Chapter 250: Chapter 159: To Commemorate Classmate Li Zhi’s Outstanding Contribution in Encouraging Shen Yuan’s Progress
The ink stain where the pen had stalled on the paper was long dry. Under the pressure of Shen Yuan’s hands, Li Zhi lay back comfortably in her chair, like a cat that had melted in the spring sun.
Her tense spine, once taut as a drawn bow, finally relaxed. As she sank limply into the back of the chair, its legs scraped against the floor tiles with a lazy CREAK.
"All done."
"Mmmph—"
A contented sound escaped the young woman’s lips.
As Shen Yuan took his hands away, Li Zhi stretched her arms, her long legs straightening out completely.
As her lounge pants pulled taut, they revealed delicate ankles that were finally stretching out after being curled up for so long.
Her ten toes, previously curled up inside her cotton slippers, now wiggled slightly under her white socks in the sunlight, like the prelude to a butterfly testing its wings after emerging from its chrysalis.
"That felt good."
Li Zhi let out a satisfied breath, then turned her head and smiled at Shen Yuan, a hint of appreciation in her eyes.
"Shen Yuan, your massage skills aren’t bad at all!"
Shen Yuan smiled faintly. "Of course. Don’t you know who I am?"
Li Zhi said perfunctorily, "Yes, yes. Jiyang’s very own Jin Chengwu."
"Heh heh." Shen Yuan’s chuckle held a hint of bashfulness.
While he was laughing, Shen Yuan suddenly seemed to remember something. He placed his hands on the back of Li Zhi’s chair again, leaned forward slightly, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "So, could you maybe give me a massage, too?"
Li Zhi seemed to have expected this question all along.
She let out a long, drawn-out sound—a low growl, like a small animal that had been tricked.
"Grrr!"
At the same time, the young woman’s fingertips quickly pressed against Shen Yuan’s chest, pushing him back to a safe distance.
"So that’s what you were waiting for!" Li Zhi said with a hint of playful reproach. "I was wondering why you were being so nice!"
Shen Yuan scratched his head and explained, "Hey, I’m pretty sore, too..."
However, before he could finish, Li Zhi cut him off bluntly, "Sore shoulders? Just use M—"
"Stop! I’m not paying you any ad fees for that!"
Li Zhi shrugged and said with a smile, "Alright, then. I won’t say it."
"Oh, right."
Shen Yuan, as if suddenly remembering something, reached into his pocket, fumbled around for a moment, and then pulled out the gold medal.
Seeing this, a flicker of confusion crossed Li Zhi’s face.
The beautiful young woman looked at the gold medal in Shen Yuan’s hand and asked, puzzled, "What are you doing with that? So you took first place once. Is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?"
Shen Yuan, however, slowly shook his head. His gaze fell upon Li Zhi as he said softly, "I want to give this to you."
Li Zhi was visibly stunned by his words.
She looked at Shen Yuan, somewhat astonished, clearly surprised by his gesture.
"Give it to me? Why?" Li Zhi pressed, still confused.
Shen Yuan smiled faintly and explained, "Because this is the first time I’ve ever taken first place."
The young man’s gaze fell to the gold medal. "Besides, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to get this first place."
"What’s more," Shen Yuan said earnestly, looking into Li Zhi’s eyes, "if it weren’t for you, there’s no way I’d be scoring over 650 right now."
"So, I feel I have to give you this medal to commemorate the outstanding contribution of Classmate Li Zhi in encouraging Shen Yuan’s progress!"
As Shen Yuan finished speaking, Li Zhi couldn’t help but recall what he had said backstage on the day of the sports meet.
’I want to be the first one to rush to you.’
The young woman’s ears turned a faint shade of red.
’To think he went to Zhejiang University just because of something I said, and even spouted that crazy talk about beating my score...’
Li Zhi stared blankly at the gold medal lying in Shen Yuan’s palm.
The embossed words "First Prize" on its metal surface were gilded with a golden edge, almost searing an imprint onto her retinas.
Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly a few times, and her pearly teeth gently bit her lower lip.
"Are you really giving this to me?"
the young woman asked softly.
Shen Yuan nodded. "Of course I am. What’s Shen Yuan’s is Li Zhi’s."
"Pfft!"
Li Zhi scoffed softly at Shen Yuan.
The young woman lowered her gaze, staring at the gold medal glinting softly in the young man’s palm. Against the light, she could see the coral blush starting from her porcelain-white ears spreading down the side of her neck.
Li Zhi raised her hand. Her fingertips hovered in mid-air for three seconds before her slender fingers descended.
As her neatly trimmed fingernails unconsciously scraped against the lines on Shen Yuan’s palm, it seemed as if both their hearts started beating in sync.
Li Zhi gently picked up the medal and asked again, tentatively, "I’m really taking it, then?"
Although her expression was full of hesitation, the joy deep in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Before Shen Yuan could even speak, the young woman had already quickly hidden the medal in the pocket of her lounge pants, the fabric instantly pulled downward into a stubborn, drooping arc.
"It’s settled, then! This is mine now! If your grades ever drop, I’ll give it back to you!"
With that, Li Zhi turned away.
But she turned so sharply that she nearly knocked over the water glass on the corner of the table.
In the flustered moment it took to steady the glass, a crimson blush spread from the tips of her ears to the nape of her neck.
[Mission Complete!]
[Package the sports meet medal and give it to Li Zhi as a school memory. Reward: 10,000 yuan! (Completed)]
’Package it, huh. The Stupid System never said *how* it should be packaged.’
’Dressing it up with words is also a form of packaging.’
Shen Yuan quickly forgot about the system, his gaze naturally falling on Li Zhi’s back as she pretended to be calm.
Now that the medal was given, Shen Yuan didn’t bring up the massage again.
"Don’t write anymore. Take a break for now. You can get back to it after dinner."
"I know, I know."
Li Zhi stood up and walked out of the study. "I’m going to change my clothes. Wait for me in the living room, I’ll be right there. I’ll go check on the cat, too."
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