Chapter 519 - 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

Chapter 519: Chapter 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

"Uhh..."

Shen Yuan let out a choked sound, his mind going completely blank. The deep, affectionate look in his eyes instantly morphed into a panicked, dazed stupor.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if this sudden "killer question" had jammed his entire ability to speak. Only his Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty a few times.

"No! That’s not it!"

Finally, like a broken record player, Shen Yuan managed to force out a few broken syllables, his voice cracking.

He tried to explain, hastily adding, "I mean... both are good! You always... you’ve always been especially beautiful!"

Shen Yuan’s voice was strained, filled with embarrassment and helplessness.

’Shen Yuan felt like he was doomed.’

At the sight of the boy’s expression instantly falling from a heartfelt confession into a muddy pit—so flustered he looked like he was about to start smoking on the spot—Li Zhi could no longer hold back.

The sweet smile she had been suppressing finally burst forth like a spring flood breaking through a dam.

"PFFT— HAHAHAHAHA!"

Her crisp, pleasant laughter instantly rippled through the cold winter night, filled with delight and the smug satisfaction of a successful prank.

The beautiful girl’s eyes curved into crescents as she laughed, her shoulders trembling slightly and her long hair swaying happily along.

"Hmph~ You’re so silly!"

She chided him with a voice thick with laughter, lightly scraping a fingertip across the back of his frozen hand.

"Let’s go, let’s go! I’m freezing! Time to go home, take a shower, and sleep!"

Perhaps the cold wind had found an opening in the brief pause after her laughter, as Li Zhi gave a small, subconscious shiver the moment she finished speaking.

Almost instinctively, her petite figure, the smile not yet fully faded from her face, leaned lightly to the side and burrowed into Shen Yuan’s warm, broad embrace.

Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Even though they had hugged many times, Shen Yuan’s heart still fluttered whenever Li Zhi snuggled into his arms.

Looking at the girl in his arms, Shen Yuan’s arm lifted quite naturally and wrapped around her back. His hand brushed past her soft hair and winter coat, settling gently on her arm as he pulled her tighter into his warm embrace.

Li Zhi snuggled her cheek against the thick fabric of his chest, feeling his solid support and his gradually quickening heartbeat.

The last traces of her mischievous laughter quietly settled, transforming into a sweet, contented smile on her lips.

She didn’t speak, only pressing closer.

"Yeah, let’s go home," Shen Yuan murmured, his voice tinged with a faint, almost unnoticeable hoarseness.

He didn’t let go. Instead, he held that soft, warm figure even more securely in his arms.

The campus path was cold and silent on this winter night, the lamplight stretching their shadows long.

The two of them walked nestled together, their steps falling into an indescribable rhythm of harmony and understanding.

Shen Yuan’s arm was wrapped naturally around Li Zhi, who leaned quietly and obediently against him.

They huddled close, sharing their body heat to ward off the chill. In the hazy lamplight, their figures overlapped, forming a single, warm silhouette.

Step by step, they walked steadily together toward the school gate.

The dim, yellow halo of the streetlights gently stretched the shadows of the cuddling couple, casting a warm silhouette in the cold winter night.

Li Zhi nuzzled her head against Shen Yuan’s chest, finding a more comfortable position.

The sly, mischievous smile from her successful prank had not yet completely vanished, but it now quietly settled deep in her eyes, replaced by a serious look tinged with curiosity.

Her voice emerged from beneath her thick collar.

"Hey, Shen Yuan."

"Hm?"

Sensing the movement in his arms and the seriousness in her voice, Shen Yuan lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on her upturned face.

Li Zhi blinked her eyes, which reflected the lamplight, and slowed their nested pace.

"The joint final exams... are coming up soon."

She paused, as if choosing her words carefully, but the concern and expectation in her eyes flowed out, completely undisguised.

"Are you... confident?"

Thanks to the effects of the Concentration skill, two weeks had already passed since the New Year’s Day holiday without him even realizing it.

Next Friday would be January 21st.

The cold wind swept through the bare branches with a soft whine, brushing a few soft strands of hair against the girl’s cheek.

Li Zhi, of course, knew how much effort he had put into this exam. But it was precisely because she knew that she was all the more concerned about how he was doing.

Shen Yuan tightened his arm around her, enveloping her in that familiar warmth even more securely.

It was as if her question had awakened the passionate fire in the young man’s chest, causing it to boil over in an instant.

The streetlight’s glow reflected in his eyes, a bright and resolute flame flickering within—a certainty forged through countless trials.

"Of course I am!"

Shen Yuan’s reply was unhesitating and decisive. His voice was clear enough to cut through the surrounding cold air, filled with an unshakeable confidence.

"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely score a 665 for you!"

Li Zhi lifted her small chin and pulled back slightly from his warm embrace, turning her head to the side to look at him.

The lamplight danced in the depths of her eyes.

The girl’s soft pink lips puckered slightly as she let out a light hum tinged with a hint of warning.

"Hmph~"

The end of her word tilted upward, like the flick of a little devil’s tail.

"It’s a promise then, 665! And if you don’t get it..."

Li Zhi paused intentionally, her bright eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

"Then... for the rest of winter break, right up until the first mock exam, I won’t kiss you at all!"

As her words fell, she even gave him a deliberate wink, her expression clearly saying, ’It’s up to you now.’

Shen Yuan froze for a moment, then immediately caught the hint of a smile hidden within her extremely serious threat.