Falling into the rain

Wen Huaixu loosened his tie, and the lighter made a crisp sound as it struck his fingers. Wisps of grayish-white smoke rose, and with each puff, the wound bitten by Yu Tingyu throbbed with pain.

But this pain finally made his thoughts a little clearer, and he couldn't help but think of the person Yu Tingyu had mentioned whom she liked very much, but who she couldn't be with.

This forced him to start thinking about himself.

But how could that be? How could it be allowed?

Yu Tingyu's expression at the time was both resolute and broken, as if she had given up all hope. It was that look that made Wen Huaixu determined to find the man who had caused her so much pain and sorrow.

Now, it seems that all the clues point to him.

If that's the case, then it explains why Yu Tingyu reacted that way when she saw Chen Xuning.

He always thought that it was just Yu Tingyu's possessiveness; she wanted to belong only to him, just as he wanted Yu Tingyu to always be by his side.

But now, that idea is starting to waver.

This possessiveness is not normal, but rather...

Wen Huaixu closed his eyes, not daring to think any further.

He was seven years older than Yu Tingyu, so he was certainly not a clueless young man. Over the years, quite a few girls had come close to him, but he had never truly gotten to know any of them. Naturally, he wouldn't understand what a girl her age was thinking.

When Yu Tingyu was a child, she would often talk to him about her feelings, but after she grew up, they hardly ever had time to sit down and have a proper conversation.

Where exactly did the problem go wrong?

Why did things suddenly turn out like this in just one night?

Was it because Yu Tingyu was drunk and spoke recklessly?

What if tomorrow, when she sobers up, she won't remember any of this at all, and the only person who will remember is him?

He finished his cigarette and threw the butt into the ashtray. Wen Huaixu was about to smoke another one when Wang Hang suddenly stammered a reminder: "Mr. Wen, you... might need to have this taken care of."

He touched the corner of his mouth, but dared not look at Wen Huaixu for more than a second.

Wen Huaixu picked up a metal object from the table with a blank expression and used the reflection on it to see the corner of his mouth.

Yu Tingyu didn't hold back, and her lower lip broke open, the blood that seeped out had already dried.

He pressed it with his fingertip, and the stinging pain spread along his nerves, as if reminding him that everything that happened tonight was real, and this was the best evidence.

Wen Huaixu waved his hand, signaling Wang Hang to leave.

He stayed alone in the study, smoking one cigarette after another until the ashtray was piled high with gray cigarette butts.

A ray of light slowly broke through the darkness of the sky, and dawn broke, but he still hadn't figured things out.

-

Yu Tingyu's room.

She was still asleep, but the corners of her lips were slightly curved, as if she were having another sweet dream.

I don't know what the person in my dream did, but she kept laughing.

She only began to wake up when the bright sunlight fell on her eyelids.

The hangover was really unpleasant. As soon as Yu Tingyu regained consciousness, she felt like her head was about to explode. She had never felt so bad before.

She opened her sleepy eyes and saw a familiar room. She hadn't been back for several days, but everything seemed normal.

So, Wen Huaixu brought him home last night?

She frowned and thought for a moment, and then memories flooded back like a tide.

From the time they were drinking until she was drunk, what did Wen Huaixu say to her after he took her to his car, and then...?

Yu Tingyu suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Wait—what did she do last night?

Why does she still have those memories in her mind?

Yu Tingyu scratched her hair, her eyes widening like saucers.

The scenes from last night flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern, and all the evidence told her—yes, the memories in her mind were real.

If Wen Huaixu hadn't stopped her, she might have done even worse, like what she just dreamed about.

Yu Tingyu broke out in a sweat from recollection, collapsed onto the bed, and let out a wail.

You're going to die, Yu Tingyu! How could you cause such a huge disaster!

She now truly wishes she were one of those people who blacked out when drunk, but unfortunately, she isn't.

She remembered everything that happened last night perfectly.

Drinking alcohol leads to trouble, drinking alcohol really does lead to trouble.

Things can't get any worse than they are now.

She bit her lip and curled herself up into a ball. So what should she do now?

Yesterday she was saying she would never like him again, and today she directly "confessed" to someone else.

What will Wen Huaixu think? Will he find her disgusting and regret living with her for so many years?

Yu Tingyu looked dazed and helplessly pinched her own hand, her fingernails carving a crescent-shaped mark on her soft palm.

She didn't realize that she was the type to vent when she was drunk. If she had known it would turn out like this, she definitely wouldn't have drunk last night.

What troubled her even more was that, besides worry, she also felt a secret sense of pleasure.

If she hadn't blurted it out while drunk, she might have kept this secret forever, and he would never have known.

Thinking of this, Yu Tingyu even looked forward to Wen Huaixu's reaction.

To die a quick and painless death.

She locked herself in her room for the whole morning, but eventually went out on her own; she couldn't keep hiding forever.

Aunt Jing was cleaning downstairs when she heard noises on the stairs. She looked up and said, "Miss, you're awake. You can't drink so much next time. Are you still feeling unwell?"

Yu Tingyu shook her head. "It's alright."

She was physically fine, but mentally she was not. She looked around and did not find any sign of Wen Huaixu at home. Then she heard Aunt Jing say, "There is porridge warming in the pot. The young master asked me to make it for you. I will serve it right away."

Yu Tingyu was taken aback, then immediately grasped the key point: "My brother said it?"

"Yes." Aunt Jing nodded. She was used to it and didn't find anything strange about it.

But Yu Tingyu was different. She slowed her pace and suddenly began to doubt her own mind. Could it be another dream? Just one that felt more real?

If that's the case, then that would be perfect.

As she walked towards the living room, lost in thought, she noticed a packaging bag on the coffee table and hesitated before asking, "Aunt Jing, what's this...?"

Aunt Jing followed her gaze and casually replied, "Mask."

She picked up the package and showed it to Yu Tingyu, then put it back into the original storage box, saying, "Your brother's lip is injured for some reason, so I'm giving this to him."

"..."

Not a dream.