Chapter 15 The Timid Home Tutor of the Profligate Young Master

Ignoring the chattering crowd behind him, Pei Yao walked quickly towards the exit. The slightly cool breeze, the dazzling lights, and the noisy clamor were all pushed to the back of his mind. At this moment, all he could think of was the pure and innocent face of his little home tutor.

The alcohol from those few drinks was stimulating his heart, his chest burning hot. He felt an urgent need to express something. He understood, absolutely understood, what true love was.

The person he constantly worried about, the one who could capture his heart at his most restless age, the one whose figure automatically appeared in his mind when he thought of the future – Pei Yao wanted to hold Luo Yan tightly and hear her say, “I may be young, but I know, I like you.”

Pei Yao rushed out of the club, feeling irritated as he searched his pants pocket for the keys, only to realize that his car keys were left in the private room.

The waiter at the door seemed to want to ask if Pei Yao needed help, but Pei Yao waved him off. He lit a cigarette, blowing away the summer heat with a sense of relief, easing the restlessness in his heart.

His brows were sharp, like the edge of a knife, cold and distant. As the smoke filled the air, Pei Yao remembered something. He took out his phone and dialed a number, waiting quietly for the person on the other end to pick up. After several unsuccessful attempts, all he heard was the busy tone.

Pei Yao clicked his tongue, extinguished the cigarette in the trash can, wondering what his little home tutor was doing.

Was she sleeping, watching TV, or not obediently resting and instead doing something that required effort?

It didn’t matter. A hint of tenderness flickered in Pei Yao’s eyes. He missed Luo Yan, but some words were meant to be said in person.

He wanted to hug her, ruffle her hair, then kiss her lips, and tell her how much he liked her.

A smile crept up on Pei Yao’s lips. His mood was like bread in the oven, expanding and growing fluffy, emitting a sweet and fragrant aroma. The moment it came out of the oven, all the restlessness and gloom dissipated.

“Pei Pei Pei Yao, wait!”

Clearly, moments of tranquility were always brief.

A friend ran towards Pei Yao with a bunch of keys, the car emblem reflecting a faint light.

“Thanks.” Pei Yao took the keys, patted his friend on the shoulder, about to start the car when he was stopped again.

Seeing Pei Yao’s impatience, the friend awkwardly smiled, touched his nose, and snatched the car keys.

“I’ll drive you back. I haven’t had much to drink anyway.” The friend’s implication was that Pei Yao shouldn’t drive under the influence.

“It’s boring to stay here!” The friend added with a wink.

Pei Yao shrugged, noncommittal, and walked straight to the left to open the car door and get in.

During the journey, the two remained silent.

Pei Yao looked somewhat weary, possibly from the smoke and alcohol in the private room. His temples were throbbing slightly, one hand pinching them, the other leaning against the car seat, eyes closed as if dozing off.

The friend didn’t see the need to disturb him by talking at this moment.

It was peak rush hour, with heavy traffic in the city. They hadn’t made much progress even after half an hour of driving.

The friend slammed the steering wheel hard, imitating Pei Yao’s posture by leaning back against the car seat, muttering, “Damn, it’s so congested!” He regretted why he had volunteered to drive Pei Yao home when he could have found other entertainment. Now, he was just sitting in the car, staring at Pei Yao.

Pei Yao ignored his grumbling.

The friend was restless by nature. Seeing Pei Yao ignoring him, he stared out of the window, looking at the car’s taillights and the color of the sky.

After squinting for a while, the friend made a discovery. He tapped Pei Yao beside him and said, “Bro, look at the sky, it looks like it’s stuffed with dirty cotton balls, it’s going to rain!”

Pei Yao lifted his eyelids and saw that it was indeed so. The pale purple sky was spreading with thick gray, and several heavy dark clouds were blocking the sun that was about to set.

Haicheng’s thunderstorms came and went quickly, nothing to be surprised about.

“Tsk, it’s normal for it to thunder and rain in summer, isn’t it?” Pei Yao said nonchalantly.

As if in response to his words, the sky soon rumbled with muffled thunder.

“Boom—”

Luo Yan twitched her nose, feeling the damp earthiness in her stuffy nostrils.

She looked up at the sky, gray and overcast, as if it were about to rain.

And it had already started to thunder.

Luo Yan had been afraid to move or make any sudden movements, afraid that the maid would not be able to find her. But now, more than an hour had passed, even longer, and there was still no sign of the maid.

Bad thoughts were starting to creep into Luo Yan’s mind. She hesitated about whether she should leave, but she was also worried that something might have happened to the maid.

Standing up, Luo Yan instinctively swatted away a mosquito that was sucking her blood on her lower legs, starting to search for the maid in the surrounding area.

Her whole body was itchy, with small red bumps swelling up. Luo Yan didn’t dare scratch them, afraid that it would make them even itchier. Along with the itching, came the chill of the cold wind.

Even though it was summer, the wind that blew when the weather changed was cold, carrying sand and whipping against Luo Yan’s body.

She started coughing, first covering her mouth and coughing softly, then inhaling sand and having to cough loudly.

Even so, Luo Yan still leaned against a tree, her voice hoarse as she called out the maid’s name.

No response, still no response.

The wind howled through the forest with a terrifying “whoosh” sound, and the booming thunder rumbled in the sky. The dark clouds piled up in the sky like thick cotton, bringing a suffocating sense of pressure.

Drizzle had already begun to fall. Luo Yan didn’t bring her phone out, and she was like a helpless plant in the vast forest, having to quicken her pace to find the supply point the maid had mentioned.

She didn’t find anything after walking for a long time, and the light rain had gradually turned into a downpour, giving Luo Yan no time to buffer. The rain poured down on her like a waterfall from the sky.

She was soaking wet and huddled under a large tree to get out of the rain.

She was freezing cold. The rain was like a waterfall from the sky, and even standing under the tree, it was impossible to block the crazy torrent.

What was even more terrifying was that in the rain that covered the sky, a blinding flash of lightning “crackled” across the sky, striking somewhere unknown in the forest.

Luo Yan leaned against the damp tree trunk, looking at the sky with uncertainty, her eyes following the disappearing lightning bolt. The thunder and lightning continued, and she glanced at the towering tree, subconsciously letting go of her grip on it.

She couldn’t stay under the tree.

When the first thunderclap sounded, the maid in the villa couldn’t suppress the doubts, fear, and regret in her heart. She knew she should tell someone about Luo Yan’s whereabouts in the back mountain, but she didn’t dare.

She had only wanted Luo Yan to suffer a little bit, never intending to leave her in the mountain during the rain to harm her.

This downpour came at the worst possible time.

If Master Pei Yao found out… The maid shivered. No, she couldn’t let Pei Yao know.

At least she couldn’t let Pei Yao know it was her fault.

Yes, she had been careless; she didn’t intentionally leave Luo Yan behind. She just wanted to go back and get water for Luo Yan.