Chapter 34 Her Savior Zhu Liushuang knew she was doomed! ...
Zhu Liushuang subconsciously raised her hand, trying to wipe away the tears that kept rolling down her cheeks. She only stopped awkwardly when she touched the hard plastic casing.
That tall, familiar figure knelt down before her, his dark eyes meeting hers. The rain was so heavy that he almost shouted at her, "Are you alright? Can you stand up by yourself?"
Her knees were numb, and it felt like a million tiny needles were pricking her skin. As if possessed, Zhu Liushuang stretched out her right hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, toward He Ming and said in a muffled voice, "I...can't get up."
She wasn't sure if he would respond to her outstretched hand.
Therefore, when He Ming reached out his left hand and grasped her palm without hesitation, she was completely stunned.
The young man had a strong grip, his fingertips were a little rough. With a little effort, he easily pulled her up from the ground.
She leaned forward, her nose brushing against his chest. The man's scent enveloped her, unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.
Zhu Liushuang, who had stood firm on the spot, suddenly heard her heart dancing in the downpour.
She savored the warm, ambiguous touch from just moments before. A large, warm hand enveloped her rain-soaked skin.
Their palms pressed together, an indescribable intimacy and tenderness.
He Ming originally wanted to say something blaming, but seeing the girl in front of him looking shaken, he awkwardly changed his words: "Get in the car first, this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."
He had barely driven out of the underground parking garage when a thunderstorm began. Remembering that Zhu Liushuang hadn't taken his advice seriously when they parted, he hurriedly turned around and headed to look for her.
He thought the girl would at least find a place to shelter from the rain, but to his surprise, she just stood there blankly in the rain, not moving at all.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Liushuang turned her head hesitantly and caught sight of the black SUV behind her with its hazard lights flashing.
This car... looks so familiar!
Without needing to recall much, she immediately remembered the car. That night, she had been followed by thugs, and it was this car that escorted her home.
Tears welled up in her eyes again. Zhu Liushuang resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms, and said haltingly, "But... my raincoat... is all wet. It'll get the car wet..."
He Ming shook his head helplessly. If they continued to stand there in the rain, his clothes would get completely soaked. "It's okay. If you get wet any longer, you'll get sick." He then urged in a deep voice, "Take off your raincoat and your helmet."
When He Ming is serious and doesn't smile, he gives off a sense of pressure. Zhu Liushuang glanced down at his suit trousers, which were soaked by the rain, and felt bad, so she quickened her pace.
She quickly took off her helmet, ignoring the tears and sweat streaming down her face, wiped them haphazardly with her hand, and hurriedly took off her raincoat.
The buttons were undone, and the soaking wet raincoat was peeled off her body. Zhu Liushuang felt a sense of lightness all over her body. With the armor that had been covering her removed, she was somewhat at a loss.
"Give me the stuff, and keep up."
She obediently handed the raincoat and safety helmet to He Ming, then followed him briskly to the car door.
"Open the door yourself and get in."
She said "Oh" and opened the back door, then obediently climbed in.
The person outside closed the car door for her and then went around to the back of the car to open the trunk.
Sitting on the leather sofa, Zhu Liushuang glanced disdainfully at her soaked trouser legs and waterlogged canvas shoes, unsure of where to put her feet.
Outside, the rain was pouring down. She heard the sound of the car trunk closing. A blurry figure flashed past the fogged-up window, and then the driver's side door was opened.
He Ming closed his umbrella, got into the car, and silently turned off the air conditioning.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Water droplets were still dripping from Zhu Liushuang's shoulder-length hair, and the hem of her clothes, trouser legs, and shoes were all wet and stuck to her skin, making her very uncomfortable.
But there was no dry towel or anything to wipe herself with. The car's air conditioning had been on full blast, giving her goosebumps. Now that the air conditioning was off, she didn't feel cold anymore, but she felt stuffy and uncomfortable.
"If you don't mind, you can use my clothes to cover yourself first, be careful not to catch a cold." He Ming took the suit jacket that was lying on the passenger seat and handed it to her, but his eyes were looking elsewhere as he spoke.
Zhu Liushuang had seen the light gray, thin suit in his hand before. The suit was tailored perfectly and fit his figure very well. When he wore it, he had a faint melancholy air about him.
"Senior, I'm not cold..." she said, immediately refusing.
“Your shirt is wet too, you should cover yourself up.” He Ming still didn’t look at her, and even the words he spoke were not as coherent as before.
Zhu Liushuang suddenly realized something.
Your shirt is wet too?
Her gaze quickly swept downwards, noticing a large water stain on her chest. Her white cotton short-sleeved shirt, soaked through, was now semi-transparent, revealing a glimpse of her light blue bra underneath.
"Boo—" Zhu Liushuang's face turned bright red, the burning blush spreading down her cheeks to her neck and then slowly climbing to her ears.
No wonder he suddenly stopped looking at her!
Zhu Liushuang nervously lowered her head and bit her lip, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest. He Ming noticed her every move.
He awkwardly turned his face away, coughed softly, and shoved his suit jacket directly into her hands: "Keep it on."
Zhu Liushuang couldn't refuse, and gently pulled the suit jacket to her chest. Her chin rested on the thin fabric, and an unknown herbal scent wafted into her nostrils.
It's as if he's hugging himself!
She suddenly had this thought.
A pair of hands, hidden beneath a light gray suit jacket, clenched tighter and tighter with interlaced fingers. Zhu Liushuang took a deep breath and began to reflect on her actions: "I've caused you trouble again, senior... I should have listened to you and waited until the rain stopped before going back... But then..."
As she spoke, she became increasingly unsure of herself, her voice barely audible.
"Achoo—" The sneeze came at just the right time, silencing her before she could finish speaking.
Soon, several sheets of snow-white tissues were handed to me.
Zhu Liushuang quickly glanced at He Ming's stern face and timidly said, "Thank you."
"The rain has lessened a bit now, let me take you home." He Ming turned off the hazard lights and glanced at the disheveled Zhu Liushuang in the rearview mirror. "You'd better take a hot shower and change into some dry clothes right away."
"Then... what about my car?" Zhu Liushuang reached out a hand from under her suit jacket and reluctantly clung to the window.
“It’s locked, so no one should have taken it…” He Ming made a calm assessment. “If you’re really worried, give me the key, and I’ll park it at our office for you when I get back later.”
It seems she had no other choice.
Zhu Liushuang nodded resignedly, "Thank you, senior. My home is in Donghu Community... Do you need me to help you with navigation?" As she spoke, she immediately took out her phone from her trouser pocket, opened Gaode Maps, and entered the name of her community.
"No need, I know the way." He Ming stepped on the gas and headed towards his destination.
The temperature inside the carriage gradually rose, and the skin covered by the suit slowly regained its warmth, replaced by a damp heat.
Zhu Liushuang opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't make a sound. The wind and rain were heavy outside, and she was afraid her impolite question would disturb He Ming's driving, so she remained silent.
He Ming, however, was very thoughtful and opened a narrow crack in the window while waiting for the traffic light to change.
Zhu Liushuang, who had been staring at He Ming's profile in a daze, snapped out of her reverie and quickly said, "Senior... I'm not cold anymore. If you feel hot, you can turn on the air conditioner."
"I'm not hot." He Ming glanced at the rearview mirror, his dark eyes sweeping over Zhu Liushuang's flushed face before quickly looking back at the road. He turned on the turn signal and rolled down the rear window a crack.
The carriage was extremely quiet; even the slightest sound could stir her nerves. Zhu Liu stared intently at the narrow crack in the window, where occasional raindrops slid in along the gap, landing on the stainless steel window frame.
She turned and looked around the carriage, but couldn't find any tissues, so she used one hand to wipe the window frame. Her fingers ran back and forth across the silver window frame, but the water stains weren't wiped away much; instead, her palm became even wetter and stickier.
With a drooping mouth, Zhu Liushuang felt somewhat deflated: She seemed to be causing trouble a lot lately. She wondered what He Ming would think of her.
Thinking this, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the car's rearview mirror. From her angle, she could only see half of He Ming's face: a sharply defined jawline, calm, serene eyes, and thin lips pressed into a line.
He always seemed to have this serious expression, making it impossible to read his thoughts. Zhu Liushuang stared blankly at He Ming's face, lost in thought, when suddenly He Ming turned his head and looked at the rearview mirror.
Their gazes met, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. Afraid that he would see through her little scheme, she lowered her head and looked away.
After counting several times in her mind, Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but look up at the rearview mirror again, but He Ming's gaze was still fixed on the mirror.
Was he looking at her? Or was he checking the road conditions?
Zhu Liushuang didn't dare to ask, and pretended to casually glance at He Ming's face and look out the window, her eyes darting around.
Through the dense curtain of rain, the red light began its countdown. The road ahead became increasingly familiar, and as she neared her residential compound, Zhu Liushuang finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for so long.
"Senior...were you the one who took me home that night?"
More precisely, this is not a question, but a firm belief.
From the moment she saw He Ming's car today, she was certain that it was the same car that had escorted her home that night.
Since the car belongs to He Ming, then the person driving that night must also be He Ming.
After all, she clearly remembered that Gu Xufeng had jumped out of the passenger seat. And that night, He Ming replied to her in a radio message, "Be careful."
“Yes, it was me.” He Ming didn’t want to say much, but when he saw Zhu Liushuang’s preoccupied face, he carefully said, “I just happened to be picking up a colleague to work overtime that day, it was just a small favor.”
The implication is that you no longer need to thank me repeatedly.
In his memory, Zhu Liushuang seemed to be constantly saying "thank you" and "excuse me" to him, seemingly polite but actually very cautious. He Ming felt inexplicably awkward.
The word "thank you" that was on the tip of Zhu Liushuang's tongue was swallowed back down her throat.
She chuckled and scratched the hair at the nape of her neck: "At first I was wondering if your 'be careful' was some kind of premonition, but now I finally understand."
"Senior...you seem to be my savior!" Zhu Liushuang said from the bottom of his heart, his eyes shining with emotion. "I have received so much care from you recently, I don't know...how to thank you."
Her lips trembled, and she left half a sentence stuck in her throat, never telling him: "You, who help me every moment, will keep reminding me of all the little things from high school."
Memories intertwine, and the events of the past repeat themselves year after year. He seems to have always been like this, silently helping her.
What he didn't know was that his so-called simple act of kindness could lead her to repeatedly fall into depravity.
Zhu Liushuang knew she was doomed.
Because she clearly realized that she had fallen irrevocably in love with him.
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Author's Note: I'm having so much writer's block! Waaaaah, I even wrote an outline, but I'm still stuck.
I'm so eager to start writing about our carefree married life! But I can't skimp on the setup. That's just how I am, always writing slow-burn stories.
Sigh, the senior's simple act of kindness touched both of them deeply. It was clearly a two-way street!
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