Chapter 453 - 214: The So-called Sense of Ritual

Chapter 453: Chapter 214: The So-called Sense of Ritual

Many shops along the street were decked out in heavy Christmas decorations.

Strings of colorful lights flickered in the display windows, woven through lush, artificial pine branches and dotted with sparkling glass baubles and red silk ribbon bows.

The glass door of a pastry shop was covered in huge decals of snowflakes and reindeer wearing Santa hats. Beside it stood a small, slightly comical snowman that was nonetheless brimming with festive spirit.

Neon lights formed the outlines of snowflakes and Christmas trees, pulsing with a warm and dreamlike glow in the cold night.

The two of them walked home in silence, hand in hand.

Li Zhi’s gaze swept over the display windows, which the lights rendered with a deliberate, almost cloying warmth, and the wind chimes that tinkled by the doors.

After a few more steps, Li Zhi happened to glance at a tricycle by the side of the road. It was piled high with Peace Fruits wrapped in gaudy, shiny paper. The vendor, bundled in a thick, padded coat, waited in the cold wind.

And as it happened, a few students were there, looking over the Peace Fruits.

The girl’s brows furrowed slightly.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi, a smile instantly appearing when he saw the undisguised criticism in her beautiful eyes.

"Alright, let’s go."

He tightened his grip on her fingers, his thumb gently stroking the back of her slightly chilled hand.

Li Zhi turned her head to look at Shen Yuan. "Do you think I’m criticizing them for falling into the trap of ritualism manufactured by consumerism?"

Shen Yuan nodded. "Aren’t you?"

"You idiot, Shen Yuan!" Li Zhi huffed, giving him a light kick.

After pulling her leg back, the girl’s gaze remained fixed on Shen Yuan’s face.

The neon lights shattered into dancing specks in her clear pupils, which held a bright, burning glow of annoyance.

She suddenly took half a step closer, poking Shen Yuan’s chest through his backpack with a slender, pale finger. She enunciated every word, her voice low and taut, yet it cut clearly through the clamor of Christmas carols and right into his ears.

"I’m saying—"

"I’m saying some blockheads! Have the holiday staring them in the face a million times, and they... still... pre-tend... not... to... see!"

The force from her fingertip felt as if it would press right through his clothes and into his chest. The ferocity she was trying to project was diluted by the crimson blush creeping up to the tips of her ears, finally melting into a hissed accusation.

"You idiot, Shen Yuan!"

Her fierce yet bashful expression struck a chord with Shen Yuan, and he let out a muffled laugh.

Far from being hurt by the poke, he took the opportunity to catch her troublemaking, cool finger and wrap it back up in his warm palm.

The curve of his lips held an undisguised smugness and understanding, his eyes brimming with mirth as he looked at the little bristling kitten before him.

"Oh—"

Shen Yuan deliberately drew out the word, his tone practically overflowing with teasing.

"I thought Young Master Li loathed this sort of ’holiday marketing’ and ’consumerist trap.’ Turns out you were just bothered that this blockhead here hadn’t gotten you anything, huh?"

The boy’s low voice, laced with amusement, carried clearly to Li Zhi’s ears.

The girl’s secret thoughts had nothing to do with hating holiday marketing; what she cared about was the attitude of the idiot beside her.

"Shen! Yuan!" Li Zhi’s composure instantly shattered.

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she wrenched one hand free from his grasp and, in a flustered flurry, went to pinch his arm. The pinch, however, carried a coquettishness that she herself didn’t even notice.

"You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you!"

"I’m going to kill you, you know!"

Their shadows stretched and intertwined in the warm yellow glow of the streetlight.

Shen Yuan laughed as he feigned dodging, all while keeping a firm grip on Li Zhi’s hand.

"Hey, hey! Gentle, gentle!"

"Is this how you’re supposed to act when you want a present? Hmm?"

"I don’t care! Are you giving it to me or not! If you don’t, I’ll kill you!"

Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan, her chin raised high.

"Alright, alright! I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it to you!"

Shen Yuan grabbed Li Zhi’s hand. "Wait, let me get it out."

Shen Yuan stopped and unzipped his backpack, his movements deliberately clumsy.

"Tsk... where did I put it?"

Shen Yuan muttered under his breath, his brow slightly furrowed as his fingers fumbled through the gaps between books and papers. His movements were sluggish, as if he were truly lost in the abyss of his backpack.

Li Zhi stood beside him, the cold wind brushing against her slightly flushed cheeks.

At first, she waited patiently, her gaze fixed on Shen Yuan’s fumbling in his backpack as she awaited his promised gesture.

However, after watching him fumble around for ages, putting on a show of frowning and searching blindly, the girl’s patience rapidly ran out.

Shen Yuan could clearly feel the gaze from the person beside him growing sharper.

He lifted his eyes slightly to sneak a peek and saw Li Zhi narrowing her beautiful eyes.

Her eyes carried the silent, chilling threat of ’You’re dead if you dawdle any longer,’ which was pinned right on his face.

"...Er, found it! Found it!" Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat under her gaze, and he instantly decided to drop the act.

His movements suddenly became deft. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a gift box from the depths of his backpack, one completely different from those that had been passed out earlier.

This box was smaller and more exquisite than the ones Yang Yishui had handed out. Its shell was made of a deep, royal blue matte cardstock, foil-stamped with a subtle pattern of irregular snowflakes that resembled a cascading river of stars. It shimmered under the streetlight with an understated, mysterious glow.

A smooth, silver satin ribbon was wound and crossed over the lid, tied into a perfect, neat bow. Its tails dangled naturally, swaying gently with Shen Yuan’s movements.

"Here. A one-of-a-kind model, just for Li Bao."

The moment Li Zhi’s gaze fell upon the box, the warning in her eyes vanished.

She reached out and took it. Her movements seemed to falter for a moment as her fingertips touched the smooth, cool cardstock and the cold ribbon, but she still struggled to maintain her proud and aloof expression.

"Hmph!"

Li Zhi took the box, weighed it lightly in her hand, and let out a satisfied little huff through her nose.

"I guess you’re not so dense after all. Here, hold it properly!"

With that, Li Zhi handed the box back to Shen Yuan.

Under the cover of night, the tips of the girl’s ears betrayed her once again, turning completely red.

Shen Yuan took the box, and just as he finished zipping up his backpack, Li Zhi’s hand slipped quite naturally into the crook of his elbow, hugging his sturdy arm.

The cool, soft touch came with a force of intimacy that allowed no objection.

"You idiot, Shen Yuan, do you know why I had to remind you?"

Shen Yuan froze and looked down at her.

The halo from the streetlight fell on her slightly upturned profile. Her eyes held a trace of grievance.

"Because last year, when it came to Peace Fruits, a certain someone never even thought to get me one."