Chapter 1259: Chapter 840: The Night Before Parting
"Oh, oh." Song Xiyun took off her headphones and exited the game. "Let me get it for you."
She walked a bit but didn’t hear Jiang Nian reply. She couldn’t help but turn back, giving him a puzzled look.
"What do you want to eat?"
With a rumble, a flash of lightning struck.
"Oh, oh, I’ll just grab some bread." Jiang Nian snapped back to reality. "How about Xu Qianqian? Still sleeping?"
"She went out," she said, "Seems like she went to get some money, went with her uncle and aunt."
"Went to Little Dragon Pond?"
"Yes."
"Oh, oh, with this heavy rain." Jiang Nian headed towards the kitchen. "She’ll probably be back in the evening."
"Hmm."
With that, both of them felt a little awkward.
"Then I’ll head back."
"Alright, I’ll go back to play..." Song Xiyun wanted to say play games, but stopped, "Read a book."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian nearly couldn’t hold it together. After exams, what books were there to read? But it was probably calculus series or something.
"Alright."
He bade farewell and left, and the living room fell silent. Song Xiyun stood there, heart pounding.
It was too coincidental, being alone on a rainy day, as if it hinted that something was bound to happen today.
After a while, her mood finally settled down.
"It’s an illusion, definitely an illusion."
She took a deep breath and returned to her room. Putting on her headphones, she started another game.
Entering the game interface, after hitting confirm, she began to daydream again. Until a loud rumble shocked her awake.
On the other side, Jiang Nian also lay back on his bed. He had left because he sensed Xiao Song was nervous.
Everyone’s different. Xiao Song was more particular about feelings. After all, having spent a year together day and night, he understood this.
Whenever Jiang Nian advanced, she retreated.
Whether it was affection or fear, even though the three of them had set aside their differences, Xiao Song remained sensitive.
Back in school, Song Xiyun was bashful. But she also responded to threats, accepting things half-seriously.
Now, in their relationship, threats were out of the question.
That would be too beastly.
In fact, now Xiao Song could probably threaten him. Having completely lost leverage, tables had turned.
Sigh, it’s like living life backward.
Jiang Nian didn’t have any good solutions, so he simply tried to calm down. In his room, by the window, he wandered aimlessly.
Suddenly, he glanced down.
"Hmm?"
He saw that the gutter downstairs was overflowing, with a tendency to submerge the steps. Two elderly women were pointing and discussing.
This was an old alley. Whenever it rained heavily, it would clog. Over time, people around got used to it.
Jiang Nian was usually busy with school, but during holidays he had experienced the heavy rain. Soon, someone would come knocking.
Sure enough, knocking sounds began to echo.
"Your electric bike, remember to move it. If the rain keeps up, it might get soaked."
"Oh, okay." Jiang Nian watched as the elderly woman knocked on the opposite door, repeating what she had just said.
Smiling, a neighbor with a warm heart.
Song Xiyun felt a bit anxious, grabbing the electric bike keys. Then she picked up two umbrellas, ready to go downstairs to move it.
"No need, I’ll move it on my way." Jiang Nian stopped her, taking the keys and umbrella from her hand.
"Huh?" Song Xiyun froze for a moment, reacting a beat too late. "No, it’s hard to hold the umbrella by yourself."
The stairs were slippery, carrying a scent of rusty water.
The two of them descended, one behind the other. Song Xiyun opened her umbrella first. Finding two umbrellas inconvenient, she simply opened one.
"Hey, wait for me!"
The light pink umbrella entered the rain, with thousands of raindrops falling vertically like threads from the sky.
Pat, pat, pat, sounding like drumming all at once.
The rain mist exploded at the umbrella’s edge, inevitably falling on both of them, instinctively drawing them closer together.
Cold rainwater pelted down hard; the clouds above seemed to have switched off the lights, the whole world was dim and dark.
The wind howled, and the small umbrella swayed precariously.
Jiang Nian was busy moving the bike but wasn’t watching the road at all. He let the rain and wind wash over them, his peripheral vision caught on Xiao Song’s hand.
The delicate hand holding the umbrella was marked red by the metal handle.
He didn’t help, nor could he spare a hand. He merely watched Xiao Song’s furrowed brow as she struggled to hold on during brief pauses in pushing the bike.
He wanted to delay a bit longer and tease her a little more.
After a short while, Jiang Nian and Song Xiyun returned to push the other bike. This time Jiang Nian wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Come a little closer, don’t get wet."
"Oh, oh."
Arm skin touched, a bit cold, and a bit slippery. Song Xiyun turned her face away, looking slightly flustered.
Luckily, apart from that, Jiang Nian made no other move.
Song Xiyun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she misunderstood. Jiang Nian might be awkward, but he was reliable.
"Let’s go upstairs."
"Alright." Jiang Nian took a couple of steps, grabbing the other umbrella, then suddenly turned back, "How did you get wet?"
.....
In the living room.
The hairdryer was buzzing, blowing Song Xiyun’s hair. The girl sat upright, not daring to move.
Jiang Nian looked on, finding it amusing for some reason.
"What are you nervous about?"
"Nothing."
Song Xiyun shook her head, glancing at Jiang Nian’s sleeve. "You got wet too, remember to change clothes."
"Too lazy to change, I’ll just blow it dry." Jiang Nian didn’t seem to mind much; the wet spot was on his back.
Either take it off or...
"Let me help you dry it." In the end, Song Xiyun softened, feeling a bit guilty for letting him get rained on with that tiny umbrella.
"This..." Of course, Jiang Nian wouldn’t refuse.
So, they swapped places. The hairdryer’s whirr stopped and started again in the living room, as the girl pinched at the wet spot on his back.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"
She dried slowly, using warm air. Afraid of burning Jiang Nian, she carefully pinched the damp spot on his back throughout.
Neither of them spoke.
Bored, Jiang Nian playfully slapped back with his palm. Like a rope swayed by the wind, he lightly tapped without a pattern.
Landing on Song Xiyun’s leg, gently patting.
