The torrential rain was like a rip in the sky, pelting the asphalt with water, creating countless tiny splashes. The neon lights of the 4S shop were distorted into a halo in the rain, reflected on Xi Wanrong's pale face.
She huddled under the narrow eaves outside the glass door. Her thin clothes had already been soaked, and the fabric stuck to her body, outlining her slightly shivering figure.
She stared down at the rain-soaked bills in her hand, her knuckles white. The ink on the bills had smudged, like her now-blurry future.
"Wanrong..."
A familiar voice cut through the sound of rain, and she looked up suddenly.
Zhao Pingchi stood in the pouring rain, unarmed, his entire body a silent statue, cast in the water. His black T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his lean muscles. Rainwater slid down his jaw, dripped onto his collarbone, and snaked down his chest.
There were still bloody scratches on his face, and the wounds were washed white by the rain, but he seemed not to feel any pain and just looked at her steadily.
Xi Wanrong subconsciously turned her face away, her throat tightening.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was hoarse, like paper soaked in rainwater, which would break at the touch.
Zhao Pingchi said nothing, simply approaching silently. His sneakers clunked in the puddles. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bank card. His knuckles still bore traces of motor oil from repair work.
"I...I sold the motorcycle."
Xi Wanrong was stunned.
That Harley was Zhao Pingchi's life. She remembered him racing it late at night on the streets, the wind howling, his laughter unbridled and unrestrained, saying, "I'll have to die to sell it."
But now, he just handed over a card so casually, as if handing over a piece of flesh that had been cut off.
"There's thirty-two thousand in there." His voice was so low, almost drowned out by the sound of the rain, "Adding that to the previous amount, it's enough to pay the penalty."
The rain dripped down his eyelashes like tears.
The moment Xi Wanrong's fingertips touched the bank card, she suddenly realized——
He even sold out his last bit of pride just to save this rotten person like her.
Xi Wanrong suddenly remembered the snowy night half a year ago when Zhao Pingchi came to pick her up from working overtime on this Harley. Afraid that she would be cold, he took off his leather jacket and gave it to her, while he himself was shivering with cold.
Her heart suddenly softened.
"Fool..." she muttered softly, reaching out to pull him under the eaves. Zhao Pingchi was cold all over, but he trembled the moment she touched him.
"Does it still hurt?"
Xi Wanrong gently touched the wound on his face.
Zhao Pingchi shook his head and suddenly hugged her: "I'm sorry... Wanrong... I'm so useless..."
Xi Wanrong smelled the familiar scent of tobacco on him, mixed with the dampness of rain.
She thought back to their good times, and the silly things Zhao Pingchi had done for her—running all over town at three in the morning just to buy her some milk tea; taking her to Beidaihe on his motorcycle just because she'd said she wanted to see the sea, and they both ended up catching a cold...
"I'm... sorry too." She finally burst into tears, tears mixed with rain water flowed into the corners of her mouth, salty and bitter.
"Where are we going?" Zhao Pingchi asked, carefully hooking his fingers around hers.
"Go home," she said suddenly.
—————————————————
(Rental House)
Xi Wanrong adjusted the ring light to its brightest setting, and the phone on the tripod had already activated its front-facing camera. She bit her hair tie and used both hands to pull her long chestnut hair into a lazy half-updo, leaving a few strands hanging down her cheeks.
The dressing table was littered with makeup—cheap "pure lust" blush she'd bought before, liquid eyeshadow that gave her cheeks a natural flush, and lip gloss that created a "glass lip" effect.
"I still need to adjust the beauty settings..." she muttered, her slender fingers sliding rapidly across the screen. She set the eye enlargement to 50%, the face slimming to 65%, and the skin smoothing to just 30%—retaining some skin texture for a realistic look. Finally, she adjusted the filter to "creamy skin," instantly casting a soft pink-gold glow over her.
The closet door was wide open, revealing seven or eight sets of clothes she'd bought secondhand on Taobao. She finally settled on an off-white knitted cardigan and a tank top, deliberately a size too small to reveal a hint of cleavage. The cardigan's right shoulder slipped slightly, revealing half her snow-white shoulder.
She dragged the lazy sofa to the corner of the wall. This angle can capture the moldy wall without letting the audience see the whole shabby rental house. On the bedside table are carefully designed props:
A peeling enamel cup with a wilted sunflower in it - I picked it up from the trash can of a flower shop when I passed by.
The open calculus textbook and markers - actually, she picked them up from the school trash can.
A half-pack of sanitary napkins appeared in the corner of the table - the cheapest brand was chosen on purpose.
Next to the phone stand sat a secondhand teleprompter tablet, on which was written the flow of tonight's script. Xi Wanrong gave the lighting a final check, ensuring the highlights on her collarbone flickered slightly with her breathing.
She took a deep breath and clicked the "Start Live" button. Her previously cold expression instantly melted, her brows curved into crescents, and even her voice rose three pitches:
"Hello everyone, good evening~" the ending tone had a sweet upswing, "Today is also Wanwan who is studying hard for the exam~"
She deliberately leaned in close to the camera to adjust her bangs, allowing the audience to clearly see her deliberately applied freckles. Comments began to drift by sporadically:
"Is the anchor wearing no makeup? Her skin is so good."
Is there a link to this cardigan?
Xi Wanrong pretended not to notice the shopping guide and accidentally knocked over her textbook while reaching for her enamel mug. As she bent to pick it up, the collar of her halter top naturally drooped, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
