Chapter 58-Part 1

Ji Ran realized for the first time that she was actually very protective of others. She had never had anyone she wanted to protect before, so she didn’t understand the feeling. But now, the person she wanted to protect was right in front of her.

Her anger was swelling inside, like a balloon being inflated, about to burst.

Shen Zhi watched the little girl’s puffed-up face and suddenly laughed. His facial features had a cold, three-dimensional quality, which made him seem somewhat gloomy when he didn’t smile.

But now, with his face relaxed, he exuded an inexplicable sense of compliance.

Ji Ran couldn’t help but reach out and touch his short hair. Shen Zhi’s hair was soft and smooth to the touch.

She whispered softly, “Ranran cares about you.”

Shen Zhi was truly amused by her, casting a sidelong glance at her.

Seeing him smile, Ji Ran pursed her lips. “What are you laughing at?”

When she saw him still laughing, she couldn’t help but reach out to cover his face. Unexpectedly, as soon as she raised her hand, Shen Zhi grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.

Ji Ran’s nose gently bumped against his shoulder, and she could still smell the faint scent of tobacco on him.

“Don’t move; let me hold you for a moment.”

Shen Zhi’s voice was a bit muffled, causing a tug in Ji Ran’s heart.

She gently murmured, “Mm.”

As she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, she nestled her head closer to him.

She obediently let him hold her.

At this moment, Shen Zhi’s heart nearly melted.

Why is this girl so obedient now?

When Shen Zhi finally let go of her, Ji Ran’s expression was slightly regretful, prompting Shen Zhi to ask, “What’s with that look?”

“I just think it’s a pity,” Ji Ran said slowly.

Shen Zhi tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s a pity?”

“We were supposed to go on a date today.”

Ji Ran’s voice was soft and sweet—not intentionally seductive, just naturally gentle and sweet.

Shen Zhi thought of their plan to visit the bookstore. It really was supposed to be a date.

With his eyes slightly lowered, he began to seriously consider the situation.

Isn’t it too unprofitable to give up on dating his future girlfriend just because Shen Jiming came to his house and made him unhappy?

Mr.Shen’s perfect math scores weren’t for nothing; he knew how to calculate.

Thinking this through, he realized he was at a loss.

So he leaned in closer.

They were so close that Ji Ran could feel his forehead brushing against hers, warm breaths mingling. He whispered, “Ranran, I’m regretting it.”

Shen Zhi truly regretted it.

But he was a man of action, quick to correct his mistakes, never allowing himself to suffer a big loss. Since he felt today’s situation was too disadvantageous, he naturally wouldn’t let his losses continue to grow.

A few minutes later, he put on his coat and took Ji Ran out.

They took a cab to a famous bookstore in the city center. It was not only large but also had an exceptionally tasteful decor.

As soon as they entered the bookstore, even though there were many people inside, it remained relatively quiet.

Even those who spoke did so in hushed tones.

Their goal was the same: to buy reference books. The high school study materials were plentiful, and they easily found several shelves full of various books.

There were all kinds of subjects and categories. Anything you could think of, the bookstore had it.

Ji Ran always thought her science subjects were decent, but ever since she saw the scores of the person next to her, she decided to strive harder.

Losing was not an option.

Even to her own boyfriend, she wanted to score so well that he would have to respectfully admit, “Ji Ran, you’re really amazing.”

Thinking of this, a smile tugged at Ji Ran’s lips, touching her heart.

Scenes like this made her happy.

Transformed into a heartless studying machine, Ji Ran didn’t notice Shen Zhi glancing at her while flipping through a tutorial book. He happened to see the faint smile on her lips.

Quite happy indeed.

So Shen Zhi subtly moved closer, their shoulders lightly touching.

Initially, Ji Ran was focused on the material in her hands and didn’t notice. But as the pressure on her shoulder increased, she finally turned to look at Shen Zhi.

As she turned, she caught sight of a girl next to Shen Zhi, who was carefully observing his movements.

It was the kind of glance quickly averted, with lips pressed in a shy smile.

Definitely infatuated.

Hmph.

Ji Ran couldn’t help but glare at Shen Zhi.

He was quite the charmer.

Puzzled, Shen Zhi also glanced sideways and locked eyes with the girl. She panicked and quickly raised her tutorial book to cover her face.

Ji Ran and Shen Zhi both stared at the book, which was being held upside down, and said nothing.

Fortunately, the girl soon left without bothering them further.

Even after she left, Ji Ran wasn’t ready to acknowledge Shen Zhi. Although she knew he wasn’t flirting with others, he really did have a face that attracted attention.

No matter where he went, there were always girls sneaking glances at him.

Shen Zhi noticed that she remained silent, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He subtly moved his hand to the side, hooking her fingers.

At first, he was just playing with one of her index fingers. But then, seeming unsatisfied with this, he began squeezing her fingers gently from the base upward.

Even though they weren’t in a school classroom but in a bookstore, there were many other high school students around, as well as parents accompanying their children.

Shen Zhi’s action of secretly squeezing her fingers felt inexplicably embarrassing.

Ji Ran was afraid someone might see.

Moreover, it was the weekend, and there could be students from their school browsing the bookstore as well. Given their current popularity at their school, it would be very easy for them to be recognized.

Ji Ran whispered, “Let go.”

Instead of letting go, Shen Zhi, pleased that she finally responded, squeezed her fingers gently a couple of times as if to comfort her.

He asked softly, “Can I ask you a question?”

Ji Ran’s entire attention was focused on his actions with her fingers.

Almost instinctively, she replied, “What?”

“Did you study senior year math in advance?”

Shen Zhi’s tone was quite casual, as if he was just asking out of curiosity.

But Ji Ran reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly going from a compliant, gentle little kitten to bristling with agitation.

What did he mean?

What exactly did Shen Zhi mean?

Ji Ran stared at him, her mind filled with this question. So, he had studied senior year content in advance, and now he was asking if she had?

If she said no, wouldn’t she be lying?

Relying on the benefits of her “cheat,” Ji Ran had never beaten Shen Zhi in exams, which made her feel quite embarrassed. Although her high school years seemed far away now, she had not only studied high school material but also attended university.

If she organized the knowledge points, improving her grades would be easy.

But even with this “cheat,” she hadn’t beaten Shen Zhi.

Suddenly, Ji Ran felt utterly humiliated.

She whispered, “Shen Zhi, don’t go too far.”

Shen Zhi was a bit baffled. He had just asked his future girlfriend if she had the habit of studying in advance—how was that too far?

He originally intended to suggest studying together with Ji Ran.

The statement he made to Mr. Qiao wasn’t an exaggeration: among the students in Class Eight, Ji Ran was the only one who could keep up with his learning pace.

“Aren’t we supposed to be focusing on our studies? Don’t you want to study with me?”

When Shen Zhi said this, he tilted his head slightly, his lips close to Ji Ran’s ear, as if he were whispering secrets. His clear breath surrounded her.

The thought of studying with him and listening to his words was quite tempting to Ji Ran.

She was about to agree, but then reconsidered. If she agreed right away, wouldn’t it seem too eager?

Ji Ran gave herself some mental pep talks.

A girl should be reserved.

At least she counted silently to herself, saying she should wait until he asked a second time before agreeing.

But instead of asking again, he fell silent, as if it didn’t matter whether she agreed or not.

Ji Ran felt annoyed. How could he only ask once? It made her feel like she was losing face.

She turned her head angrily to look at him, only to find him watching her with a gentle smile in his dark eyes. His eyes were truly beautiful, and at this moment, they seemed to be saying, “See, I knew you couldn’t hold it in.”

Finally, Ji Ran, truly exasperated by his gaze, grabbed his hand and pulled it to her lips, biting down on his wrist without saying a word.

Not too hard, not too soft.

Just enough to leave a noticeable circle of teeth marks.