Chapter 121: Chapter 108: Dinner at Shen Yuan’s House

Shen Yuan had told his mom long ago that Li Zhi was coming for dinner.

Shen Yuan still remembered Ms. Zhang Yuyan’s reaction quite clearly.

Ms. Zhang Yuyan had first given a cold nod, then uttered the sound she always used to brush off Shen Yuan.

"Mm."

She couldn’t even be bothered to add another syllable.

’But what was the reality?’

After his alarm woke him, Shen Yuan quickly washed his face and picked up his phone.

After a few rings, Li Zhi’s voice came from the other end.

"Mm?"

The beautiful girl’s voice, thick with sleep, had a unique, drowsy tone.

"Time to get up and eat."

"Got it. I’ll be there in a bit."

After saying that, Li Zhi hung up without giving Shen Yuan a chance to say another word.

Staring at the disconnected call screen, Shen Yuan immediately put his phone in his pocket.

If it had been Ah Jie, Shen Yuan would have unleashed a barrage of calls and wouldn’t have believed the guy was actually up until he heard him out of bed.

But Li Zhi was different.

Young Master Li had excellent self-discipline; once you called her, she’d get up.

Shen Yuan never had to worry about her oversleeping.

After the call, Shen Yuan gently pushed open his bedroom door, and a rich aroma immediately wafted over him.

The fragrance came from the kitchen. Shen Yuan’s sense of smell was exceptionally sharp—he could even easily detect the faint citrus scent in Li Zhi’s hair, let alone the various aromas now emanating from Ms. Zhang’s bustling in the kitchen.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath, carefully discerning the different scents within the aroma.

He smelled the mellow fragrance of spices, the rich scent of meat, and the savory aroma of seafood.

He and Li Zhi had finished their movie around three in the afternoon, and his alarm was set for four-thirty.

’Which means...’

Curious, Shen Yuan walked to the kitchen doorway and slowly slid the door open.

As the door opened, a veritable tide of fragrance rushed out.

He peeked into the kitchen and saw Ms. Zhang standing at the stove, watching the braised pork belly in the pot. The pot was making a "GURGLE" sound, and the tempting aroma was enough to make one’s mouth water.

Watching the still-busy Ms. Zhang, the corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched.

’Ms. Zhang must have gone out grocery shopping right after I went to my room to sleep.’

’She went out, came back, and then prepped all the ingredients as fast as possible. That’s the only way the smell of braised pork belly could be wafting through the house right now.’

"Mom, you’re so fast," Shen Yuan couldn’t help but praise.

Zhang Yuyan turned, shot Shen Yuan a glare, and said irritably, "Don’t just stand there gawking. Go set the table with the chopsticks and bowls."

"Oh," Shen Yuan replied. Though a trace of reluctance showed on his face, he obediently went to the cabinet and took out the chopsticks and bowls.

He carefully rinsed them with boiling water before arranging them neatly on the dining table.

The table at Shen Yuan’s house was a foldable one—it was a round table when extended and a long table when collapsed.

Shen Yuan placed four sets of bowls and chopsticks on either side of the table.

Just as Shen Yuan finished, the doorbell rang in perfect sync.

"Coming, coming!"

Before Shen Yuan could even speak, Ms. Zhang’s apron landed on his head.

"Zhizhi’s here!"

"Come in, come in! Don’t worry about changing your shoes, we’ll just have Shen Yuan mop the floor later."

"Just put your bag on the sofa. We’ll have Shen Yuan move it later."

With his vision obscured, Shen Yuan heard Ms. Zhang’s enthusiastic voice.

Just then, Ms. Zhang suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa, what is this thing?"

Ms. Zhang reached out, plucked the apron from atop Shen Yuan’s head, and seeing his bitter expression, said disapprovingly, "What are you doing? How old are you?"

Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched. "Mom, you’re the one who threw it on my head."

Zhang Yuyan let out a dismissive "Oh" and retorted, "Well, who told you to just stand there? You’re so tall, I thought you were a shelf!"

I Thought You Were a Shelf.

Shen Yuan felt he couldn’t bring himself to laugh anymore.

But just then, a soft chuckle reached his ears.

Following the sound, Shen Yuan’s gaze landed on Li Zhi.

The beautiful girl was looking at him with a grin.

Shen Yuan grumbled, "What’s so funny?"

"Oh, so it’s a person. I thought it was a shelf."

Shen Yuan’s expression immediately turned dangerous.

"Li Zhi, you’d better not provoke me. When I get angry, even I..."

"WHAP!"

Zhang Yuyan smacked Shen Yuan on the back. "What are you standing here for! Go tell your dad it’s time to eat."

"Oh."

Shen Yuan obediently went to get Old Shen.

The father and son came over together.

Shen Guohao didn’t sit down right away; instead, he went to the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.

For four people, Zhang Yuyan had made five dishes.

Braised pork belly, steamed shrimp, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

This wasn’t the first time Li Zhi had eaten at Shen Yuan’s house.

She found her usual seat with ease and picked up her chopsticks.

After Li Zhi sat down, Shen Yuan sat down as well.

The two of them sat side-by-side, with a small gap between them.

The savory, soy-sauce aroma of the braised pork belly and the fresh scent of steamed seafood drifted over the table.

Shen Yuan was just about to grab a shrimp when his chopsticks were rapped by Zhang Yuyan.

"Peel shrimp for Zhizhi."

Shen Yuan: ?

"Wait, Mom, you have to give me a reason."

Zhang Yuyan lifted her chin, motioning for Shen Yuan to look at Li Zhi’s hand.

Shen Yuan turned his head and saw that the beautiful girl had a bandage wrapped around one of the slender fingers on her left hand.

Shen Yuan’s brows furrowed. "Did you bite it yourself?"

Li Zhi rolled her eyes at Shen Yuan. "I cut it while I was tidying up just now."

"Let me see. I think you’re lying."

As Shen Yuan spoke, he reached for Li Zhi’s hand, but she quickly pulled it away.

"Fine, don’t believe me. I’ll peel it myself. You don’t need to trouble yourself."

The moment Li Zhi’s words fell, Shen Yuan felt Ms. Zhang’s gaze on him.

Shen Yuan pouted. "Fine, fine, I’ll do it. It’s just peeling a few shrimp."

Shen Yuan expertly put on a pair of disposable gloves and picked up a shrimp.

Shen Yuan was skilled at peeling shrimp; having eaten so many, he was naturally fast at it.

One after another, the shelled shrimp were quickly produced.

However, when Shen Yuan dipped them in vinegar, he would let them soak in the saucer for a good three to five seconds before placing them in Li Zhi’s bowl.

Li Zhi didn’t notice at first, but as they got progressively more sour, she realized something was wrong.

And so, Li Zhi saw Shen Yuan dip a shrimp into the vinegar saucer, not give it to her immediately, but leisurely peel another one for himself before finally handing over the one that had been soaking for ages.

"Aunty, Shen Yuan is bullying me."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuyan immediately glared at Shen Yuan.

"Shen Yuan!"

Shen Yuan gave a sheepish smile. "I’ll eat this one, I’ll eat it. I’ll peel you a new one."

Shen Yuan popped the shrimp into his mouth, and the sourness of the vinegar immediately made him scrunch up his face.

"Damn, how could you even eat something this sour?"

The next second, Shen Yuan was kicked.

Li Zhi chided him softly, "So you know it’s sour, huh!"

"Hehehe."

Shen Yuan deployed a tactical, goofy grin.

When Shen Yuan finished peeling a new shrimp and dipping it in vinegar, Li Zhi suddenly brushed her hair aside and leaned in slightly.

Shen Yuan’s right hand, holding the shrimp, froze in mid-air, his fingertips still glistening with vinegar.

He was used to the tacit understanding of chopsticks and bowls, never imagining he’d be faced with the girl’s lips actively approaching him.

In the instant the shrimp hung suspended, their breaths mingled quietly amid the steamy aroma of the food.

Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously. He could clearly see Li Zhi’s pearly white teeth, faintly visible between her slightly parted lips. The vinegar-coated shrimp hovered an inch before them, as if about to fall.

"Hey, are you going to let me eat it or not?"

Her petulant urging startled the dazed boy.

Shen Yuan’s wrist trembled slightly. As the shrimp slipped between her moist lips, the vinegar created a tiny, shiny spot at the corner of Li Zhi’s mouth.

Watching the girl’s cheeks puff out slightly as she chewed, Shen Yuan unconsciously rubbed his gloved fingers, which smelled of seafood.

Meanwhile, on the side, Zhang Yuyan gently nudged Shen Guohao’s leg. Old Shen looked at his wife and gave an imperceptible shake of his head.

After dinner, it was time for Shen Yuan and Li Zhi to head to school.

’Might as well go early and study. There’s nothing else to do at home anyway.’

By the time the two of them left for school, the sky had cleared up.

At 5:10 PM in mid-September, the sky was still bright, showing no signs of dimming yet.

As if drawn by a magnet, Shen Yuan’s gaze repeatedly and involuntarily fell on Li Zhi’s left hand, which hung by her side.

The girl’s slender, pale index finger was wrapped in a bandage, the slightly peeling edge of the adhesive reflecting tiny glints of sunlight.

Just then, Li Zhi suddenly stopped and held her injured fingertip up in front of his eyes, wiggling it.

"Hey!"

Her voice held a hint of teasing. "If you want to look, just look openly. Don’t be a creep about it."

Shen Yuan looked into Li Zhi’s eyes and said without hesitation, "I want to touch it."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Li Zhi snatched her hand back as if she’d been electrocuted and snapped, "Pervert!"

Daily Quest: Be chided by the beautiful girl (Complete).

"How did you do it?" Shen Yuan asked.

Li Zhi pursed her lips. "I was still groggy from sleep and accidentally got a paper cut while tidying up."

The beautiful girl’s expression was a little unnatural, as if she didn’t really want to talk about the silly thing she’d done.

The corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth twitched. "Why the hell do I feel like that’s a total lie?"

’Getting a paper cut isn’t impossible, but the odds are pretty damn slim!’

’And you just happened to cut your finger right when you were coming to my house for dinner, right when you’d need to peel shrimp?’

’Do such coincidences really exist in this world?’

’Oh? Really? I don’t buy it.’

Li Zhi immediately raised her hand, placed her other hand on the edge of the bandage, and made a motion as if to tear it off.

"If there’s a wound, then what will you do?"

Shen Yuan glanced at her slender finger and finally shook his head. "Forget it. I’ll believe you this time."

"Tch."

Li Zhi tilted her head up slightly, like a swan that had just won a battle.

Shen Yuan followed behind Li Zhi, his gaze unconsciously trailing the ends of her hair, which were gilded by the sunlight.

The girl’s light steps created a gentle arc in her long hair, and even her elongated shadow on the ground seemed to possess a reserved liveliness.

Catching the lingering citrus scent in the wind, Shen Yuan suddenly recalled the sight of her eyelashes fluttering as she leaned in to bite the shrimp at the restaurant, and his Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

’The peeling edge of the bandage was stuck in his mind. On one hand, he imagined her clumsily injuring her finger, but on the other, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this coincidence was some kind of coy signal.’

"Hey!"

Li Zhi’s voice came from up ahead.

Shen Yuan snapped back to his senses.

"Are you some kind of nocturnal creature? Can’t walk when you see the sun?"

A smile spread across Shen Yuan’s lips. "I’m gonna get you for that!"