Because the voice carried a hint of coldness, Pei Yu subconsciously tensed her body. Gripping the handle of her suitcase with her right hand, she slowly turned her head back to look at her.
Shen Luoxi was wearing pajamas, walking toward her step by step. Each step she took made Pei Yu’s heart tremble with apprehension.
“Back from work?” Shen Luoxi asked softly as she reached Pei Yu.
The sound of slippers hitting the quiet living room floor gradually faded, and only then did Pei Yu breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Her expression softened as she replied, “Yes.”
It was four in the morning, and the sky was not yet bright. Not wanting to disturb her rest, Shen Luoxi said, “It’s nothing. Go back and get some sleep. I just heard a noise at the door and came out to check.”
With that, Shen Luoxi turned on her heels, preparing to return to her room.
“Are you… still awake at this hour?”
The moment Pei Yu’s voice reached her, Shen Luoxi almost thought she had misheard or was daydreaming. Pei Yu had actually initiated a question. The gloom in Shen Luoxi’s heart was instantly swept away.
Suppressing her inner joy, she turned back around and looked at Pei Yu. “I have a bit of insomnia.”
“Mhm.”
After asking that one question, Pei Yu reverted to her usual brevity. However, for Shen Luoxi, hearing Pei Yu speak to her first was a sign of progress after all these days. “Go rest. When you wake up, just let me know when you want to discuss the partnership, and I’ll arrange the appointment for you.”
“Thank you,” Pei Yu said expressionlessly.
Shen Luoxi was used to it. After their brief early-morning exchange, the two turned and returned to their respective rooms. Once inside her bedroom, Pei Yu still reflexively locked the door. She still couldn’t completely let down her guard against Shen Luoxi.
After confirming the door was locked, Pei Yu reached out and flipped the light switch. As the room brightened, she noticed the bedding on the bed had been changed to white. It had been gray before she left; it must have been laundered. Looking at it, Pei Yu felt a wave of complicated emotions. She truly didn’t know how to face Shen Luoxi anymore.
Outside the window, dark clouds had gathered at some point, piling up heavily in the pitch-black night sky and pressing down from the distance, as if brewing a storm for the city.
7:00 AM – News Broadcast
According to weather forecasts, Jiangcheng would experience heavy rain today, lasting until 10:00 PM. Citizens were advised to stay safe when going out.
After Pei Yu returned, Shen Luoxi had tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Around 5:00 AM, several loud claps of thunder roared outside, accompanied by flashes of lightning. Within a minute, bean-sized raindrops began to pelt the window. The room was well-soundproofed, so she couldn’t hear how loud it was, but she could see the torrential downpour. This rain wasn’t going to let up.
Eventually, unable to sleep, Shen Luoxi gave up at 7:00 AM. After freshening up, she turned on the living room TV at a low volume. She sat on the rug with her books and laptop to take notes and work on her thesis, hoping to finish the last bit today.
At 8:00 AM, her phone rang. Since she hadn’t silenced it, the volume was quite loud. Afraid of waking Pei Yu, she quickly grabbed it and lowered the volume before sliding to answer. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sis, are you home?” The person on the phone called her “Sis”—it was likely Shen Yuhan.
Shen Luoxi reached down to catch a ballpoint pen that had rolled away and tucked it into the crease of her book. “I’m home. Is something wrong?”
Shen Yuhan said, “Yeah. I just got back from abroad today. I wanted to go home to see Mom and Dad, but the heavy rain blocked the roads and I can’t get back. I’m currently on Wenxiu Road near your place. Sis, can I stay over for a night? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t disturb you and Pei Yu.”
Shen Yuhan waited, full of anticipation and nerves, fearing her sister would flatly refuse. If she did, Yuhan would truly be stuck in the rain for hours.
“Sure,” Shen Luoxi agreed. In the novel, Shen Yuhan was a very well-behaved younger sister—a complete opposite of the original Shen Luoxi. Thus, Shen Luoxi didn’t hesitate.
Feeling as though she had found a savior, Shen Yuhan shouted excitedly, “Thanks, Sis! I love you the most! But… I have a friend with me. Do you mind? She’s very nice, I promise she won’t make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine.” Shen Luoxi agreed readily and asked, “Where are you exactly? I’ll come down to get you.” With rain this heavy, they might not have umbrellas.
Fearing Shen Luoxi might change her mind, Shen Yuhan quickly gave her location. “I’m at the bus stop at the intersection of Wenxiu Road and Huijun Road. Sis, do you know where that is?”
Shen Luoxi closed her book, used her left hand to brace herself against the coffee table as she stood up, and said, “Send me the location. You two stay there and don’t move. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, love you!” Shen Yuhan said, making kissing sounds into the phone.
Unused to such intimacy, Shen Luoxi hung up and went to the storage room to find umbrellas and raincoats. With such heavy rain and wind, just an umbrella wouldn’t be enough.
She entered the storage room and flipped on the light. The items inside were diverse but neatly organized on shelves. Most were unopened daily necessities; rather than a storage room, it looked more like a mini-mart. If something suddenly broke, one could find a replacement here without rushing to the supermarket.
Shen Luoxi found two umbrellas in the corner, but as expected, she couldn’t find any raincoats. Neither she nor Pei Yu seemed like the type of person to wear a raincoat out. An umbrella was better than nothing.
She came out with the two umbrellas and turned off the light. As she pulled the door shut, she looked up and stopped in her tracks. Pei Yu had come out of her room in her pajamas at some point, her slender figure standing under the light, looking slightly fragile.
“You’re going out?” Pei Yu asked, looking at the umbrellas. There was a hint of surprise and concern in her voice that she didn’t even notice herself.
Shen Luoxi lifted the long-handled black umbrella and took a couple of steps toward her, stopping a few paces away. “Yuhan and her friend are back from abroad. They’re stuck because of the rain nearby. I’m going to pick them up.”
“Mhm.” Once she knew the reason, Pei Yu returned to her usual demeanor.
Shen Luoxi hummed in response. She turned toward the entryway but paused after one step, looking back at Pei Yu. “The rain is heavy. Don’t go out. Wait for me to come back.”
It was a word of caution born of concern. Pei Yu stared at her, her lips parting slightly. “Is this your genuine concern, or is it ‘concern’ for the sake of the Shen family’s inheritance?”
Since their last encounter, they hadn’t discussed this. Shen Luoxi had been afraid that if she mentioned it too much, her words and actions would seem calculated. She hadn’t expected Pei Yu to bring it up.
They say that when someone asks a question that includes “is it A or B,” they often lean toward one of the answers. Was that why Pei Yu asked?
Shen Luoxi looked back at Pei Yu, her gaze focused and sincere. “It is my own concern. It has nothing to do with the Shen family.”
Pei Yu’s eyelashes fluttered. A faint, warm flicker stirred in her chest.
Leaving Pei Yu to her thoughts, Shen Luoxi walked to the entryway, changed into a pair of sneakers she had set aside for cleaning, and opened the door to face the rain.
Only once she was outside did she realize how heavy the rain actually was. It fell in sheets, creating small craters in the ground rather than just ripples. Fortunately, this was a high-end residential area with a good drainage system, so there was no flooding yet. To prevent the garage from being submerged, many owners had moved their cars to the surface; black, white, and colored cars were crowded along the small paths.
Shen Luoxi opened one of the black umbrellas and stepped into the downpour. A rhythmic drumming instantly erupted against the fabric. She confirmed the location Shen Yuhan had sent. Exiting the complex, she turned right at the next intersection, and the bus stop was just ahead.
Due to the storm, there were very few cars on the road. From a distance, she saw two girls standing at the bus stop, along with a black Mercedes.
As Shen Yuhan rubbed her arms to stay warm, she caught sight of a woman walking through the rain toward them. She waved her hands excitedly. “Sis! Over here!”
Next to her, the other girl looked over, the hem of her skirt soaked with rainwater.
Shen Luoxi stepped into the shelter of the bus stop and handed the second umbrella to Yuhan. As she looked up, she saw the friend Yuhan had mentioned, as well as a drenched Sun Xingchao.
“You came to pick up Yuhan?” Shen Luoxi asked him.
Sun Xingchao stepped forward. “Yes, Eldest Miss. I went to the airport after receiving the Second Miss’s call, but the car broke down here. I’ve called a tow truck, but because of the rain, it might take a while.”
Shen Luoxi nodded and looked at their suitcases. “Take your essentials and leave the suitcases here. When the rain stops tomorrow, contact the butler. I have toiletries at home, so you don’t need those.”
“Okay.” Shen Luoxi spoke with the other girl, and neither of them opened their luggage; they only carried small bags. “Everything we need is in our bags. There’s nothing urgent in the suitcases, we can just leave them in the car.”
“Fine.” Shen Luoxi said to Sun Xingchao, “Put the luggage in the car. Take an umbrella and follow Yuhan’s friend.”
Sun Xingchao nodded. “Understood.”
Shen Yuhan, reading the situation, opened an umbrella for Sun Xingchao. “Uncle Sun, I’ll hold the umbrella for you.”
“Thank you.”
Sun Xingchao moved the suitcases to the back seat. After two trips, the luggage was secured, and the four of them began walking toward the apartment complex under two umbrellas.