Chapter 33

That night, the rain seemed to come down even harder.

Jiang Lai came out of the bathroom wiping her hair, drawn by the steady patter outside.

She yanked the curtains open. Raindrops as big as beans slammed against the window, leaving a wet smear behind.

“What’s wrong with this weather…"

She muttered to herself, but still obediently locked the window tighter and drew the curtains shut again. Then she sprang onto the bed.

“Sleeping on a rainy day feels amazing. My big bed, I’m coming!"

It had to be said: the sound of rain was nature’s white noise. With that faint scent of sunshine still lingering at the tip of her nose, Jiang Lai’s eyelids grew heavier by the second, and before long, she was already asleep.

In the middle of the night, a burst of thunder jolted the sleeping Jiang Lai awake. She shot upright, gasping for air.

Somehow the window had been blown open by the wind, leaving a crack. Rainwater rushed inside, and the cold air made the curtains snap and flutter.

It took her a full two seconds to get her bearings. Then she scrambled out of bed and rushed over to shut the window. There was a puddle on the floor, and she nearly slipped on it.

By the time everything was cleaned up, her sleepiness had vanished without a trace.

She lay idly by the windowsill, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the path of the rain sliding down the glass.

Her gaze happened to fall on the medicated plaster sitting on top of the cabinet, and all at once she remembered what Zhao Dan had said that day.

“Whenever it rains, Xiaoya’s knees start hurting."

She pressed her lips together and sat up.

Her fingers typed a message on her phone, then deleted it again and again, but she still couldn’t work up the courage to send it.

“It’s so late. Aunt Cheng must already be asleep, right? If I text her now, will I be disturbing her…"

The corridor in the middle of the night was silent.

The woman’s room was at the very end of the hall, far from hers. Jiang Lai hugged the medicated plaster to her chest and crept along carefully, thinking to herself, “At this rate, if somebody comes out, this is going to turn into a horror movie…"

Fortunately, she made it to the woman’s door without incident.

She instinctively lifted a hand to knock, then remembered it was the middle of the night. Knocking might disturb other people too, so she lowered it again.

She quietly set the plaster down in a corner where it wouldn’t be too noticeable.

“Aunt Cheng, I left some things at your door…"

She hadn’t even finished typing when the door opened from inside.

Both of them froze.

The woman hadn’t expected anyone to be standing outside her door so late. Jiang Lai, on the other hand, was so startled she nearly dropped her phone. When she saw who it was, she clutched her chest and let out a breath.

“Aunt Cheng, you scared me to death…"

The woman’s brows drew together slightly. “It’s this late. Why aren’t you back in your room resting?"

“Ah… I couldn’t really sleep, so I came out for a look."

“It’s late. You should go back and rest."

The woman tucked the hot water bottle in her hand behind her back. Jiang Lai only had to glance at it to understand.

“…Is your leg uncomfortable?"

The woman looked at her in surprise. “How did you know?"

After a moment, as if she’d thought of something, she gave a faint smile. “Your teacher told you, didn’t she?"

“You’re so smart."

Jiang Lai grinned proudly and shook the medicated plaster in her hand. “I came specially to bring you this."

The woman stepped aside to let her in, her heart softening a little. “I’m fine. It was trouble enough for you to bring me something in the middle of the night."

“It’s nothing."

Jiang Lai reached out and took the hot water bottle from her. “Are you going to get some hot water? I have some in my room. I’ll go get it for you."

Seeing her, the woman’s eyes flashed with amusement. “No need. I can go get it myself in a bit. You should hurry back and sleep."

But the girl was already standing up and striding to the door. She turned back with a smile. “Wait for me a second. I’ll be right back."

The door closed behind her, and the warm yellow light in the room fell across the woman’s face. She sighed, rubbed at her knee, which was aching faintly, and the hardness she had forced herself to show in front of the girl had already melted away.

The next second, the door opened again.

Seeing the woman’s movement, a flash of panic crossed Jiang Lai’s face. She stuffed the hot water bottle into the woman’s arms, carefully rolled up her pant leg, and pressed gently at the sore spot.

She looked up and asked, “Is it here?"

Cheng Shuyang caught her wrist and pulled her up. The warmth from the hot water bottle in Jiang Lai’s hands seemed to seep right into her heart. “It’s fine. It’s just an old problem. It’ll be better in a moment."

Jiang Lai frowned, clearly unconvinced.

Looking at her, the woman suddenly laughed.

“What are you laughing at?"

The woman was in a good mood now; she tapped her forehead with one finger and smiled without answering.

“I’ll put the plaster on for you."

Jiang Lai crouched down, tore open the packaging with gentle movements, then applied it to the woman’s knee.

The seriousness on the girl’s face reached the woman’s eyes, and all at once she felt like the pain in her knee wasn’t quite so bad anymore.

“Aunt Cheng, it’s on."

“Thank you. Go back and rest."

“Got it."

Jiang Lai walked out, then leaned her head back through the doorway. “If you’re uncomfortable, remember to call me."

The woman smiled and nodded.

Only after getting that promise did she close the door with complete satisfaction.

After seeing the girl off, Cheng Shuyang had just tucked the hot water bottle into the blankets when she heard a very soft knock at the door.

The girl stood there, having emptied both her pockets completely, looking a little embarrassed. “Aunt Cheng, I think I forgot to take my room card…"

To be honest, she absolutely had not meant to forget it on purpose. It had to be that when she’d helped the woman get the hot water earlier, she’d accidentally set it on the table and then forgotten to take it with her.

She looked at the woman with damp, pleading eyes. “Aunt Cheng…"

“Come in. It’s cold outside."

The woman rubbed the top of her head, her expression gentle. “If you don’t mind, you can make do and stay with me tonight."

“Really? Won’t I disturb you?"

As if realizing her tone was a little too excited, she steadied herself and said, a little guiltily, “Or should I go downstairs and get a spare room card from the front desk…"

The woman didn’t answer. She simply took another set of clean bedding from the cabinet and laid it out on the bed.

“I don’t mind. I’m only afraid you’ll dislike keeping company with an old woman like me."

“How could I?"

Jiang Lai eagerly took the bedding from her arms. “Then I’m imposing on Aunt Cheng tonight…"

The rain outside still hadn’t stopped.

Jiang Lai lay on the other side of the bed, not far from the woman.

“Does your knee still hurt?"

She rolled over and asked softly.

“…A little better."

“If you’re cold, you can hug me."

She said it hesitantly, afraid the woman might think she was being rude. After a long while, a hoarse reply finally came back from beside her: “I’m not cold. Go to sleep early."

“Then good night, Aunt Cheng…"

Perhaps because the woman was there beside her, she fell asleep very quickly.

Listening to the steady breathing by her ear, the woman held her own breath and turned over to look carefully at her sleeping face.

Her fingertip lightly touched the girl’s nose.

“Don’t mess around…"

That sleepy, half-awake murmur made her smile unconsciously.

“Good night, A-Lai."

The next morning, she was woken by the blinding sunlight.

The woman was already awake.

“You’re up?"

“Mm."

Jiang Lai sat up, scratched her tousled hair, and yawned. “Aunt Cheng, what time is it?"

The woman glanced at the clock. “A little after seven."

“A little after seven… It’s already after seven?!"

She scrambled out of bed in a panic.

“What’s wrong?"

Cheng Shuyang started to worry at the sight of her.

“I clearly remember setting an alarm. Why didn’t it go off…"

The woman explained, “It did go off. I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I didn’t wake you."

“It’s fine, it’s fine."

She quickly got dressed, and before leaving, she didn’t forget to greet the woman. “Aunt Cheng, then I’m heading out!"

“Okay…"

Her gaze dropped. On the table sat the breakfast she had specially prepared for the girl.

“Thanks for breakfast, Aunt Cheng."

Jiang Lai had a piece of bread in her mouth as she waved to the woman.

“Eat slowly. Don’t choke."

The woman spoke softly, her eyes following the girl as she poked her head out the door.

Jiang Lai gave a muffled reply, then stuck her body out into the hallway.

Hmm, no one. Safe.

Last time, Xu Zhiyi had caught her walking out of the woman’s room and teased her for days. This time, she was keeping an extra-close watch; she absolutely could not let anyone see her again.

After confirming it was safe, she carefully closed the woman’s door and walked along the wall with extreme caution.

As she went, she suddenly felt that something was off. The two of them were clearly innocent; why did it now feel like she was making it seem as if they had some shameful relationship, like they were sneaking around having an affair…

The thought startled her immediately.

She touched her burning cheeks and kept warning herself internally not to think like that. She and Aunt Cheng were innocent.

After repeating it three times, she finally felt at ease.

“A… A-Lai?"

An uncertain voice suddenly froze her in place. Her body stiffened as she turned around. Song Shiyuan was standing at the door, her face full of disbelief.

“You and Senior…"

“It’s not like that, don’t misunderstand!"

She hurriedly waved her hands to explain. “Aunt Cheng and I are innocent. It’s not what you think!"

Bitterness slowly welled up in her chest, making her eyes uncontrollably red. When Jiang Lai saw that, she instantly panicked.

She fumbled to wipe away her tears, then thought the gesture might be too rude and awkwardly pulled her hand back, looking flustered.

“Don’t overthink it. It really isn’t what you think."

“A-Lai, your room card is forgotten—"

The woman’s words cut off abruptly.

The three of them met in a position that was awkward beyond belief.

“Hahaha, I forgot all about it. Thanks, Aunt Cheng."

Jiang Lai laughed awkwardly and quickly took her own phone from the woman’s hand.

The woman pressed her lips together, one hand resting on the doorknob. “No need to thank me."

The wind in the corridor blew in through the window, chilling the back of Jiang Lai’s neck.

“A-Yuan, I just remembered—I have something for you. Go back to your room and wait for me!"

She didn’t care anymore what anyone thought; her mind was filled with only one thing: get out of this mess as fast as possible.

After Jiang Lai left, the remaining two of them stood facing each other.

“Then… Senior, I’ll go back to my room first."

“Mm."

The woman’s voice was light as a sigh.

“What a big show."

Xu Zhiyi walked over from not far away, clapping her hands.

“I never thought even the great actress Cheng would have such an embarrassing day. So, how does it feel? Not very pleasant, is it?"

The woman shot her a glance. “…Boring."

Xu Zhiyi didn’t get angry. Her voice carried a careless mockery instead. “Cheng Shuyang, I hate that self-important look of yours the most. You seem gentle and kind on the surface, but in truth, you’re cold and heartless to everyone."