"Hey!" Lin Wanqing exclaimed and tried to chase after him, but Zhong Hua stopped her.
"Never mind that." He wiped the rain off his face; the shoulders of his shirt were soaked, clinging to his body and outlining his sharp shoulder line. "Get to work."
As soon as Ayu pressed the shutter, he felt a sudden darkness above him. Zhong Hua stood behind him, shielding him from the slanting raindrops with his own body. Without an umbrella, the rain lashed directly against Zhong Hua's back, quickly turning his dark shirt a deep brown, but his hands remained firmly on Ayu's camera bag, as if afraid he might lose his balance while kneeling.
"Is it done?" Zhong Hua's voice came from above, damp with rain. "There might still be water inside. I'll go in and check."
As Ayu nodded, she caught a glimpse of Lin Wanqing recording with her phone out of the corner of her eye. In the video, Zhong Hua's back was half in the shadow of a black umbrella and half being washed by the rain. His soaked shirt clung to his back, revealing the clear outline of his spine. Meanwhile, Ayu's own hand, holding the camera, was being held protectively in Zhong Hua's arms. The canvas of the camera bag was already half-dry from the warmth of his body, and the strap that had been tightened earlier was digging into her waist, leaving shallow marks.
When Zhong Hua pushed open the iron gate, the harsh sound of rust scraping against each other mingled with the rushing sound of water. Ayu followed him inside and discovered that the lobby floor was flooded with water up to her ankles. Behind the waist-high counter, rainwater streamed down the carved wooden lattice windows, forming a winding creek on the ground.
“Look here.” Zhong Hua walked through the water to the counter and pointed to the corner where the wall and the floor met. “The tiles below the waistline have been beveled so that the water can flow down the slope to the drain. That was very advanced back then.” As he spoke, water droplets from his forehead fell into the puddles, creating tiny ripples.
Ayu took a few steps back, holding his camera, wanting to photograph the drainage system of the entire lobby. On his third step back, his foot suddenly slipped, and he stumbled forward. He instinctively pulled the camera back to his chest, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed—Zhong Hua had appeared behind him at some point, his palm burning hot, gripping his wrist painfully.
"Be careful." Zhong Hua's breath was right next to my ear, damp with moisture. "The floor tiles here are slippery."
When Ayu regained her balance, she realized she was almost leaning against Zhong Hua. His soaked shirt clung to her back, and beneath the cool fabric, she could clearly feel his warm body temperature and steady heartbeat. Lin Wanqing's phone camera was pointed at them, and on the screen, she could see Zhong Hua's slightly furrowed brows and his own flushed ears.
"Sorry." Ayu quickly stood up straight and took half a step back. The camera bag strap had come loose again, and when Zhong Hua reached out to tighten it for him, his fingertips accidentally touched the skin on the back of Ayu's neck, like a cold raindrop falling.
“Take a picture of that drain over there.” Zhong Hua turned to look at the other side of the counter, his voice regaining its usual calmness. “That copper grille is original; its drainage efficiency is higher than the current plastic drains.”
Ayu walked over with his camera in hand. Through the lens, he saw Zhong Hua bending over to inspect the drain pipe connection in the corner of the wall. The water was over his leather shoes, and the cuffs of his dark trousers were rolled up to his knees, revealing red marks on his calves from being hit by tiles. Lin Wanqing squatted down next to him to take a close-up photo. Her phone was so close that it almost fell into the water, but Zhong Hua quickly retrieved it.
"Zhong, with your reaction speed, it's a shame you're not a lifeguard." Lin Wanqing laughed as she wiped the water off her phone. "If Ayu's camera had fallen into the water just now, all our project's promotional materials would have been ruined."
Zhong Hua didn't reply, his gaze falling on A Yu. A Yu was adjusting the angle of his camera, his black umbrella leaning against a nearby pillar, water dripping from its tip, forming small puddles on the ground. His profile was illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the window, his eyelashes casting faint shadows below his eyelids, and his rain-dampened temples clung to his cheeks like spreading ink stains.
"Is it about time?" Zhong Hua suddenly spoke up. "The rain seems to be getting heavier. If we don't leave soon, we might be trapped here."
Ayu glanced down at the photos on her camera, about to say that she was missing a detail shot, when she saw Zhong Hua already at the door, bending down to pick something up. It was the floral umbrella that had flown away; it had been blown back to the doorway by the wind sometime during the day, its surface covered in mud, and its ribs crookedly bent, like a butterfly with broken wings.
"Can you still hold on?" Ayu walked over and asked.
Zhong Hua tried to straighten the umbrella ribs, and one of them broke off immediately. He shook his head, rolled up the deformed canopy, and stuffed it into his tool bag: "It's a waste to throw it away. I'll see if I can fix it when I get back."
On the way back, a downpour began. The black umbrella was passed among the three of them, mostly covering Ayu's camera, while Zhong Hua and Lin Wanqing took turns standing on the outside to shield them from the rain. When they reached the bus stop on the street corner, Lin Wanqing suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!" and pointed to her canvas shoes: "My shoes are completely soaked. I should have worn rain boots."
"There's a convenience store up ahead." Zhong Hua looked up and said, "Let's go buy a pair of slippers."
The warm air from the convenience store made her shiver. Ayu stood at the door, shaking the water off her umbrella, watching Zhong Hua pick out slippers from the shelf. His shirt was still dripping wet, forming small puddles on the floor, but he was still meticulous when choosing things. He picked up two pairs of slippers and carefully examined the anti-slip treads on the soles before handing one pair to Lin Wanqing.
"Aren't you going to buy it?" Lin Wanqing noticed that Zhong Hua hadn't moved while changing her shoes.
"No need." Zhong Hua's gaze fell on A Yu's shoes, which were also soaked and covered in mud. "A Yu, would you like to change into a different pair?"
Ayu shook her head, about to say it was okay, when Zhong Hua came over with a pair of dark blue slippers and placed them beside her feet. "Make sure they're comfortable." As he knelt down to untie Ayu's slippers, the warm light from the convenience store shone on the top of his head, revealing tiny water droplets clinging to his wet hair, like scattered diamonds.
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