So Close, Darn It (Thanks for the Gift 10/32)

As the pride of Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School, in order to let these top students experience the overwhelming aura of top-tier universities in advance, the school had spared no expense this time. They organized an all-expenses-paid trip for the top fifty students in the grade to fly directly to the capital for a three-day Prestigious Schools Rendezvous summer camp.

Though called a summer camp, it was actually just a state-funded tour combined with a brainwashing session. There was only one main theme: take one look at the gates of Tsinghua and Peking University, and leave your soul in Yan Yuan forever.

Capital International Airport.

The surrounding crowd hurried about, walking so fast they generated their own wind, as if being one step slower would cost them hundreds of millions.

Chen Zhi dragged his suitcase, looking at a few guys in the corner of the waiting hall wearing plaid shirts and sporting receding hairlines. They had their laptops propped on their knees, frantically typing code. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"See that? That's the charm of a big city."

Chen Zhi nudged Cheng Jun next to him with his elbow, wearing a look of deep compassion. "They don't even forget to create surplus value for their boss while waiting for a flight. Sure enough, the more developed a place is, the purer the breed of corporate slaves."

Cheng Jun was busy taking selfies with his phone to post on his Moments, with the caption 'Chasing dreams in the capital, the future is promising.' Hearing this, he rolled his eyes. "Brother Zhi, can you stop always talking in that tone of having seen through the vanity of the world?"

"You don't understand. This is called seeing the essence through the phenomenon," Chen Zhi lazily yawned.

Exiting the airport, the bus the school had arranged in advance was already parked by the roadside.

A bunch of students chattered noisily as they squeezed onto the bus.

The team leader was still the Dean of Students, Xie Ding, who was holding a megaphone at the bus door and shouting, "Don't push! Get on the bus in order! Sit anywhere, but no loud noises!"

Chen Zhi stuffed his luggage into the storage compartment on the lower level of the bus and stepped onto the vehicle with his long legs.

The air conditioning was blasting cold air inside the bus, and the front rows had already been occupied by a few girls who suffered from motion sickness.

Chen Zhi swept his gaze around the bus.

That bad woman Pei Ningxue was sitting in the window seat of the third-to-last row, wearing noise-canceling headphones with her hat brim pulled low, giving off an aloof vibe of 'strangers stay away, acquaintances get lost.'

On the right side of the third-to-last row, Li Zhiyi was sitting obediently, hugging her backpack, looking out the window with a somewhat blank expression.

The seat next to her was completely empty.

Chen Zhi walked straight over and plopped down into the empty seat next to Li Zhiyi.

As the seat cushion sank, the girl beside him visibly shrank back a little.

"Zhiyi."

Chen Zhi placed his backpack on his lap and leaned to the right, his shoulder almost touching the girl's rounded shoulder. "Have you decided yet? Are you going to Wudaokou Vocational Technology College or Yuanmingyuan Vocational Technology College in the future?"

The bus slowly started and drove onto the congested ring road of the capital.

Li Zhiyi thought about this question seriously, her brows furrowing slightly in distress. "Although my grades are in the top ten of the grade, there still seems to be a bit of a gap from Tsinghua and Peking University... Especially in physics, my performance has been unstable lately."

She looked up, her eyes clear. "I want to apply to Renmin University. I heard their law and journalism programs are very good."

"Renmin University, huh..."

Chen Zhi dragged out his words, pretending to be heartbroken. "Then we're doomed. I want to go to Peking University, and that's several streets away. We won't be able to see each other every day in the future, and even having a meal together would require crossing half of Haidian District."

Saying that, he sighed and clutched his chest. "What if I miss you? Long-distance relationships are very hard."

The bus was very noisy.

The boys in the back row were discussing newly released game skins, and the girls in the front row were passing around snacks.

Li Zhiyi felt her mind go completely blank.

Miss... miss me?

Long-distance relationship?

Her face instantly flushed red, and even the roots of her ears were tinged with pink.

"It's, it's fine!"

Li Zhiyi was a little incoherent, eager to prove something. "In the future... in the future, just send me a message, and I'll come find you! It'll be very quick!"

After saying that, she seemed to realize how unreserved her reaction had just been.

It was almost as if she couldn't wait to accept his confession.

"I... I'm going to look at the scenery."

Li Zhiyi was too shy to look at Chen Zhi anymore. She turned her head toward the window, leaving Chen Zhi with only the back of her head and a section of her tender pink neck.

Chen Zhi looked at her, unable to help but bloom with joy in his heart.

This girl, how is she so easy to tease?

Just as he was about to press his advantage and tease her a bit more.

Chen Zhi felt his calf being gently brushed by something.

It was soft, with a bit of warmth, slowly trailing up the line of his calf through the fabric of his pants.

It was extremely provocative.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

Is there a ghost on this bus?

He saw a small foot wearing a white ankle sock extending from the gap in the back seat, its toes even curling mischievously, as if saying hello.

He didn't show any reaction, casually glancing back out of the corner of his eye.

The back row.

Pei Ningxue still maintained that aloof posture, looking out the window, seemingly indifferent to everything in the bus.

But that didn't stop her foot from making waves down below.

That foot was very bold.

It had taken off its shoe directly.

Through a thin layer of sock, it traced all the way up from Chen Zhi's ankle, drawing circles on his calf muscles.

Chen Zhi gritted his back teeth.

This bad woman.

Woman, you are playing with fire!

Chen Zhi took a deep breath, his left hand still resting on the armrest, maintaining the illusion of chatting with Li Zhiyi.

"Renmin University is pretty good. I'll go there to mooch meals off you in the future. I heard their cafeteria is nice."

He spoke serious words with his mouth.

But his right hand dove under the seat with lightning speed.

And firmly grabbed that misbehaving foot.

What he caught felt soft and tender.

That foot visibly stiffened, seemingly not expecting Chen Zhi to be so bold as to grab it directly.

It tried to pull back.

But how could Chen Zhi let her have her way?

Trying to run?

Too late.

His hand firmly gripped that slender ankle, his thumb sliding to the most sensitive spot on the sole of her foot.

Then, he scratched it hard!

"Mmph..."

A muffled groan came from behind.

Chen Zhi could feel the foot in his hand struggling violently, its toes curling tightly, showing its owner's extreme discomfort.

Little thing, trying to mess with me?

Chen Zhi didn't stop his hand movements, wreaking havoc on the sole of her foot in various ways.

Behind him, Pei Ningxue seemed to be on the verge of breaking down.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, clearly trying her best to suppress her laughter and the ticklish sensation, while also having to constantly ensure that the surrounding students and teachers didn't notice anything unusual.

This feeling of being manipulated right under everyone's noses made her feel both ashamed and helpless.

About ten seconds passed.

Chen Zhi felt it was about enough. If he kept playing, this bad woman would probably explode on the spot.

He gently squeezed the foot as a final warning, then mercifully let go.

The foot retracted with a whoosh.

Immediately after.

There was a faint sound of a shoe being put on from behind, along with the rustling of fabric.

Chen Zhi withdrew his right hand.

He glanced at Li Zhiyi next to him with a somewhat guilty conscience.

Fortunately.

The girl was staring blankly at the scenery outside the window, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Chen Zhi pulled his right hand back, rubbing his fingers together as if wanting more.

It really felt quite nice.

Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he wanted to lean in and see what she smelled like.

But halfway through the motion, he suddenly froze.

Wait.

Why did this scene feel so familiar?

If that woman took a picture of this, it would definitely become new blackmail material to force him into doing even more humiliating things!

Chen Zhi forcibly lowered his hand, pretending to scratch his nose instead.

"Students! Look to your left!"

The chaperone teacher held a microphone, his excited voice echoing throughout the bus. "Just ahead is the famous Weiming Lake! We are about to enter the Peking University campus!"

The bus instantly erupted into a boil of excitement.

The previously drowsy students sprang up from their seats as if injected with adrenaline, pressing themselves against the windows to look out.

"Where? Where?"

"Holy crap! Is that the Boya Tower?"

"Take a picture, quick!"

The bus slowly decelerated and drove through the ancient, solemn campus gates.

Sunlight filtered through century-old trees, casting dappled shadows on the red bricks and gray tiles.

The surface of Weiming Lake sparkled, reflecting the silhouette of Boya Tower.

It was indeed beautiful.

But Chen Zhi's mind wasn't on the scenery at all.

He glanced at Li Zhiyi beside him.

The girl had also been infected by the atmosphere. Leaning slightly forward and pressing against the windowpane, her clear eyes reflected the lake and the tower, shimmering with a fine, sparkling light.

It was a yearning for the future.

And also her most defenseless moment.

An opportunity.

"Zhiyi, look!"

Chen Zhi suddenly pointed out the window, shouting with an exaggerated tone, "That's Weiming Lake! Boya Tower!"

Li Zhiyi, who had been in a state of shyness, was caught up in his sudden excitement. She subconsciously turned her head to look in the direction he was pointing.

"Where? Where?"

The very moment she turned her head.

Chen Zhi felt a faint, sweet fragrance drift into his nose.

Looking at the delicate face so close at hand, and those slightly parted, pink lips bearing a trace of surprise.

The wicked ideas in Chen Zhi's heart began to bubble up again.

The time had come.

Pretending that he also wanted to see the scenery outside, he whipped his head around with a huge, and extremely careless, movement.

The distance between them instantly vanished.

Chen Zhi's nose almost brushed against Li Zhiyi's cheek, his warm breath fanning directly over her skin.

From the side, it looked exactly as if he were kissing her cheek.

Li Zhiyi's vision momentarily darkened as a strong masculine scent suddenly enveloped her.

"Ah!"

Out of instinctive shyness and panic, she shrank back, the back of her head knocking heavily against the seatrest.

With a muffled thud.

Though it didn't hurt, her flustered and panicked appearance was cute to the extreme.

Covering her face, she stared wide-eyed at Chen Zhi. Her eyes were clouded with mist, making it hard to tell if she was frightened or just shy.

"Why... why did you suddenly get so close..."

Chen Zhi looked at her overly startled appearance and smacked his lips with a hint of regret.

Tsk.

Just a little bit more.

"I was looking at the scenery."

Chen Zhi wore an innocent expression and pointed out the window. "Weiming Lake is over there. How could I see it if I didn't get closer? Zhiyi, your thoughts are impure. Did you think I was trying to sneak a kiss?"

"I... I did not!"

Li Zhiyi covered her flushed cheeks, her shifting gaze filled with nothing but shyness and panic.