The temperature had warmed up a bit that week, but it happened to be the rainy season, and the rain fell endlessly. Thunderstorms struck at night, and whenever that happened, Qi An’an couldn’t help but worry.

She gazed out at the dark, oppressive sky where blinding lightning streaked across from time to time. Resting her chin in her hand, she anxiously thought about how her cub could sleep alone at a time like this.

The novel described that Jiang Lu had only one weakness— he was afraid of thunder. When he was very young, he had once stood outside for an entire night during a thunderstorm. He eventually collapsed from exhaustion, and from then on, developed a deep psychological shadow toward thunder. Every time it stormed, he would curl up alone in a corner and silently endure it.

Whether during his pitiful youth or his later years as a powerful, brooding man, his fear of thunder never faded— not even by the end of the novel.

Qi An’an tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well. The next day, when she arrived at school, she had faint dark circles under her eyes.

As she placed her backpack down, she snuck a glance at Jiang Lu, but saw nothing unusual. His expression remained as cold and composed as ever.

Ever since his recovery, he had gone back to how he used to be— emotions unreadable, and showing nothing on his face. There was no way to tell whether he had been scared the night before.

“Seriously, Qi An’an, what did you do last night? Don’t tell me you stayed up late doing practice questions?” Yu Tianyang, who could never keep his mouth shut before class, turned to chat with her.

Qi An’an was still preoccupied with her cub’s psychological trauma and replied half-mindedly, “Of course I did. The high school entrance exams are coming up, and I don’t know anything.”

“You don’t know anything? Geez, why don’t you ask me then? I sit right in front of you and I’m a straight-up academic genius! You waiting for Spring Festival or what? I know everything.”

As Yu Tianyang bragged, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze from the side. He turned and saw Jiang Lu staring at him intently at some point.

Now this was a true top student. Yu Tianyang realized he had just embarrassed himself and slapped his thigh. “If I can’t help, you can always ask Jiang Lu! I’m telling you, with study problems, once you understand one, they all click. Staying up late is bad for your health! Besides, with how noisy it was last night, I don’t know how you could concentrate.” Yu Tianyang grumbled. “That thunder was loud enough to kill someone. Not to mention studying, I couldn’t even enjoy a TV show properly.”

Qi An’an had been thinking about Jiang Lu this whole time. When she heard Yu Tianyang mention the thunder, she saw Jiang Lu’s fingers on the desk slowly curl inward.

His face was still expressionless, but his jaw was visibly tight. Qi An’an’s heart sank, and she quickly waved Yu Tianyang away. “Alright, alright, turn back around, class is about to start.”

Only by seeing it for herself did she realize just how severe her cub’s trauma was. Just hearing the word ‘thunder’ made him tense up.

And of all things, the weather was the most unpredictable. Though it had cleared up in the morning, by afternoon, the sky had darkened again. Just before school ended, clouds gathered thick and fast. It looked like a downpour was coming.

Qi An’an couldn’t bear to let Jiang Lu walk home alone and proposed, “Jiang Lu, let’s go together later.”

His lips moved slightly. Though his eyes held a hint of warmth, his words were still a refusal, “No. The weather’s bad. Don’t walk home. Have your family pick you up.”

Butler Chen was coming to pick her up, but Qi An’an had gone to great lengths to turn him down. If her brother had been home that day, there was no way she could’ve gone with Jiang Lu.

Hearing what Jiang Lu said, she thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up. “Then how about this— if my family comes to pick me up, you come with me, okay? I’ll drop you off at your place.”

Rain began to fall outside, and people on the street hurried by. In the classroom, everyone left quietly, indifferent to what was happening. Only she remained, her sweet, gentle voice chattering in his ear.

Jiang Lu met her bright, expectant eyes. For a second, his heart stirred, and he instinctively parted his lips— but then turned his head away.

He shut his eyes briefly, as if suppressing something. His voice was low but resolute, “No need. Be careful on your way home.” With that, he stood up and left, his retreating figure looking very much like he was fleeing.

……

Because of the storm, there were few pedestrians on the street. Jiang Lu had just walked past a block after exiting the school gate when the rain suddenly intensified. A deep rumble of thunder roared from the sky.

Jiang Lu stopped walking and his hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly. He pressed his lips tightly together, took a deep breath, and forced himself to move forward again.

Flashes of lightning lit up the sky, each followed by rolling thunder that seemed never-ending. Sweat formed in his palms. He gripped the umbrella handle tightly, his knuckles pale from the pressure.

He was walking stiffly when someone suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked his way.

It wasn’t a stranger. Jiang Lu’s eyes turned cold. “Get lost.”

Boss Wang looked far more disheveled than before. The gold chain around his neck was gone, and stubble shadowed his chin.

Upon hearing Jiang Lu’s voice, he gave a deranged, hideous grin. “Get lost? I’m here waiting for you, you little bastard.”

He lunged at Jiang Lu. “Do you have any idea how much business I lost because of you?! That lunatic Qi Yan drove me into a corner. I’ll drag you down with me even if I die!”

Jiang Lu’s gaze darkened. He turned and flung his umbrella hard, striking Boss Wang squarely in the face.

Caught off guard, Boss Wang staggered back a few steps, enraged. He shouted and charged again with a ferocious expression.

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap exploded above them. Jiang Lu flinched, his body going rigid as his mind blanked. At that moment, Boss Wang grabbed his collar.

He dragged Jiang Lu toward the side of the road. His car was parked there.

Jiang Lu’s pitch-black eyes gave away no emotion. Instead of struggling, he reached into the side pocket of his backpack, where his keys were stored. Attached to them was a folding knife.

He had already gripped the knife in his hand. Fate never favored him. Born in the mud, he just wanted to live a clean life. However, heaven insists on driving him down a road of no return.

In the next second, he raised the knife— but just then, there was a loud thud, and Boss Wang abruptly let go.

Jiang Lu looked up and saw Qi An’an gripping an umbrella in both hands, holding it like a club while glaring at Boss Wang as if facing off a mortal enemy. Boss Wang clutched his head in pain. Qi An’an had just struck him hard with the umbrella.

“You little b*tch! Are you f*cking asking to die?!” Boss Wang snarled, hatred blazing in his eyes. “Perfect. You showed up yourself. Today I’ll take care of both of you. Your brother cut off my livelihood. I’ll kill you and dump your corpse in front of him!”

“You deserved it! Who told you to be so disgusting? Who told you to bully Jiang Lu? You brought this on yourself!”

When Qi An’an rushed over and saw Boss Wang grabbing Jiang Lu, she nearly died of rage. Her fear vanished as she began cursing loudly, brandishing her umbrella and swinging it at him like a little kitten with bristling fur. Despite her small figure, she actually carried a bit of momentum. But without the umbrella’s protection, she had already been soaked through.

Caught off guard, Boss Wang took a few blows and immediately flew into a fury. He reached out to grab Qi An’an.

Jiang Lu frowned, his body moving faster than his mind. He pulled Qi An’an behind him and delivered a hard kick straight to Boss Wang’s stomach.

He hadn’t held back at all. Boss Wang was sent sprawling to the ground, rolling once as he clutched his abdomen in pain. The commotion drew attention, and even though the rain was still pouring, people began to gather on the street.

Qi An’an immediately pointed at Boss Wang and shouted, “He’s a human trafficker! A pervert! He tried to hit us and grab us!”

A fierce-looking man and two youthful students— the crowd’s sympathy instantly leaned in one direction, and the way they looked at Boss Wang turned hostile.

“Strutting around in broad daylight like this? You must be tired of living.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t dare come over again.”

“Call the police, someone call the police……”

Seeing people pulling out their phones, Boss Wang hesitated. When someone actually called the police, a flicker of panic flashed through his eyes.

Clenching his jaw, he scrambled up from the ground and glared viciously at Jiang Lu and Qi An’an, unable to hide the hatred in his eyes. “Just you wait! I swear I’ll kill you both!”

Leaving behind his threat, he clutched his stomach and fled in a panic.

Once he was gone, the crowd slowly dispersed. Qi An’an, still worried, asked, “Jiang Lu, did he hit you just now?”

Jiang Lu shook his head. “He didn’t manage to hit me.”

That was a relief. But judging by Boss Wang’s look, he wasn’t going to give up easily. Qi An’an frowned deeply. “Jiang Lu, what he just said……”

Jiang Lu didn’t seem concerned. He took the umbrella from her hand and opened it, holding it over her head. “Hold it yourself.”

Qi An’an obediently took it and naturally raised it high, covering Jiang Lu under it as well.

Instantly, the rain was cut off. Jiang Lu paused, stunned. He lowered his head to study Qi An’an with tightly knit brows.

He had never seen her look so disheveled. Her hair was soaked, strands sticking to her pale cheeks. Her lips, usually rosy, were now a soft, pale pink from the cold.

But this look only made her eyes seem even clearer, reflecting his figure in perfect clarity.

Jiang Lu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He bent down in silence to pick up his umbrella, only to find that he had used too much force when he hit Boss Wang earlier. Several of the umbrella ribs were broken.

“Let’s just share one.” Qi An’an said when she saw his umbrella was broken. She walked over and tilted her umbrella toward him. “Jiang Lu, that guy won’t give up so easily. What if he comes back for you?”

Jiang Lu’s frown deepened. He knew that scum wouldn’t only come for him and had set his sights on Qi An’an too. But she hadn’t realized it yet.

He looked down at Qi An’an and replied in a gentle tone, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

“But how can you—” Qi An’an started to speak but was cut off by Jiang Lu.

“Don’t rush in like that again.” It was too dangerous.

“Oh……” Qi An’an thought for a moment, then still argued, “But I couldn’t just stand by and watch. If he had dragged you into the car, what could I do? I can’t outrun a car. If something had happened, it’d be too late for regrets.”

Jiang Lu had no response.

Her voice, softened by the rain, carried a natural seriousness, as though she were talking about something completely ordinary.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled above them— louder and more drawn out than before. But this time, Jiang Lu didn’t flinch.

The sound inside his heart was even more deafening than the thunder. A flood surged within him, breaking through every dam.

────ρя


That day, Jiang Lu walked Qi An’an home. Standing at her door, his expression was softer than usual. “I’ll be here tomorrow morning at seven. Let’s go to school together from now on.”

At the time, Qi An’an didn’t think much of it. She assumed it was a bond forged through hardship. Jiang Lu must have seen her as a good friend and so offered to walk to school with her.

He would take two extra streets just to pick her up each morning, and after school, he would walk her home. He rarely spoke along the way, but every morning when they met and every evening when they parted, Qi An’an could always catch a glimpse of the faint smile tugging at the corners of Jiang Lu’s lips.

He was already strikingly handsome, but when he smiled— even faintly— it was almost too beautiful to bear.

A month later, a piece of news, not too big but not insignificant either, circulated around the city. The owner of a small design company went bankrupt, and one night, while drunk, he fell down the stairs of his rundown rental and died on the spot.

After his death, authorities discovered various prohibited knives in his apartment, and his social media was full of violent content with a clear intent to retaliate against society. Later investigations revealed he had evaded taxes, committed fraud under his business, and even molested several young boys.

The case became a topic of gossip over tea for a few days, but Qi An’an didn’t pay it much attention. When she finally learned about it, she only felt relieved. That Boss Wang had never come looking for Jiang Lu again, but she had been worried the whole time. Now that he was dead, despite the grim circumstances, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, after that incident, Jiang Lu suddenly stopped walking to school with her.