180: Chapter 180 Lu Manqi's Excitement

After Jiang Chen finished speaking, he turned and headed toward the hallway storage room. A moment later, he returned holding a simple black long-handled umbrella.

The umbrella looked exquisite, but it was small in size—only enough to comfortably cover one person. It could barely fit two people side-by-side, and they would have to stay extremely close to avoid the intrusion of the slanting wind and rain.

"Let's go."

He opened the black umbrella and took the lead in stepping into the curtain of rain.

Lu Manqi followed him, naturally leaning closer to his side.

The rain pattered down, and the wind carried wisps of rain diagonally. The umbrella's surface was truly limited; if one wasn't careful, their shoulder would get wet from the rain.

She was observant and, fearing that half of Jiang Chen's body would be soaked, she proactively moved a few inches closer to him.

Their shoulders were almost touching, and their arms pressed against each other through the thin fabric of their clothes.

With the distance suddenly closing and only the rustling of rain around them, a layer of soft, warm ambiguity inexplicably spread through the air.

A faint, crisp, and clean fragrance inadvertently drifted around Lu Manqi's nose. It was like cold cedar mixed with a light woody scent—a scent unique to Jiang Chen. It was steady and pleasant, making her heart tremble slightly for some reason.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen could clearly smell the faint, elegant, and refreshing fragrance from the girl beside him. It wasn't heavy or gaudy, but gentle and healing, drifting into his nose in strands and causing his mind to waver slightly.

The rainy path was slippery, so the two slowed their pace, walking side-by-side through the puddles.

The road surface was slightly uneven, making their bodies sway gently as they walked. Jiang Chen's arm, hanging by his side, would occasionally brush against Lu Manqi's arm and shoulder with his steps.

Through the light clothing, the contact was a delicate and soft sensation—warm and inexplicably alluring.

Jiang Chen's expression remained indifferent and calm, but a very faint ripple passed through his eyes. His steps remained composed, though the aura around him unconsciously deepened a bit.

A faint blush quietly spread across Lu Manqi's cheeks, but she didn't deliberately dodge. She maintained the close distance, quietly accompanying him as they walked slowly under the umbrella.

The sound of rain lingered all the way, and the small world under the umbrella was quiet and ambiguous.

They were within arm's reach, their breathing audible, and their scents intertwined. In the damp rain, an indescribable atmosphere of tension brewed.

Before long, they reached the South Gate open-air parking lot, and the rain eased slightly.

Jiang Chen closed the black umbrella and casually shook off the water droplets. Although his shoulder was slightly damp, he didn't look disheveled.

Lu Manqi stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes bright with a smile. Her tone was sincere, with a hint of gentle warmth: "Thank you so much for today. It's thanks to you giving me a ride that I wasn't trapped in that hallway for who knows how long."

She paused, a shallow seriousness in her eyes and a perfectly curved smile on her lips. Her tone carried a gentleness that wouldn't allow him to refuse.

"I can't just let this favor go. Next time, it's my treat. I'll take you out to dinner, and you absolutely must not refuse."

The evening breeze blew by with wisps of rain. Her eyes were warm, her smile faint, and a subtle sense of initiative and probing was hidden in her gaze.

Seeing the little scheme in her eyes and her attempt to appear composed while hiding her expectations, Jiang Chen felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

His face remained expressionless, his eyes clear and indifferent, but he was inwardly amused.

Lu Manqi was generous and proactive, taking every step with composure. She used the rainy day to get closer, handling the boundaries perfectly. She seemed submissive and well-behaved, but she actually harbored the intentions of an active hunter.

And he watched coldly from the sidelines, taking in all her little schemes. He neither refused nor took the initiative, allowing her to approach step by step.

For a moment, he couldn't quite tell who was the prey pretending to be well-behaved and who was the hunter with hidden motives in this quietly heating ambiguity.

The air was filled with the moist scent after the rain. The two looked at each other quietly without saying more, but the ambiguous tension lingering between them became even more drawn out in the aftermath of the rain.

Lu Manqi's heart skipped a beat under his calm and deep gaze. She looked away slightly toward her white bmw 3 series parked not far away and said softly, "My car is over there. I'll head over first."

As she spoke, she looked up at Jiang Chen again, her eyes curving into a gentle and bright smile. Her tone was a bit playful yet seriously certain.

"It's settled then—I'm treating you to dinner next time. You're not allowed to make excuses to get out of it. I'll message you on WeChat ahead of time to set a date."

Jiang Chen looked at the liveliness and initiative she couldn't hide. A trace of a faint smile touched the corners of his lips as he nodded slightly, his voice crisp and deep: "Okay."

A simple word, yet it seemed to give tacit consent to all her arrangements, gentle and indulgent.

A hint of sweetness filled Lu Manqi's heart. She waved at him gently: "Then I'll head out first. Drive safely."

After saying that, she turned and walked toward her car, stepping on the shallow puddles on the ground.

Her slender figure in the cool post-rain breeze possessed a gentle and moving charm.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned around as if remembering something. The rain felt cool on her face, and she squinted slightly, pointing toward her white bmw 3 series with a natural yet caring tone that brooked no refusal.

"The rain hasn't stopped yet. Why don't you wait in the car for a bit? Don't stand out here and get soaked."

Jiang Chen was slightly stunned and didn't have time to say anything.

Lu Manqi had already walked quickly to her car, opened the door, and slid inside. She nimbly moved a few small items scattered on the passenger seat to the back and quickly leaned over to tidy the seat.

The interior of the car was decorated by her to be warm and unique.

The cream-colored leather seats were covered with soft lotus-pink plush cushions. A thin silver trim lined the edges of the center console, and two small aromatherapy clips were attached to the air conditioning vents, emitting a faint scent of gardenia as they spun.

An exquisite tassel ornament hung from the rearview mirror, swaying gently. By the passenger's feet sat a smiling bear-shaped storage box.

After finishing her tidying, she looked up and waved at Jiang Chen, her voice light and bright: "Come on in quickly, don't get wet."

Jiang Chen's gaze fell on her face, which looked exceptionally soft through the mist, and then swept over the detailed and warm arrangement of the car. After a pause, he walked over, bent down, and sat in the passenger seat, casually folding the black umbrella and placing it by his feet.

The moment the car door closed, the sound of the rain outside was immediately cut off.

It was quiet inside the car. The air was filled with a faint scent of gardenia and the fresh smell of leather, mixed with the elegant fragrance drifting from Lu Manqi.

Lu Manqi sat in the driver's seat, closed the door, and casually brushed aside her stray hairs dampened by the rain.

Seeing that Jiang Chen's shoulders and the tips of his hair were dotted with fine rain droplets, she immediately leaned over and grabbed a neatly folded light gray towel from the back seat. She handed it to him with a natural and caring tone.

"Wipe yourself off so you don't catch a cold. This towel is clean; I usually keep it in the car as a spare."

Jiang Chen looked down at the towel. It was soft, with a fine white border embroidered around the edges, reflecting the same attention to detail as the rest of her car's interior.

He reached out to take it, and his fingertips inadvertently brushed against her fingers. The warm, soft sensation lasted only a moment before they separated, but it made Lu Manqi's heart tremble, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"Thanks."

Jiang Chen said in a low voice. He used the towel to gently wipe the dampness from the tips of his hair and shoulders. His movements were composed as he casually brushed a few strands of wet black hair back from his forehead, revealing his handsome and clean features.

Lu Manqi stole a glance at him, her heart inexplicably skipping a beat. She quickly looked away and reached down to turn on the heater, adjusting it to the gentlest setting to hide her momentary fluster.

Once he was done wiping, she reached out to take the towel and tossed it onto the back seat.

The space inside the car wasn't large; as they sat side-by-side, their shoulders were almost touching.

The warm air blew gently, carrying her elegant scent, becoming even softer and more lingering in the enclosed cabin.

Just then, from the direction of the school gate in the distance, a steady and grand white lexus lm slowly entered the campus. It drove smoothly toward the parking lot and finally came to a steady stop not far from the bmw 3 series.

The window rolled down, and Lu Zheng was slightly stunned to see Jiang Chen sitting in the car next to him. He immediately regained his steady and respectful demeanor, saying softly toward Jiang Chen, "President Jiang, I've come to pick you up."

Jiang Chen nodded slightly, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned to look at Lu Manqi beside him.

She followed his gaze and looked at the lexus lm outside the window, then at Lu Zheng. Her expression didn't show any surprise.

Instead, the corners of her lips curved slightly, and a knowing smile appeared in her eyes as she said softly, "Your car is here."

Seeing her composed manner, Jiang Chen didn't hide anything either. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and his voice was low and warm: "Yeah. Thanks for the towel, and your car—it's very warm."

After saying that, he took the black umbrella, pushed open the door, stepped into the light rain, and got into Lu Zheng's car.

Lu Manqi watched the lexus lm slowly drive away until its taillights disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path. Only then did she lean back against the seat and let out a long breath.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly covered her burning cheeks and let out a small squeal as she curled up in her seat.

"Ahhh... I can't take it, he's just too handsome!"

Thinking back to the image of them huddled together under the umbrella just now, her cheeks felt so hot they were practically smoking, and her heart pounded wildly.

"We were so close just now... our shoulders were touching, and we kept bumping arms while walking."

She raised her hands to fan her burning cheeks, her eyes filled with hidden bashfulness and joy as she couldn't help but murmur.

"He smells so good, too—that clean, refreshing cedar scent is exactly my type... I'm really going to faint."

It took a long time for her to calm her breathing. Her fingers gently stroked the passenger seat where he had sat; a trace of that crisp cedar scent seemed to still linger there.

It mixed with the faint gardenia fragrance in the car, circulating gently in the warm air.

The corners of her mouth rose high, unable to be suppressed. Her eyes were full of uncontrollable excitement and happiness as she murmured softly, "It's over, I'm really falling for him this time..."