Chapter 95: Chapter 92: Li Zhi’s Family’s Breakfast

The next morning, Shen Yuan woke up to find two little things snuggled up by his blankets.

The heavy rain had fallen all night.

Even now, the sky was only just beginning to lighten.

Ordinarily, it would have been completely bright by now.

Shen Yuan got out of bed, and after washing up, he glanced at the class’s DingTalk group.

Great. Old Zhou hadn’t posted anything in the group about canceling classes.

This meant he could still be edified by knowledge today!

How wonderful!

As if!

’Fuck! We still have to go to school in a downpour like this! Are third-years even human?! I ask you, are third-years human?! Dammit!’

After his string of curses, Shen Yuan sent Li Zhi a voice call on WeChat.

Unlike a guy like Shen Yuan, Li Zhi’s WeChat ringtone was just the default one, nothing fancy.

Once the call connected, Young Master Li’s voice quickly came from the other end of the phone.

"What do you want?"

"Is Uncle Li up yet?"

Li Zhi glanced at Old Li in the living room and answered, "He’s up."

"Alright, then. Old Shen is still asleep, so I won’t wake him. I’ll go with you in a bit. Bring an extra jacket, it might be a little cold today."

"I know, you don’t have to tell me."

After Li Zhi hung up, Shen Yuan gathered his clothes and rain gear, then glanced at his parents’ room.

’Tsk. Raising a son is really different from raising a daughter.’

’Uncle Li has been up for ages, and you, Old Shen, you’re still sleeping like a fucking log.’

’And you still expect someone like Li Zhi to be your daughter-in-law? You have zero ambition!’

With that, Shen Yuan left the house.

Standing at Li Zhi’s door, Shen Yuan waited for a minute or two before she came out.

The beautiful girl was holding a few packs of disposable raincoats.

The moment she saw Shen Yuan, she couldn’t hold it in.

"You’re a little overdressed for the occasion!"

Shen Yuan looked down at his black rain boots and said nonchalantly, "What? This is a fashion statement!"

Li Zhi was exasperated.

Shen Yuan wasn’t wrong.

For some reason, rain boots had caught the eye of the fashion world, sparking a trend.

But the ones on Shen Yuan’s feet were *actual* rain boots.

Yellow non-slip rubber soles, shiny black calf-high boots, paired with the raincoat Shen Yuan was wearing.

’Dude, you don’t look like you’re going to school, you look like you’re going to work in the fields.’

Li Zhi said helplessly, "Where are you going to put that raincoat when it gets wet?"

Shen Yuan blinked. ’Huh, that’s a good point.’

’An oversight on my part.’

Seeing Shen Yuan’s dopey expression, Li Zhi slapped a pack of disposable raincoats from her hand onto his chest.

"Change into this. Take that thing off!"

Shen Yuan obediently took off his raincoat.

"Did you have breakfast?"

Hearing Li Zhi’s question, Shen Yuan shook his head.

"You can eat with me later. I had them make an extra portion for you at home."

Hearing this, a warm feeling spread through Shen Yuan’s chest.

’Dammit, raising a son and raising a daughter really are two different modes.’

’Look at how Li Zhi’s parents do things, then look at my own.’

Shen Yuan was so angry he wanted to go home and confront them.

Although Li Zhi had verbally teased Shen Yuan for being over the top, in the end, she also took out a pair of rain boots.

Unlike Shen Yuan’s *actual* rain boots, when Li Zhi put hers on, they truly looked like a fashion statement.

The all-black rain boots, paired with cargo pants, gave off a casual vibe.

No matter how you looked at it, Shen Yuan just looked like he was about to go work in the fields.

It wasn’t until Old Li drove the car out that the two realized just how heavy the rain was.

The moment the car left the underground garage, the windshield wipers began to move frantically.

A downpour.

Torrents of rain fell from the sky, testing the city’s drainage system.

Of course, it was also testing the conscience of the school administration.

But clearly, the school administration’s conscience was immune to the downpour.

’I hope this rain washes away the school administration’s ancestral graves.’

Shen Yuan prayed silently in his heart.

There were many parents dropping their kids off at the school gate, most of whom had driven.

In rain of this magnitude, electric scooters were completely unusable.

Those without a car at home had to call a ride, but hailing a cab on such a rainy day was also extremely difficult.

Especially at 6 a.m., with the storm raging, most drivers were still asleep.

If that failed, they could only let their kids brave it on their own or ask someone for help.

If they were lucky with the bus schedule, they might get dropped off not far from the school gate. But if not, they’d have to walk from much farther away.

All along the way, Shen Yuan could see students trudging slowly in the rain under their umbrellas.

In the eyes of the administration, the lives of these high school "livestock" were probably less precious than the attendance rate.

"Students Persist in Attending School During Typhoon."

’What kind of old-fashioned thinking is this?’

’With rain this heavy, couldn’t we just have online classes?’

"Put your raincoats on properly. Don’t forget your umbrellas."

"Be careful walking over! Hold on to each other, walk slowly, and watch out for slippery spots!"

"Don’t step in the puddles, they’re dirty."

Old Li kept reminding them from the car.

"We know, we’re going."

The moment Li Zhi opened the car door, a fierce gust of wind attacked, carrying raindrops the size of soybeans straight into the car.

The rain hammered against the raincoat, making a RATTLING sound.

Li Zhi quickly opened her umbrella, got out, and slammed the car door shut with a BANG.

After she had done all this, she realized Shen Yuan was already standing on the other side of the car.

"Let’s go!"

Seeing Shen Yuan’s outstretched hand, Li Zhi didn’t hesitate to take it.

It was a very natural gesture, completely devoid of any other thought.

It was purely an act of self-preservation in such weather.

After all, the rain really was a bit heavy.

The rain pelted the umbrella and raincoats with a PATTER. Propelled by the wind, it hit their bodies with a dull ache.

Even with multiple layers of protection, rain still splashed onto their faces.

Quite a few students were gathered at the school gate, all trying to catch their breath and readjust under the narrow eaves.

Shen Yuan led Li Zhi by the hand to the school gate, his eyes falling on her long, damp hair peeking out from under her raincoat.

Li Zhi wasn’t very strong. When a strong gust of wind blew, she had trouble holding her umbrella steady, and rain naturally fell on her hair.

Shen Yuan frowned. "Put your umbrella away and hold onto me. It’s hard to walk with two umbrellas in this wind."

Li Zhi nodded, closed her umbrella, and then grabbed Shen Yuan’s arm with both hands.

"Here we gooo."

The two of them walked into the rain, supporting each other.

Having eliminated one large surface of resistance, they both felt it was much easier.

Shen Yuan sheltered Li Zhi under the umbrella, leaving half of his own body exposed.

’Anyway, I have a raincoat, nothing to be afraid of.’

The raindrops PITTER-PATTED against his raincoat.

Li Zhi looked up at Shen Yuan.

The young man’s attention was completely on the path ahead.

They finally made it to the academic building. Just as they lowered the umbrella, a gust of wind blew, giving Shen Yuan a direct water vapor facial.

"Dammit, the school administration is insane."

After complaining, Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi. "Are you okay?"

Li Zhi nodded. Her hair was just a little wet.

By comparison, Shen Yuan was in much worse shape than her.

Propelled by the wind, the rain had relentlessly poured into every crevice, and Shen Yuan’s hair was almost completely soaked.

"Let’s get back to the classroom first. You can dry yourself off in a bit."

Passing through the wind-and-rain-swept corridor, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi placed their umbrella against the outer wall of their classroom.

"Move back," Shen Yuan said softly, motioning with his hand for Li Zhi to move away from him.

Although Li Zhi was a little confused, she felt it was better to listen to Shen Yuan. After all, she did have some trust in him.

She had considerable trust in Shen Yuan’s weird way of thinking.

So, the beautiful girl obediently took two steps back, leaving plenty of space.

Shen Yuan then began to shake his body vigorously, the raincoat on him making a SHOOOSH-SHOOOSH sound.

The rainwater lingering on his coat flew off.

The scene was irresistibly reminiscent of a little dog shaking off water; the resemblance was uncanny.

Standing to the side, Li Zhi’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

The move wasn’t exactly elegant, but it was certainly effective. After that good shake, most of the water on the raincoat was gone.

This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting wet from the remaining water when he took it off later.

Li Zhi looked around and saw no one else nearby, so she copied Shen Yuan and gave her body a little shake.

With her movements, most of the water on her raincoat was also shaken off.

After shaking the water off, Li Zhi stopped and looked up, only to find Shen Yuan staring at her.

"What are you looking at!" The beautiful girl was embarrassed.

Shen Yuan chuckled mischievously.

Looking at Shen Yuan’s smile, Li Zhi huffed, but ended up laughing herself.

There were already people in the classroom.

Compared to the terror of the wind and rain, perhaps low grades were even more terrifying.

Shen Yuan was holding both their disposable raincoats, about to throw them in the trash, when he saw Li Haotian dramatically reach out a hand to stop him.

"Hold it!"

"What’s up?"

"Don’t throw them out, let me borrow them," Li Haotian said. "I haven’t had breakfast yet. I can use them for my charge to the cafeteria later."

Shen Yuan glanced at the flip-flops on Li Haotian’s feet.

Typhoon weather, a blue raincoat, flip-flops.

Brother Haojie truly lives up to his name.

"They’re yours. There’s still water on them, so be careful not to get wet."

As soon as Shen Yuan finished speaking, Li Haotian pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket.

Inside the plastic bag was another, soaking wet plastic bag.

Apparently, this was Brother Haojie’s helmet.

Li Haotian deftly stuffed the raincoats into the plastic bag, then asked Shen Yuan, "You guys are here so early, have you eaten breakfast? If not, I can grab something for you from the cafeteria later."

Shen Yuan shook his head. "We brought some from home, so we’re good."

Li Haotian nodded, then carried the plastic bag back to his seat to read.

Shen Yuan had to admire Brother Haojie.

Li Zhi took out a pack of tissues from her desk and handed it to Shen Yuan. "Dry your hair. If the dampness gets into your body, be careful you don’t start growing mushrooms."

Shen Yuan held the pack of tissues in one hand and scrubbed his hair with tissues from the other.

Fortunately, Shen Yuan’s hair was short, so it dried quickly.

After using a dozen or so tissues, it was more or less dry.

Just then, Li Zhi also took a wrapped package out of her school bag.

"Here, my dad made it."

The breakfast from Li Zhi’s house was a sandwich—a fried egg and chicken strip sandwich.

Looking at the sandwich before him, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but lament the different treatment for sons and daughters once again.

’And Old Li made this breakfast!’

’A loving breakfast handmade by one’s own father... In any case, Shen Yuan had never experienced such a thing.’

’If Old Shen could be like this, Shen Yuan would be his most loyal son.’

Then Shen Yuan picked up his phone, took a picture of the sandwich, and sent it to his family group chat.

Shen Yuan: [Image]

Shen Yuan: Look what Li Zhi gets. When will I ever get this kind of treatment?

Shen Guohao: [Red Packet]

Shen Yuan retracted a message.

Shen Yuan: Oh! My dearest father, what would you like for breakfast tomorrow? Your most loyal son will prepare a delicious meal for you!

Shen Guohao: Get lost!

Shen Yuan: You got it!

Such fatherly love and filial piety.