl’s playful, sweet smile shining brightly under the sensor light, overwhelming all his senses. He almost lost his grip on the box of strawberries in his hand.

Seeing Shen Yuan’s dumbfounded expression, Li Zhi snickered.

Her pigtails swayed with the movement, the pearl clip glinting in the light.

She took half a step closer, rising onto her tiptoes. Her clear eyes stared intently at his dazed face as she asked in a voice that was both sweet and soft.

"Captain?"

"Captain! I’m asking you, do I look pretty or not?"

The halo of the sensor light danced on her face, making her smile look all the more mischievous.

When Shen Yuan still didn’t move, his dazed and foolish look struck her as hilarious. She deliberately crinkled her cute, pert nose and reached out to poke him gently on the head.

"Hey! You idiot, Shen Yuan! Snap out of it!" she said, her voice filled with unstoppable laughter. "Why are you being so silly?"

Shen Yuan jolted.

The box of strawberries slipped in his hand, and he fumbled to catch it.

The cool edge of the plastic box pressed against his palm, but that little bit of coldness was no match for the heat that instantly erupted across his cheeks.

Li Zhi’s question, "Why are you being so silly?" was like a mirror, instantly reflecting his own foolishness with nowhere to hide.

’It’s over...’

Shen Yuan wailed inwardly. A tingling aftershock from her "Captain" still seemed to linger in his brain, and his vision was filled with nothing but the girl’s lively, adorable figure.

’I really am an idiot,’ he thought.

’A complete and total moron, like I’ve been hit with a stupefying spell.’

What little intelligence he had left seemed to have been squeezed dry and ground to dust by her repeated calls of "Captain," then carelessly tossed into the cold winter wind.

DING—

The crisp sound of the elevator arriving next to them briefly broke the silence of the hallway and was like a small hammer gently tapping on Shen Yuan’s muddled brain.

Li Zhi’s eyes curved into smiling crescents as she looked at his still somewhat rigid posture. She gave her small nose a cute wrinkle and, without another word, naturally reached out her hand.

This time, she didn’t poke his head, but gently took hold of the cuff of his down jacket.

"Let’s go, Captain."

Her voice trailed off with a teasing yet cute lilt as she pulled him, taking no for an answer, toward the open elevator doors.

The warm elevator car felt like a protective barrier, sealing them off from the hallway’s chill and the potential, unseen gaze of Old Li.

His cuff gripped by her cool fingertips and struck once again by that "Captain" from point-blank range, Shen Yuan was practically dragged into the elevator, his limbs moving stiffly and out of sync.

The low HUM of the elevator doors slowly closing was amplified in the small space.

Shen Yuan finally felt the frozen state of his brain begin to thaw, and he could once again regain some semblance of control over his body.

He looked down, his gaze first falling on the small hand still holding his cuff, then slowly shifting to the strawberries in his own hand.

Just then, Li Zhi’s eyes followed his, and the ends of her pigtails swayed slightly.

Their eyes met.

Li Zhi jutted her chin at him.

The girl clearly hadn’t forgotten her earlier question.

Her fingers, still pinching his cuff, tightened imperceptibly. Her soft pink lips curved once more into that same mischievous, yet expectant, smile.

"My Captain still hasn’t answered my question!"

Li Zhi leaned in closer, repeating herself word by word, as if to drive each one into his brain:

"Captain, I’m asking you... this outfit, do I look pretty or not?"