Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 214 - 121 Xia Zhijin Cried, The First Battleground (Second Update, Subscription Requested)
Damn it. At this rate, I’m almost certain to fail this course during the finals, Li Yuan thought. But I still have my darling Zhijin. She can tutor me.
Li Yuan turned his gaze toward Xia Zhijin, admiring her flawless profile, her tempting eyelashes, her red lips, and her delicate nose. He wished he could lean in and steal a kiss right then and there.
My Zhijin truly is the most beautiful. Just sitting next to her and doing nothing is incredibly soothing and calming. This must be the magic of a girl who’s a true treasure.
Li Yuan sneakily took Xia Zhijin’s small hand and placed it on his thigh. He could clearly feel her nervousness from her sweaty palm.
Xia Zhijin’s cheeks flushed as she shot a glance at Li Yuan before quickly turning her head away. Her heart was in turmoil, making it impossible to concentrate on the lecture. She tried to pull her hand away, but Li Yuan grasped it tightly, refusing to let go.
Xia Zhijin spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of pleading, "Li Yuan, let go. We’re in the middle of class."
Li Yuan chuckled and drew closer, leaning his head toward Xia Zhijin’s ear. He stopped when they were only inches apart and whispered, "It’s fine. You listen to your lecture; I won’t disturb you."
"But you’re holding my hand," she shyly replied.
Li Yuan laughed. "This is your left hand; you still have your right. It’s not a problem."
Xia Zhijin was stunned by his brazen words and resigned herself to his grasp, allowing him to playfully explore her soft, smooth hand...
Heh, Zhijin’s hands really are lovely—so slender and delicate. I thought they might be a bit rough since she doesn’t seem to fuss over them, but they’re surprisingly smooth. The climate in Chuanyu must really be nourishing. I guess this is what natural beauty is...
It would be a waste for Zhijin’s delicate hands to do laundry and cook. They should be put to much better use. When I get the chance, I should let her try it... it would probably feel amazing...
Time passed quietly as Li Yuan studied Xia Zhijin’s hand, from the "life line" to the "career line" and then to the "love line," until he could almost trace her fingerprints from memory.
On the podium, Professor Yi Gang lectured nonstop for an hour before finally announcing a break.
"Class, take a 20-minute break, then we’ll continue."
Finally, a break. Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If not for Xia Zhijin’s tender hand to explore, he would have fallen asleep. Asking him to study advanced math now was just too much.
When the break began, Xia Zhijin shot Li Yuan a glare and spoke softly, "Li Yuan, can you let go now?"
Li Yuan smiled. "Why should I?"
Her voice was low and shy. "You’ve... you’ve been touching it for an hour already."
Li Yuan put on a serious expression and retorted righteously, "Classmate Zhijin, I was studying the shape of your hand. How could you use a word like ’touching’? Am I that kind of indecent person?"
Xia Zhijin glanced weakly at Li Yuan. Isn’t that exactly what you are? she wanted to retort.
Seeing her silence, Li Yuan reached out and grabbed her other hand as well. He placed them side-by-side on his lap, looked her in the eye, and began speaking earnestly.
"Classmate Zhijin, let me explain. The palm of a person’s hand has three main lines: the life line, the career line, and the love line."
"Your life line is very long, which indicates you will live a long life, free of sickness and disaster..."
"Your career line is average, hehe, but that’s not important. You have me. I’ll be responsible for earning money, and you’ll be responsible for spending it. I’ll be strong and mighty, and you’ll be beautiful and graceful..."
"Your love line is completely smooth, without any forks or breaks. Do you know what that means?"
Li Yuan stared at her, holding her hands up in front of him as he asked in a mock-serious tone.
Listening to Li Yuan’s "palm reading," Xia Zhijin asked blankly, "What does it mean?"
Li Yuan met her gaze and answered with grave sincerity, "It means that in this life, you will only meet the one person you truly love, and that love will be for a lifetime—one life, one world, a single pair."
Xia Zhijin’s cheeks flushed as she understood his meaning. But... could it really be like that? Her mind was a mess, flooded with conflicting thoughts.
Shen Xiyu, who had been watching Li Yuan and Xia Zhijin’s "little game" from the side, couldn’t stand it anymore. Listening to this playboy use such cheesy lines to deceive Xia Zhijin, she couldn’t help but sneer.
"Wow, Talented Li sure spins a good yarn. ’One life, one world, a single pair.’ Li Yuan, don’t you feel ashamed saying that?"
Hearing Shen Xiyu’s mocking tone, Li Yuan frowned, completely baffled. If she weren’t Xia Zhijin’s roommate, he wouldn’t have bothered with her. I always have the feeling Shen Xiyu has it out for me. I wonder if this armchair strategist is deliberately trying to break us up because she’s jealous of how well I treat Xia Zhijin.
Li Yuan smiled faintly. "Classmate Shen Xiyu, please be clear. Why should I be ashamed?"
Seeing Li Yuan act so righteous, Shen Xiyu couldn’t help but click her tongue in amazement. She had a new appreciation for how thick-skinned he was. Describing him as "sanctimonious" wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.
"Big Writer Li, you’re truly a novelist through and through, especially a harem novelist. I bet the thoughts of your character, Xiao Yan, are just your own, aren’t they? What era are you living in, still wanting a harem? To have a girl on each arm?"
Li Yuan sensed something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of dread washed over him. Shen Xiyu’s tone was full of conviction, as if she had concrete proof.
He snorted coldly. "Shen Xiyu, make yourself clear. You should watch what you say."
Seeing Li Yuan still playing dumb, Shen Xiyu’s temper flared as she decided to stand up for Xia Zhijin.
"Li Yuan, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending? If you’re going to lie to Zhijin, at least try to be convincing. Do you think we’re all blind? That we can’t see what you post on your social media?"
"Your tactics are so clumsy. If you want to have a girl on each arm, could you at least try to hide it? Don’t be so blatant about it!"
Even with his low emotional intelligence, Li Yuan understood what Shen Xiyu was saying. So, Murphy’s Law had struck after all.
His body shuddered. He looked at Xia Zhijin and saw her staring at the ground, anxiously pinching the corner of her clothes. She looked completely at a loss, the usual sparkle in her eyes now gone, replaced by a dim emptiness. He then recalled her slightly swollen eyes from earlier, clearly the result of a long crying spell.
Suddenly, Li Yuan understood everything.
He took a deep breath and looked at this wronged, helpless, and utterly lost treasure of a girl. He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Seeing his expression, Shen Xiyu couldn’t help but unleash a vicious stream of mockery. "Li Yuan, what’s with the deeply-in-love act now? Do you think you’re the smartest person in the world and the rest of us are fools?"
"How could you do this to Zhijin? She’s so good to you! Do you have any idea how worried she was that night you went out drinking and messing around? You deliberately turned off your phone and hid like a coward. What kind of man are you? And you used ’writing’ as an excuse? Heh, only a naive girl like Zhijin would fall for that..."
Infuriated by Shen Xiyu’s taunts, Li Yuan shot to his feet. He fixed her with an icy gaze and roared, "Shen Xiyu, shut your mouth!"
His sudden outburst startled both Shen Xiyu and Xia Zhijin.
Meeting Li Yuan’s cold stare, Shen Xiyu trembled with a flash of fear, but she quickly regained her composure, her anger flaring even brighter as she shot back at him. "What, Li Yuan? Think you can shut people up just by being loud? You did it, but you won’t let anyone talk about it?"
"You’re just a scumbag, so stop pretending to be some innocent saint! All you’re good for is bullying a simple girl like Zhijin."
"Ooh, look at your face. I’m so scared. Heh. What are you going to do, eat me alive?"
