I'm a senior in high school, and the system says I'm going on a blind date with my childho

Chapter 235 I'll Wait for You Until I'm 35

Li Zhi's pupils dilated slightly.

That short line of text, like a tiny electric current, instantly pierced through the barrier of her feigned composure.

The girl's fingertips curled up unconsciously, and the cool phone frame suddenly became scalding hot.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed lightly, then pounded even harder against my chest.

This idiot...

How could he... write this?!
My heart was pounding in my ears, as if it were about to burst out of my chest.

Li Zhi seemed to hear the scene of the two of them arguing back then.

"Judging from your face, you'll still be unmarried at 35."

—"I predict you'll live a long life, passing away at 35."

But the sensation at this moment feels so real.

The warmth of his body pressed against my shoulder, and that joke steeped in the passage of time, danced on the screen.

It turns out that Shabi remembers everything, even the angry words exchanged during their arguments.

It grows into a sugar-coated bullet the moment it breaks through the soil, precisely hitting her softest spot.

The beautiful girl's breath caught in her throat, but a scalding warmth spread from her heart to every part of her body, even burning her ear tips.

Li Zhi suddenly raised her head, her bright eyes looking at Shen Yuan, who still had a slight, unconscious smile on his lips.

The sudden, unexpected exposure of her innermost thoughts, mixed with an indescribable sweet thrill, almost made her blurt out:

"Shen Yuan!" Her voice trembled slightly, barely suppressed, and even carried a hint of coquettishness that she herself was unaware of.

"...You're such a cunning idiot!"

She hurriedly pressed her fingertips to her burning eyes, afraid of revealing even the slightest wavering, but she couldn't suppress the smile that secretly spread across her lips.

Shen Yuan, who was just immersed in the copywriting and was about to press the send button with great satisfaction, suddenly froze on his face.

He seemed to have heard some unbelievable voice from beyond the heavens, and slowly turned his head to meet Li Zhi's incredibly bright eyes.

Shen Yuan:? ? ?
Shen Yuan's head seemed to be instantly filled with huge, materialized question marks, and his eyes were filled with pure bewilderment.

cunning?

I?
Wait a minute... this isn't how things are going!
According to the script, shouldn't Li Zhi be cursing him for being "pretentious," "cheesy," and "country bumpkin" while grabbing the phone with red ears to continue reviewing the copy, or at least kicking him?

What's this new development with that slightly trembling, even subtly coquettish "cunning"?!
Shen Yuan felt like his CPU had been overheated by this unexpected comment.

The official announcement lines he had just penned, drawing upon his life's literary talent, and all the witty, argumentative, and cheeky follow-up remarks he had prepared, were now stuck in his throat, transforming into an extremely standard expression on his face—

Silly me.jpg

That handsome face, which just seconds ago seemed to be radiating confidence, was now just a blank, dazed expression.

He even forgot that his finger, hovering over the send button, was still suspended in mid-air, like a robot that had suddenly been powered off.

Shen Yuan finally managed to regain his senses after being bombarded with huge question marks. His blank eyes blinked and finally found their focus again.

"what?!"

He jolted forward and moved close to Li Zhi, his nose almost touching the girl's reddened earlobe, his voice filled with utter confusion.

"Wait, Li Bao! Explain yourself! How was I cunning?!"

This abrupt question made Li Zhi stiffen.

She turned her head sharply, almost bumping into Shen Yuan's chin, which was inches away from hers.

The boy's handsome face, magnified, was filled with genuine confusion, much like a big dog chasing its owner's tail.

This undisguised, straightforward confusion instantly shattered the shyness that Li Zhi had just built up.

She suddenly reached out, with a touch of anger and embarrassment, and lightly slapped Shen Yuan's forehead with her icy palm!

There was a soft "pop" sound.

"You're so stupid!"

Li Zhi's voice was like it was coated with a thin layer of brittle icing; beneath the fierce exterior lay an unyielding shyness.

She quickly withdrew her hand, stood up abruptly as if dodging some kind of excessively hot ray, and her high ponytail swung in the air in a neat arc.

"Think for yourself!"

Li Zhi left behind those three words, leaving Shen Yuan with only a taut, straight profile.

Shen Yuan stood there, stunned, clutching his forehead, which he felt no pain at all.

The lingering chill of the winter rain seemed to condense on his raised fingertips.

The sensation of the slaps brushing against her burning skin still lingered there.

The girl's words, "Think for yourself," were like hooks, completely disrupting the chaotic question mark in his mind: "Where is the cunning?"

He looked at her deliberately straight back and bright red earlobes, and unconsciously twirled his fingers as if deciphering some kind of top-level cipher.

"Um... then... can I post this on WeChat Moments?"

The girl turned her head sharply as if she had been pricked by a needle.

She glared at me fiercely, but her cheeks were as red as ripe berries: "Whatever! Don't ask me!"

Shen Yuan swallowed back what he was about to say.

He watched as Li Zhixiu was so angry she was about to explode, but a bright, dazzling smile slowly spread across his lips.

understood.

This time he truly understood.

Shen Yuan lowered his head, his finger hovering above the "send" button on his WeChat Moments, the soft light of the screen reflecting the joy in his eyes.

"So, should I send it first or you send it first?"

He leaned closer, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Li Zhi, filled with anticipation and a hint of urging.

Li Zhi stiffened slightly at his sudden closeness, instinctively hiding her phone screen in her arms, and the blush that had just faded on her cheeks showed signs of returning.

"You...it's none of your business!"

She glared at him fiercely, but her voice carried a hint of guilt and shyness.

"Of course... I'll go first!"

After Li Zhi finished speaking, he quickly tapped a few times on his phone, and then, as if afraid that he would ask another question, he slapped Shen Yuan's arm hard.

"It's out! It's out! Okay?"

His tone was hurried, clearly indicating that he wanted to end the topic.

Before Shen Yuan could even see what was on her phone, Li Zhi had already swiftly shoved it into the desk drawer, the movement almost creating a gust of wind.

The next second, she lowered her head, almost burying her entire face in the open textbook.

Her slender, long fingers pressed firmly on the pages, her fingertips pressing down on the paper with a slight force, as if she wanted to use this action to suppress all the remaining shyness and concern about the possible reaction from her friends on social media.

She picked up her pen and pretended to be completely absorbed in her studies, oblivious to everything around her.

However, the faint blush that had not yet completely faded from her fair earlobes and her tightly pursed lips revealed that the ripples stirred up in her heart by that post on social media were far from over.

Looking at her attempt to cover up her misunderstanding, Shen Yuan silently curved his lips into an even wider smile.

He didn't immediately check his phone, nor did he continue to expose her little secret. He simply gazed quietly at her lowered head and slightly flushed cheeks for a few seconds, his eyes brimming with laughter.

Then, without hesitation, he clicked send.

"It's done!"

After Shen Yuan finished operating the machine, he immediately rubbed his hands together excitedly, as if he had accomplished a great task.

He immediately turned his phone screen towards Li Zhi, his tone slightly smug and boastful: "Li Bao, Li Bao, look! I posted it! A perfect replica of your layout! Not a single pixel changed!"

Li Zhi didn't lift her head from the book, only letting out a soft hum through her nose. Her fingers continued to unconsciously draw circles on the pages, and her bright red ear tips betrayed that she wasn't really focused on reading.

Shen Yuan didn't mind, knowing that this was just her awkward way of being.

He grinned and put his phone away, his fingers flying across the screen, eager to refresh his WeChat Moments.

"Look what Li Bao posted!"

Shen Yuan muttered excitedly as he opened the Moments interface.

He scrolled through his feed unconsciously; his newly posted status update was still quite recent.

As he scrolled, a new post on his WeChat Moments, displayed as having been published "just 1 minute ago," instantly caught his eye—

It was Li Zhifa.

The layout of the nine-grid is exactly the same as his, and the photo of "two hearts looking at each other" in the middle still stands out and is very touching in the thumbnail.

His gaze then moved to the text on Li Zhipei's page.

Shen Yuan's smile, that bright and sunny smile, froze instantly.

As if a pause button had been pressed, all his actions of preparing to like the post froze.

My finger hovered over the cold phone screen, but my brain seemed to be roaring.

Several words were clearly displayed on the screen:
—I'll wait for you until you're 35.

Shen Yuan opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

In a daze, the life picture of the 35-year-old "self" that I had glimpsed in the system suddenly appeared deep in my consciousness and was torn open!

The helplessness of being a beast of burden, the stifling atmosphere of the workplace, the exhaustion of relationships, the predicament caused by parents' expectations...

And finally, when he reunited with his childhood sweetheart, whom he had been estranged from for many years, at the blind date table, he felt a deep sense of failure and a belated awkwardness.

These fragments, like shards of broken glass, surged into my mind along with the glaring number "35 years old".

This is the cold, hard truth instilled by the system—after a long period of separation, he and Li Zhi reunited at the age of 35 in such a desolate way.

This moment, in stark contrast to the resounding "Wait" on the girl's screen, presents a cruel and stark contrast.

An indescribable sense of destiny, chillingly cold, instantly gripped Shen Yuan.

The copy he designed was his declaration, as a visionary, of the tragic future shown by the system.

That was the script he wanted to rewrite.

But what about Li Zhi?

Li Zhi, who knew nothing about this, responded simply because of his joking remark about being 35 years old.

This is Li Zhi, who wrote "I'll wait for you until I'm 35" in a daze...

The stubborn yet committed tenderness in her writing ironically became a self-fulfilling prophecy, accurately reflecting the "facts" he witnessed.

In the end, they did make each other wait so long, only to meet again in a hurry at the crossroads of their 35s!
Do not……

It was Shen Yuan who made Li Zhi wait for so long.

This realization struck him like a hammer covered in ice, slamming into his heart.

Pain, a sharp, aching pain, quickly spread, almost suffocating him.

It felt as if my breath was being choked by an invisible hand.

He looked at the words on the screen, then involuntarily turned his head, his gaze fixed on the profile of the person beside him who was almost burying their head in a book to hide their shyness.

The afternoon light outlined her focused silhouette, making her look incredibly soft.

This girl, completely unaware, used a seemingly casual yet powerful reply to precisely strike at the spot he least wanted to touch.

Shen Yuan took a very slow breath, as if he wanted to inhale and crush the lingering chill of winter and all the heavy emotions that had just surged within him.

"Fool……"

Shen Yuan called out to her, but his voice had already taken on a barely perceptible hoarseness.

Li Zhi, who was pretending to be engrossed in reading, was slightly startled. Her face, buried in the pages, instinctively tried to turn her head to look at him, but at that moment, a powerful force gently and swiftly embraced her shoulder.

Before she could even gasp, she was enveloped in a warm embrace that carried a familiar scent.

The next second, Shen Yuan's action came without warning.

His warm forehead pressed heavily against the side of her neck, burying itself deeply inside.

The boy's breath was hot, rapid, and suppressed, spraying onto the sensitive skin of Li Zhi's neck, where he had intimately imprinted his mark.

A tiny ripple instantly spread through the area, a familiar yet unfamiliar tingling sensation spreading along the spine.

Li Zhi froze, his heart clenching.

She could clearly feel that Shen Yuan's voice was trembling slightly.

That force was less of an embrace and more of a search for a place to settle all his surging emotions.

"Shen Yuan?"

Li Zhi's voice carried a slight hint of panic.

Shen Yuan did not respond, but buried his face even more deeply in her soft, fragrant hair.

His forehead was pressed firmly against her slender shoulder, his eyes were tightly closed, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently, as if he were trying his best to swallow something that was about to surge out.

The only sound in the air was his slightly rapid yet suppressed breathing, one breath after another, brushing against the artery on the side of her neck.

The noise in the classroom seemed to be shut out by an invisible barrier at this moment.

Li Zhi's stiff body slowly softened under the scalding heat of his breath in the hollow of his neck.

The hand that was about to push him away hesitated, then slowly rose and gently landed on his tense back, with a hint of probing and reassurance.

The silent tremor spread up from my fingertips.

"……What's wrong?"

Li Zhi's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the butterflies perched in his hair, and she almost whispered those words against his cool earlobe.

The beautiful girl carefully pressed her profile against the boy's fluffy, slightly cool black hair.

The act of burying one's head seemed to deepen slightly because of this question.

Shen Yuan tightened his arms around her waist and back, as if surrendering his entire weight to her silent embrace.

Only after he swallowed the surging emotions with difficulty, his throat tightening and his voice muffled against the crook of her neck, did he finally speak:
"Li Zhi... are you an idiot?"

This emotion came so intensely and heavily that it made Li Zhi's heart tremble.

She could feel a kind of stubbornness and bitterness hidden in the strength of his embrace that she had not yet fully understood.

Li Zhi moved her cheek against his cool hair, her slender fingers gently stroking his tense back, as if soothing a large, restless dog.

Just then, a muffled voice came from the crook of her neck, with a barely perceptible sob and hoarseness, striking even deeper into Li Zhi's heart.

Shen Yuan's voice, carrying a heavy warmth, continued to ask through the fabric.

"Why wait for me? And until I'm 35?"

The undisguised sting in the boy's words, mixed with the heavy weight pressing on her neck and his hot breath, made her choke up.

The pretty girl unconsciously pinched Shen Yuan's sweater at the side of his waist, the familiar action now tinged with a hint of panic.

Her face was as red as a ripe fruit, breathtakingly red, even her small earlobes were burned transparent.

She bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, desperately suppressing the surging emotions and the cry that was about to burst forth from her heart.

Finally, she took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

The cheek pressed against Shen Yuan's slightly cool hair moved, no longer just a soothing rub.

Her bright, clear eyes were misty, yet she looked intently at the boy still nestled in the crook of her neck.

The girl's voice, tinged with shyness, clearly rang out:

"...What else could it be?!"

Li Zhi's voice immediately lowered, barely audible in Shen Yuan's ear.

"Of course it's because I like you, you idiot!"

After saying this, Li Zhi seemed to have completely exhausted all his courage, and suddenly pressed his forehead heavily back against Shen Yuan's head.

Her fingers were no longer stroking unconsciously, but rather pinching the muscles on Shen Yuan's arm with a force that was both shameful and coquettish.

"Now... are you satisfied now?!"

Shen Yuan suddenly tightened his grip on her arms even more!

It was as if she wanted to knead the unease that had crossed the years and the surging love she felt just now into this warm and soft body.

The boy's strength was so great that Li Zhi almost let out a soft moan in his arms, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

His cheek remained buried deep in the crook of her neck, greedily inhaling the peach scent from her hair and that unique sense of security.

However, this sweetness did not last long.

A deafening cry, accompanied by the chilling winds of a southern winter and the mournful wail of magical damage, pierced the still air.

"ah----!!!"

Ah-Jie held his head in his hands, his face full of pain and indignation, pointing at the two culprits who were inseparable.

"A poet! This poet!!"

Ajena's piercing screams through the classroom were like a bucket of cold water.

Startled by the commotion, Li Zhi was instantly pulled out of his utter immersion.

Only then did she belatedly realize how conspicuous their embrace was in front of everyone in the classroom.

"Eh!"

Like a startled fawn, the girl immediately struggled in Shen Yuan's arms, feeling a bit embarrassed and annoyed at having her secret exposed. She pinched Shen Yuan's arm, which was wrapped around her waist, with her small fingertips.

"Enough?! Let go!"

Her voice was low, urgent, and commanding, trying to hide the panic beneath her thin layer of shyness: "Everyone's watching!"

Shen Yuan's arm seemed to still linger on that warmth and softness, his knuckles still tense and unwilling to relax.

However, Li Zhi tightened his grip on him: "Shen Yuan!"

The girl's urging, tinged with embarrassment and annoyance, finally loosened Shen Yuan's grip on his arm.

He took a deep breath, as if to suppress the myriad emotions surging in his chest, before slowly and reluctantly letting go, and taking a step back.

Just as Li Zhi was about to sit up straight with a stern face, ready to act as if he had just been acting crazy on his own, he raised his eyes, preparing to glare fiercely at this idiot.

Li Zhi was suddenly stunned.

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the window and shone obliquely on Shen Yuan's lowered profile.

The lines on that face were taut at that moment.

What made Li Zhi's heart clench as if by an invisible hand was the wet streak that snaked down from the corner of Shen Yuan's eye, standing out conspicuously on his slightly pale skin.

The tear stain had not yet dried, and in the dim light it reflected a slightly shiny mark.

Shen Yuan...cried?
The suppressed tremor he felt when the boy buried his face in his neck... now finally had a concrete answer. It wasn't a fake cry from being teased, nor an exaggerated act of being unreasonable, but the trace left by a genuine outpouring of emotion.

Shock and heartache instantly overwhelmed all shame and anger.

Looking at the boy in front of him who rarely showed such a vulnerable side, Li Zhi's fierce expression, which he had prepared, froze on his face. His lips were slightly open, but he couldn't utter a single word.

She subconsciously pulled out a tissue to touch the tear stain, her clear eyes fixed on Shen Yuan's face, filled with unconcealed surprise and bewilderment.

Li Zhi didn't understand what Shen Yuan was really thinking.

Why did my simple words bring tears to his eyes?

"You idiot, why are you crying?"

Shen Yuan shook his head, placed his palm on Li Zhi's hand that was wiping away his tears, and pressed the hand holding the tissue heavily against his wet cheek.

The girl's soft, warm skin pressed against his tear stains, like a branding iron on ice.

"fine……"

The boy uttered a mumbled murmur through his teeth, his nose brushing against the throbbing pulse on her wrist, greedily inhaling the peach scent that lingered on his fingertips.

When I looked up again, the dark undercurrent in my eyes was covered by a familiar smile, as if the glimmer of water just now was just an illusion created by the flickering lamplight.

"I'm just too happy."

In the aftermath of the commotion, the heavy classroom door creaked open.

Old Zhou stood at the door with his hands behind his back, his gaze behind his glasses sweeping across the entire classroom 305 with the precision of a searchlight, finally locking onto A-Jie, who was still wailing with his head in his hands.

His brows furrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth pressed down in a stern arc.

"Zhou Shaojie!"

"I could hear you making noise in my office!"

The huge laboratory fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

A-Jie quickly shrank his neck and glanced at Yang Ze, who was snickering beside him, for help, only to be met with the latter's blushing face and a slight shrug.

Old Zhou's gaze was sharp and did not soften because of A-Jie's timid attitude. He coldly surveyed the classroom.

"Don't think you can relax just because your final exams are over! Look at the wall! Look how many days are left until the college entrance exam!"

Old Zhou withdrew his gaze from A-Jie and turned to the entire classroom, his voice calm yet containing an absolute sense of control.

"There are still five minutes until class starts. I hope that when I come back in, I will see the study routine that senior high school students should have."

After saying that, Old Zhou turned around decisively without looking at anyone, and slammed the classroom door shut. The sound was crisp and clear, like an invisible ruler striking the nerve endings of every student.

The friction of the door hinges turning was particularly jarring in the suddenly deathly silent air.

After a few eerie seconds of silence, a series of suppressed exhales filled the classroom, carrying a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhifei, who were still immersed in the emotions of the official announcement, quickly exchanged a glance, as if they were two different people who had just been sticking together.

Shen Yuan raised his hand and casually touched the side of his face where Li Zhi had just wiped away his tears. Then he quickly took out his physics test paper from his bag, his movements deliberately stiff.

Li Zhi lowered his head even further, forcefully writing a crooked formula on the notebook, as if trying to carve all his embarrassment and A-Jie's untimely howl into the paper.

Ah Jie slumped onto the table, his face contorted with despair, and forced a smile at Yang Ze.

The chill from the laboratory building seemed to seep even deeper, creeping up from the soles of my feet to my calves.

The gray sky outside the window pressed down heavily.

In the vast classroom 305, only the scratching sound of pens slicing across paper and the countdown to the next class bell could be heard.

Not long after, the school bell rang.

During what should have been winter break, senior high school students began their usual day of striving for the college entrance examination.

Meanwhile, at Li Zhi's home, Old Li was playing games at his desk when his phone suddenly rang.

He put down the mouse: "What's Lao Shen posting at this hour? What kind of content is it?"

After muttering something to himself, Lao Li opened his phone and glanced at it.

What came into view was a screenshot sent by Lao Shen.

Old Li narrowed his eyes slightly, clicked on the picture, and in an instant, the old father's gaze seemed to be nailed to the screen, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Under the lights, a young boy and girl stood side by side, awkwardly making two hearts of different sizes above their heads and in front of their chests, their eyes locked, their shyness and emotions unique to young people almost bursting out of the screen.

Those two youthful, intimate figures, like a strong light, instantly pierced the blurry image in his memory of his daughter still wearing pigtails.

Then, he saw Shen Yuanpei's copywriting.

If you like someone, don't make her wait until she's 35.

And Shen Guohao, you dog, you even liked that post!

"Ho..."

Old Li unconsciously took a breath, as if something was choking him, and his knuckles gripping the phone turned slightly white.

The light from the screen reflected the taut muscles on his face, and his usually dignified eyes were wide open, clearly reflecting the two young faces in their pupils.

"This...this kid..."

A strong sense of bitterness and emotion welled up inside me.

Old Li felt a tightness in his chest, along with a complex and indescribable feeling.

He subconsciously ground his back molars.

No! I have to see what my daughter posted!
Old Li reacted almost immediately, his fingers flying back to his phone's WeChat Moments interface, nervously swiping to refresh.

Almost simultaneously, a new post appeared prominently at the top.

Same nine-grid layout! Same "two hearts gazing at each other" central image!

All the funny and serious pictures around are the same!
His gaze, as sharp as a hawk's, quickly locked onto the document area.

—I'll wait for you until you're 35.

These few words, clear and resolute, are like a small seal, gentle yet stubbornly foolish, deeply imprinted on the hearts of him, Lao Shen, and everyone who can see this post on WeChat Moments.

The air seemed to freeze.

Old Li stared at the line of words, stunned for a full three seconds.

What sweet and saccharine things would my daughter say in my imagination?

No.

What about being subtle, complaining, or simply not posting any copy?
nor.

But it was this sentence that...

Shen Yuan said, "Don't make her wait," and his daughter said, "I will wait."

Old Li let out a heavy snort from his nose.

The old father's lips subconsciously tried to turn down, to express some dissatisfaction or disdain, but the tightly pursed corners of his mouth involuntarily twitched slightly upwards.

He held the phone closer and couldn't help but look again closely at the photo of them making a heart shape with their hands and gazing at each other, and then at the sentence, "I'll wait for you until I'm 35."

The churning sourness and suffocation I felt earlier strangely dissipated considerably in the face of this striking contrast and my daughter's open and unwavering persistence.

A sense of helplessness, and finally, all the complex emotions in Lao Li's throat coalesced into a long sigh.

He slammed the phone screen off and tossed it onto his desk.

The elderly father sank back into the wide chair, closed his eyes, and raised his hand to rub his slightly sore temples.

"Zhizhi... really..."

Old Li muttered under his breath, the rest of his words fading into a sigh, barely audible, but his taut jawline finally relaxed.

After a moment, the faint smile at the corner of his mouth finally couldn't be suppressed, and it ultimately froze on an expression that was both heartbroken and somewhat resigned to his fate.

"...That kid got off easy."

He whispered, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to the winter night wind.

"But if Zhizhi really has to wait until she's 35, I'll break your legs!"

The dim light from the computer screen reflected the old father's slightly complicated expression, which contained a bittersweet feeling of "our own cabbage has really been completely taken away," but also seemed to hide a trace of satisfaction from watching his child grow up.

In the end, all his emotions condensed into a helpless groan on his face, though the corners of his mouth involuntarily twitched upwards.

……

During the break between evening self-study sessions, the chill in classroom 305 of the experimental building intensified, with only the buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead and the rustling of turning pages breaking the silence.

Li Zhi curled up in the large down jacket, almost shrinking into the radiation range of the portable heater next to her.

Shen Yuan had one arm resting against the sleeve of her down jacket, like a giant hand warmer, continuously radiating heat.

—The effect of increasing Yang energy by 50% is now fully demonstrated.

Li Zhiwei moved her stiff neck slightly and subconsciously unlocked her phone screen. The cold white light illuminated her sleepy face.

My fingertips unconsciously swipe across my WeChat Moments, wanting to see how the excitement following the official announcement has subsided.

There were many comments and likes, mostly teasing and blessings from classmates. He Zhiyu even posted several excited short essays, expressing her joy at having personally captured such amazing material.

Her gaze lazily swept over rows of familiar avatars and nicknames, until—

Li Zhi's breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.

A "like" notification was clearly displayed on the screen.

The profile picture of the person who liked the post is a familiar image.

Old Li...

"Uh?!"

A short, sharp sound escaped from his throat, like something had gently pinched him.

The girl's previously sleepy eyes instantly focused, and her eyelashes trembled violently like the wings of a startled butterfly.

My fingers, which had been casually scrolling through the screen, froze. My fingertips instinctively gripped the cold frame of the phone tightly, and my knuckles turned white instantly.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.

An incredulous feeling surged through her, making her cheeks feel hot and her earlobes burn.

"What's wrong, Li Bao?"

Shen Yuan, who was standing next to her, almost immediately sensed her breath stop and her body tense up.

Li Zhi didn't speak, but his movements were surprisingly fast.

Almost instinctively, she nudged Shen Yuan's side with her elbow, the force carrying a hint of helpless impatience, while her other hand shoved the phone screen forcefully in front of Shen Yuan's eyes.

"Sha...shabi! Look!"

She was breathing rapidly, her voice trembling slightly without her even realizing it, and she was forcefully poking the conspicuous avatar on the screen with the tip of her other finger.

"My dad! He liked it! Look!"

Shen Yuan was caught off guard and bumped into, then had the phone screen shoved squarely in front of his eyes. He was stunned for a moment before he could focus and see what was on the screen.

The slight confusion in his eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.

“Huh?!”

The boy let out a short exclamation, then his eyes lit up, flashing with delighted pride.

Shen Yuan lowered his head, his eyes fixed intently on the like on her screen. When he looked up at Li Zhi, a bright smile had spread across his face.

"Oh!"

Shen Yuan lowered his voice even further, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her burning earlobe.

"Is this considered an official endorsement from the father-in-law... oh no, Uncle Li?"

"Official my foot!"

Li Zhi retorted almost immediately, but his voice was like a kitten with its throat being choked, with a trembling tone that was a bit of a show of bravado, lacking its usual sharpness.

Shen Yuan's way of addressing Lao Li was like a spark splashed into a hot oil pan, instantly igniting the remaining blush on her cheeks and making it burn even hotter.

The girl instinctively tried to cool her cheeks with her fingertips, but only managed to rub her burning skin in vain.

Almost simultaneously, she realized that Shen Yuan's warm arm was still touching the sleeve of her down jacket.

That constant heat was now practically an accomplice to torture!

As if burned, Li Zhi abruptly shrank his shoulder to the side, creating some distance.

Li Zhi's movements were so exaggerated that they startled He Zhiyu, who was standing nearby.

The young author looked at Li Zhi with a face full of curiosity.

"Zhizhi? What's wrong?"

Li Zhifei quickly shook his head: "It's nothing!"

Upon hearing Li Zhi's words, Shen Yuan subconsciously chuckled.

But unexpectedly, this laugh instantly triggered the girl's sensitive nerves.

"Laugh! What are you laughing at?!"

"My dad's liking of a post doesn't mean anything!"

"His certification is nothing! My opinion is the most important!"

After Li Zhi finished speaking, she felt as if her cheeks were about to burn through her skin. Her mind was buzzing, and the phrase "official certification" was playing on an endless loop, making her feel flustered and confused.

Finally, the girl gave up resisting and buried her head back into the raised collar of her down jacket.

She left only the back of her head, with bright red ear tips and messy hair, facing Shen Yuan, as if that could isolate her from the entire world.

The surrounding air seemed to become subtle and viscous again, and He Zhiyu's shocked expression was so clear even in his peripheral vision.

Li Zhi felt her whole body burning up, as if all the blood was rushing to her cheeks. She could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest, deafeningly loud.

So embarrassing! So embarrassing!
This idiot... what kind of official certification is this...?

My dad too...

What did you like?
Your daughter is dating, and you still support her?

Li Zhi buried his head even deeper like an ostrich, the stray hairs on his forehead brushing against his burning ears, bringing a slight itch.

The beautiful girl's body was curled up like a boiled shrimp, and she completely gave up on studying.

—You idiot Shen Yuan!
—You idiot, Lao Li!

The two lines of silent accusation rolled over her mind, but she couldn't suppress the shy and sweet smile that secretly crept up at the corners of her lips.

In the row behind them, A-Jie looked at Shen Yuan with a sour expression.

Ah Jie turned to look at Yang Ze, pointed at Shen Yuan, and said a few words.

Although he didn't say anything, Yang Ze probably understood.

"Woof woof woof woof..."

Yang Ze nodded, patted A-Jie on the shoulder, and gave him a look that said, "I understand you."

The school bell finally broke the silence of the laboratory building, announcing the end of the day's classes.

The rustling sound of everyone packing up their books and wrapping their clothes instantly dispelled the tranquility of the break.

Shen Yuan and Li Zhi were as familiar with each other as ever, but today there seemed to be something different.

Li Zhi lowered her head, her cheeks still bearing the faint blush from before.

The two naturally took hands, then said goodbye to A-Jie and the others before leaving the classroom.

The winter night was deep and dark, the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, creating blurry halos in the damp, cold air.

The cold wind felt like knives on our faces, and the students around us hunched over and hurried along.

However, this chill seemed to have no effect on Shen Yuan's body.

Li Zhi, who was being held by Shen Yuan, did not feel the cold at all; this guy was being unusually warm.

Li Zhi looked up at Shen Yuan's smiling eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, so happy?"

Shen Yuan lowered his head, his gaze falling on the beautiful girl's shy face. He chuckled and tightened his grip on her arm.

"Of course I'm happy! Your dad even liked my post, isn't that a direct affirmation of me? Wow—"

Before Shen Yuan could finish speaking, Li Zhi skillfully slipped her hand inside his down jacket and gave him a little pat.

"My dad is my dad! What does his liking a post mean!"

Li Zhi glared fiercely at Shen Yuan: "I'm the biggest!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Shen Yuan hugged Li Zhi tighter again: "Our Li Bao is the biggest!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yuan looked down at Li Zhi and asked, "Where do I stand in line?"

Li Zhi blinked, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, the beautiful girl came to her own conclusion.

Zhang Yuyan, Ms. Xu Chan > Li Zhi > Lao Li, Lao Shen > Sangeng, Naonao > Shen Yuan
Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan seriously: "You're in line after the cat."

Shen Yuan's smile froze instantly. He turned to the beautiful girl and said seriously, "I think there's something wrong with your ranking. I want to protest."

"Protest? Protest denied, boyfriend."

As Li Zhi spoke, she gently poked Shen Yuan's chest with her cool fingertips.

"You won't listen to me now, what will you be like later?"

Li Zhi's slightly coquettish question sounded particularly clear in the cold wind.

Looking at the "I'm in charge" expression on the girl's face, which was so close to him, Shen Yuan suddenly smiled.

"Okay, okay, listen to you!"

"whee--"

As the laughter still echoed in his ears, the beautiful girl suddenly leaned forward and gently kissed Shen Yuan's cheek.

"This is a reward."

A tingling sensation shot through Shen Yuan's head, and he looked at Li Zhi in astonishment.

"Li Bao, you're getting bolder and bolder!"

Li Zhi raised her chin at Shen Yuan, her tone full of smugness: "Got a problem? If you have a problem, then I won't kiss you."

After saying that, the beautiful girl gave a soft hum.

Seeing Li Zhi's state, Shen Yuan felt secretly anxious.

Why haven't the results come out yet?!
(End of this chapter)