Chapter 58: The Rain

“Sister Yuan?”

Sister Yuan was leaning over me to close the window, and that familiar, faint fragrance washed over my face.

“Come to my office.”

The voice that reached my ears was very soft, yet it clearly carried a hint of resentful dissatisfaction.

The other students had disappeared at some point.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, as if we were the only two people left in the world.

I followed Sister Yuan’s footsteps out of the classroom and climbed the stairs, one floor at a time.

The rain was heavier than before, drumming furiously against the iron railings of the corridor, creating a crisp, clanging sound.

The resulting spray had also dampened the corridor floor.

Entering the room on the third floor that I had been to countless times, I expertly slumped into Sister Yuan’s office chair, listening to the patter of the rain and gazing at the downpour outside.

The light suddenly dimmed.

I turned my head and saw that the white curtain on the other side of the office had been drawn.

Sister Yuan was now locking the door.

“Si-Si-Si-Sister Yuan, are you in a bad mood?”

“I-I-I-I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

A chilling coldness filled Sister Yuan’s dim eyes.

I had noticed it just now, but her actions of locking the door and drawing the curtains confirmed the source of her bad mood.

“Watching you sitting with those two girls, talking and laughing… how could I be in a good mood?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Xiao You, but when I’m annoyed, letting me vent a little is also your responsibility as a younger brother, isn’t it?”

Her pure-colored eyes stared at me intently, as if waiting for my answer.

I couldn’t see the smile she usually wore, which was unsettling.

“Uh… this… is this why your playing broke for a moment just now?”

“Yes.”

“At that moment, I really wanted to come right off the stage and take you away.”

Sister Yuan propped her hands on the armrests of the chair, looking down at me like a viper eyeing prey already in its mouth.

“But didn’t you approve of them as my friends?”

“It’s normal to chat with friends, right?”

“That’s why I’m seeking your opinion.”

“Otherwise, your mouth would have been sealed long ago, Xiao You.”

I glanced at the armrests she was gripping tightly.

I had a feeling that if I didn’t agree, Sister Yuan wouldn’t just let me off the hook.

It was better to just accept it.

“Alright.”

“Make it quick.”

“The rain seems to be getting heavier.”

I closed my eyes in resignation, spread my hands, and let Sister Yuan do as she pleased.

A warm, soft sensation touched my neck, along with the not-too-heavy pain of being bitten.

After the bite, a soft little tongue licked the mark, leaving a wet trail of saliva.

The spot on my neck tingled.

Feeling Sister Yuan’s lips leave, I opened my eyes and was about to pull a couple of tissues from the box on the desk when my hand was caught.

“Don’t wipe it.”

“Leave it like that.”

“Let’s go, time to go home.”

“Huh?”

“You want me to go out with this bite mark, Sister Yuan?”

“Yes.”

“You are mine.”

“You carry my mark.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Let’s go, or we’ll have trouble getting a taxi.”

Sister Yuan’s serious tone left no room for argument.

I could only stand up shakily and follow her out of the academic building and through the school gate.

A fierce wind picked up with the frantic downpour, blowing the tree trunks by the roadside askew.

Leaves carried away by the wind tumbled in the air before vanishing into the dark, unseen corners of the street.

The bite mark Sister Yuan left on me wasn’t big, nor was it high up.

I could cover it with my collar by tilting my head.

But if someone were to come up and talk to me, they would still be able to see the faint mark on my neck.

Fortunately, we didn’t have any acquaintances in this neighborhood.

Raindrops pattered ceaselessly on the umbrella’s surface, yet in Sister Yuan’s hand, it didn’t tilt in the slightest.

She held it steady, not letting a single drop of rain fall on me.

“Sister Yuan, tilt the umbrella more towards your side.”

“Your shoulder over there is already wet.”

“If I do that, I can’t guarantee you won’t get wet, Xiao You.”

“I’m healthy; a little rain won’t hurt me.”

Her concerned tone made me feel a little ashamed.

My repeated requests to hold the umbrella had all been rejected by Sister Yuan.

There was no point in trying again.

Instead, I leaned my body closer to Sister Yuan’s, pressing against her clearly delicate frame.

I grabbed the hand she was using to hold the umbrella and pushed it a bit towards her side until her other shoulder was under its protection.

“Let’s just stay like this.”

“I still won’t get wet.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

At this point, I was practically stuck to Sister Yuan.

If before, one could explain it as a teacher walking a student without an umbrella home, our current posture was something reserved for family or lovers.

Sister Yuan didn’t object to my suggestion this time.

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and a friendly curve appeared on her lips.

The rain kept pouring just as hard, showing no signs of letting up.

Water splashed up with every step, seeping into my shoes and soaking my socks.

The damp, clammy feeling made me desperate to get home and take them off.

“Argh, water got into my shoes.”

“It feels so uncomfortable.”

“Mhm, what hateful weather.”

“Xiao You.”

“Mhm?”

“What is it?”

“My feet got wet from the rain.”

“Will you still like them?”

“I don’t like your feet, Sister Yuan!”

“I’m really not a foot fetishist, I’ve stressed this many times!”

I retorted loudly.

“Is that so?”

“But you always seem to enjoy it when I see you with my feet in your mouth.”

“I… I do not.”

Sister Yuan’s nonsensical words and my strong reaction eased the spreading gloomy atmosphere.

The oppressive weather also seemed less annoying.

Our careful steps through the rain finally brought us to the bus shelter by the station sign, where several other people were also waiting for the bus.

The glass roof overhead blocked the falling rain, but the concrete ground below was still wet from the water dripping off umbrellas.

Thankfully, I didn’t see any students in our school uniform.

After Sister Yuan’s show-stealing performance on stage today, students from other grades probably recognized her now.

If they saw her sharing an umbrella so intimately with me, I was afraid the identity of “Ice Queen Teacher Mo’s younger brother” would be hard to keep under wraps.

After Sister Yuan closed her umbrella, I stood a little closer to the edge, looking down the road for approaching vehicles.

In front of the small steps of the bus shelter, the rainwater had collected into a sizable puddle, and murky, filthy water continuously flowed into it.

The city’s drainage system was as unsatisfactory as ever.

Whenever it rained, puddles would form all over the place, just like that day…

Just as I was leaning out to look into the distance, a speeding electric scooter came from behind.

The puddle on the ground was sent flying high by the pressure of its wheels, drenching me completely.

The driver, whose character was clearly questionable, sped off.

I glared at his triumphant back, helplessly swallowing the curse that was about to escape my lips, and sighed.

‘What bad luck.’

“Xiao You, are you okay?”

“You’re soaked.”

“Why don’t we go to that hotel over there and stay for the night?”

Sister Yuan walked up and asked with concern.

All her previous efforts had been in vain; she was probably angry too.

“No need, I’m fine.”

“Let’s just wait a little longer.”

“Alright.”

“If we still can’t get a taxi soon, then listen to me and we’ll make do at that hotel for the night.”

After speaking, Sister Yuan took out her phone and looked at it.

From her pursed lips and tightly furrowed brow, it seemed she wasn’t having any luck hailing a taxi on her phone either.

The dirty water trickled down from the hem of my shirt and my pant legs.

The damp clothes clung to my body.

When the cold wind blew, I felt as if I had been thrown into an ice cellar, my teeth chattering from the cold.