The sky was overcast, dark clouds churning. A sudden downpour slammed onto the streets, scattering the crowd and leaving the air cold and quiet. Raindrops pattered onto the bluestone-paved road, gathering into small puddles. A pair of delicate cloth shoes stepped through them, sending up little splashes of water.
Moss grew mottled in the gaps between stone walls, turning an even deeper green under the lashing rain.
Lin Aiyun lifted her skirt and hurried along the long, wide alley, a little flustered. She circled around but found no shelter from the rain, so she could only grit her teeth and keep running, deeply regretting not bringing an umbrella.
But who could have predicted that after days of rain and a rare glimpse of sunshine this morning, the sky would darken again?
She had worked at the Liu household for three days now, and it had rained for two of them. Every day, besides her lunch box and water cup, she had to carry an umbrella—leaving both hands full, which was terribly inconvenient. Luckily, the rain had finally stopped last night, and this morning had even brought out some rare sunlight.
Everyone had said it wouldn’t rain again. So not only Lin Aiyun, but the entire Ding household had left without umbrellas—they were probably all soaked by now too.
Seeing that she was just around the corner from the Liu family’s gate, Lin Aiyun let out a breath of relief and quickened her pace. But she hadn’t gone more than a few steps when she witnessed a violent scene before her.
“Three days, then another three days—do you think my patience is endless?”
As these words fell, a muffled grunt followed. Lin Aiyun narrowed her eyes and looked ahead. Not far away, a black sedan was parked. Beside it, one man stood and one knelt.
The former held a black umbrella, his face obscured. One hand, holding a cigarette, smacked the kneeling man’s head repeatedly—not caring that the glowing embers might burn his face. The blows landed with sharp, heavy sounds.
Rain blurred her vision and muffled the noise, but Lin Aiyun immediately sensed danger. She froze at the sudden scene unfolding before her, drawing in a sharp breath. Meddling in others’ business wasn’t her style—especially not when the men involved were tall and strong.
Without much hesitation, she decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything and hurried toward the Liu family gate, hugging the wall. But just as she moved, the two men both turned to look at her at the same time.
In that moment, every hair on her body stood on end. She took a deep breath, kept her eyes straight ahead, and continued walking. Only when she passed them did she release the death grip on her skirt. But before she could exhale in relief, a chill crept down her back—a large, powerful hand wrapped around her shoulder and neck like a venomous snake.
A wave of cold swept over her. Droplets from the umbrella and ash from the cigarette tip in his fingers slipped down through her slightly gaping collar onto the skin of her chest, making her shiver. But having just witnessed his ruthlessness, she dared not move a muscle. Slowly, she turned her head to look behind her.
Sure enough, it was the man with the umbrella.
Though dressed in a proper, formal shirt and trousers, something about his bearing gave him a rakish air. Several amber buttons at his chest were undone, leaving the shirt hanging loosely open, exposing a broad expanse of skin.
Her gaze traveled upward, and Lin Aiyun saw a very young and strikingly handsome face.
But as she took in his features, her lips slowly parted, and her pupils contracted sharply. She stared blankly at him for two seconds, then tentatively called out a name.
“Xiao Cheng?”
“Heh—found you.”
Almost at the same moment, they both spoke.
Though her soft voice was faint, Xiao Cheng heard those two words clearly. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, his gaze shifting instantly from casual curiosity to sharp scrutiny and wariness. He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, letting it fall to the ground, where it was soon drenched by rain.
The young girl before him—well, not exactly a girl.
She was at least a few years younger than him.
She wore an old-fashioned, deep blue long dress with a somewhat high collar, yet it still couldn’t hide her slender, swan-like neck—pale and delicate, as if one twist of his hand would stop her breath.
A belt of the same color cinched her waist so tightly it seemed he could span it with his hands, only accentuating the fullness of her figure.
Her almond-shaped eyes were wide, innocent and clear—impossible to ignore.
The large umbrella sheltered them both, shutting out the noise of the world around them. At that moment, time itself seemed to slow, leaving only the two of them.
But with just one look, Lin Aiyun understood: he was different from her. He wasn’t her Xiao Cheng—or rather, this was Xiao Cheng in his youth.
At this time, he didn’t love her. He didn’t know her.
Realizing this, Lin Aiyun’s clear, dark-and-white eyes gradually grew moist. Her eyelids reddened, crystal tears swirling and spilling over, sliding silently down her cheeks and leaving pale tracks on her soft, pink skin.
Fortunately, her face was already covered with rain, so he couldn’t see her humiliation.
She knew she shouldn’t, but driven by a stubborn unwillingness, she couldn’t help but whisper again: “Xiao Cheng.”
Xiao Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly. It had been a long time since anyone had called him by his full name, and now he’d heard it twice in one day—from the same person.
Was this what they called “fearlessness born of ignorance”?
“You know me.” Though phrased as a question, it carried an undeniable certainty.
These words shattered the last shred of Lin Aiyun’s wishful thinking. She gave a bitter smile, instinctively stepping back. Her palm, which had just relaxed, tightened again, clutching the fabric at her waist. She shook her head, then nodded.
In this situation, she shouldn’t know him, nor would she have had any chance to. Yet she had spoken his name without a single mistake. Given Xiao Cheng’s temperament, he had probably already started suspecting she was some bad woman sent by his uncle’s faction to seduce him.
After all, things like that had happened plenty of times when he was younger.
At the thought, Lin Aiyun frowned. Before she could figure out how to explain, she heard him ask again: “Do you dream?”
He didn’t seem to care whether she could offer a reasonable explanation. Instead, he asked an unexpectedly out-of-place question.
“What?” Lin Aiyun frowned, unable to parse his meaning. Then she felt his hand suddenly lift—his scorching fingertips landing on her collarbone.
That was where the cigarette ash had grazed her earlier, leaving a red-and-black mark.
“I said, do you dream?” Xiao Cheng didn’t lift his eyelids, repeating his words slowly and clearly, with remarkable patience.
His fingertip hooked the edge of her collar, just a hair’s breadth from revealing the full extent of the burn. But the sudden opening of a nearby door interrupted his movement.
“Tch.” Xiao Cheng withdrew his hand, his interest dimming. Languidly, he tilted the umbrella a little further in her direction, then turned to look at the newcomer.
“Mr. Xiao.” Liu Hui, holding her own umbrella, was a little surprised to see Xiao Cheng at this hour, but quickly averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes. The faint, intangible pressure he exuded made her uneasy.
But when she turned her head, she saw Lin Aiyun standing beside him, looking petite and delicate—and she gasped: “Aiyun?”
“Auntie Hui.” Lin Aiyun was equally surprised that Liu Hui knew Xiao Cheng.
Liu Hui looked from Lin Aiyun to Xiao Cheng. Noticing how close they were standing, her heart raced a little faster. She explained awkwardly: “I saw you hadn’t arrived for a while, so I got worried and came out to check.”
“Thank you. The rain came down so suddenly…” Before she could finish, a firm but not heavy pressure landed on her back, pushing her forward.
Through the brief exchange, the connection between the two was obvious.
“Get inside.” Xiao Cheng clearly had no interest in listening to them chat. He strode forward first. As the umbrella shifted away, the rain hit her square in the face.
Lin Aiyun bit her lip. A wave of grievance spread from the bottom of her heart. Back in the day, that bastard Xiao Cheng would never have let her get caught in the rain.
“Aiyun, what are you standing there for? Hurry in!” Liu Hui waved at her, not even giving her time to wallow, and pulled her under the eaves.
“Oh my, what happened out there? Why is that man kneeling in the rain?”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun followed Liu Hui’s gaze toward the sedan. A man was kneeling there, back ramrod straight—even as the rain grew heavier, he didn’t bend an inch.
“Poor soul. But it’s not our place to meddle in other people’s business. Come on inside—don’t look anymore.”
“Mm.”
Crossing the courtyard and entering the main hall, she saw Xiao Cheng seated in the host’s chair. From the moment she entered, his eyes had fixed on her without disguise—burning, deep as a frozen pool, tinged with scrutiny.
In an instant, Lin Aiyun felt as though he had seen through her, down to her very core, leaving no secret untouched.
“Mr. Xiao, some tea.” Liu Hui stepped forward, picked up the teapot on the table, and soon the aroma of tea filled the air. After a moment’s silence, she said hesitantly: “My father went to drink with an old friend last night and hasn’t returned yet. Is there something you need? I can go find him now.”
“No need. I’ll wait.” Now that he’d found the source of his ailment, why hurry to see a doctor?
Xiao Cheng didn’t even glance at the tea. His long fingers tapped lightly on the table—those hands were striking, broad and large, beautiful and bony, with prominent veins pulsing beneath the thin skin.
His eyes were sharp at the outer corners, cold and aloof when not smiling.
Being stared at so directly, Lin Aiyun was inexplicably reminded of the first time she’d met Xiao Cheng. Back then, when he spotted prey, he at least knew how to restrain himself…
But now, though he looked every inch the refined young master from a wealthy family, underneath he was a complete rogue.
To stare so openly at a girl he’d just met for the first time.
“Is there anything else you need?” Liu Hui rarely dealt with Xiao Cheng directly—most of the time, her father handled him—so she knew very little about him.
But her impression was of a young man with a rather bad temper, which made her tread carefully, afraid of displeasing their patron.
“No.” Xiao Cheng waved his hand, finding Liu Hui’s chatter grating. A slight frown creased his brow, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Aiyun. After a pause, he said unhurriedly: “What’s your name? Aiyun?”
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