Free Web NovelChapter 185: Chapter 137: A Sweet Cry
As the last of their playful tussle faded, Shen Yuan’s gaze suddenly fixed on the crooked lace cuff of Li Zhi’s sock.
Finger marks had stained her fair skin a translucent crimson, like rouge blooming beneath the glaze of white porcelain. In the slanting sunlight, the color seemed to pulse gently with her heartbeat.
The deepest impression was nestled right in the hollow of her anklebone, a deliberate-looking claim of territory that created a captivating contrast with the surrounding pink-tinged skin.
Shen Yuan leaned over slightly, his fingertip hovering above the marked ankle. His voice was much softer than when he’d been tickling her.
"Did I grab you too hard?"
Before he finished speaking, his index finger gently caressed the hollow of her anklebone.
Li Zhi’s curled toes trembled slightly, and she instinctively flinched, pulling her foot back.
The subconscious retreat caused the lace cuff of her sock to slide down to her arch, revealing a small patch of pinkish skin that glowed with a pearlescent luster in the slanting afternoon sun.
"I’m asking you."
Shen Yuan looked up at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi bit her lower lip, her voice stuffy and nasal. "What do you think! You were so rough..."
Her words had barely faded when Li Zhi felt a warmth spread from her ankle.
The warm touch was a stark contrast to the force he’d used while tickling her.
Shen Yuan’s index finger once again landed on the hollow of Li Zhi’s anklebone, caressing it lightly.
The crimson glow on her ankle was reflected in his pupils, as if he were studying the flowing glaze of a rare porcelain vase.
The light, ticklish sensation made Li Zhi shrink her leg back slightly. Seeing her toes tremble caused Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple to bob.
In that moment, even the motes of dust in the slanting sunlight, filtering through the curtains, seemed to freeze like suspended amber.
The web of his thumb and forefinger spread slowly like a greedy snake, casting a possessive shadow in the sunlight.
The pads of his fingers sank inch by inch along the texture of her skin, swallowing that rosy blush whole into his palm.
As his scorching palm seized her ankle, the veins on the back of his well-defined hand bulged slightly, tightening like vines wrapping around white porcelain.
Feeling the soft warmth in his grasp try to retreat, his five fingers instinctively closed by half an inch, pulling the ankle that was trying to escape back into place.
The sunlight melted their overlapping figures into amber, trapping the beautiful girl in the crevice between softness and scorching heat.
She bit her lower lip gently, her pearly teeth pressing a faint mark onto it, as if to suppress a sound that was about to escape.
With a rustle of fabric, Li Zhi buried her face in the crook of her arm, but the rims of her ears, peeking out from between her hair, were an even deeper shade than her ankle.
"Should I put some medicine on it?"
The young man’s dry voice sounded by her ear.
"No need. Stop pretending to be the good guy now." The girl’s voice was muffled, but the complaint within it was crystal clear.
But when Shen Yuan gently pressed the red mark with the pad of his finger, she only buried her face deeper into her knees, letting her loose hair hide the tips of her flushed ears.
"Let me pull your sock back up for you."
"Mm." Li Zhi didn’t refuse.
Hearing her reply, Shen Yuan reached out and pinched the lace cuff that had slipped to her arch, pulling the cotton sock up.
As his fingertips smoothed their way up the line of her shin, the lace frills unfurled across his palm lines one by one, like straightening the wind-tousled petals of a crabapple blossom.
When the cuff finally settled three inches above her anklebone, he used his thumb to smooth out the last ripple, perfectly framing the translucent, rouge-colored finger marks at the edge of the lace.
Like amber preserving a trembling morning blush.
"There, it’s fixed."
As he spoke, the pad of his finger gently brushed against the cotton sock, tracing over her toes, then lightly over her arch, and finally, over her ankle.
Just as his fingernail passed the lace border of the sock and landed on the girl’s calf, Li Zhi’s voice reached his ears.
"Don’t..."
Li Zhi hurriedly pressed her legs together, the lingering rouge-colored marks on her ankle blending with the fresh flush rising on her calf.
"Didn’t I say it was fixed?"
Shen Yuan looked up, his gaze meeting Li Zhi’s as she peeked out cautiously from the crook of her arm.
In the beautiful girl’s eyes, there was a hint of timidity mixed with her shyness.
"I..."
As Shen Yuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed with an unspoken explanation, Li Zhi suddenly tilted her head back, her cherry-blossom lips parting against the backlight.
"Selaan! Pervert! You jerk, Shen Yuan!"
"Still cursing at me?"
Shen Yuan’s hand landed on her calf again. He hooked a finger under the lace cuff of her sock, making Li Zhi’s body tremble in fright.
"Y-You just know how to bully me!" Li Zhi’s voice was tinged with the distinct sound of tears.
Shen Yuan shrugged. "You kicked me first. I already warned you."
"S-So what, you still can’t just touch me wherever you want!"
Li Zhi’s cheeks were flushed crimson like a ripe apple, her voice trembling, clearly very displeased with Shen Yuan’s actions.
"It’s not like I haven’t touched you before." Shen Yuan’s tone was still calm, even holding a hint of teasing.
He looked at Li Zhi, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "When you fell down as a kid, didn’t I rub your ankle for you?"
"How is that the same thing?" Li Zhi’s eyes were wide and round.
"How is it different?"
Shen Yuan suddenly leaned down, closing the distance to that stretch of luminous white skin.
Before Li Zhi could react, a puff of warm breath sent a faint shiver through the arch of her foot.
"I’m not talking to you anymore!"
Li Zhi whipped her head to the side, the stubborn arc of her swan-like neck on full display.
Seeing this, a mischievous, triumphant smile appeared on Shen Yuan’s face.
"Li Zhi..."
Li Zhi glanced at Shen Yuan, gave a cold huff, and then turned her head to the side again.
Just then, Shen Yuan suddenly leaned in, enveloping Li Zhi completely in his tall shadow.
The sudden proximity startled her, and she pressed herself hard against the back of the chair.
"Wh-What are you doing!?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Shen Yuan gripped the back of the chair with one hand, his gaze lowered to her frantically fluttering eyelashes. He suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"I’ve found your weak spot."
