Jiang Yihua was enjoying a dlelit di a Westeraurant with Shi Muxi when he saw the message. His face immediately darkened.

  Shi Muxi noticed his sudden ge in expression and cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Jiang Yihua held back his frustration and didn’t respond.

  Unlog his phone, he typed a reply: [What does this have to do with me?]

  Shen Shiyan looked at the chat, the ers of his lips curling into a meaningful smile:

  [So, this time, you and Su Yumian are really done?]

  Jiang Yihua g the message, ched his teeth silently, but the words he sent back were indifferent:

  [Mhm, do you have a problem with that?]

  Shen Shiyan: [Nope, I wouldn’t dare.]

  He even attached a surrendering emoji.

  Shen Shiyan: [Then if someone else pursues Su Yumian, you wouldn’t mind, right?]

  Gu Yizhou suddenly jumped in: [What, are you pnning to chase after her?]

  Shen Shiyan’s gaze darkened slightly. He sent back a GIF: [Mhm mhm.gif]

  g Zhou: [Hahahahaha]

  Gu Yizhou: [Cssic you.]

  No one really took it seriously. Jiang Yihua saw the GIF but wasn’t bothered. He casually typed back: [Sure, go ahead and chase her.]

  His goal achieved, Shen Shiyan put away his phone.

  Though, he wondered if Jiang Yihua would regret it ter.

  —

  “Baby, thank you for spending the happiest birthday with me.”

  At 9 PM, Jiang Yihua dropped Shi Muxi off at her dorm. The girl held his haantly.

  “Thinking about being apart from you so soon makes me so sad.” She smiled sweetly, revealing two little tiger teeth, leaning in close to his face as she pyfully pouted. “Why are you so calm? Don’t you miss me at all?”

  Her bright eyes shimmered, her soft, sweet voice like a gentle breeze that made one’s heart itch.

  Jiang Yihua’s gaze flickered slightly. Looking at her upturned face, he reached out and ruffled her hair. “You have css tomorrow. It’s been a long day. Go bad rest early.”

  Shi Muxi pressed her lips together, a flicker of disappoi in her eyes, but she still obediently nodded. “Okay, I’ll head back then.”

  That brief moment of dey cost him half an hour.

  As he drove away from the uy, the road home was to the left, but the image of the back view from Shen Shiyan’s message fshed through his mind. On impulse, he turhe wheel right instead.

  Midway, a light drizzle began to fall, droplets gathering on the windshield, blurring the city lights into a colorful haze.

  In the rearview mirror, a woolen checkered b was casually tossed on the back seat—probably left there by Shi Muxi, whot to put it away after using it.

  Jiang Yihua suddenly recalled how Su Yumiao pin about how cold the AC was in his car. After several pints, she had dragged him to a mall to buy a light brown checkered b just for his car.

  After they broke up, that b sat untouched in the backseat—until today, when someone else used it again.

  Beep beep—

  A sudden honk snapped him back to reality. The red light had turned greeepped on the gas and sped forward.

  —

  At the bar, he tossed his keys to the bartender and walked in like he owhe pce.

  As a regur, the manager approached him immediately.

  “Where’s Shen Shiyan?”

  “Young Master Shen is in a private room on the sed floor.”

  Ign the manager’s enthusiasm, Jiang Yihua headed straight upstairs.

  Ihe private room—

  The group had clearly been drinking heavily. People were slouched over, their words slurred. Jiang Yihua sed the room—Su Yumian wasn’t there.

  Shen Shiyan, still retively sober, raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here? Weren’t you with your little girlfriend?”

  “Just dropped her off at school,” Jiang Yihua replied ftly, finding a seat.

  Shen Shiyan didn’t press further, just smirked and poured him a gss of Burgundy. “Just opened a bottle—care for a drink?”

  He handed over the gss.

  Jiang Yihua took a sip. “Not bad.”

  After a pause, he asked nontly, “Didn’t you say Su Yumian was here? Where is she?”

  Shen Shiyan swirled his wine, half-smiling. “You didn’t e all the way here just to see her, did you?”

  Jiang Yihua chuckled coldly. “Hah. Just happeo be in the mood for a drink. Sinentio, I asked. Is that a crime?”

  Shen Shiyan shrugged. “Ran into her in the hallway earlier. She just came for a drink. Probably left by now.”

  Jiang Yihua didn’t respond, but his expression visibly rexed.

  Of course—Su Yumian wasn’t the type for this kind of se…

  Setting his gss dowood up. “Work tomorrow. I’m heading out. Put tonight’s tab on me.”

  Shen Shiyan watched his retreating figure, his gaze darkening slightly. After a long pause, he sighed.

  “Sorry, bro.”

  —

  Less than an hour ter, Shao Yuwei was pletely knocked out from half a bottle of wine.

  Su Yumian, who had also been drinking, couldn’t drive, so she booked a chauffeur to drop Shao Yuwei at her apartment. Then, she took a taxi back to her rental pce.

  Halfway through the ride, heavy rain started p. It was te, and the driver refused to go past the alley entrance.

  Without an umbrel, and no sign of the rain stopping soon, she prepared to run for it.

  “Su Yumian—”

  A clear voice called from behind, stopping her iracks. Turning around, she saw Shao Wenbai walking towards her through the rain, holding an umbrel.

  “You were really pnning to run through the rain?”

  Tonight, he wasn’t wearing his usual formal shirt. Instead, his casual attire made him look much more rexed.

  Su Yumian nodded sheepishly. That was exactly her pn.

  “Here, take this.” He shoved the umbrel into her hands.

  She frowned. “What about you?”

  She had wao suggest they share.

  “I’ll borrow one from the shop.” He then jogged across the street to a small restaurant and somehow vihe grumpy owo lend him an umbrel.

  Su Yumian blinked in surprise. That shopkeeper was notorious fn ers—how did he mahat?

  “His shop had some wiring issues before. I happeo be passing by and helped fix them,” Shao Wenbai expined briefly. Seeing the rain lighten a little, he opened his umbrel and stepped into the storm.

  Su Yumiaated for a sed before following behind him.

  In the dimly lit old neighborhood, the streetlights were already weak, and with the rain, they were even dimmer. A sudden fsh of lightning illumihe night, the wind howling through the trees. Gripping her umbrel tighter, Su Yumian quied her pace.

  As they walked through the rain-soaked alley, she noticed that Shao Wenbai always kept a steady distance of two to three meters ahead—oo far, oo close.

  Was he… slowing down on purpose, knowing she was scared?

  Just then, the man turned around. “What’s wrong?”

  She snapped out of her thoughts. “Nothing.”

  “ you keep up?”

  “Yeah.”

  By the time she got home, her pant legs were soaked through.

  She quickly ged, took a hot shower, and made herself some antiviral tea just in case.

  As she sipped the bitter drink, her mind drifted to the image of a tall, broad-shouldered figure walking ahead in the rain—steady and reassuring, like just looking at him could make her feel safe.