Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I spent the middle of the night restless and unable to sleep. When I finally woke up, my head was still throbbing with a dull ache.

Subconsciously, I reached for my phone to check the time.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with Shi Wan’s smiling face.

Her eyes were curved like crescents, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth were shallow and sweet.

My heart skipped a beat, and the scratch from the keys last night stung slightly.

Shi Wan reached out and gently leaned into my arms, her voice tender.

“Ah Yu.”

The light, delicate scent of lilies of the valley enveloped me once more as her hand came to rest on my waist.

She sighed again.

“Why aren’t you angry?”

“You must want something from me.”

I lowered my eyes and rolled over to hold her.

Resting my forehead against her heart, I let out a soft sigh.

I don’t want your money.

I don’t want your love either.

Shi Wan.

As long as I can see you.

As long as I can be near you.

That is enough.

When I left the house, I noticed that Chu Kuo’s room wasn’t locked.

Shi Wan unobtrusively blocked my line of sight, cupping my face to plant a kiss on my lips.

I swallowed the question that was rising in my throat.

The weather forecast today showed an icon that was half sun and half clouds, yet as the end of the workday approached, it abruptly shifted to heavy rain.

Shi Wan didn’t come to the office today.

I sent her a text message, asking if she was free.

-Can you come to the office to pick me up?

There was no reply to the message. I worked until the proposal on my computer was nearly finished, but the chat interface still only showed the green bubble I had sent.

I packed my things and headed downstairs.

The rain was falling so hard it bounced off the ground with force, splashing against my trousers. When the wind blew, my legs felt icy cold.

Thunder roared, accompanied by a sudden bolt of lightning that tore through the sky.

Startled, I took two steps back.

Yesterday’s scenes overlapped with the present, making me remember-

Chu Kuo is afraid of thunder.

The message I sent was from an hour and a half ago. Shi Wan had never been this late in replying to me before.

I dialed her number.

The phone rang for about half a minute before someone finally picked up.

But it wasn’t Shi Wan.

The male voice on the other end carried a lazy, relaxed tone.

“Hello?”

The cold wind made me sneeze. “Where’s Shi Wan?”

Chu Kuo paused for a moment before saying, “She’s brewing ginger soup.”

“I got caught in the rain a bit when I came back just now.”

The rain grew even heavier.

I suppressed the slight agitation in my heart and said calmly, “Can you ask her to come to the office to pick me up? I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Sorry, I’m a little scared.”

“I’ll let her come over once the thunder stops.”

It felt as if our roles had suddenly been reversed.

For a moment, I couldn’t tell who was actually Shi Wan’s boyfriend.

“Then please give the phone to her.”

The person on the other end pressed the speakerphone and called out, “Ah Kuo!”

“Your boyfriend says he didn’t bring an umbrella. Can you go pick him up?”

Silence followed the shout, then the sound of rustling friction.

Chu Kuo added another sentence in a low voice, though it wasn’t directed at me:

“But I don’t want you to go.”

Another awkward silence.

After a long while, it seemed Shi Wan took the phone. She let out a low sigh.

“Ah Yu, I’m sorry. I’ll come pick you up in a bit. Wait for me at the office for a while.”

The call was disconnected.

Damp weather always brings back bad memories. Even the dense cluster of old scars on my arm seemed to throb with a faint ache.

In this endless downpour.

I suddenly realized that I wouldn’t be able to wait for Shi Wan after all.