Chapter 520 - 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

Chapter 520: Chapter 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

As he watched the beautiful girl pretend to be serious, her teasing nature impossible to hide, the solemn promise in his heart was instantly replaced by a mix of warmth, sweetness, and the urge to protest.

The boy couldn’t help but immediately retort, his deep voice filled with amused exasperation.

"Hey! Li Bao... That threat is totally unreasonable, isn’t it?"

Shen Yuan gently squeezed Li Zhi’s arm. "...Besides, you’ve only kissed me once so far! Just once!"

A deeper blush seemed to flash across Li Zhi’s cheeks in the halo of the streetlight, but it was quickly suppressed by the "serious" expression she was trying to maintain.

She quickly averted her gaze and muttered, "...Once is plenty! Hmph!"

The girl’s little expression, a mix of shyness and smugness, was like a sweet piece of candy in the cold winter night.

She buried her head in his chest again, but her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the laughter she was holding back.

Soon, the outline of the residential complex appeared before them.

The complex was quiet and peaceful on this winter night, with only a few scattered lamps casting warm yellow halos through window panes.

DING—

The elevator doors slid open, their cold metal panels reflecting the stark white light of the hallway.

The warmth of Shen Yuan’s embrace seemed to be diluted by the hallway’s chill the moment the doors opened.

Li Zhi looked up from Shen Yuan’s warm embrace and shifted slightly, signaling for him to let go.

Although Shen Yuan was reluctant to let go, he obediently relaxed the arm he had around her shoulder. The intimacy of their private bubble was instantly broken by a bit of distance.

"Well, we’re home."

Li Zhi’s voice held a trace of laziness, as if from a long journey, and an almost imperceptible satisfaction as her gaze swept over her front door, which was just steps away.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath of the cool hallway air, which was mingled with the sweet scent of her hair, and looked down at her, nodding slightly.

"Mm."

His voice was a little low, tinged with the familiar reluctance of saying goodbye. His arm had fallen to his side, but he remained very close.

Just then, Li Zhi, who had been about to turn and get her keys, froze.

Instead of opening the door, she kept her face tilted up toward Shen Yuan, the tip of her small nose wrinkling almost imperceptibly.

The girl’s voice rang out, no longer sweet and smiling, but carrying a soft, clear note of... grievance.

"Hey... you dumbass, Shen Yuan..." She drew out the last syllable, her tone like a little hook.

"Are you really... just going to give me an ’Mm’ and leave it at that?"

Li Zhi tilted her head slightly, her eyes, which seemed exceptionally bright under the hallway lights, locked on him without blinking. She pursed her lips, and when she spoke again, the hint of accusation in her aggrieved tone was even stronger.

"How long have we even been dating?"

Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear. "You were saying such sweet things on the way here, so how come you’re acting like you’ve just completed a mission the second we get to my door?"

She raised a hand—not to open the door, but to gently poke the fabric of Shen Yuan’s down jacket, expressing her dissatisfaction.

The girl was expressing her dissatisfaction.

"You walk me home and then just say ’Mm’? Getting colder and colder, are we?"

The poke made Shen Yuan freeze. He looked at her small face, clearly illuminated by the light and filled with accusation.

The reluctance of their routine farewell and the awkwardness brought on by the elevator space were instantly shattered.

A wave of emotion—a desire to explain mixed with intense unwillingness to part—welled up in him. He instinctively grabbed Li Zhi’s hand before she could pull it back, feeling the warmth of her fingertips, which had been warmed by his own body heat.

Shen Yuan’s cheeks visibly flushed under the hallway’s cold light. His eyes held a touch of urgency, and his voice was tight. "I’m not being cold! I just... I just don’t want to say goodbye yet!"

The boy blurted it out, his tone filled with a sincerity he couldn’t hide.

Li Zhi was struck full-on by his direct, almost clumsy reluctance to part.

Her feigned dissatisfaction instantly crumbled. A certain spot in her heart softened, immediately filled by a small sense of triumph and sweetness.

She looked at Shen Yuan’s flushed face and the hand gripping her fingers tightly, the urge to smile almost impossible to suppress.

The girl’s beautiful eyes blinked once. She deliberately put on a stern expression, lifted her chin slightly, and let out a clear, somewhat haughty "Hmph!"

This "hmph" was like a nimble paw, gently scratching at Shen Yuan’s heart.

It held no blame, only the coy indignation of a girlfriend and a teasing tone that seemed to see right through him.

"Idiot!"

She grumbled again, her voice now laced with unconcealed amusement.

Shen Yuan watched Li Zhi’s adorable act of being angry. The small sense of triumph and overflowing sweetness made her seem to glow with life.

He leaned down slightly, bringing his gaze level with hers. The intensity in his eyes nearly burned through the playful atmosphere from just moments before.

"Li Bao," his voice was deep and clear, each word carrying an unquestionable resolve, as if etching a promise into the very air.

"665 points."

It wasn’t a question, but an absolute declaration.

Surprise flashed in Li Zhi’s eyes, instantly replaced by overwhelming anticipation and encouragement.

Shen Yuan stared into her eyes and said, each word resolute, "Just you wait. I’ll get that score for you."

It wasn’t a negotiation, nor a prediction, but a promise that would be fulfilled.

Li Zhi looked into Shen Yuan’s eyes, which shone with extraordinary brightness from his promise. The fire within them seemed poised to ignite the chill of the entire winter night.

That confidence, almost reckless yet so sincere it was scalding, made her heart feel as though it were wrapped in cotton soaked in honey—soft and sweet.