Chapter 13

Jiang Zhiyu’s every hair stood on end. She shivered and looked incredulously at the completely off-topic Xu Leyun. She knew that if she didn’t say he was handsome, this guy in front of her definitely wouldn’t let her off easily.

The girls surrounding them let out pig-like squeals.

“Not only is Jiang Zhiyu involved with Lin Yeci, but now she’s messing with a sophomore too!”

“Such a flirtatious woman!”

“She’s so ugly—why do all the handsome guys like this kind of girl!?”

Jiang Zhiyu ignored the noisy gossip.

She nodded slightly at Xu Leyun, smiled gently at him while locking eyes… then suddenly ducked under his armpit and escaped to his back, giving him a hard smack on the head.

“What nonsense are you pulling?”

Too many people were watching, and all Jiang Zhiyu wanted was to get out of there. She shot an annoyed glance at Xu Leyun, who was still smiling in place, then jogged back to her classroom.

Just then, the bell rang. Students bustled back to class.

The teacher hadn’t arrived yet. He Shiduo, full of jealous energy, purposely raised her voice loud enough for Lin Yeci to hear and said to the girl behind her:

“Wow, I’m so jealous of Jiang Zhiyu—she’s got so many admirers. How come all the good-looking guys fall for her?”

The girl behind didn’t disappoint and chimed in slyly,

“Exactly! Even Ye Muwan can’t compare to her~”

Jiang Zhiyu twitched at the corner of her mouth as she read her book. These two were spouting nonsense, yet anyone unaware of the truth would easily believe them. She snuck a glance at Lin Yeci from the corner of her eye.

Besides pausing for a second while flipping a page, he had no reaction.

A fierce wind blew, thunder cracked, and heavy rain poured down in sheets. Due to drainage failure, water in the school courtyard reached half a foot deep.

The evening study session’s supervising teacher arrived thirty seconds before class ended.

“The rain is really heavy tonight. For safety reasons, please call your parents to pick you up.”

“What if we don’t have parents?”

One student raised their hand, seemingly targeting someone.

The dorm manager glanced at them and said,

“Who doesn’t have parents?”

Song Yuan’s face darkened. It was as if the classmate was talking about him. He quickly pulled out a top-score essay and pretended to study it.

Jiang Zhiyu was sensitive to oddities in class and had always felt that something was off about Lin Yeci.

One by one, students were picked up. The dim campus lights made the school path look straight out of a horror movie.

Soon, only Jiang Zhiyu and Lin Yeci were left. The supervising teacher had to manage several classes and couldn’t stay, so she told them to have their parents sign off when they arrived—leaving without permission would mean facing punishment the next day.

The silence was oppressive. Seeing Lin Yeci looking upset, Jiang Zhiyu broke it first.

“You… your parents haven’t come either?”

Lin Yeci’s eyes shimmered with tears, but his tone was calm:

“They’re not coming.”

Not coming? Jiang Zhiyu froze. This night felt all too familiar.

She remembered past parent-teacher meetings and holidays when others were picked up by their parents, while she just waited for a teacher to walk her home.

She used to wish she wasn’t an orphan. So now, seeing Lin Yeci in the same situation, she deeply empathized.

Before long, Jiang’s father and stepmother arrived, each holding an umbrella.

Jiang Zhiyu turned with joy. She was no longer the kid left behind—she had parents too.

Just as she was about to leave, she paused. The classroom lights were mostly off, and Lin Yeci’s lonely figure remained. Her heart ached.

“Dad, Mom, that’s my class president,” she said, pointing at Lin Yeci. “His parents might be busy. It’s so late and raining hard—why don’t we give him a ride too?”

Jiang’s father noticed Lin Yeci in the corner and walked over, marveling,

“What a handsome young man!”

Lin Yeci was shocked. He never imagined Jiang Zhiyu would say that to her parents. He stood up and gave a sheepish smile.

“It’s so late. Why don’t you come with us?” Jiang’s dad offered warmly. For some reason, he instantly liked the boy.

Jiang Zhiyu, worried he might be shy, added,

“Yeah, it’s dangerous for a young guy to be walking alone this late.”

Without hesitation, Jiang’s dad slung an arm over Lin Yeci’s shoulder like a buddy and said,

“Let’s go!”

Luckily, both Jiang’s dad and mom came. When they went to get the teacher’s signature, they learned one parent could only sign for one student.

Jiang’s dad had parked by the school gate and brought only two umbrellas. He thought it’d be better for the two men to share one and the two women the other, to avoid any awkwardness.

But the rain was so heavy, sharing between the men risked catching a cold. So they decided Jiang’s dad would share with the stepmom, and Jiang Zhiyu would walk with Lin Yeci.

The water had risen to their knees. Jiang Zhiyu’s wet school pants clung uncomfortably to her legs. She rolled them up and trudged forward in the flood.

Lin Yeci held the umbrella. He was tall, so the water didn’t bother him—he walked like it was nothing. Watching the petite girl beside him struggle against the water, he found it oddly amusing.

The rain pounded down, and they walked close. Lin Yeci tilted the umbrella more toward her, getting his own arm soaked.

Jiang Zhiyu noticed she wasn’t getting wet at all, and when she looked up, she saw his umbrella tilted her way.

“Dude, don’t bias the umbrella toward me just ’cause it’s mine. If you catch a cold, I can’t afford the doctor.”

She leaned toward him and reached for the umbrella handle—only to accidentally grab his hand.

Lin Yeci’s face turned crimson. No girl had ever boldly grabbed his hand like that before.

When Jiang Zhiyu realized, she panicked and looked away. His hand had been cool, slender, and… surprisingly nice to touch.

They finally reached the school gate. Jiang’s dad drove an old 6-seater Wuling minivan—beat-up, but good enough to block the rain.

The rain kept pouring. Jiang’s dad hit the gas, wanting to get home fast.

Lin Yeci leaned on the window and dozed off. Jiang Zhiyu stared out, lost in thought.

With one sudden brake, Jiang’s dad got everyone home safe.

Only then did they realize—Lin Yeci was still in the car.

“Dad, how could you forget to ask where he lives?” Jiang Zhiyu said, facepalming.