Chapter 521 - 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

Chapter 521: Chapter 228: This Is the Second Time I’ve Kissed You

A sudden impulse flashed in the girl’s eyes, like a little cat sneaking a treat in the dead of night.

Her soft, pink lips, which had been pressed together, now quietly curved into an impossibly sweet smile.

There was no warning.

Just as the final, reverberating syllable of Shen Yuan’s vow, "Just you wait, I’ll ace this for you," had yet to fade—

Li Zhi, as light as a fluttering butterfly, rose onto her tiptoes, her entire body lifting a tiny inch.

Her slightly moist lips pressed against Shen Yuan’s cheek, which was still tense from his declaration.

The touch was warm, soft, and gone in an instant.

SMACK—

An extremely faint, soft sound, infinitely amplified in the tiny space between them.

Shen Yuan felt a WHOOSH in his head, as if fireworks had just exploded inside his skull.

The resolute expression he wore a second ago instantly froze, and his entire body went still, as if someone had hit a pause button.

*Haaa...*

Li Zhi’s breath brushed against the sensitive shell of his ear, carrying a hint of smugness and a suppressed giggle.

The beautiful girl quickly took half a step back, a deep blush spreading all the way to the tips of her small ears, glowing brightly under the cool white light of the hallway.

She lifted her face and looked at his dumbstruck expression, which had gone from momentary shock to the bright red of a boiled shrimp in the span of a second.

The corners of Li Zhi’s lips curled up high like a sly little fox, filled with the glee of a successful prank.

Her voice hammered, clear and deliberate, into Shen Yuan’s ringing ears:

"Hmph~"

"That’s... the... second... time... now!"

"You dummy!"

The girl’s crisp final word had a hook to it, like a tiny hammer tapping once more on Shen Yuan’s already mind-blown heart.

Before Shen Yuan could react, Li Zhi had already spun around and unlocked her apartment’s security door.

CLICK!

After the soft click, warm light spilled from the crack in the door.

The girl who had just delivered a nuclear-level sweet attack vanished through the opening with a SWOOSH, like a startled little rabbit.

Just as the door was about to swing completely shut, she quickly poked out half of her ridiculously red face and gave him a firm, quick wink.

In the cold hallway, only Shen Yuan remained, rooted to the spot like a statue. His scalding cheek felt as if it were still branded by that soft, cool touch, and by the declaration that echoed in the depths of his soul—

’That’s the second time!’

’The second time!’

’She initiated it!’

’Another ambush!’

Shen Yuan stood there, dazed.

’Unbelievable! I can’t believe it!’

’No, seriously, how dare she?!’

’Right after I made my grand declaration!’

The sheer impact of it all left Shen Yuan stunned.

A few seconds later, once the massive storm of shock had subsided just a little...

Shen Yuan felt a powerful, rebellious impulse ignite and spread like wildfire, with a BOOM that completely took over his mind!

’No way!’

’I can’t just let her get away with this every time!’

’I can’t just stand here like some frozen idiot and let her kiss me!’

’I’m gonna kiss her back!’

The thought exploded in his mind with a determination that threatened to burst forth.

’I have to take the initiative!’

’I’ll make her experience this same mind-blanking shock!’

’And I’ll go even further! Not on the cheek! It has to be a real...’

This resolve, tinged with a strange desire for vengeance, instantly set his blood on fire.

"Li Zhi..."

Shen Yuan looked at the door to Li Zhi’s home, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk.

"Just you wait! I’m definitely going to kiss you back!"

This intense thought was like a wildfire, making his whole body burn.

He took one last, deep look at the closed door, as if to carve his declaration of challenge onto its surface.

Then, he spun around and marched toward his own door.

’Damn it, that settles it. I’m staying up until 2 AM tonight!’

’Let’s just get it done!’

...

「The next morning」

The faint light of dawn filled the classroom of Class 15, which was steeped in the unique, lazy atmosphere that always precedes morning self-study.

Some students were yawning, while others chatted in low voices, finishing up yesterday’s homework they hadn’t copied. The smell of chalk dust and breakfast buns floated in the air.

In the middle of the classroom, Shen Yuan was already sitting upright at his desk.

In stark contrast to the surrounding laziness, Shen Yuan was hunched over his desk, focused on a mock exam paper and a well-worn correction notebook whose corners were slightly curled.

The tip of his pen flew across the paper, making a dense, steady scratching sound at an astonishing speed.

He was completely immersed in the world constructed by the questions, as if all the noise around him had nothing to do with him.

A few minutes before morning self-study began, the head teacher, Old Zhou, strolled into the classroom for his routine inspection, his eyes habitually sweeping over the class.

His gaze, which always held a teacher’s particular brand of shrewdness and meticulousness, suddenly paused as it swept past Shen Yuan’s desk.

A clear flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deep approval and sincere appreciation.

Old Zhou even took two nearly imperceptible steps closer in that direction to get a better look.

He saw that the exam paper spread out before Shen Yuan was already more than half-filled with clear, distinct ink.

When he saw the look of Concentration in the young man’s eyes—a focus so intense it was almost tangible—Old Zhou couldn’t suppress a deep smile.

It was the kind of gratified smile an educator only shows when they see a student "truly get on the right path."

He didn’t make a sound to disturb him, simply standing for a few seconds outside that little world composed of Concentration and the scratching of a pen, his hands clasped behind his back.

In truth, Old Zhou, who had been a head teacher for over a decade, was well aware of the budding youthful romances in his classroom. He had long since pieced together the general picture of the sweet atmosphere between Shen Yuan and Li Zhi—an aura so thick it practically spilled into the hallways—from various signs and snippets of student gossip.