Chapter 10: Melancholy in the Rain
Lu Li liked cats. They were beautiful, elegant, and aloof. The little kitten in his arms hadn’t even opened its eyes yet, its meows heartbreaking. He tilted the umbrella, shielding the tiny creature from the cold wind and rain. After a while, Wen Hupo’s voice came again, “I warmed some goat milk at the convenience store, is that okay?”
Lu Li raised the umbrella slightly, peeking out with one eye. “Where’s your umbrella?”
Wen Hupo’s usually smooth and flowing blonde hair was now plastered to her face and clothes. Her dark green school uniform was also clinging to her body due to the dampness, making her look less put-together than usual.
“I forgot it at the store.” Wen Hupo handed him a plastic cup of warm goat milk. Lu Li saw raindrops dripping from her delicate, white wrists, the pitter-patter like the melody of a piano.
Lu Li took the cup and sighed. “Let’s go back to the activity classroom first. You’ll catch a cold dressed like that. I’ll get you a new uniform from the logistics office.”
“…Okay.”
Back in the activity classroom, the kitten’s meows grew weaker. Lu Li asked Wen Hupo to take care of it while he went to the logistics office to get a new uniform. When he returned to the classroom, he saw Wen Hupo carefully holding the kitten, her movements stiff and awkward as she tried to feed it. A puddle of rainwater had formed on the floor beneath her seat.
“Achoo—” She sneezed.
Lu Li tossed her a new towel he had grabbed from the logistics office. “Dry your hair. I’ll feed the kitten.”
Wen Hupo nodded and started rubbing her hair haphazardly with the towel. Lu Li watched her movements and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Have you never washed your own hair before? You don’t even know how to dry it properly?” Wen Hupo’s face was pale from the cold, the blush on her cheeks even more noticeable. “I always have the maids do it, it’s difficult to manage my hair by myself…” “Then why do you keep it so long?” “It would be a pity to cut it, wouldn’t it?”
The kitten, after finishing the goat milk, fell asleep peacefully. Lu Li placed it in a drawer and then turned to Wen Hupo. “Let me dry your hair for you. You’ve been rubbing it for a while, but the roots are still wet. You’ll catch a cold tomorrow.” He was calmer now than he was in the morning. After all, Wen Hupo was innocent. He was just being unreasonable due to his disappointment. Wen Hupo had always been like this, she had never changed, she had never loved anyone. Why did he think she would make an exception for him?
“Are you still angry?”
“…Why would I be angry?”
“You were clearly angry this morning.”
Lu Li took the towel and carefully dried Wen Hupo’s hair. He often dried Sister Yameng’s hair because she didn’t like using a hairdryer.
“I wasn’t angry.”
“You’re lying,” Wen Hupo said. “Lu Li, I don’t understand. Why were you angry? Did I say something wrong?”
No, you didn’t say anything wrong. Lu Li’s hand paused slightly. He suddenly thought of a phrase: fated to meet, not fated to be together. He and Wen Hupo were definitely fated to meet, they always seemed to find each other, but there was a thin layer of glass between them, visible but untouchable.
Wen Hupo thought of what An Baili had said to her. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked, “Lu Li, do you really like me?”
What was this? A second interrogation? Couldn’t she tell if he liked her or not? Lu Li chuckled. “Not anymore.”
To be precise, he used to, but he had let go now. Letting go was a swift process, it could happen in a single day. He had spent many nights pondering the meaning behind Wen Hupo holding his hand, even dreaming about them being together. When he woke up the next day, he would linger on the dream like a lovesick teenager.
Hearing Lu Li’s answer, Wen Hupo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
Lu Li tossed the towel aside and walked towards the door. “You can change behind the door, I’ll keep watch for you outside.”
Wen Hupo’s clothes were soaked, she couldn’t go home like this. Lu Li closed the classroom door and could faintly hear Wen Hupo walking behind the door, followed by the rustling sound of her changing clothes.
“Lu Li…”
“Yes?”
“I apologize. Can you stop being angry? Can we go back to how we were before?” Wen Hupo’s voice was hesitant, lacking its usual crispness. “Like before, the three of you chatting and laughing, and me listening quietly behind you. Is that okay?” She regretted it. She no longer wanted to pursue a perfect memory. The more she pursued perfection, the more she felt its absence.
“Miss Wen Hupo, you don’t have to apologize…” There was only a door between them. The girl behind the door was probably half-dressed. “We’re still friends.” Yes, they were still friends, but he would no longer instinctively try to please her or obey her like before.
“…Really…?” Wen Hupo’s voice became even more hesitant, each word weighing a thousand pounds. “Why do I feel like something has changed…?”
Lu Li didn’t respond. Wen Hupo finished changing, came out holding the kitten, and said, “Let’s go, they lock the school gates at eight.”
Lu Li noticed that the fabric of Wen Hupo’s shirt was much looser than usual. Her underwear must have been wet too. Wasn’t she wearing a bra?
Wen Hupo seemed to be particularly fond of the kitten. “I want to take it home and raise it. I think we’re quite similar.”
“I don’t think so,” Lu Li said bluntly.
“We’re both homeless animals. Only it’s luckier, you found it. If I had found it, it would have probably starved or frozen to death.” Wen Hupo gently rubbed the kitten’s paws.
“How are you homeless? The bathroom in your villa is bigger than my entire apartment.”
“That’s not my home.”
“Then where’s your home? America?”
“Not there either.” Wen Hupo lowered her head.
“Lu Li.” She suddenly called out his name. “If I were to become homeless one day, cold and hungry, what should I do?”
Lu Li gave her a strange look. Wen Hupo would never be homeless. Was this another one of her melodramatic fantasies?
“Just find a place to squat and wait for someone to pick you up.” Lu Li said casually. “Someone will always take care of you.”
“…” Wen Hupo fell silent, not saying anything more.
When they reached the school gate, Lu Li gave his umbrella to Wen Hupo.
“We can share,” Wen Hupo said. “If we stand close together, one umbrella is enough.”
“I’m afraid Jingyi would misunderstand.” This was Lu Li’s only explanation. Wen Hupo opened her mouth, a strange feeling in her heart. It seemed their relationship could never go back to how it was before.
The rain kept falling. And so did the blonde girl’s melancholy.
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