I'm a senior in high school, and the system says I'm going on a blind date with my childho

Chapter 182 The parents decided to pretend they didn't know.
Time slipped away quietly as we solved the problem.

As the evening self-study bell rang, Shen Yuan put down his pen and stretched lazily.

He stuffed the test paper into his schoolbag, the zipper making a soft zipping sound.

"Li Bao, it's time to go home."

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"

After stuffing the things he wanted into his schoolbag, Li Zhi tossed the schoolbag to Shen Yuan: "You hurry up, you take it."

"It's like I'm the one who took them all." Shen Yuan stood up, holding two schoolbags.

The lights in the teaching building were still bright as the two of them walked down the steps with the flow of people.

The early autumn wind swept up a few fallen leaves that brushed past my feet, and my shadow stretched and shortened under the streetlights.

The two walked silently through the school gate and turned the familiar street corner.

Hearing the familiar scent wafting through the streets, Shen Yuan ignored it.

In fact, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi haven't been eating late-night snacks much after evening self-study recently.

Firstly, eating late-night snacks is expensive, and secondly...

Well, the main reason is that eating late-night snacks would take up the already limited time we have to hold hands.

We can have a late-night snack anytime, but if we don't hold Li Bao's little hand today, we'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Food color also.

Shen Yuan decisively chose the latter.

As I walked along the road, the outline of the neighborhood began to float in my field of vision.

Cars weave through the streets, their blinding high beams cutting through the night.

Shen Yuan paused at the mottled zebra crossing, his gaze sweeping over the speeding wheels.

Almost simultaneously, he twitched his knuckles, and his right hand reached to his side, firmly enveloping Li Zhi's hand hanging by his sleeve.

Shen Yuan had already crossed the line that the pretty girl could only hold hands in the neighborhood.

The current bottom line is "it can only be taken to the other side of the street in the community".

As the green light turned on across the street, Shen Yuan tightened his grip slightly and pulled Li Zhi onto the zebra crossing.

Crossing the road, Shen Yuan and Li Zhi walked hand in hand into the shade of the trees at the entrance of the residential area.

The glow of the streetlights spilled onto the stone pavement, casting blurry, swaying shadows, with only the rustling of the early autumn night wind all around.

Just then, a car stopped next to the entrance of the residential area.

As the car stopped, two figures stepped out.

"Open the trunk."

After Shen Guohao finished speaking, he went to the trunk to take out his suitcase.

As the trunk closed, the suitcase wheels made a soft creaking sound on the concrete.

Zhang Yuyan was about to complain to Lao Shen about her trip when she turned around and saw two familiar figures at the entrance of the residential area.

Under the dim light of the streetlights, two shadows clung tightly together, their silhouettes barely visible even as the trees swayed.

Zhang Yuyan recognized the figure from behind at a glance.

That figure was definitely Li Zhi.

As for the one next to Li Zhi, he looks quite familiar.

Just then, Old Shen's voice rang in Zhang Yuyan's ears: "Isn't that Li Zhi?"

Zhang Yuyan nodded: "It must be him, wearing a school uniform and so tall. There's no one else in our neighborhood besides Zhizhi. The one next to Zhizhi should be Shen Yuan, right?"

Old Shen frowned and nodded: "It looks like it."

Under the watchful eyes of the two people, two figures not far away naturally clasped hands together after passing through the gate of the residential area.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yuyan's heart skipped a beat, and she almost thought she was seeing things due to her long journey.

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, instinctively grabbing Shen Guohao's arm beside her, her voice low and filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Old Shen! Old Shen, wait a minute... Why are they... Why are they holding hands?!"

As Zhang Yuyan asked the question, her gaze remained fixed on the two people under the streetlight, as if afraid they would disappear into the shadows of the trees at any moment.

"I saw it, I saw it."

Shen Guohao followed his wife's eager gaze, and when he saw the blurry but intimate scene in the distance, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

"Amin, you go back first, your sister and I have something to do!"

After giving a hurried instruction, before Old Shen could say anything else, Zhang Yuyan grabbed his arm and quickly moved towards the shadows next to the gate of the residential area without saying a word.

"Come on, come closer, let's take a closer look! Is it... or am I seeing things wrong?"

Zhang Yuyan's voice was mixed with surprise, but even more so with joy and an urgency to verify it immediately.

Old Shen carried the suitcase, trying not to let the sound of the wheels give away their whereabouts.

Under the cover of the shadows and the dim light, the elderly couple quietly approached the pair of figures who were completely unaware that they had been targeted by the gaze.

In the dim light, the elongated shadows of the boy and girl blended together on the ground, appearing exceptionally clear.

When Zhang Yuyan saw the profile clearly, her breath hitched.

“It really is them…” Zhang Yuyan’s voice was so low it seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, filled with disbelief and astonishment, “Shen Yuanhe…Li Zhi?!”

Shen Guohao saw it all clearly.

Watching her son hold Li Zhi's hand so naturally, walking slowly side by side in the community garden.

The two figures, standing apart, exuded an intimacy and tranquility never before revealed to them.

"Old Shen, look how naturally they're holding hands!"

Zhang Yuyan's voice was a mixture of excitement at discovering her son's secret and a mother's unique worry.

Although Zhang Yuyan didn't know why she felt worried, she just couldn't shake the feeling.

The impact of seeing it with my own eyes was enormous.

After the initial shock, the two found themselves in an awkward and helpless situation.

Zhang Yuyan tugged at Lao Shen's arm and shrank into the deeper shadows, a look of great inner conflict on her face. She lowered her voice and said quickly, "What do we do now?"

Old Shen also had a furrowed brow.

Watching Shen Yuan and Li Zhi's figures gradually disappear into the distance until they vanished from sight, Old Shen seemed to suddenly come to his senses and said, "Never mind."

"Forget it...forget it?" Zhang Yuyan looked stunned, clearly surprised by Lao Shen's decision.

"Yes!" Old Shen nodded vigorously, seemingly to reaffirm his belief. "Let's just pretend we didn't see anything."

Zhang Yuyan stared at her husband, her eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

Old Shen seemed to understand his wife's thoughts. He sighed and slowly explained, "We found out about this too suddenly. If we ask now, it will not only put us in a passive position, but they will also be in a passive position. It's better to pretend we don't know and observe the situation first. Let's give them some space and give ourselves some time to process this situation."

After listening to Lao Shen's words, Zhang Yuyan remained silent for a moment before finally nodding in agreement: "...Alright, I'll listen to you then and pretend we don't know anything for now. But Lao Shen, we still need to tell Li Zhi's parents about this."

"Okay!" Shen Guohao nodded again, gently patting his wife's hand and comforting her, "I'll handle this. Let's pretend nothing happened today."

Zhang Yuyan glanced again in the direction Shen Yuan and Li Zhi had left. Although she still had doubts, she decided to follow her husband's advice.

She took a deep breath, then turned around with Lao Shen and walked towards home.

Shen Guohao and Zhang Yuyan walked silently into the apartment building. When they arrived at their floor, they took out their keys, opened the door, and found that their home was completely dark.

The room was completely silent, without even a glimmer of light.

A hint of confusion crossed Shen Guohao and Zhang Yuyan's faces.

They had just clearly seen Shen Yuan and Li Zhi walking hand in hand ahead in the community garden, and they should have been home before them, who were carrying luggage.

Almost simultaneously, a thought struck them like lightning: they were still downstairs!

In an instant, Zhang Yuyan figured out what the situation was between the two of them.

"Tsk, they're probably still holding hands."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuyan put down her things and turned to walk outside.

"Where are you going?" Old Shen asked his wife.

"Going to Li Zhi's house is a good opportunity to talk to Lao Li and the others."

"What are you planning?" Old Shen raised an eyebrow and made a "knife" gesture.

Zhang Yuyan shook her head: "What are you thinking about? We should go and ask Shen Yuan what he did while we were gone."

Under Lao Shen's watchful eye, Zhang Yuyan knocked on Li Zhi's door, and then the couple entered Li Zhi's home.

"You're back today?" Xu Chan stared in astonishment at Zhang Yuyan and Lao Shen, calling out to Lao Li as she spoke.

Zhang Yuyan didn't answer Xu Chan's question immediately. Instead, she glanced mysteriously in the direction of Li Zhi's bedroom and asked in a low voice, "Zhi Zhi isn't back yet, is she?"

Xu Chan nodded and said softly, "Yes, she's been coming home quite late lately."

Zhang Yuyan blinked, seemingly surprised by the answer, and asked, "All?"

Xu Chan explained, "Well, she said Shen Yuan asked her questions at school, so she'll be back a little later."

After saying that, Xu Chan gave a knowing look, as if she was hinting at something.

Zhang Yuyan instantly understood what Xu Chan meant. She remembered the excuse Shen Yuan had used when he came home late before they left for their trip.

"Good heavens..." Zhang Yuyan suddenly realized, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

Just then, Lao Li came out of the study. He saw that Zhang Yuyan and Xu Chan looked a little strange and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? What happened?" Zhang Yuyan no longer hid anything and said directly, "When I came back just now, I saw Shen Yuan and Li Zhi holding hands downstairs."

Upon hearing Zhang Yuyan's words, Lao Li was slightly taken aback; he clearly hadn't expected Zhang Yuyan to say such a thing.

However, he quickly realized what was happening and showed a knowing look on his face, seemingly unsurprised by the result.

Old Li turned to look at his wife, Xu Chan, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "See? What did I say back then?"

Xu Chan glanced at Lao Li, shook her head helplessly, and said, "Yes, yes, you're right, alright?"

Zhang Yuyan blinked, looking at the interaction between the couple with a face full of confusion.

She didn't understand why Lao Li reacted that way, nor did she know what they were talking about.

Just then, Old Li explained with a smile, "It's like this. Actually, I've always felt that these two kids are always coming back so late, there must be something fishy going on. What you said today only confirms that my guess was right."

"You guessed they were holding hands?"

Zhang Yuyan blinked, but before she could ask for more details, she heard Lao Shen speak behind her.

Old Shen checked the time and said, "It's already 10 o'clock. They should be back by now, right?"

Xu Chan nodded and replied, "Yes, I'll probably get home around 10:05."

The two fathers exchanged a glance, seemingly reaching a tacit understanding in an instant.

Old Shen said, "Let's go back now. Let's pretend no one knows anything about what happened today."

Old Li nodded: "Let the two children handle their own affairs. They're not children anymore, and they have their own opinions. I believe they won't do anything foolish."

"Okay, let's go back first. We can't let the two of them find out that we know about this."

The two sets of parents exchanged a glance, each reading a hint of expectation in the other's eyes.

To be honest, they were quite curious to see how far the two children would go in the end.

After all, whether it was Shen Yuan or Li Zhi, they both grew up under the watchful eyes of these two sets of parents.

Shen Yuan often stayed at Li Zhi's house when he was a child.

Conversely, Li Zhi also frequently visited Shen Yuan's home.

Both children's character is evident to all.

Therefore, both Shen Yuan's parents and Li Zhi's parents are in a state of indifference regarding whether the two of them can really get together in the future.

If it succeeds, it succeeds; if it doesn't, it doesn't.

Respect the child's opinion.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Yuan's parents left Li Zhi's house and returned to their own home.

Not long after Zhang Yuyan and Lao Shen returned home, the sound of the front door opening came from inside the house.

Zhang Yuyan glanced at Lao Shen, who nodded knowingly.

Old Shen quickly moved the two men's luggage into the room, pretending that they had been home for a while.

Shen Yuan opened the door and was momentarily stunned to see the lights on in his home.

But he soon reacted.

"Dad, Mom, you're back."

Seeing the two figures in the living room, Shen Yuan's heart tightened.

After all, for Shen Yuan, his relationship with Li Zhi was still something that had to be kept secret.

Judging from his parents' current condition, Shen Yuan had no idea when they had returned.

If Mom and Dad come back early, that's fine.

If his parents moved into the neighborhood after him and Li Zhi.

Shen Yuan didn't dare to think any further.

Upon hearing Shen Yuan's voice, Zhang Yuyan slowly raised her head and met his gaze.

A hint of weariness was visible in her eyes, but she still replied, "Yes, my flight is tonight. I had your uncle bring me back. What's wrong?"

Shen Yuan shook his head and asked casually, "Nothing, Mom, was Qinghai fun?"

Zhang Yuyan nodded, her smile widening slightly: "It's pretty good. I'll take you with me next time I have the chance."

"Thank you, Mom." Shen Yuan chuckled, but he was still a little worried.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuan finally couldn't help but tentatively ask, "When did you arrive?"

Zhang Yuyan glanced at her phone and replied, "Around 8 o'clock, I arrived a long time ago."

After saying that, she glanced at the time again and suddenly frowned: "Huh? It's past 10 o'clock? Why are you back so late again?"

Shen Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained, "There's an exam tomorrow, so the seats in the classroom have been changed."

After hearing this, Zhang Yuyan nodded to show her understanding. "Okay, if there's nothing else, you can go back to your room. You have an exam tomorrow, and your dad and I are going to sleep soon too."

As she spoke, she yawned widely, clearly feeling sleepy.

"Oh... well, then you should get some rest."

Shen Yuan nodded repeatedly, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't dare to stay in the living room any longer and quickly slipped back to his room.

The sound of Shen Yuan's bedroom door closing in the living room seemed to ease the tense atmosphere slightly.

Zhang Yuyan turned her head, and her eyes met Shen Guohao's in mid-air.

Zhang Yuyan let out a silent sigh of relief.

Shen Guohao raised his hand and gently pressed his temples, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Let's pretend we didn't see anything, and do it the way we agreed before."

Zhang Yuyan nodded: "Understood."

At that moment, in the bedroom, Shen Yuan's face was full of solemnity. He quickly took out his phone and made a video call to Li Zhi.

A few seconds later, Li Zhi answered the video call.

"what?"

Li Zhi frowned slightly, clearly not understanding why Shen Yuan had made the video call.

Shen Yuan glanced at the environment in the video and realized that Li Zhi was in his room.

But just to be on the safe side, Shen Yuan still asked, "Are you alone now?"

Li Zhi rolled her eyes at Shen Yuan: "If I'm not a person, are you a dog?"

Shen Yuan gave an awkward smile, then lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard: "Li Bao, my parents are back!"

Li Zhi's previously calm gaze suddenly froze, and the fingers gripping the phone unconsciously tightened.

The pretty girl hurriedly asked, "When did you get back?"

"My mom said it was around 8 o'clock, but I don't know the specifics."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi gently bit her lip, her voice filled with hesitation: "There shouldn't be any problem, right? Did your aunt and uncle ask any questions?"

Shen Yuan shook his head: "No, it's just that I was wondering why I came back so late. I suggested we switch seats."

Li Zhi nodded.

This was a prepared statement that the two had prepared before going home.

They did change seats during evening self-study today.

Although I don't know why Lao Zhou did this, the seats have been changed anyway.

"Hey, did your parents say anything?"

Hearing Shen Yuan's words, Li Zhi shook his head: "No, I didn't say anything, just like usual."

Looking at Li Zhi's familiar face on his phone screen, Shen Yuan recalled the moment when the two of them were discussing their parents' attitudes. He felt a sense of relief, but a cunning thought also welled up inside him.

Shen Yuan lowered his voice, a meaningful smile playing on his lips as he spoke softly to Li Zhi on the screen:

"Hey, Li Bao, the way we're doing now, secretly calling each other to discuss our parents' attitudes, and then going home and giving the same story... doesn't it seem like we're having a secret relationship behind our families' backs?"

On the other end of the video call, Li Zhi's fingers tightened instantly as he gripped his phone.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and her previously relaxed facial features tensed for a moment.

A faint, almost imperceptible blush involuntarily rose on the girl's cheeks, and her ears began to feel slightly hot.

But the girl's tone hardened, carrying a hint of deliberate disdain and a clear rebuttal.

"Shen Yuan!"

Li Zhi's eyes widened, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her voice rose an octave, filled with intense displeasure as she snapped, "Who said I was dating you! Dream on! I'm hanging up!"

Before Shen Yuan could say anything more, Li Zhi abruptly and decisively cut off the video call.

The phone screen went black instantly, leaving only the message "The other party has hung up".

Shen Yuan, sitting in the room, looked at the darkened phone screen and couldn't help but chuckle, but his smile clearly carried a hint of helplessness and doting.

He stroked the edge of his phone, muttering under his breath, "Such a tsundere..."

Next door, after hanging up the video call, Li Zhi tossed his phone onto the desk and leaned back in his chair.

The girl's gaze drifted somewhat as she looked at the ceiling light.

The rebuttal just now came out like a conditioned reflex, but at this moment, my heart seems to be beating a little faster than usual.

She was a little annoyed, but she didn't know whether it was Shen Yuan's unrestrained speech or something else.

Li Zhi shook his head, trying to shake off this small ripple along with the words "Who wants to date you?"

(End of this chapter)