Chapter 518 - 227: Slaying the Dogs

Chapter 518: Chapter 227: Slaying the Dogs

"Go!"

"Ah!"

Li Zhi let out a soft, surprised cry, her body pulled forward involuntarily by his tug.

But the moment she was pulled, the corner of the young woman’s mouth quickly curved into a knowing and slightly smug arc.

The two of them burst out the door. Shen Yuan, pulling Li Zhi, rushed into the hallway, which was still crowded with students leaving their evening study session.

"They’re running! They ran away!!!"

"After them—!!! Get Shen Dog—!"

After a brief, dead silence, the back of Class 15 absolutely erupted! It was more chaotic than ever before.

"Brothers! Get them!!!"

"Brother Yuan! Take me with you! Ah, no! Get him! Make him teach me his dating secrets!!"

"I want to learn too! Brother Yuan! Teach me how to date!!"

"Waaaah! I want to fall in love too!"

Although the group of boys was shouting loudly, not a single one of them took more than two steps out of the classroom.

They were all just yelling from where they stood.

He Zhiyu and Zhuo Peipei were grabbing each other’s arms, jumping up and down frantically. "Holy crap!! He just grabbed her and ran?!!"

"Ahhhhh! I’m shipping this so hard, I’m going crazy!!!"

"Now *this* is a scene straight out of a drama!!!"

The members of Class 15’s Kissing Association were once again dumbfounded.

’Stop feeding us, stop feeding us, we’re really going to get diabetes from all this sweetness.’

Hearing the cries of outrage from the classroom behind them, Shen Yuan led Li Zhi by the wrist, striding quickly down the school building’s corridor.

Li Zhi even had the energy to shout from behind him, "Hey! You idiot! Slow down! I can’t keep up!"

The pretty girl’s clear laughter, fragmented by the rushing wind, drifted into his ears in fits and starts, like the most beautiful background music to this frantic night run.

Led by him, Li Zhi had a little trouble keeping pace at first, but soon, the initial surprise in her eyes was replaced by an excitement mixed with a sense of novel thrill.

She watched his tall, straight back weave effortlessly through the crowd. Other students, jostled and nearly knocked over by Shen Yuan’s agile movements, shot them looks of astonishment or displeasure. Through it all, her lips curled into a smile she couldn’t suppress.

Shen Yuan showed no sign of stopping. The line of his jaw was tight as he focused on forging a path ahead.

He could clearly feel the warmth of Li Zhi’s wrist in his grasp, and her breathing—slightly ragged from the run, yet miraculously in sync with his own pace.

This noisy, brightly-lit corridor seemed to have become an express lane to the unknown, one that belonged only to the two of them.

The wind, carrying the unique chill of a winter’s night, suddenly rushed against their faces.

With Li Zhi in tow, Shen Yuan burst out of the school building in one go.

His footsteps screeched to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

His chest heaved from the intense run, and his breath instantly condensed into a small puff of white mist in the cold air.

He subconsciously tightened his palm; the slender wrist was still a real, tangible presence against his skin.

"Ah... you idiot... running... so fast..."

Li Zhi was panting slightly, the end of her words tinged with a playfully scolding laugh. It was clear she was out of breath too.

Only then did Shen Yuan truly snap back to his senses. The reckless impulse that had been solely focused on breaking out suddenly dissipated, and a powerful sense of reality seized all his senses.

He was standing on the campus on a cold winter night, and the person whose wrist he held so tightly was his Li Bao.

Almost instinctively, he whipped his head around.

His gaze fell directly on the girl beside him.

Li Zhi happened to look up at him at the exact same moment.

The light from the school building spilled out from the doorway, creating a soft, warm halo behind her.

But clearer still was the dim, yellow, yet bright streetlight not far above their heads.

Its cool, soft radiance poured straight down, like a hazy golden veil, gently enveloping her entire being.

The air still had a cold touch, and the streetlight’s glow carved sharp lines of light and shadow in the darkness.

Right there, at the boundary between light and shadow, Shen Yuan saw the expression on Li Zhi’s face with perfect clarity.

Her cheeks were flushed a captivating crimson from the run, as if dabbed with the finest rouge.

The lingering smile in her eyes burst forth completely, rising from its sly and mischievous foundation to bloom at the corners of her eyes and brows.

The beautiful girl’s lips were turned up in a wide, unrestrained smile—open and brilliant, more dazzling and moving than the brightest star in the night sky.

This smile no longer held any trace of teasing, nor the previous smugness or mischief.

It was simply, utterly radiant.

The light itself seemed to be ignited by the brilliant sparkle in her eyes. Those clear eyes, which could reflect the entire galaxy, were now reflecting him completely, so focused it was as if he were the only person left in the world.

The night wind blew, and a few strands of hair that had escaped from the edge of her small pearl hairpin playfully brushed against her smooth forehead and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth.

But this did nothing to diminish the infectious power of that smile.

Shen Yuan’s intense gaze locked onto Li Zhi’s shimmering, liquid eyes. His voice was low and clear, tinged with a seriousness that was almost breathtaking as he said softly:

"Li Bao..." He paused, as if confirming the thought, or perhaps savoring this certainty.

"You’re so beautiful."

The words had barely left his lips when even he was slightly stunned.

These incredibly simple words weren’t even a flirtatious question like "Are the strawberries sweeter, or am I?"

They were so direct, so plain, yet on this dimly lit winter night, they carried the most searing and undeniable sincerity from the boy’s heart, hitting their mark precisely in the girl’s.

The dim yellow light of the lamp outlined the profile of the boy’s focused gaze and also illuminated the unconcealable tenderness and awe in his eyes.

The smile on Li Zhi’s face seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, a hint of slyness rippled through her eyes.

The wrist held tightly by Shen Yuan moved slightly. But instead of pulling away, she very naturally twisted her wrist, turning the tables and lightly clasping Shen Yuan’s fingers.

The girl’s voice carried a sweet laugh, the final note deliberately rising like a little hook. "Oh?"

She tilted her head and deliberately leaned in a little closer, a mischievous glint shining clearly in her eyes.

"So, you’re saying I’m beautiful *now*..."

She paused, the slyness in her pretty eyes almost overflowing, and asked, word by word, "Does that mean... I wasn’t beautiful before? Hmm?"

Shen Yuan, who had just been immersed in this peaceful and beautiful atmosphere, instantly felt like he’d been thrown off a cliff!

Talk about lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot.

Talk about digging your own grave and being instantly buried alive in it.