Chapter 242: Chapter 156: Made Li Bao Cry
"Hm?"
Shen Yuan blinked. He didn’t notice anything unusual, just figured Li Zhi was cursing him out over what happened earlier.
He sat on the edge of the living room sofa, his interlaced fingers pressed against his feverish forehead.
Shen Yuan subconsciously clenched his palm. It felt as if the panicked pulse of the girl’s arch was still seared into it.
He remembered the slight itch of her toes digging into his chest through his uniform in the dark. Every time her pearl-like toes curled, it was as if they were branding invisible bite marks onto his collarbone.
The gossamer touch of her stockings surged back through his memory, and as his Adam’s apple bobbed heavily, a phantom pain shot through his knee.
Shen Yuan’s thoughts returned to what Li Zhi had said when she told him to get out earlier.
A heavy breath escaped his lips, and Shen Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.
Li Zhi dawdled in her bedroom for over half an hour before finally reemerging.
The bedroom door’s hinges let out a faint creak.
Li Zhi kept her eyes downcast as she hurried past the sofa. Her light gray cotton sweatshirt swayed at her waist with her quick steps, the loose cuffs of her pants just barely brushing against her reddened ankle bones.
Shen Yuan subconsciously sniffed the air. The scent of rose-scented body wash, mixed with the smell of the girl’s clothes, wafted into the air.
When he looked up, he saw a drop of water roll down from her temple, blooming into a small, dark spot on her sweatshirt.
"Follow me!"
Li Zhi’s moisture-laden eyes shimmered with an amber glow under the light, but the end of her words was deliberately drawn tight, sharp as an icicle.
As Shen Yuan stood up, he glimpsed the fine hairs on the nape of her neck, which were matted together by the steam into small tufts. They trembled against her warm, pale skin with every breath, making her look like a sticky rice ball fresh from the steamer, still giving off a hazy warmth.
His throat constricted in an unconscious swallow, and Shen Yuan blurted out, "You took a shower?"
The figure in front of him froze instantly. Her fingertips, gripping the doorknob, turned pale from the force. "A dog just touched me!"
Li Zhi practically spat the words out through gritted teeth, but a crimson blush, like a sunset, suddenly spread across her earlobes.
She slammed the study door open with a BANG and strode in first.
The beautiful girl plopped down on the sofa, then turned her gaze to Shen Yuan, who was standing in the doorway.
"I..." Shen Yuan opened his mouth to defend himself, but before the words could form, his throat bobbed and he was cut off.
Li Zhi pointed an accusatory finger at him, her almond-shaped eyes wide as if they were about to shoot sparks. A coral blush spread from the tips of her ears all the way to the hollow of her neck. "What ’I’?! What about you!"
Her normally cool and clear voice, now laced with a frustrated tremor, pierced the air. Her lounge pants shimmered as she stomped her foot.
"Selaan! You pervert! You have a foot fetish!"
The triple accusation was accompanied by the sound of a small doll cutting through the air. With the vigorous movement, two stray strands of hair sticking up from her messy locks blurred into afterimages, like the pricked ears of a bristling cat.
Shen Yuan tilted his head to dodge the incoming cotton cannonball and pursed his lips. "You’re the one who put your foot in my hands."
"I! Told! You!" Her porcelain-white teeth seemed to crush every syllable. Li Zhi clutched a new doll she had just picked up, her knuckles white. "I was trying to kick you!"
"How was I supposed to know? I thought you just didn’t want to shake hands," Shen Yuan said with an innocent expression.
Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, Li Zhi’s pupils suddenly contracted. She spoke in disbelief, "Huh?"
The girl’s knuckles, clutching a throw pillow, branded five indentations into the fabric. The coral blush spread like wildfire from her neck to the tips of her ears. "You mean to say—"
Every word she spoke was like a silver fork scraping across glass. "So this is my fault?"
Shen Yuan nodded. "You share some of the responsibility."
Before Li Zhi’s gaze could turn dangerous, Shen Yuan quickly added, "But the main responsibility is mine."
"Hmph!" The puff of air that escaped Li Zhi’s nose carried the scent of rose shampoo. "That’s more like it!"
With that, Li Zhi shot Shen Yuan a glare and mumbled while biting her lip, "You were way out of line today!"
Shen Yuan nodded. "Yes, yes, it’s my fault."
As he spoke, he suddenly dropped to one knee on the cashmere rug, bringing his gaze level with the beautiful girl’s. He asked tentatively, "Did you... really cry just now?"
"I did!"
Li Zhi huffed heavily. "I’m going to go tell your mom that you made me cry!"
Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Shen Yuan actually started to laugh, a low chuckle that spread through the study like melted maple syrup.
Obviously, Li Bao hadn’t really been crying.
"What are you laughing at!"
Li Zhi was so angry she wanted to kick Shen Yuan again, but the thought of what happened just now made her afraid he would grab her foot and start tickling her again.
She was extremely ticklish.
Shen Yuan shook his head. "I’m not laughing."
He said that, but his lips and eyes were both brimming with a smile.
Li Zhi gently ground her teeth against her lip, her eyes filled with shame and anger.
’I can’t take it anymore!’
Li Zhi’s teeth bit into her lower lip, leaving a mark like rouge, and she kicked Shen Yuan in the chest, knocking him straight onto the rug.
Seeing Shen Yuan’s state, Li Zhi burst out laughing.
"Hmph! That’s what you get for laughing at me!"
Before Li Zhi’s voice had even faded, Shen Yuan rolled over and expertly grabbed her ankle.
The moment the searing touch landed on her ankle, Li Zhi cried out in surprise.
Her bare, sockless foot tensed between Shen Yuan’s fingers into an exquisite arch.
Shen Yuan stared at the arch in his hand, which glowed with the luster of fine white jade, and swallowed silently.
Just as Shen Yuan was about to tighten his grip on her bare foot, Li Zhi’s voice reached his ears.
"N-No, you can’t!"
Li Zhi said hurriedly, "The... the bet is over!"
Shen Yuan looked up, saw the beautiful girl’s nervous expression, and spoke.
"A handshake, or a foot-shake?"
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