Lu Xiulan felt pathetic. She’d left the event she was supposed to present, and here she was, standing outside the hotel—watching the raindrops falling from the dark sky. How cliche could it be? She laughed inwardly. Oh, please, don’t say Song Yichen would follow her in this rain because, surely, he wouldn’t.
Her hair and her evening dress were soaking wet. Wiping the rain from her face, she spotted the ink that she’d put on her eye makeup. “Waterproof, my ass.”
It was a bad idea not to take her own car with her and have a lift with Yuan Jin’s. Now, she had nothing else to do but walk and find a cab on this rainy night.
Although Lu Xiulan had known that this end wouldn’t be ideal to her, she didn’t feel any regrets this time. Song Yichen was born from a wealthy family, and as such, they would certainly choose a well-deserved woman for him in the future. She just wished that he’d find someone who could love him more than she could.
One look in his eyes, and she knew what he wanted. He never wanted to be bound to anyone. No one could direct and decide for himself. Everything he wanted had nothing to do with her. Regardless of what she was feeling, not only she set him free but also herself.
She wrapped her arms around her and walked under the streetlights, shivering from the coldness brought by the chilly wind. With the rain soaking her wet, she let her tears run freely.
Suddenly, she stopped when she heard the voice of a man calling out her name. Was it Song Yichen? She turned around, her eyes widening when she saw Shen Xue running, coming her way. What was he doing here?
“Lu Xiulan!” Shen Xue called and was relieved when she finally stopped and looked at him. “Thank goodness,” he muttered as he tried to fight another wind that was trying to take his umbrella away from his grasp.
“Why are you here?” she asked, not understanding why would he left the cozy and warmth of the hotel just to follow her in this storm.
“Are you stupid?” he roared at her, “Leaving Yuan Jin like that? In this storm? Do you think we can just let you go with peace of mind, knowing that something might happen to you?”
A rumbling sound of thunder shook the sky. The rain crashed down on them harder this time. Without giving her a chance to decline, Shen Xue pulled Lu Xiulan under his umbrella and looked around. He could feel her body shivering against him. Of course, he knew she’d been crying.
He cursed himself before deciding on his next action. Taking her hand, he placed the umbrella on it and shrugged his coat.
“What are you doing?!” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“You are freezing cold. Stay here and wait for me.” Shen Xue replied as he put his coat around her shoulders before running back to the direction of the hotel.
“Wait! Shen Xue! Where are you going?!” Lu Xiulan called, but her voice was drowned by the heavy rain. She couldn’t even see Shen Xue’s retreating back. Where could he possibly go?
With a dejected sigh, she stood in front of a closed boutique and waited patiently for his return. She couldn’t possibly leave without a word, or worst he might do something outrageous. From what she’d heard from Lu Xinyi, the Shen family could be outrageous when they want to do something.
After several minutes of waiting, a sleek gray car stopped in front of him. The door in the passenger side suddenly threw open, surprising her. Inside, she saw Shen Xue at the driver’s seat, still wet from running through the rain.
“Get in! I’ll take you home.”
Not wanting to decline his kindness, Lu Xiulan slipped inside and sat on the passenger seat, quickly shutting the door behind her. Shen Xue adjusted the AC of his car and took something from the back seat. He threw a fleece blanket on her lap before starting to drive on the road.
“What were you thinking of running away without a word? Don’t you know Yuan Jin was worriedly sick of you?” Shen Xue asked. He was irritated that he was suddenly dragged to her problem.
Lu Xiulan didn’t say anything but sobbed quietly on her seat. She lowered her head in shame.
“I’m sorry for being an emotional wreck right now,” she said after a long silence between them.
Shen Xue took a quick glance on her and put his gaze back on the slippery road.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your feelings are valid. You have every right to feel whatever emotion you want. It’s not being dramatic. It just means you’re sentient which is perfectly normal,” he replied.
He turned to the left at the next road that led to her apartment complex. Once they reached their destination, they slipped out quietly from the car and took the elevator. No one bothered to say a word, with Lu Xiulan felt being lost and empty while Shen Xue didn’t know what to say. Dealing with a crying woman was harder than ranking up in his favorite game.
“Are you sure you will be okay?” Shen Xue asked her again when she opened the door of her apartment.
“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Shen. I’ll be fine. Please tell Yuan Jin there’s nothing to worry about, and we can proceed with the next plan.”
Once she was out of his sight, she leaned against the door. In the privacy of her own place, all the musings had come back crushing on her. She let her knees give way, sliding down in a squatted position on the floor. She hid her face in folded arms and wept, letting her sadness and tears pour out.
Outside of her door, Shen Xue stood still, listening as she swept inside in despair.
