"You idiot, Shen Yuan! What are you laughing at?!"
Li Zhi's voice suddenly jumped an octave, filled with the flustered anger of being caught. But she shot a quick glance at Shen Yuan and just as quickly retracted it. Her imposing manner fell completely flat; the bright red tips of her ears gave everything away.
"I'm not! Not laughing! I'm really not! That was just... um... my throat was itchy!"
Shen Yuan quickly tried to wipe the smile off his face.
'That's right,' he thought. 'All that walking and shopping takes a lot of energy, and we ate dinner so early. Plus, she's been battling this sea of practice problems for so long... How could she not be hungry?'
His heart softened, and his teasing mood was immediately replaced by concern.
Shen Yuan cleared his throat, pulled out his phone, and swiped through a food delivery app. His tone returned to its usual, inquisitive cadence.
"What do you want to eat? How about some barbecue? Pork loin, pork belly, enoki mushrooms..."
