The world outside the car window was hazy and foggy, blurred into a wash of neon colors. Zhong Yu pressed her face against the glass, feeling its cool chill.
She did not speak, and Song You showed no intention of opening her mouth either; for a time, only the sound of rain filled the carriage.
The rain fell in a soft patter, as dense and rapid as the sound of Zhong Yu’s heartbeat.
Xiao Chen sat in the front driving, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead and strictly observing the principle of seeing and hearing no evil, even thoughtfully lowering the privacy partition.
The moment the partition dropped, a sealed and dim space formed in the backseat, making the sound of the rain grow all the clearer.
Hesitating for a moment, Zhong Yu asked in a low voice, “Song You, why are you here?”
How could it be such a coincidence that she happened to appear by the roadside and happened to help her out?
Song You’s expression remained calm and distant, “I signed a contract nearby.”
“Oh.” Zhong Yu lowered her head, biting her lip as she said, “Is that so.”
So that was how it was.
That made sense. It was impossible for Song You to have been waiting specifically for her to get off work; what on earth was she daydreaming about?
Song You asked, “What about you?”
Zhong Yu was startled for a moment before parting her lips, “He insisted on driving me home, but I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I beat him up.”
Song You turned her head to glance at her then.
Zhong Yu added, “I am going to be fired.”
Her voice was very low, carrying a trace of a stuffy nasal tone along with a sense of self-abandonment.
How truly unlucky. The job she had worked so hard to land had fallen through, and her salary might not even make it into her hands.
Not only that, but every single embarrassing side of her had been witnessed by Song You.
Sigh, Song You must be feeling quite pleased right now, thinking she deserved it all.
Zhong Yu leaned against the car window, thinking about it with gloomy depression.
The shifting lights outside the window changed outside as she frowned like someone who had just bitten into a sour orange. Her nose was tipped with red, and her gorgeous yet damp face was stained with brilliant shades of red, green, pink, and purple, looking dreamlike and unreal.
Song You stared at Zhong Yu for a long time without saying a word.
After a moment, she suddenly asked, “Where are you living now?”
“I…”
Zhong Yu paused, answering instinctively, “The place I live is a bit remote.”
What did that mean? Did Song You want to track her down to her house and beat her up?
“It is on the way,” Song You said in a flat tone, like she was stating an inconsequential trifle. “I will drop you back.”
Zhong Yu immediately straightened her posture, gripping her seatbelt tightly as her breath caught in her throat, “No, no need to go to all that trouble. Just drop me off at the bus stop.”
The residential complex where she lived now was both remote and dilapidated; how could she possibly have the face to let Song You see it?
Panicked, Zhong Yu widened her eyes and almost twisted her seatbelt into a pretzel.
Song You glanced out the window, “It is raining heavily.”
Zhong Yu insisted, “It is fine, I can go back by myself, you do not need to trouble yourself.”
Hearing this, Song You did not press the matter further, signaling Xiao Chen to drive to the bus station.
There was not a single soul near the station. It was desolate and quiet, with only a huge billboard shining its lights in isolation.
Before getting out of the car, Zhong Yu turned her head to look. Song You was resting with her eyes closed, her expression looking somewhat cold for some reason.
Why had her mood suddenly soured?
She whispered her thanks and stepped out of the car under her umbrella. The biting cold wind mixed with the heavy rain rushed head-on at her, sending a chill seeping bone-deep into her marrow.
Subconsciously wrapping her clothes tighter around herself, Zhong Yu shivered and stamped her feet on the ground, a thin flush immediately rising across her fair cheeks.
So cold, so cold, so cold.
When would the bus ever arrive?
Her head clearing up a bit from the cold wind after a thoroughly unlucky day, Zhong Yu belatedly pulled out her phone to check the time.
It was already almost ten-thirty!
Oh no, the last bus time had long since passed.
Zhong Yu was rendered completely speechless, taking a dejected, heavy breath.
When she turned around, however, she only caught sight of the Bentley pulling away in a rush of dust and spray.
The tires drove mercilessly through the puddles, splashing water droplets against the edge of Zhong Yu’s sneakers.
Inside the car.
Xiao Chen gripped the steering wheel, casting an inadvertent glance at the time before saying, “President Song, it looks like there will not be any last buses running at this hour.”
With that, she secretly peeked at Song You again. The other woman was resting with her eyes closed, rich dark curls draped over her shoulders, her cheeks lacking a touch of blood and looking rather unapproachable. Her brows and eyes were distant and cold, her lips pale, resembling a black-and-white scroll rendered in light ink-wash.
Xiao Chen added, “The rain is too heavy; it is not safe for someone to go home alone.”
Song You did not open her eyes, her deep voice echoing inside the carriage, “So?”
Xiao Chen replied, “So, should we turn back?”
Song You was silent.
After a moment, she said flatly, “Mm.”
Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief. The Bentley slowly made a U-turn, navigating back over the muddy, damp asphalt road.
Before long, she spotted a clumsy figure holding an umbrella by the roadside.
The wind was too fierce; the person was shielding the canopy of the umbrella with one hand while clutching the handle with the other, stumbling forward and occasionally taking long strides across the puddles on the ground, looking rather like a black-and-white mushroom tossed about in the wind and rain.
The Bentley followed for a few paces before coming to a gradual halt beside her.
Amidst the roaring downpour, Zhong Yu heard the sound of brakes. Turning her head, her dimming gaze suddenly lit up, “Song You!”
She dashed toward the car under her umbrella, bending down to speak brokenly through the car window, “Um, there are not any last buses left now, so could I trouble you once more.”
The torrential rain practically blurred Zhong Yu’s voice and features, but Song You could still hear her clearly, as though locked inside a glass dome where all surrounding noises vanished, leaving only the two of them.
Even wrapped in a mountain of bad luck, Zhong Yu seemed to harbor no complaints. Like weed submerged by floodwaters in a puddle, she stubbornly poked her head out from the gurgling current, stubbornly resisting the entire world.
Song You’s fingers twitched slightly before she quickly pushed open the car door.
Zhong Yu slipped into the car as flexibly as a fish.
This time, she obediently reported her residential address and picked up the towel Xiao Chen had prepared to wipe away the rainwater from her body.
Whatever, it was not like it was the first time Song You had dropped her home anyway.
Back in high school, Zhong Yu had been willful and spoiled, crying and making a fuss over refusing to ride the crowded bus, preferring instead to cling to Song You on the way back.
Every day after school, Song You would carry her home on a bicycle.
The two homes were located a vast distance apart, requiring Song You to pedal for a very, very long time, yet she never once complained.
Every time school let out, Zhong Yu would reject her family driver’s dissuasions, gracefully hopping onto the backseat like a Persian cat. She would wrap her arms tightly around Song You’s waist as the breeze rushed in her face, blowing her long hair into a complete mess without a shred of rich-girl airs.
Song You would turn her head to straighten her posture, whispering an instruction, “Sit properly.”
“Alright, alright.” Zhong Yu would rest her chin on Song You’s shoulder, the corners of her lips curling up as her eyes crinkled into a pair of smiling crescent slits.
She would whine and act coquettishly, “This cushion is so hard and bumpy, I am not used to it.”
Finding it amusing, Song You would say, “Then take the bus back yourself.”
“No way.” Zhong Yu would let out a soft huff, proudly lifting her chin. “I want you to take me back.”
Such a spoiled brat. Song You would tilt her head and press down on the pedals, the bicycle shooting forward and kicking up a refreshing breeze.
“Whoa!”
Zhong Yu would let out a startled cry, tightening her arms around her like an octopus, then shaking her head from side to side while happily singing out loud like a triumphant little cat.
Song You would listen in silence, the corners of her mouth lifting upward, sometimes even humming along quietly to a few lines. Although both of them were completely out of tune, the two of them had been truly happy back then.
The very next day, Zhong Yu discovered that the bicycle cushion had been replaced with a new one; it no longer poked her bottom and had grown much softer.
Years later, Song You transitioned from a bicycle to an electric scooter, but the backseat had never carried anyone else, remaining her exclusive spot.
Unlike now, where the two of them sat inside a luxury car, watching street views continuously recede in mutual silence.
Even dropping her home had lost its proper justification.
Zhong Yu wiped her hair in a daze, her gaze involuntarily sliding down to rest upon the other’s seemingly unnatural legs, her breath hitching.
What on earth had happened to Song You’s legs?
Having no qualification to probe further, she could only silently pray that the other’s legs were not hurting too badly and would get better soon.
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, Xiao Chen took the initiative to speak up, “I mentioned the rain was too heavy and suggested turning back to give you a lift, and President Song agreed.”
“Sorry.” Zhong Yu lowered the towel, sitting as straight as an elementary school student for fear that the dampness on her clothes might dirty the expensive upholstery. “I have troubled you both again.”
Song You suddenly opened her eyes, her voice cold and sharp, “When did you become so polite?”
Reflexively turning her head back, Zhong Yu met Song You’s gaze straight on. The other’s eyes were exceptionally sharp in the dim light, as if trying to see right through her innermost thoughts.
A jolt ran through the bottom of Zhong Yu’s heart.
Fidgeting endlessly with the clump of the towel in her grasp, she said dryly, “People always change, do they not? One has to grow up.”
Pausing for a beat, Zhong Yu added, “Look, you have become so accomplished now; there must be plenty of people who like you.”
She saw Song You hook the corners of her lips upward, her eyebrows raising as a trace of a smile actually emerged on her handsome face, though it looked somewhat mocking no matter how she viewed it.
Song You asked, “And what about you?”
Not understanding, Zhong Yu asked, “Me, what?”
Song You paused, “Are there plenty of people who like you?”
Plunging into sadness, Zhong Yu answered, “Not really.”
She was penniless and drowning in debt; who on earth would ever like her now?
Song You let out a soft “Mm” and asked, “Then where is your growth reflected? Changing your mind?”
The moment those words fell, Zhong Yu’s complexion turned somewhat pale.
“President Song really knows how to joke.”
She tried her best to smile with casual ease, but finding it too difficult to pull off, she dropped her head, her fingertips gripping the towel turning white from the pressure.
Watching her for a moment, Song You slowly averted her gaze.
In the midst of the low depression and silence, neither of them spoke another word.
The scenery outside the car window grew gradually familiar, and the Bentley pulled to a stop outside the open entrance of the residential complex.
Looking around, the continuous lines of rain framed old tenement buildings and battered streets, everything appearing ash-gray and dreary.
“Ah, I am home. Thank you.”
Zhong Yu’s stiffened body relaxed as if she had finally been saved, hastily unbuckling her seatbelt. Seemingly remembering something, she pulled an iron tin out of her bag with deliberate movements.
“Earlier, I saw that your mood seemed a bit off.”
Placing the iron tin on the backseat, Zhong Yu spoke in a soft, gentle tone, “I bought this when passing by a convenience store, wanting to give it to you next time we met. I remember you really liked eating these back when we were in school.”
Song You followed her gaze. It was a box of throat lozenges, an old brand that was no longer very common.
Stepping back a few paces, Zhong Yu stood with smiling, curved eyes, looking bright-faced and clear-eyed, as if nothing had happened just moments ago and not a single trace of a grudge remained.
With considerate detachment, she bid farewell, “Miss Song, the road is slippery in the rain, please be careful.”
With that, Zhong Yu hurried into the curtain of rain, disappearing deep into the cramped and dark alleyway.
She sprinted away as if she could not care less about her, moving fast without ever turning her head back once.
Much like that parting farewell from many years ago.
Song You stood fixedly watching her receding figure vanish into the distance. When she finally snapped back to her senses, her palms had already clawed several deep fingernail indents into the empty air.