Thinking of Long Aotian's words and seeing Ye Liangchen grinning at her with rainwater dripping from the corner of his mouth, creating an impression of drooling, Hu Yuying couldn't help but shiver.
Noticing Hu Yuying's gaze, Ye Liangchen flicked his wet hair.
With a confident smirk, he said, "I assume you didn't bring an umbrella today. I was worried about you, so I came to give you one."
Unable to bear looking at the two small dark spots on Ye Liangchen's chest, Hu Yuying turned her head and muttered softly, "Thank you, but no need."
"I told you, you don't have to be polite with me. Take it. Even though bringing you the umbrella left me soaked, I'm very happy because I finally helped you."
After saying this, Ye Liangchen stretched his arms out, making a gesture of embracing the sky, letting the rain pour over him, face, and body, unperturbed.
Instead, he looked like he was savoring the moment.
Seeing this scene, Hu Yuying felt extremely awkward and instinctively wanted to distance herself from him.
But Ye Liangchen suddenly hugged himself.
"Miss Hu Yuying, it's so cold today, but nothing can dampen the passion in my heart."
"Since I helped you, my heart is burning with warmth."
Hu Yuying watched as Ye Liangchen still stood in the rain instead of coming under the overhang to take shelter.
Her conviction grew stronger that his mind might really be off.
So she whispered softly, "No need, I'll leave once the rain subsides."
Ye Liangchen chuckled, "You're worried about me, aren't you?"
Hu Yuying was puzzled, "Wha... what?"
Ye Liangchen looked earnestly at Hu Yuying and said word by word, "I said, you're worried about me."
"It's okay though. I'm a guy; these wind and rain are just like a cold shower for me."
This scene attracted many onlookers.
The plaza was large, and there were plenty of people who hadn't brought umbrellas and were temporarily taking shelter from the rain.
At the moment, all of them were watching this spectacle.
"Mom, is that soaking wet brother proposing?" asked a little boy, looking up at his mother with innocent curiosity.
At this age, kids like to watch TV, and such a scene felt familiar from what they had seen on screen before.
Upon hearing this, Hu Yuying felt flustered and angrily glared at Ye Liangchen.
But Ye Liangchen, on seeing Hu Yuying's glare, confidently flicked his hair and smiled.
"See, even a child can sense the love between us."
"It's as if our feelings have already been blessed by heaven."
Hu Yuying frowned and stepped back, putting some distance between her and Ye Liangchen.
"Please don't talk nonsense, okay?"
Ye Liangchen let out an exasperated sigh, his voice somewhat low, as he tilted his head 45 degrees, letting the rain hit his face.
"I'm not talking nonsense; some things, you just don't understand yet."
Their emotional bond began with the mutual care of two wounded souls.
Ye Liangchen's previous confession was rejected, leaving him emotionally hurt.
Hu Yuying was tormented, both mentally and physically, by bullies.
But Ye Liangchen had been reborn, gifted with memories from a dreamlike future.
Perhaps that was the reason for his reincarnation: to remember everything and come to Hu Yuying's side early to care for her, save her, and journey toward the best life together.
Ye Liangchen knew that saying such things would likely make Hu Yuying think him a fool.
But what did it matter?
What was wrong with being a lovesick fool?
Hu Yuying took a deep breath; arguing with someone whose mind wasn’t quite right would be futile.
"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Please step aside, I need to leave."
Without further ado, she shielded her phone with her arms, hunched her shoulders, and bolted into the pouring rain.
"Don't go!" Ye Liangchen blocked Hu Yuying’s path, gently holding onto her long sleeve.
"If you go like this, you'll get soaked."
The rain soon drenched Hu Yuying’s messy hair and her shoulders. She was getting anxious.
On one hand, she didn’t want to be harassed, and on the other, Long Aotian was waiting for her.
Being pulled back by Ye Liangchen made her more panicked and angry.
But due to her personality, even in her panic and anger, Hu Yuying couldn't bring herself to say something harsh. She just awkwardly tried to pull her sleeve back.
Just as Hu Yuying was getting increasingly distressed, a deep, icy cold voice cut through behind her.
"Let go!"
The chill in his voice seemed colder than the pouring rain.
Both Hu Yuying and Ye Liangchen were stunned; then they turned to look at the source of the voice.
Seeing a tall, composed figure standing in the rain, holding an umbrella with one hand and holding a plastic bag of market groceries with the other, both froze for a moment.
The young man's posture, like a tall wall, gave her an unexpected sense of security.
It was unbelievable that Long Aotian came to find her.
Long Aotian, with a knowing smirk, looked at Ye Liangchen, whose gaze was like a wintry night sky, filled with sharp, invasive frostiness that evoked an unshakable apprehension.
Meeting Long Aotian’s gaze, Ye Liangchen instinctively let go.
Hu Yuying pulled her sleeve free, and the next moment, the rain was blocked. Looking up at Long Aotian, who had held the umbrella above her, she smiled, "Brother Long."
Long Aotian didn’t speak, just turned his gaze to Ye Liangchen.
If he remembered correctly, Hu Yuying had mentioned that this person had knocked on her door.
Taking two steps forward, due to the height difference, Long Aotian looked down at Ye Liangchen.
"This classmate, I don't know your name, but bothering a girl like this on the street is not appropriate."
"Having feelings for the opposite sex isn't a sin, but with the college entrance exam coming up, there is still a long path ahead. Focus on your studies for now."
"Last time, it was you who knocked on Hu Yuying’s door, right? That’s equally unacceptable. I’m speaking to you reasonably now. I hope you listen, or else, I do have some understanding of martial arts."
With that, Long Aotian lightly rapped Hu Yuying on the head with his knuckles in her admiring eyes: "Why didn't you call me?"
Hu Yuying rubbed her head, feeling a little pain; however, wrapped up in inexplicable joy, it didn’t feel significant.
"Why aren’t you moving?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Ye Liangchen’s lips trembled, unclear whether it was due to the cold or Long Aotian’s intimidation.
He just stood there, blankly watching Long Aotian take Hu Yuying away.
Ye Liangchen opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn’t utter them, only clenching his fists tightly.
Damn it!
He just hit Hu Yuying’s head!
He was still forcing Hu Yuying to submit to him!
Was it truly impossible to change anything?
In the heavy rain, Ye Liangchen looked up at the sky, the rain stinging his face... But it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
"Is it really impossible to change anything?"
"Do I have to wait until Hu Yuying is pushed to physical and mental exhaustion before I can become her savior?"
"Why must my love be so torturous?"
"Fate, why do you always enjoy playing these tricks on me..."
"Why must two truly loving hearts endure unnecessary hardship?"