Chapter 11: In the Rain
She remained silent, merely looking at him with pitiful eyes. Lu Jingchen was at a loss. It was the first time he had encountered someone who, after taking advantage, still played the victim. So, he left the buttons on his chest undone.
“Hm?”
Su Qingyi noticed his partially fastened frog buttons and swallowed hard. She slowly stepped in front of him and said, “Promise me first... to give me a massage.”
She knew he would definitely refuse, so the last three words were barely audible.
Yet he immediately saw through her intentions without needing to listen, already giving his answer.
“No.”
Su Qingyi fell silent.
His clear, refined brows lowered naturally as he asked, “Anything else?”
She glanced up at him.
Though she was from the south, when in the north she never looked short—in fact, taller than most northern girls. Usually barefoot, she was about 1.74 meters tall, but now standing before him, she was at least half a head shorter, emphasizing a delicate charm.
She really wasn’t the type to have no bottom line.
A visible trace of inner conflict appeared on her face.
He didn’t rush her, waiting quietly for her response.
Her gaze flickered over the faint outline of his chest muscles beneath his shirt. Licking her lips, she was about to speak when voices drifted up from downstairs—Jiang He and Fang Zhu conversing.
Su Qingyi’s pupils tightened.
Instinctively, she distanced herself from him, losing the pitiful tone she used to call him “brother,” instead calmly and calmly advising, “Button up your shirt.”
Lu Jingchen stared at her without a word. After a few seconds, he calmly raised his head and fastened each button.
The bathroom was dark, no light on.
His aloof, indifferent face was hidden in the dim, shabby room, exuding a noble air that seemed out of place.
Su Qingyi hesitated to speak, her lips parted.
He seemed to sense something and turned to look at her. “Something on your mind?”
“I just don’t want others to mention you and me because of something like this.”
Lu Jingchen recalled the hotel owner’s look from yesterday. He wanted to warn her that if it was going to happen, it would have already, but seeing her sincere expression, he said nothing more, only softly acknowledged and looked away.
When Fang Zhu and Jiang He came upstairs, Lu Jingchen had just finished buttoning his collar. His expression was still emotionless as he glanced at them and headed straight to the living room.
Su Qingyi, holding her bag as if preparing to leave, gently waved at them with polite warmth.
Everything seemed proper.
Yet somehow, it all felt off.
Fang Zhu nodded at her, about to ask why she had come again, but Jiang He, who had already guessed most of the situation, suddenly jabbed him in the waist.
Fang Zhu gasped sharply.
Irritated, he shot Jiang He a glare. “What’s that for?”
Jiang He was embarrassed to speak in front of Su Qingyi but made his expression clear enough. He had said yesterday that those two had something going on, but Fang Zhu didn’t believe him and forbade him from eavesdropping, so after watching them go downstairs, he heard nothing.
Now, it was all a mess—no beginning, no end, no juicy gossip.
Su Qingyi saw the two chatting as if she wasn’t there and had no intention to join them, so she politely asked, “Excuse me.”
Fang Zhu was the first to come to his senses, stepping aside quickly. Su Qingyi thanked him. Jiang He, less patient, eagerly asked, “Miss Su, it’s raining outside. Did you bring an umbrella?”
“Raining again?” Su Qingyi was slightly surprised. “No.”
“Then let me take you,” Jiang He said, his curiosity peaking.
“No need. Just borrow an umbrella from you.”
“Borrow? Then you have to return it! It’s much more convenient if I take you!” Jiang He gripped the umbrella. “Let’s go!”
Su Qingyi hesitated but said nothing more, thanking him as she continued walking.
Fang Zhu glanced instinctively at Lu Jingchen standing nearby but was unsure of their relationship and didn’t dare speak out of turn.
Lu Jingchen drank some water, staring at Jiang He’s eager face. Suddenly, he spoke, “Wait.”
Jiang He stopped his steps downstairs.
Lu Jingchen put down his glass. “I’ll take her.”
He naturally took the umbrella from Jiang He’s hand.
Jiang He was instantly disappointed. He wanted to protest but was stopped by Fang Zhu and sulked silently.
***
March in Jiangnan was filled with misty rain.
When they stepped out, the bluestone pavement was soaked. Su Qingyi and Lu Jingchen each held an umbrella, walking in silence for a while.
Su Qingyi couldn’t fathom his thoughts, hesitating to speak as she studied him.
He sensed her gaze and turned to her.
“Are you afraid I’ll tell them about your injury?”
He looked away, not denying it.
“Why don’t you want them to know?”
“Because it would be troublesome.”
Su Qingyi considered this and agreed—it was troublesome even for her, let alone them, who would probably nag endlessly.
She then turned to face him, walking backward as she spoke, “So, who’s more troublesome, them or me?”
Without hesitation, he replied, “You.”
Expectedly, Su Qingyi laughed at his answer and turned to continue forward.
Lu Jingchen’s eyes lingered on her back.
She wore a loose sweater paired with a lace skirt flowing down to her ankles. Her long hair draped naturally over her shoulders, radiating the unique warmth and charm of Jiangnan.
“You’re a local?” Lu Jingchen asked.
“Mm,” she glanced back. “Why?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Su Qingyi caught the deeper meaning in his words and smiled.
Feigning ignorance, she said, “I spent a few years in the capital.”
“Studying?”
She shook her head. “My parents did business there. I lived with them for a few years.”
He lowered his eyelids thoughtfully. “Why did you come back?”
“Business hasn’t been good these years. I came back to take a look.”
He responded softly.
“So, you sought out Zhou Xu for that?”
“Eh,” a mischievous sparkle flickered in her beautiful eyes, “But I don’t really know him.”
How did she still remember Zhou Xu’s name so well?
Lu Jingchen sensed she was teasing him again and, with a serious expression, said, “I’m trying to have a proper conversation with you.”
She quickly stopped, returning to the previous topic. “Yes.”
So he said no more.
Between the West Market and the East Market ran a river. Before tourism developed, the local black-sailed boats were the main transport to the West Market. Now, tourists filled the boats for photos. The riverbanks were brightly lit, and amid the ancient architecture, the scene was uniquely beautiful.
The two walked from the bluestone alley to a vehicle-friendly avenue.
Su Qingyi crossed her arms with one hand and pointed to an inconspicuous house across the river. “I live over there.”
Compared to the bustling West Market, the East Market was quiet, lit only by street lamps.
Lu Jingchen followed her finger to look—typical Anhui-style architecture common in Jiangnan. He stopped and said, “Miss Su.”
Su Qingyi, rarely hearing such a formal tone from him, also stopped. “What is it?”
“You don’t have to come here anymore.”
“Why?”
“I’m leaving for a while starting tomorrow. By the time I return, my shoulder should be healed.”
Su Qingyi dismissed this lightly.
Finding his words too absolute, she frowned. “But we didn’t meet because of such things.”
He said nothing.
She lowered her head carelessly, unexpectedly letting go of the umbrella and stepping under his.
He instinctively leaned back slightly but quickly regained his posture. “Hm?”
“Jiang Jingye,” she studied him, “I’m not the kind of woman who needs a reason to meet with you.”
Her cold, stunning eyes held a serene wisdom about the world.
His lips tightened; his fingers on the umbrella handle clenched unconsciously. “Miss Su.”
Noticing his restrained expression, she deliberately stepped back. “Of course, I won’t do anything to you before you agree to let me mess with you.”
His grip on the umbrella tightened further.
His cold gaze grew deeper.
Before she could further provoke him, Su Qingyi changed the subject with interest. “When will you return?”
“That’s none of your business.”
She didn’t get angry; instead, she leaned in again. “Really don’t plan to see me again?”
He didn’t answer.
No emotion showed in his dark eyes.
At that moment, a black sedan suddenly stopped on the nearby road. With two honks, Zhou Xu’s fairly delicate face slowly appeared from the lowered window. “Qingyi?”
Su Qingyi looked up at the voice.
Seeing it was him, she habitually smiled and stood straight. “You’re going home?”
Lu Jingchen was used to her distancing herself from him in front of others. Hearing Zhou Xu’s offer to take her, he turned and left without a word.
Su Qingyi didn’t leave immediately but watched his retreating figure and called out, “Brother, your umbrella.”
“I gave it to you,” he replied without turning back.
A faint mist rose from the river. His figure holding the umbrella stood among the black-and-white Anhui-style buildings, like a fine ink wash painting.
Su Qingyi gazed at his back, smiling softly for reasons unknown.
Zhou Xu, unsure why she smiled, kept watching Lu Jingchen through the rearview mirror. Only after Su Qingyi got into the car did he casually say, “That’s Jiang Jingye, right?”
“You know him?” Su Qingyi thought he had never met the current Jiang Jingye, which was why he had believed her at the temple.
“He saw him when he just came back,” Zhou Xu said, turning the steering wheel.
Su Qingyi didn’t ask further, only nodded lightly.
Zhou Xu glanced through the rearview mirror as he steered. “He and someone partnered to open an antique shop, right? I heard the stuff inside isn’t worth much—just old things. They barely sell anything all year; it’s probably hard to make a living. But he’s still like when we were in middle school—pretty popular with the young girls.”
Su Qingyi sensed the underlying meaning in his words.
She smiled quietly, saying nothing.
“Why are you with him?” Zhou Xu asked casually.
“Hmm,” she mused with a rising tone, “It’s a long story, so I won’t say.”
Zhou Xu saw her reluctance and didn’t press further.
However, in his eyes reflected in the passenger-side mirror, a subtle meaning remained, hidden from others.