Chapter 455 - 215: Good Omen (Part 2)

Chapter 455: Chapter 215: Good Omen (Part 2)

Shen Yuan clearly felt her arm slip from his. He looked down, straight into Li Zhi’s eyes as she gazed up at him.

The hallway light spilled onto her face, fully revealing the faint blush that still colored her earlobes.

Her eyes, still holding the last traces of a smile, now seemed hazy in the light, like a startled pool of water shimmering with tiny flecks of light.

The two of them stepped out of the elevator. Shen Yuan took an apple from the backpack, then returned the bag to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi placed the backpack and the apple on the cabinet by the door.

Just as Shen Yuan thought their tender moment for the night was over, the girl in front of him suddenly spun around.

An instant later, Shen Yuan instinctively opened his arms.

Almost simultaneously, her slender frame crashed into his embrace.

But almost immediately, Li Zhi felt a distinct obstacle.

It was that damned backpack he was wearing on his chest, now wedged hard and unyielding between their bodies.

Shen Yuan hadn’t even had a chance to savor the feeling of her willingly throwing herself into his arms before the girl in his embrace frowned.

With a hint of annoyance, Li Zhi shifted slightly in his arms.

"You idiot, Shen Yuan!" Her voice, muffled against his chest, was both petulant and annoyed. "The backpack! It’s digging into me! This is awful!"

Her subtle movements perfectly conveyed her discomfort. The backpack, wedged between his chest and her soft body, had indeed ruined what should have been a perfect, tender moment.

Shen Yuan felt a pang of shared frustration and was instantly annoyed with himself.

"Okay, I’ll take it off right now."

Before he had even finished speaking, he freed one hand and started fumbling with the strap on his shoulder.

"I’m taking it off now! Just give me a second..."

"Don’t!"

Shen Yuan’s hand, already reaching for the strap, froze in mid-air.

Her voice rang out from his arms, laced with obvious mischief.

"Nope, I’m not letting you. It’s your own fault for not taking it off sooner. Hmph! Just hold me like this!"

Shen Yuan felt a wave of overwhelming sweetness mixed with stifling frustration rush to his head.

"You..."

’This is...’

’If I take it off, Li Bao will definitely run away.’

’But if I don’t, this backpack is like a stubborn shield wedged between us. It’s making her uncomfortable, and it’s also a clear sign that I can’t hold her properly!’

To make matters worse, Li Zhi tightened her embrace, as if determined to see this subtle punishment through to the very end.

Feeling the incredibly obstructive backpack wedged between them, Shen Yuan felt a sweet sense of frustration that was about to make him burst.

He instinctively tightened his arms around her, trying to flatten the offending culprit.

Or at least, to hold her just a little bit tighter, to feel her presence just a little bit more.

However, this stalemated moment of affection didn’t last long.

Li Zhi nuzzled her head against his chest and took a deep breath, as if soaking in one last moment of reassurance, before letting go of him without any warning.

"Hey, idiot."

She tilted her face up slightly. "I’m going home now."

Before Shen Yuan could react, her fingertips flicked against his canvas backpack, making a soft TWANG.

She wrinkled her small nose and pouted, her voice full of genuine disdain. "Not comfortable at all! That thing was killing me!"

Shen Yuan: "..."

’Who was it that wouldn’t let me take the backpack off again?’

After lodging her complaint, Li Zhi leaned back, starting to pull away from the less-than-comfortable embrace. She had just taken half a step back.

In a flash, Shen Yuan moved!

As if he had predicted her every move, he seized the momentary gap. With a practiced motion, he yanked on the shoulder strap with one hand.

With a RUSTLE of fabric and a faint CLINK of its metal zipper hitting the floor, the offending canvas backpack was decisively flung to the empty space beside them.

Li Zhi saw a black shape blur past her eyes. Before she could fully react, the half-step of distance she had just created instantly vanished.

His now-free hand clamped around her waist like an iron band, while his other arm tightened abruptly, pulling with sudden force!

A startled gasp caught in her throat as she was dragged, powerless to resist, back into his embrace.

This time, there was no barrier between them.

The firm, warm contours of his body pressed against her, enveloping her completely.

It was a warmth tinged with a hint of force, instantly dispelling the earlier annoyance of being jabbed by the backpack.

Li Zhi was pulled flush against his chest. His unique, clean scent washed over her, making her mind go blank for a moment.

A low chuckle, laced with obvious triumph and mischief, rumbled from above her head, making her eardrums buzz.

Shen Yuan arched his back slightly, his chin brushing against the crown of her head. His voice, thick with amusement, seemed to grind against her ear.

"There, the backpack’s gone..."

He tightened his arms, pressing her even more forcefully against him, as if trying to brand this intimacy into her very bones.

"Comfortable now?"

Shen Yuan’s voice was filled with the smug pleasure of having gotten his way.

Li Zhi was left completely reeling by his sudden, domineering embrace and his blunt question.

Taking the full, unprepared force of his body heat and heartbeat, the impact was a hundred times more potent than their earlier hug with the backpack in the way.

She could clearly feel a fiery heat flare across her cheeks, her ears, and down her neck. The blush was so intense it left her feeling weak, making even her fingertips tremble slightly.

She had always been the one to initiate hugs with Shen Yuan. This was the first time he had ever pulled her into his arms so masterfully.

The girl’s nerves, already frayed with a mixture of shame and indignation, were finally stretched to their limit.

"Shen Yuan!" Li Zhi practically hissed his name through gritted teeth, her voice trembling slightly.

"You... you are...!"

She tried to struggle, flailing her arms and legs in his embrace, but her movements were utterly feeble, robbed of their strength by her mortification and the unfamiliar sensations of their bodies pressed so tightly together.