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墨書 Inktalez
The umbrella was large enough to shield two people. After a moment of hesitation, I moved under it. We walked side by side through the curtain of rain, the raindrops drumming heavily against the umbrella, creating a dull sound that drowned out the noise of the outside world and amplified the closeness between us. I could clearly hear my own breathing, along with… his steady heartbeat, faintly audible through the sound of the rain.
I instinctively edged closer to the edge of the umbrella, trying to maintain a bit of distance for safety. He seemed to notice, his arm shifting slightly as he subtly tilted most of the umbrella toward my side, while the half closest to him quickly became damp from the rain.
"Y-your shoulder..." I couldn't help but remind him softly.
He appeared not to hear me, his gaze fixed ahead at the blurred glow of a streetlight through the rain. Suddenly, he spoke, his voice sounding somewhat deep against the backdrop of falling rain: "If you ever run into trouble, you can tell me."
I paused mid-step and looked up at him sharply. He didn't meet my gaze; his profile appeared softer in the dim light.
"Has Meng Yao been bothering you?" he asked unexpectedly, his tone calm yet like a stone thrown into my heart's lake.
My heart skipped a beat, and I instantly felt tense. How did he know?! Had he seen something? Or heard something?
"N-no! She wouldn’t bother me..." I reflexively denied it, my voice wavering slightly. I didn’t want him to think I was so helpless that I couldn’t handle this small matter, and even less did I want to drag him into it.
He fell silent for a few seconds before letting out a faint sigh that carried an unfamiliar… helplessness. "Lin Xi," he called my name, his voice low and almost magnetic. "You don’t have to bear everything on your own."
Boom—
Those words hit me like a warm current, striking at the softest part of my heart. The façade of strength I had maintained while enduring grievances and frustrations alone seemed to find an outlet at that moment. My nose tinged with warmth as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
He knew. He must have known about Meng Yao's little antics. He hadn’t intervened directly but was using this way to tell me that he saw me, that he cared, that he… was protecting me? Even though he hadn’t explicitly stated it, I could clearly feel that beneath his plain words lay concern and… tenderness?
"Thank you, Jiang Chi." I lowered my head, quickly blinking away the moisture in my eyes, my voice carrying a barely perceptible quiver.
He didn’t say anything more; however, his grip on the umbrella handle seemed to tighten slightly as he shifted it closer to me.
As we approached the dormitory building, miraculously, the rain began to lessen.
"We're here." He stopped at the entrance of the dormitory. The yellow light illuminated his damp shoulder and hair clinging together from the rain.
"Yeah, thank you for the umbrella… and for the milk tea." I accepted the umbrella and the still-warm cup of milk tea from him; its warmth felt comforting in my hands.
"Get some rest early." He tossed this remark over his shoulder before shoving the milk tea into my arms. Without waiting for my reaction, he turned and quickly blended into the night’s rain-soaked shadows, his figure tall yet somehow carrying an air of… urgency?
I stood there holding the warm milk tea, watching his back disappear around a corner, feeling as if a spice rack had been overturned in my heart—confused by a mix of emotions: gratitude, affection, warmth, and an undeniable sense of unease. Meng Yao's relentless pursuit, Senior Su Yang's gentle care, Jiang Chi's quiet yet piercing protection… all these intertwined feelings left me utterly disoriented.
Could Jiang Chi and I really walk this path together? What awaited us ahead?
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