Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Finding Jiang Tingyu wasn’t difficult.

Her umbrella was battered by the wind, half-broken and swaying precariously.

She was clutching her backpack and an exquisite gift bag to her chest, her clothes mostly soaked through, leaving her looking quite disheveled.

She had been stopped outside the villa complex.

The security guard on duty was reprimanding her impatiently. “I told you, we don’t let unregistered people in! Besides, you can’t get a hold of this boyfriend you mentioned, and you don’t even know which unit he’s in… You’re so young, surely you have something better to do with your time than…”

Her face was pale, yet she didn’t look fragile. Her expression held a stern anger, as if she were about to stand her ground and argue with this judgmental guard.

“Jiang Tingyu,” I called out to her.

She looked toward me, appearing dazed for a moment as her anger collapsed. “Senior Lu…”

When I had arrived by car, the guard had seen the license plate and let me in without question.

Now, he clearly remembered me. His expression shifted instantly, and he hurried to open the gate, offering Jiang Tingyu a fawning apology.

Jiang Tingyu didn’t answer him. She only whispered a small “thank you” as I opened my umbrella over her.

She didn’t ask why I had come out.

And I didn’t ask why she had unsent that message.

“Let me carry those for you.” I reached out, handing her my coat. My tone was indifferent. “Put this on first so you don’t catch a cold.”

Jiang Tingyu turned to look at me.

Emotions trembled within her beautiful eyes.

After a pause, I continued, “You can give it back once we reach the door.”

Jiang Tingyu likely wanted to refuse me.

But as if possessed, she took my coat.

The rain murmured around us; the path was short, yet it felt long.

I said, “Jiang Tingyu.”

She seemed distracted, as if lost in thought, and only responded after a long moment. “Yes?”

“If you want to leave, you can do so right now.”

Jiang Tingyu looked at me sideways. Raindrops clung to her lashes, casting a misty haze over the dark depths of her eyes.

I lowered my gaze. As we stood shoulder-to-shoulder under the umbrella, my wrist brushed against her hair. My voice was very soft. “I’ll go with you.”

She didn’t speak. In that second, she even tacitly allowed the closeness between us.

My mouth was dry, my heart burning with anxiety.

This transgressive secret crush was like a corrosive poison, melting my very heart and soul.

She saw me as a senior who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside-someone helpful and a man of few words.

She had no idea that every second of every minute, I was consumed by frantic longing, foul jealousy, and despicable prying.

And yet, I still had to wrap myself in the packaging of someone noble and selfless.

Like right now.

I clearly wanted to pull her into my arms, but what came out of my mouth was a gentle, harmless suggestion.

Under my gaze, she grew stiff and dazed, as if waking from a dream, before finally taking a small step back.

Jiang Tingyu slipped off the ill-fitting coat and handed it back to me. “Thank you, Senior Lu. Let’s go in.”

It was the answer I expected.

Turning and leaving would be no different from running away. Jiang Tingyu might look mild-tempered, but she had a stubborn streak in her bones that pushed her to face difficulties head-on.

Even if it were a breakup, she would stand before Cheng Yuming and tell him herself.

Would they break up?

I absentmindedly took the coat that had briefly draped over her shoulders. I could clearly smell the citrus scent she had left on the collar, as if I had wandered into a vast orchard.

I could almost imagine the heavy fruit hanging from the branches, and Jiang Tingyu’s fingertips resting on the golden rinds.

It felt as if they were resting on my hand as I took the coat.

The sensation of the touch was like an electric shock.

I lowered my eyes.

-They would definitely break up.