Chapter 118: Chapter 106: One Sofa, Two People (Part 2)

However, when Li Zhi stepped into the room, she found Shen Yuan already settled on the sofa. He had even deliberately curled his six-foot-plus frame into one of its corners.

The sofa in Li Zhi’s study was one of those especially small, low-to-the-ground types, with the cushions sitting just a short distance from the floor.

This height of a mere eight inches or so was quite restrictive for a tall guy like Shen Yuan.

Gazing at the sight of him, Li Zhi was momentarily at a loss for words.

Li Zhi silently placed the cola on the table, then slowly walked to the other end of the sofa and sat down.

Even though they were sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, the distance between them was only about three fists’ worth.

The slightest movement would cause them to touch.

Shen Yuan shifted slightly, then reached out and opened the cola on the small table. "Here," he said softly, handing the opened can to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi took the cola, its chilled surface a welcome relief from the summer heat.

PSSHT.

Shen Yuan opened another can of cola, raised it high, and said to Li Zhi, "Cheers."

"Cheers," Li Zhi replied. Their cola cans clinked together in the air with a crisp sound.

As the opening logos appeared on the projection screen, the movie officially began.

Just then, Old Li opened the study door and peeked inside. Seeing the two of them sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Zhizhi, your mother and I are heading out now."

Li Zhi nodded. "Be careful on your way."

Old Li acknowledged her, then added as if he’d just remembered something, "If we get back late tonight, Zhizhi, you can just go over to Shen Yuan’s for dinner."

With that, his gaze fell on Shen Yuan, and he smiled. "Take good care of Zhizhi for us, okay?"

Shen Yuan nodded quickly, not daring to hesitate for even a second.

The movie began once Old Li closed the door.

Oppenheimer sat in a room, his graying hair a testament to the inner turmoil of one of humanity’s top scientists.

As the security clearance hearing began, Oppenheimer’s memories started to flash back.

The story began to unfold, framed by the questions and answers of the hearing.

But by now, Shen Yuan’s mind was no longer on the movie at all.

’Old Li and Aunt Xu are out.’

’Now it’s just me and Li Zhi in the entire house.’

It wasn’t that Shen Yuan had never been alone with Li Zhi before, but that was all in the past.

In the past, Shen Yuan had been a complete and utter moron.

But ever since that night he’d opened the curtains, a window of opportunity seemed to have opened in their relationship, allowing them to better understand each other’s feelings. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The cool air from the AC couldn’t dissipate the heat rising behind his ears. Shen Yuan reached for his cola, trying to use its icy temperature to cool his racing thoughts.

A sudden rustle of a plastic bag came from beside him.

Shen Yuan turned to see that Li Zhi had already put on a pair of disposable plastic gloves.

The pretty girl had started gnawing on a duck neck.

’She can really pack it away.’

The thought popped into Shen Yuan’s head instinctively.

But in that moment, he had completely forgotten something.

Li Zhi didn’t actually have a large appetite.

Besides, they had just finished lunch, and her stomach was already full of fizz from the cola.

The black-and-white images on the screen showed Oppenheimer’s furrowed brow, while the cool air from the AC carried the spicy aroma of duck neck, which mingled subtly with the citrus scent wafting from the tips of Li Zhi’s hair.

Shen Yuan unconsciously toyed with the chilled cola can, condensation sliding down his fingertips to drip onto the carpet, leaving dark spots.

The hearing. Oppenheimer’s early life.

When Oppenheimer and Jean appeared on screen together, Li Zhi shot a fierce glare at Shen Yuan.

"Did you freaking do this on purpose?!"

The pretty girl kicked Shen Yuan’s leg.

Wincing in pain, Shen Yuan replied with great innocence, "I’ve never even seen this movie, how would I know?!"

Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan and snorted.

At that moment, Li Zhi suddenly recalled her father’s expression from earlier.

’If I had answered differently back then, Dad probably would have suggested we watch a different movie.’

’Clearly, Old Li knew about this scene.’

’But as for what he was thinking, Li Zhi had no idea.’

’Maybe he felt his daughter was all grown up, or maybe he just trusted her.’

Just as Li Zhi was about to say something, Oppenheimer’s voice filled the study.

"Now I am become Death."

The pretty girl’s heart skipped a beat.

The Manhattan Project began.

This was perhaps the most brilliant period of Oppenheimer’s life, a time when the United States was truly a beacon to the world.

But at the same time, a deafening, rhythmic stomping sound erupted.

It rattled their eardrums and grated on their nerves.

It made their already unsettled hearts even more anxious.

Los Alamos Laboratory.

Through a series of cross-cuts, a massive sphere appeared on the screen.

The first atomic bomb in human history.

As the countdown to the atomic bomb’s test detonation began, both Shen Yuan and Li Zhi grew tense.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four..."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

An intense light instantly flooded the entire screen.

The image seemed to freeze in that second, as if everything had come to a standstill.

A long moment later, a colossal BOOM erupted!

Startled by the sound effect, Li Zhi flinched, her knee bumping squarely against Shen Yuan’s thigh.

Before Shen Yuan could say anything, Li Zhi quickly retracted her knee.

The cola can in the pretty girl’s hand made a soft noise.

The moment the Manhattan Project succeeded, the scientists on screen erupted in thunderous applause, and the stomping sound returned, though it was different this time.