Chapter 459 - 215: A Good Omen

Chapter 459: Chapter 215: A Good Omen

Shen Yuan grabbed his schoolbag, slung it over his shoulder, and hurried to the door.

The door to his apartment closed softly. Shen Yuan didn’t even have time to put on his shoes. He immediately stood ramrod straight in the hallway outside his home, his gaze locked on the familiar door of the Li family’s apartment a few steps away.

’Phew... That was close. The door is shut.’

He panted slightly, slowly calming himself down, then quickly put on his shoes.

Just as Shen Yuan was bending down to tie his shoelaces, the dark security door across the hall was gently pulled open.

Li Zhi appeared at the doorway, bundled up in a thick, white puffer jacket.

The moment she saw Shen Yuan, the girl held out her schoolbag.

Shen Yuan quickly tied his laces and then took the bag.

After Shen Yuan took the bag, the girl’s slender fingers, slightly red from the cold, fumbled clumsily with the metal buckle on her snow boots.

Li Zhi kept her head down, focused on her battle with the buckle. The only sounds in the hallway were the faint CLICK of metal and the rustle of fabric.

Finally, with a soft CLICK, the boot was on.

Li Zhi straightened up with a crisp, clean motion, then suddenly lifted her head.

The girl looked at Shen Yuan and demanded in a cold tone, "Speak! Why didn’t you wake me up this morning?!"

She closed in by half a step, staring straight at Shen Yuan.

"Uh... I..."

Caught off guard by this sudden "interrogation," Shen Yuan subconsciously took a small step back.

"Uh, didn’t I tell you? My-my alarm clock seemed to have a problem. It didn’t go off this morning."

"Hah! A problem with your alarm clock?"

Li Zhi let out a very soft, cold scoff. The sharp glint in her eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest; if anything, it intensified, carrying a knowing look that said, ’Go on, keep making things up.’

"I think you were just being lazy! You just wanted to sleep in!"

Shen Yuan blinked and nodded quickly. "It’s because I was so tired yesterday! I got home and passed out, so I ended up oversleeping this morning."

He smiled at the girl before him. "Aww~ Just this once. Li Bao will forgive me, right?~"

Li Zhi cringed at Shen Yuan’s sudden wheedling.

"Ah Xi! Could you be any more disgusting?! Go, go, go! We need to get to school!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly and quickly pressed the elevator button.

Their figures were briefly frozen in the halo of the motion-activated hallway light.

The faint hum of the elevator grew clearer.

"DING—"

The elevator doors slid open, and the two walked in, one after the other.

The elevator descended smoothly. In the narrow space, only the soft whir of machinery remained.

Li Zhi turned slightly, her shoulder casually brushing against Shen Yuan’s arm.

Shen Yuan felt the warmth spreading from that tiny point of contact. His hand, hanging by his side, slid down naturally and precisely grasped Li Zhi’s cool fingertips.

Li Zhi’s movements weren’t the least bit stiff.

Her fingers even subconsciously curled back, fitting more snugly into that warm, familiar palm.

It was a tiny movement, as natural and fluid as breathing. The connection between them had been honed through countless repetitions.

She didn’t look at him, but the corners of her lips curved up into a faint, almost imperceptible arc as she stared calmly at the changing numbers in front of her.

They reached the first floor, and the doors opened.

A blast of winter air hit them, but their intertwined hands remained steady as a rock. They even tightened their grip slightly as they stepped out together into the gray morning light.

They walked in silence, the unspoken warmth beneath their cuffs the only communication of their mutual understanding.

As usual, they walked through the familiar school gates under the watchful eyes of the disciplinary office teachers, up the familiar stairs, and arrived before the open door of Class 15.

Without breaking stride, Shen Yuan led Li Zhi straight into the classroom, just as he had countless times on his way back to his own seat.

The atmosphere in the classroom was completely different from the intense, collective focus during that one morning study session.

The class’s collective gaze no longer had that probing, spotlight-like intensity.

Their entrance, hand in hand, was more like a drop of water merging into the ocean, eliciting at most some silent, knowing smiles.

Everyone was used to it.

High school relationships were actually quite common.

At most, it was exciting for a moment, but it quickly became just another ordinary thing.

Besides, the entire student body of Class 15 had been mentally preparing for Shen Yuan and Li Zhi to get together for a long time.

Those two were childhood sweethearts!

They were already inseparable before they started dating, so wasn’t it perfectly normal for them to be a couple now?

Both Shen Yuan and Li Zhi sensed this change in atmosphere.

The girl kept her lips pressed into a thin line, maintaining a nonchalant expression. She focused her gaze on the path to their seats ahead, as if she were concentrating solely on walking.

But Shen Yuan could clearly feel Li Zhi’s hand tighten its grip on his.

And just like that, holding hands, they walked with utter naturalness to their seats under a sea of tacit, accepting gazes.

The bell signaling the end of the morning study session was like a starting gun, instantly breaking the stuffy air in the classroom.

Books rustled, and the buzz of students stretching and chatting briefly rose.

Ah Jie turned to Shen Yuan, his face lit up with an ’I’ve got the scoop’ kind of excitement, and slammed a hand on Shen Yuan’s desk, which was piled with test papers.

"Hey! Bros! Bombshell news!"

Ah Jie’s voice successfully drew the attention of the surrounding circle of people, including Yang Ze, who had just put down his thermos, and Zhuo Peipei, who was putting away her vocabulary notebook nearby.

Shen Yuan lazily lifted an eyelid. "What? Did you find your name on the program for the New Year’s gala, performing a striptease?"

"Screw you!" Ah Jie shot back irritably, but his smugness didn’t fade in the slightest.

"It’s inside info, guaranteed to be true! I heard it from my cousin!"

"This year’s New Year’s gala is going to have a street dance performance! And it’s one of those super hype, super cool numbers from the street dance club! I heard they put a ton of effort into choreographing it!"

"For real?" Yang Ze’s interest was piqued. He usually paid attention to this kind of event.

"My cousin told me himself!" Ah Jie promised, thumping his chest with a look of utter conviction. "They say the visuals are maxed out, and it’ll totally bring the house down! Just you wait and see!"

"Compared to street dance, I’m more curious about what song Sister Shui will sing this year."

Shen Yuan grinned. "Ah Jie, why don’t you ask during English class later?"

Ah Jie rolled his eyes at Shen Yuan. "If I ask, Sister Shui will probably make me answer questions for the entire period. Why don’t you ask? You’re the one who explains the test papers anyway."

"Get lost!"

"Heheh!"