Chapter 53: Coming to Retrieve the Ancestor

Lu Ming was a straightforward person. When Cheng Xingye offered to buy him milk tea, he didn’t overthink it. But Lu Qingyue was always perceptive and clever. Upon hearing Lu Ming’s words, she immediately understood: Cheng Xingye hadn’t had the nerve to give her the treats directly, so he’d found an excuse to have Lu Ming, his unwitting accomplice, bring them to her.

Once the realization dawned on her, ripples of delight spread through her heart. Clutching the bag with the pork chop bun, Lu Qingyue’s steps turned buoyant.

The moment she returned to the classroom, she eagerly dug her phone out of her desk, snapped a photo of the pork chop bun, and sent it to Cheng Xingye.

[Luo Dot]: Thank you, big brother!

He must not have been busy, for he replied in less than two minutes, though his response was only a single character.

[hOShinO]: Mm.

It seemed he had realized his ruse had been seen through, and instead of making excuses, he simply resigned himself to it.

Lu Qingyue, having finally found a topic to talk to him about, wouldn’t let his indifference discourage her. She pressed her lips together in thought. Since it was still break time, she hid her hands in the drawer and quietly typed another message.

[Luo Dot]: Xingye, have you been busy lately?

[hOShinO]: Not really.

[Luo Dot]: Then why haven’t you come to see me recently?

This time, he fell silent for a long while.

Lu Qingyue waited, but even when the bell rang for the next class, there was no reply. He had always been nonchalant, as if nothing really mattered to him, nothing could touch his heart.

Lu Qingyue felt like she was trying to coax a stone that knew nothing of affection.

Every time she sensed that Cheng Xingye treated her just a little differently from others, he would immediately withdraw, causing the small happiness that had just begun to grow in her heart to collapse in an instant.

Perhaps Lu Yi was right. She was no match for someone like Cheng Xingye. He could crush her with a single finger.

She put her phone away, suppressing the unwillingness in her heart, and tried to focus on the lesson.

It was chemistry. The chemistry teacher loved writing on the board, and for forty minutes, dozens of heads bent low, the scratching of pens on paper filling the air.

Lu Qingyue took notes until her head spun, quickly forgetting about Cheng Xingye’s lack of response. When the bell signaled the end of class, she was still hunched over her desk, scribbling furiously.

It wasn’t until Zhou Tingting, ready to leave, nudged her arm and called out loudly,

"Yue’er! Did you bring an umbrella?"

Startled, Lu Qingyue paused, pen in midair, and quickly craned her neck to look outside.

"No, is it raining?"

No sooner had the words left her lips than a thunderclap boomed overhead—the first spring thunder of the year.

Lu Qingyue: "..."

Rain was common in Jiangcheng, but it was usually just a light drizzle, rarely warranting an umbrella.

Unexpectedly, the first spring rain of the year was a full-blown downpour. With the thunder, wails rose from the entire school building.

Shouldering her backpack, Lu Qingyue squeezed toward the school gate with the crowd.

"Why does it always rain just as school lets out!"

"This is so annoying! I even wore my new white sneakers today!"

"Hey, that handsome guy at the entrance looks just like my future husband..."

The buzz of complaints quickly shifted to excited chatter about a handsome boy out front. At first, Lu Qingyue didn’t pay attention—until Zhou Tingting beside her sucked in a breath.

"Oh my god, Yue’er! Isn’t that our chief instructor?"

Lu Qingyue froze and looked up into the curtain of rain.

The downpour was torrential, a mist of water rising in the air and blurring the view. Yet the tall, upright figure of the man stood out unmistakably.

On such a rainy day, he wore only a thin casual shirt under a light-colored trench coat. Dark pants tucked into boots, he stood lazily beneath a black umbrella, exuding a kind of effortless allure that drew every eye.

Lu Qingyue stood under the shelter, the roar of wind and rain in her ears, but the scene before her seemed to freeze in time.

It wasn’t until Zhou Tingting nudged her again, whispering enviously,

"Do you think the instructor’s here to pick you up?"

Lu Qingyue wasn’t so sure. After all, they hadn’t seen each other in over a month, and he hadn’t even replied to her message an hour ago.

She stood frozen in place, the reality of his presence almost surreal—until the tall figure with the black umbrella began to stride toward her through the rain.

The pounding raindrops splashed against the umbrella’s surface, scattering into tiny fountains. Droplets, like little elves, rolled off the umbrella, leapt onto his coat, and seeped quietly into the fabric.

Lu Qingyue watched him approach, the scattered rain seeming to strike straight at her heart, each beat growing heavier and faster.

As her vision cleared, the tall figure stopped before her, blocking out the rising mist behind him.

Lu Qingyue blinked; her long lashes were damp, dark and thick.

She parted her lips, still half in disbelief. "Xingye?"

Cheng Xingye gazed at her bewildered face, gave a low "mm," then closed the umbrella and set it aside.

Rainwater streamed off the umbrella’s tip, swiftly weaving a path across the ground.

Lu Qingyue watched his fluid movements, somehow feeling he had come prepared, and couldn’t help but ask in confusion,

"It’s pouring out here! Why are you here?"

On rainy days like this, if she forgot her umbrella, she would have to wait for Lu Yi to pick her up. Even if Lu Yi had no classes, he’d have to rush over from the university dormitory, and she’d be left waiting for half an hour or more.

But Cheng Xingye seemed to have been waiting here for her from the start. He stood in the rain with his umbrella, just waiting for her to finish school.

He looked down at her.

Though she’d been sheltered from the rain, the mist had dampened the fine strands at her temples, leaving her small face dewy and bright, like a gentle, obedient little wild rabbit.

Cheng Xingye drew her to his side, pulled a pale pink plastic raincoat from under his trench coat, and as he helped her into it, he murmured in a low voice,

"Here to fetch my little ancestor."