Chapter 114: Chapter 103: Li Zhi: You Still Have a Mission to Issue

"Young lady! Since you’ve asked with such sincerity, I shall mercifully tell you!"

"Li Zhi, your mission is to become an NPC, just like me!"

Shen Yuan pulled an Exclamation Mark Lamp out of his backpack.

Li Zhi looked at the Exclamation Mark Lamp in front of her. Then, she slowly raised her hand, reaching toward the top of Shen Yuan’s head, her fingers almost touching the Question Mark Lamp he was wearing.

The beautiful girl pointed to the Question Mark Lamp, her voice crisp and clear. "I want this one."

Hearing this, Shen Yuan didn’t hesitate to take the Question Mark Lamp off his head.

Just as he was about to hand it to Li Zhi, he noticed her hands were stuffed in her pants pockets, with no intention of taking them out.

’Does she want me to put it on for her?’

Shen Yuan’s fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the Question Mark Lamp. The metal clip glinted under the streetlight.

"Don’t move."

Shen Yuan cleared his throat, but his voice trembled like the shadows of leaves rustling in the night wind.

The streetlight stretched their shadows long across the ground. Where they overlapped, they merged into a dark cocoon on the brick pavement.

Shen Yuan moved closer to Li Zhi with the Question Mark Lamp in hand. The evening breeze lifted a few loose strands of her hair, tickling the back of his hand as they brushed against it.

He was so close he could see the shadow of her eyelashes on the bridge of her nose trembling with each breath.

This was completely different from that moonlit night.

The moment the plastic clasp touched her hair, Li Zhi suddenly tilted her head.

Shen Yuan’s fingertips trembled. The Question Mark Lamp slipped partway down, and its flickering light skimmed past the reddened tip of her ear.

"Didn’t we agree you’d be an NPC? What, backing out already?" Shen Yuan tried to laugh it off, but the sound caught in his throat.

"The light’s in my eyes." Li Zhi lowered her head, staring at the cracks in the pavement.

Shen Yuan steadied the headband and continued to put it on her. As his fingertips passed through her soft hair again, he suddenly realized he was holding his breath.

At that moment, Li Zhi felt a faint electric current as Shen Yuan’s knuckles grazed her scalp. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

A tingling numbness exploded down her spine.

Her whole body seemed to go numb.

Shen Yuan took half a step back. The tingling sensation left him feeling unsteady on his feet for a moment.

’I must be exhausted from today’s workout.’

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi. The cool, aloof aura the beautiful girl usually had was completely shattered by the lamp on her head.

Shen Yuan suddenly let out a laugh, then choked it back when Li Zhi glared at him.

Hidden in her pockets, the girl’s fingers were digging into the fabric of her school pants, the aftershocks of her racing heart concealed in the wrinkled cloth.

A series of questions echoed in her mind.

’Why did I agree? Why am I indulging this idiot? Why am I wearing this stupid plastic lamp?!’

But just as she was silently berating herself, Shen Yuan’s voice sounded by her ear.

"You look... pretty cute like this."

His words were like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples outward.

Li Zhi froze. Her gaze fell on Shen Yuan’s face, and seeing his earnest expression, she was momentarily at a loss.

Her cheeks grew warm under the glow of the streetlight.

"Like I need you to tell me!"

Li Zhi huffed and lifted her chin. "Let’s go! And make sure you put your lamp on!"

The girl shot Shen Yuan a fierce look. "If you dare make me do something this stupid by myself, I’ll kill you tonight!"

"Hah, in your dreams! As if I’d let you have all the fun of standing out by yourself!"

Shen Yuan quickly put on his own Exclamation Mark Lamp and hurried to Li Zhi’s side.

The streetlight projected the "?" and "!" symbols from their heads onto the brick road.

Their shadows stretched out long.

At a street corner, the "?" and the "!" intertwined.

And at that same moment, the sound of Shen Yuan and Li Zhi’s bantering began.