They ran all the way down the stairs and burst out of the academic building.
The cold night wind hit them the moment they were outside, scattering the clamor from within the building but doing nothing to cool the fiery heat on Li Zhi's face.
Beneath the halo of the school's dim streetlights, her cheeks were flushed crimson, her heart pounding like a war drum.
But Li Zhi didn't loosen her tight grip on Shen Yuan's hand in the slightest. On the contrary, her nervousness made her squeeze it even tighter.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously, as if she were afraid of pulling away herself.
The campus path was deserted and still, with only the cold winter wind whistling past their ears. But in that moment, all Li Zhi could feel was the heat radiating from their joined hands and the inescapable mix of shyness and determination welling up inside her.
