The tangled curtain of rain acted like a natural barrier, separating them from the entire world.
Zhong Yu held her umbrella high, subconsciously tilting it toward Song You. Large drops of rain bounced off the umbrella’s surface, pattering against her back, but Zhong Yu was completely unaware of it.
Her other hand steadied the wheelchair, letting the tires roll smoothly over the damp ground, carefully avoiding the bumpy patches. This road, neither too long nor too short, finally reached the other side of the street, and Zhong Yu’s back was thoroughly soaked by the rain.
Still, she felt the road was far too short, like a dream.
The wheelchair stopped in front of a Bentley. A tall woman stood beside the car door, holding an umbrella. Her gaze swept past Song You’s face and landed on Zhong Yu, seeming somewhat surprised.
Zhong Yu met the woman’s gaze blankly, not knowing what to say, so she could only dawdle as she pushed Song You under the woman’s umbrella.
She stepped back in silence, her mind a maze of complicated thoughts.
Who was this woman?
Was she Song You’s current partner? Did Song You now like this tall, handsome type?
Zhong Yu subconsciously pinched her own slender arm, suddenly feeling a bit displeased with herself.
The woman’s gaze fell back onto Song You. Bending down respectfully, she called out, “Miss Song.”
Song You gave a hum, opened her half-lidded eyes, turned her head, and let her gaze fall upon Zhong Yu’s drenched white shirt. Not a single drop of water was on Song You, while Zhong Yu’s shirt was soaked through with rain, faintly revealing some of her soft contours.
She remained silent for a moment, then parted her lips, “Zhong Yu.”
Zhong Yu subconsciously hid her hands behind her back and responded, “Ah?”
“Come here.”
Zhong Yu walked over, holding her umbrella, and paused, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, “What is it?”
Song You pulled open the car door and dropped a single sentence, “Get in the car.”
Zhong Yu widened her eyes, unable to believe what she had just heard. It wasn’t until the tall woman helped Song You sit into the back seat, walked over, and spoke with extreme politeness, “Miss Zhong, President Song invites you to get in the car for a moment.”
Zhong Yu had never introduced herself, so she couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised. How did this person know who she was?
She bit her lip and spoke cautiously, “Who are you?”
The woman pulled the car door open for her, “I am President Song’s driver. You can call me Xiao Chen.”
Oh, the driver.
Zhong Yu felt a baffling sense of relief.
Xiao Chen still stood in the rain holding the umbrella, seeming to deliberately clear a space for them.
The air conditioning inside the car had been turned on beforehand. As soon as Zhong Yu stepped in, she was instantly enveloped by the warm air. A faint, refreshing lemon fragrance drifted through the cabin.
Zhong Yu sat down properly, her feet flat on the floor and her hands resting on her knees. She turned her head to steal a glance at Song You, not expecting that Song You was also looking at her.
Song You was looking at her slender back, her sneakers washed until they were faded, her damp black hair, and the fine calluses on her hands.
Zhong Yu had changed so much that it caught Song You completely off guard. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about reuniting with Zhong Yu, perhaps at a banquet illuminated by candlelight, or on the red carpet of a high-profile film festival where Zhong Yu wore a gorgeous, playful gown, the trailing hem like a blooming flowerbud.
She would walk up to Song You in such a dazzling and charming manner, smiling brightly, as proud as a pretty little swan, even her tone as spoiled as before, “Look! Song You, I can live very well without you!”
But she hadn’t expected to meet this kind of Zhong Yu on a rainy day, inside a narrow, stuffy, old-fashioned convenience store.
A disheveled, soaked, slender Zhong Yu, like someone toyed with by fate.
Song You couldn’t describe what kind of feeling that was; it seemed a bit funny, a bit relieving, but more than anything, it carried an unspeakable bitterness.
All the scenarios she had envisioned for their reunion, how she would sneer, accuse the other of betrayal and desertion, suddenly became entirely useless.
When Song You didn’t speak, Zhong Yu felt all the more awkward.
The warm breeze swept across her soaked back, alternating between hot and cold. Zhong Yu shivered subconsciously, her vision suddenly blocked by something.
Something fluttered down and covered her head.
Zhong Yu took the item off and clutched it in her hand, it was a clean white towel.
She suddenly understood and said in a small voice, “Thank you.”
“Do you only want to say thank you?” Song You’s voice was very soft, yet it stirred up a tide deep inside Zhong Yu’s heart.
Zhong Yu took a deep breath and slowly wiped her damp black hair, “I…”
Her wiping motion slowed down and eventually stopped completely. The towel covered Zhong Yu’s face, making her expression unclear, save for a muffled sentence, “I’m sorry.”
“No need.” Song You’s expression was blank as she turned her head to look straight ahead. The tear mole beside the outer corner of her eye was completely concealed, leaving only a pair of eyes as dark as a deep pool. “It’s all in the past.”
That’s right, they were already a thing of the past.
Then why invite her into the car? Was it to watch her make a fool of herself?
Zhong Yu wanted to force a polite smile, but she couldn’t manage it, so she just tried her best to remain calm.
After a moment of silence, Song You spoke, “Do you work here?”
Zhong Yu lowered her head and said in a low voice, “Yeah, only this place was willing to take me in for now.”
Song You fell silent, then asked, “That man, is he your new boyfriend?”
“Man?” Zhong Yu was slightly stunned before realizing Song You was referring to Brother He.
“No, no, he’s a friend of the boss, he handles the cargo.” She suddenly raised her head, eagerly distancing herself. The corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were still tinged with a faint red, and her clear, pure eyes held a thin layer of moisture, shining brightly.
Her unshed tears, her bitten red lips, and the undulating curves beneath her drenched shirt were so pretty they looked like flowers in the rain, making one want to crush them.
Song You didn’t make a sound, quietly watching Zhong Yu for a moment until that tear couldn’t be held back and fell. She raised her hand and gently wiped it away.
Zhong Yu was startled by the sudden contact. Her cheeks turned even redder, and she didn’t dare move at all, “Song You?”
Song You casually rubbed the tear on her fingertip and glanced out the window, the rain was gradually easing.
“What time do you get off work?” she suddenly asked.
“Around ten tonight.”
Remembering she still had work to do, Zhong Yu reached up to take the towel off and whispered, “I should go, I have to get back to work.”
Song You nodded, watching through the car window as Zhong Yu’s slender figure wove through the rain, growing smaller and smaller. The seat beside her became empty, leaving behind the towel Zhong Yu had folded.
Outside in the rain, Xiao Chen opened the car door and asked, “Miss Song, are we heading home now?”
Song You gave a hum and closed her eyes to rest.
The Bentley drove smoothly through the rain, heading toward the villa district in the outskirts.
“Did you go buy tissues?” Xiao Chen glanced through the rearview mirror at the convenience store plastic bag in the back seat. “There are tissues in the car.”
Song You opened her eyes and said indifferently, “Put them away.”
Xiao Chen was slightly stunned, then deftly placed the tissues from the car into the deepest drawer and replaced them with the newly purchased roll.
When Zhong Yu returned to the store, her steps felt light, and she worked much more diligently all day than usual.
The boss didn’t nitpick like she usually did; instead, she came over, lowered her voice mysteriously, and asked, “Zhong Yu, do you know President Song?”
Zhong Yu, who was sweeping the floor, answered without raising her head, “I suppose so.”
“Well, that’s really something else.” Yang Xiumei piled up melon seed shells like a small mountain and said with relish, “I just checked, she’s the young president of Polar Star. She’s usually very low-profile with rare media reports, but her background is huge. Word is her net worth exceeds tens of billions.”
Zhong Yu froze for a long time.
So Song You was this wealthy now.
Of course, Song You had always been exceptional. Back when they were studying, she was always a top-tier honor student, so having this kind of background now wasn’t strange at all.
Being so outstanding, she probably wasn’t lacking for company; who knows, she might already have a loving, well-matched fiancée.
Zhong Yu’s mood suddenly soured. She walked over to the front counter and silently dumped the pile of melon seed shells straight into the trash can.
Yang Xiumei was startled by her, “What kind of crazy spell are you casting all of a sudden? What did President Song do to you?”
Zhong Yu wished President Song had actually done something to her.
Yet the other person had soared to success overnight, would she still look down on a fallen, ruined woman like her?
With a self-deprecating smirk, Zhong Yu picked up the broom and returned to the staff break room.
She looked at herself in the mirror for a few moments, pinched her cheeks, and felt that she hadn’t changed much, she was still pretty.
After the Zhong family met its downfall, so many bosses had offered to keep her as a canary, boasting that they would clear the debts of the Zhong Group, but Zhong Yu had rejected them all.
Yet after running into Song You today, Zhong Yu lost a bit of her confidence.
She really wasn’t as pampered as she used to be, nor was she as delicate and tender, and she had lost quite a bit of weight.
Forget it. No use overthinking it; she would just treat it as a chance encounter, and perhaps she would never see Song You again.
Zhong Yu calmed her mind, rubbed her aching neck, put on her mask, and went back to work.
Yang Xiumei came over several times to fish for information about Song You, hoping to make a connection. But seeing that Zhong Yu remained as mute as a block of wood, she left, having made herself a bore.
Time flew by. Nearing nine o’clock, Zhong Yu dragged her exhausted body to clock out, finally having time to fill her stomach.
She bought two boxes of instant bento meals from the convenience store on her way out, planning to heat them up at home for dinner and breakfast tomorrow.
As soon as she stepped out of the store, the light rain began to pelt down eagerly.
Zhong Yu opened her umbrella, anxious to catch the last bus home, and walked at a fast pace when Brother He’s voice abruptly rang out from behind.
“Zhong Yu, let me take you home.” The man stood by the car, biting on a cigarette, his tone laced with teasing.
“No need,” Zhong Yu answered coldly, plunging straight into the rain.
Brother He’s expression darkened as he followed behind her, “The weather’s bad today, it’s not safe for a girl like you to go home alone.”
Zhong Yu ignored him and walked straight to the crosswalk. Suddenly, Brother He reached out and grabbed her arm, “Zhong Yu, don’t be ungrateful.”
Zhong Yu stopped, turned back to look at him, her bright and captivating brows slightly furrowed, carrying a hint of a beauty’s anger. Brother He felt his palms itch at the sight, lowering his voice, “Be a good girl and let me drive you home. If you don’t listen, I only have to flap my jaws to make you lose your job.”
With that, he lifted his chin rather smugly, standing high above to wait for her cowardly submission to everything.
What he didn’t expect was a gust of violent wind heading straight for him.
Zhong Yu’s heavy fist slammed directly into his face, like a rebound of pent-up frustration, hitting him so hard he saw stars.
Finally finding an outlet for her terrible day, Zhong Yu gritted her teeth and punched him a few more times, “You dead pervert, get lost! Say one more word and I’ll chop off your manhood!”
Hit so hard that his nose bled, Brother He’s expression changed drastically, turning a shade of green and red, “You, you’re crazy! Don’t you want your job?”
“I want you dead!” Jumping up to vent her anger, Zhong Yu kicked straight at his groin. Brother He swayed back a few steps, his face turning deathly pale.
“Crazy bitch!” Cursing through gritted teeth while clutching himself, he lunged forward in a rage, “Bitch!”
As agile as a rabbit, Zhong Yu spun around and fled, running all the way through the rain to the other side of the street. Holding her breath, she abruptly stopped.
It was the familiar license plate.
The car window slowly rolled down. Song You sat in the back seat, and through the curtain of rain, her black curly hair clung to the side of her cheek, her skin a cold white that was almost transparent, as if she were about to melt into the clear rain.
“Get in.” Her tone was cold.
Though in hot pursuit, Brother He was still a step too slow, watching helplessly as Zhong Yu hopped into the Bentley and drove off into the distance.