Chapter 355 - 191: It’s Raining and There’s Only One Umbrella (3)
She didn't immediately retort. Instead, she fell silent for two seconds, as if seriously considering something.
Then, a slightly innocent smile suddenly bloomed on the girl's face.
She turned slightly, inching a little closer to Shen Yuan. In a gentle voice, she said, "Oh? Is that so? Well, believe it or not, I could call Auntie right now and tell her how hard it's raining, and how Shen Yuan brought an umbrella but won't share it, leaving me to walk home in the rain all by myself."
Her gentle tone, however, held an undeniable threat. As soon as she finished speaking, Li Zhi tilted her head, her clear eyes fixed on Shen Yuan as if to ask...
"Now... is the decision still in your hands?"
Hearing her play her trump card, the smug look on Shen Yuan's face instantly froze, like a popped balloon.
He gave a helpless pout, completely defenseless against Li Zhi's talent for hitting him right where it hurt.
After a few seconds, seeing the look of minor triumph in Li Zhi's eyes, he couldn't hold back any longer and let out a low chuckle.
The boy's teasing expression faded, but the smile in his eyes remained, now much softer.
He leaned toward Li Zhi, his voice dropping even lower as he spoke in a tone that was both gentle and firm:
"Alright, alright, I was just teasing. Hasn't the decision always been in your hands anyway? I figure Li Bao wouldn't make me walk home in the rain, right?"
Shen Yuan said, smiling at Li Zhi.
After he finished, Li Zhi glanced over at him and snorted softly, but a small smile secretly tugged at the corner of her mouth.
The girl picked up her pen and went back to her homework, her tone a little spoiled. "Hmph. Dream on, Shen Yuan. How do you know the rain won't stop by then?"
Shen Yuan watched her cute, prideful act and smiled to himself.
He didn't say anything else to disturb her. Instead, his gaze drifted thoughtfully toward the windows on the other side of the classroom.
On the glass panes, fine droplets of rain slid down, merging into winding trails.
Reflected in the classroom's fluorescent lights, the world outside was a blur, which only made the soft scratching of pens on paper inside seem all the more distinct.
He didn't speak, just quietly watched the rain-streaked, glistening glass for a moment.
...
The three periods of evening self-study slipped by quietly to the sound of the rain.
When the final bell finally rang, the rain outside still hadn't stopped.
It continued on, unhurried and steady.
A moderate, steady drizzle continued to patter against the windowpanes and the greenery outside, blanketing the campus in a damp mist and adding a chill to the journey home.
At the moment, however, the students of Class 15 weren't thinking about the rain.
The rain was one thing, and rearranging the desks was another. The two didn't have to interfere.
They had already shuffled the seating arrangement on Friday, anyway, so moving them around again wasn't a big deal.
After dragging his desk to the very edge of the room, Zhou Shaojie glanced at Shen Yuan next to him and asked casually, "Brought an umbrella?"
Shen Yuan nodded. "Yeah, I did. Why?"
Zhou Shaojie then looked over at Chen Mingyu. "Ai Muyu, did you bring one?"
Chen Mingyu nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
Zhou Shaojie was speechless. "Seriously? How did you all remember to bring one?"
"Don't you check the weather forecast before you leave the house?"
Ah Jie was crushed.
Seeing Ah Jie's pained expression, Shen Yuan burst out laughing.
Before Shen Yuan could say anything more, he heard Li Zhi's voice beside him.
"Let's go."
"You got it!"
Shen Yuan slung both backpacks over his shoulders, then walked out of the classroom with Li Zhi.
The hallway was packed with students heading home, a noisy crowd filling the air with the damp smell of rain.
The two of them squeezed their way through the crowd and down the stairs of the academic building, finally reaching the first floor.
Streams of rainwater dripped from the edge of the eaves, splattering on the ground below. Looking out, the entire campus was shrouded in a hazy mist, tinged by the glow of the streetlights.
Shen Yuan glanced at Li Zhi without a word and expertly flicked the umbrella open.
With a soft CLICK, the black canopy of the umbrella snapped open.
He took a natural step forward, holding the umbrella steady directly over both their heads, shielding them from the drizzle falling just beyond the eaves.
Li Zhi turned slightly and, without hesitation, stepped lightly under the umbrella.
All around them, under the dim yellow lights, umbrellas of every color bloomed like mushrooms after a spring rain.
Students huddled in twos and threes under shared umbrellas, their complaints mingling with laughter, while others hurried toward the school gate alone, heads bowed under their own umbrellas.
Water splashed with every step, the wet ground reflecting the bobbing silhouettes of people and umbrellas.
Shen Yuan glanced down at the girl beside him. She had hunched her shoulders slightly, her gaze fixed on the rain-slicked pavement ahead.
The corners of his mouth turned up in an unconscious smile. He adjusted the angle of the umbrella, making sure Li Zhi was shielded from the blowing rain.
"Ready?" he asked softly, his voice sounding especially clear in the small space beneath the umbrella.
"Mhm," Li Zhi answered.
The two of them quickly left the school grounds.
Amid the sound of the rain, they walked side by side down the street, lit by the glow of the streetlights, as raindrops played a cheerful rhythm on the surface of the umbrella.
Shen Yuan turned his head to look at Li Zhi's calm profile and asked softly, "You're not getting wet, are you?"
Li Zhi shook her head. "No."
Shen Yuan glanced down at his own left shoulder, which was already soaked through. He gave a wry smile. "That's good. My shoulder's drenched, though."
"Then... should I tilt the umbrella more toward you?"
"How about you just move a little closer?" Shen Yuan said. "The umbrella's only so big. If I tilt it my way, you'll get wet. Your period's coming up, so just be good and listen."
Li Zhi froze for a second at his words.
'You make it sound so considerate...'
Li Zhi glared at Shen Yuan, exasperated. "We're already shoulder to shoulder! Where else am I supposed to move?"
The words had barely left her lips when she heard Shen Yuan's voice again.
"Whoa, watch out for the puddle."
Before she could even register his words, an arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close.
The pull was so strong that she was caught completely off guard, stumbling right into his arms.
Through her school uniform jacket, Li Zhi could clearly feel the sudden tension in his chest and the heat that instantly flared between them.
Her senses were filled with the scent of his laundry detergent mixed with the damp, post-rain air. Li Zhi's mind went blank, and she stood frozen against Shen Yuan's chest.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
All that existed was the patter of the rain on the umbrella overhead and the sound of a heart beating, loud in her ears.
She couldn't tell if it was his or hers, but it was pounding like a drum.