Chapter Two: The Darkness Beneath the Torrential Rain (2)

Chu Zihang stood before the glass window, staring blankly at the scene outside.

In truth, Liu Miaomiao had been standing at the doorway for a long while even before Lu Mingfei arrived.

She had stolen several glances at Chu Zihang, but all she saw was a silhouette standing by the window, his hands tucked into his pockets, wrapped in a Diesel hoodie and a Burberry plaid scarf.

She assumed Chu Zihang was watching the rain or perhaps observing the scenery outside. But on such a rainy day, nothing was actually visible beyond the glass.

The curtain of rain completely isolated people from the world, blurring everything as if one were looking through nearsighted eyes. He was simply lost in thought.

He liked to clear his mind; that way, he didn't have to dwell on many things, and consequently, he didn't have to make any choices.

The silver Motorola Razr V3 rotated, paused, and rotated again in Chu Zihang’s palm.

"Senior Chu? What a coincidence, you haven't left yet either?"

A boy stood at the door with his head drooping, wearing the uniform of the Shilane High School junior division, smiling at him in a complicated way.

Beside the boy, a pretty girl with long hair peeked in curiously. The moment she saw Chu Zihang turn around, she lowered her gaze, her delicate face flushing slightly.

Chu Zihang recognized the girl. Liu Miaomiao was quite famous in both the junior and senior high divisions. She had already passed her Grade 10 piano exam while still in the ninth grade, and she was beautiful and from a good family.

Every year at the Shilane High School gala, her performances were the most popular among the boys. Even in Chu Zihang’s own class, several boys were constantly vying for her attention.

However, it was the boy’s name that Chu Zihang called out first.

"Lu... Mingfei?"

He and the boy actually had no connection. The only reason he knew Lu Mingfei’s name was simply because he had a good memory.

The senior and junior divisions of Shilane High shared the same teaching building. Chu Zihang would occasionally see that kid mingling in the crowds during the morning and afternoon rushes, walking slowly and alone like a stray dog. On the few occasions he heard others call him by name, he had just happened to commit it to memory.

Calling it "happened to" was an understatement; Chu Zihang had actually put in a bit of effort.

He didn't know why he felt so attentive toward a loser he had never truly met, but he had a vague, inexplicable feeling that the kid and he were actually the same type of person.

"Yeah, I haven't left yet. Do you need something?"

Lu Mingfei was also taken aback, thinking to himself that Senior Chu had known him much earlier than he realized.

He had originally thought that given the senior's personality, even if he didn't know him yet, it wouldn't be difficult to borrow his phone to make a call.

But what right did he have to be remembered by Senior Chu back in middle school?

After returning to this world, Lu Mingfei had seen Chu Zihang many times at school. In fact, it would be hard not to notice him, as Chu Zihang was far too prominent in any crowd. Yet, Lu Mingfei had never once gone up to greet him.

After all, in the current timeline, Chu Zihang hadn't joined Cassell College yet and didn't know him. If Lu Mingfei were to strike up a conversation for no reason, it would likely only make the other party think he was strange.

It would be much easier if he knew him... Lu Mingfei scratched the back of his head and asked, "Senior Chu, do you have a cell phone? The rain is too heavy, and I want to call home."

Chu Zihang paused for a moment.

"Go ahead and use it."

Chu Zihang pulled out his phone and handed it to Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei immediately recognized it as the Motorola V3—a classic among classics.

Back then, it sold for six or seven thousand in official stores, and in reality, the price was even hyped up to nearly ten thousand. It was far more expensive than the Nokia N96 that Zhao Menghua always wore on his belt, and its popularity was comparable to a certain Huawei Porsche model in the future.

Lu Mingfei carefully flipped open the phone and dialed. It took over a dozen rings before the call connected, and his aunt’s megaphone-like voice blared from the receiver.

"Mingfei? You aren't home yet? Still at school? Why are you so late? Your uncle and Mingze are already back! It's raining hard, so just find your own way home. Take a taxi if you must, but remember to ask the driver for a receipt! If there's no receipt, I’m not reimbursing you!"

The conversation lasted only a few sentences before his aunt hung up the phone impatiently.

The white noise of the rain was loud, but his aunt’s voice was louder, so loud that Chu Zihang could hear the contents of the call clearly.

He watched as Lu Mingfei closed the phone and returned it. As he reached out to take it, he couldn't help but remind him, "I doubt you'll be able to catch a taxi now."

"If I can't catch one, I'll just wait a while longer and see if the rain lets up..."

"W-would you like to ride with me? The rain won't stop. The weather forecast said it's a typhoon, and the meteorological bureau has issued a warning... Senior Chu, would you like to come too?"

Liu Miaomiao, who had been peeking the whole time, gathered her courage and stood in the doorway. She pretended to look at Lu Mingfei, but her eyes kept straying toward Chu Zihang.

"Do you... do you know who I am? My name is Liu Miaomiao..." Receiving no answer, she lowered her head, her voice trailing off until it was no louder than a mosquito's hum.

Chu Zihang had been ready to refuse immediately. Naturally, he didn't need a ride from anyone; he only needed to call "Dad," and "Dad" would have the driver pick him up in that top-trim Mercedes S500.

But then he thought that perhaps Lu Mingfei really needed a ride, so he hesitated.

"Which direction do you live in?" Chu Zihang asked softly.

After a moment, Liu Miaomiao realized that Chu Zihang seemed to be speaking to her. Her heart began to pound wildly, and when she looked up, her eyes were as bright as if they had been filled with stars.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I live on the west side of the city, at the California Community..."

Chu Zihang knew the California Community; it was one of the premier high-end residential areas in the city, on par with where he lived at Peacock Mansion. However, Peacock Mansion was in the east, the exact opposite direction of Liu Miaomiao’s home.

"Then my home is not in the same direction as yours," Chu Zihang said. "I'll go on my own. You just take classmate Lu home."

The starlight in Liu Miaomiao's eyes faded instantly. In truth, she had only wanted an excuse to take Chu Zihang home; Lu Mingfei was merely an afterthought.

But since the words were already out, she couldn't very well refuse Lu Mingfei just because Chu Zihang had turned her down, could she?

Fortunately, Lu Mingfei was uncharacteristically perceptive for once: "Liu Miaomiao, you go ahead. My home isn't in your direction either."

Lu Mingfei knew that Liu Miaomiao had only offered him a ride to get closer to Chu Zihang.

Since the "poker-faced" senior had already refused, it would be pointless for him to be stuck alone in a car with the "piano princess" Liu Miaomiao.

Er... the driver didn't count.

Lu Mingfei knew his place.

For some reason, Liu Miaomiao felt that Lu Mingfei was acting a bit strange today. In the past, he definitely would have pestered her for a ride. Today, however, he had proactively suggested that she didn't need to take him.

Lu Mingfei’s refusal actually made Liu Miaomiao feel a bit guilty.

She had, of course, heard about Lu Mingfei’s family situation. She knew he was living under someone else’s roof, dealing with a difficult aunt and an overbearing cousin who treated him poorly—he was even always late to parent-teacher conferences.

On a day of torrential rain, everyone else in the class was picked up by their parents or drivers, yet Lu Mingfei was the only one left waiting for the rain to stop.

She suddenly thought, perhaps she should give Lu Mingfei a ride after all. Since she was already driving, it wouldn't take much longer to loop through the east and west sides of the city.

"Why don't you just ride with me? The rain won't let up for a while, and who knows how long you'd have to wait here," Liu Miaomiao said in a soft, delicate voice. "It's so cold; you'll easily catch a cold if you get wet."

Lu Mingfei was surprised that Liu Miaomiao had offered again. He hesitated, "But the California Community is quite far from my place..."

"It's fine, it won't take long to circle around."

"Lu Mingfei can come with me," Chu Zihang said suddenly. "Our homes are in the same direction, so I can give him a lift."

After saying this, he turned to Lu Mingfei: "Is that alright?"

In reality, he was asking: Is it alright if I ruin your chance to be alone with Liu Miaomiao? Liu Miaomiao was quite pretty and liked by many boys, but he couldn't gauge if Lu Mingfei liked her.

He felt that Lu Mingfei shouldn't have any romantic feelings for her; otherwise, why would he have refused her ride in the first place?

But he couldn't be entirely sure, which is why he asked.

Lu Mingfei, unaware of what Chu Zihang was thinking, nodded vigorously: "I'd love to, I'd love to!" He thought, *Senior Chu, since you’ve personally invited me, how could I refuse?*

There were countless girls at Shilane High who dreamed of riding in Senior Chu’s car. Little Liu Miaomiao was the one who wanted it most.

"Oh, then I'll be going now," Liu Miaomiao whispered. Clutching her bag strap, her shadow receded from the doorway.

Through the rain-streaked glass, Lu Mingfei watched as Liu Miaomiao’s driver held up a massive black umbrella for her. She took off her sandals and changed into rain boots.

The "angel-eye" headlights of the black BMW sedan turned in the downpour, its roaring engine shattering the white noise of the rain as it splashed through the puddles and sped away.

"Is the rain getting heavier?" Lu Mingfei asked as he watched Liu Miaomiao depart.

"Seems so." Though Chu Zihang answered, he didn't even look at the sky. "I need to send a text."

He gripped the Motorola V3 in his pocket tightly, as if he had finally made a decision, flipped it open, and selected a number.

"It's raining very hard. Can you come pick me up now?" Chu Zihang typed out the words.

During the minute he waited for a reply, Chu Zihang felt his heart pounding wildly—*thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.*

It wasn't until a minute later, when the phone chimed with a notification, that he read the text: "Sure thing, no problem. Wait at school, I'll be there right away." Only then did something in his heart settle into place.

The tone of the reply was as nonchalant as ever... Chu Zihang could almost imagine the man’s voice and expression when he said those words.

Chu Zihang read the text several times, then his fingers quietly tapped the keypad to delete it.

Although "Dad" was a good man, very tolerant of both him and his mother, and wouldn't be unhappy or anything of the sort because he contacted him, Chu Zihang still knew that it was best not to let "Dad" see these things.

"My... family will be here soon. You wait a moment. I'll erase the blackboard."

"I-I'll help you erase it."

Lu Mingfei rushed up impatiently, grabbed the chalk-dusted eraser, and scrubbed hard at the clean blackboard.

Chu Zihang watched the board turn whiter as he scrubbed, then glanced at the bucket of water at his feet, thinking that after Lu finished this pass, he would just go over it again himself.