35: Chapter 35 A Night's Leak Before the Steps Until Dawn

In youth, I listened to the rain from a song-filled tower, beneath red candles and dim silk curtains.

In prime, I listened to the rain on a guest boat; the river was wide, clouds hung low, and a lone wild goose cried out in the west wind.

Joys and sorrows, partings and reunions are always heartless; I just let the rain drip against the steps until dawn.

In his previous life, Shen Weiyue had none of the hedonistic pleasures of youth, but he certainly had his fair share of running about in his prime.

Especially during those years as deputy director, his heart would hang in suspense whenever he heard the rain; thus, when the sound of the rain swelled to a roar, he awoke from his dream.

The living room lights were already out.

Liang Yuting was nowhere to be seen at the table. By the faint light of his phone screen, he discovered he was lying on the sofa, covered with a summer quilt.

"What is this?"

Shen Weiyue sniffed the quilt; it had a fragrant scent, refreshing and very pleasant.

He checked the time; it was past one in the morning. It was so late that Liang Yuting must have already gone to sleep.

"Damn it, I've been so tired lately that I actually overslept."

Shen Weiyue cursed under his breath and prepared to head back home.

He stood up on tiptoe, crept to the door, turned the doorknob, and prepared to slip out.

"Creeeak~"

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and a slender figure walked out, dazed. In the sparse light filtering in from the window, she saw him clearly.

"Ah!"

Liang Yuting screamed loudly.

"Teacher Liang, don't scream, it's me." Shen Weiyue shouted in a hurry, then flipped on the living room light.

The lights came on, and the two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Liang Yuting was wearing pink pajamas. Seeing him clutching the doorknob, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going back to sleep. It's so late, and you didn't wake me up," Shen Weiyue explained.

"I didn't finish grading the test papers until twelve. Seeing you sleeping so soundly on the sofa, like a little piglet, I didn't wake you."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher Liang. I'll be heading back then."

Shen Weiyue opened the door and stuck one foot out. Hearing the rain, Liang Yuting hurriedly said, "Don't go back. It's so late and there's a rainstorm outside. Just go back tomorrow."

Shen Weiyue walked to the window and listened. It was at least at the level of a red alert for rainstorms. If this were his previous life, he wouldn't be sleeping; he would have been on the front lines directing flood control.

He hesitated and asked, "Teacher Liang, you're right. Running back in such heavy rain would definitely leave me drenched. But if I stay here, is it... is it convenient for you?"

"No one else will know, and as long as we have a clear conscience, it's fine. I'm just letting you stay the night; don't let your imagination run wild."

Shen Weiyue looked at the soft light in her bedroom; it was indescribably wonderful, and the whole scene felt warm.

This feels like a home.

He pointed to the sofa and asked, "So, I sleep on the sofa?"

"Obviously. If you want to sleep on the floor, I won't stop you."

Liang Yuting was amused by his foolish question.

Shen Weiyue didn't stand on ceremony; he went back to the sofa, lay down, pulled the quilt over himself tightly, and took a deep, intoxicated breath.

"Teacher Liang, this quilt of yours has a scent."

"What scent?"

"I don't know, it's unique and smells very good."

"You talk too much. Aren't all quilts the same? What could be unique about it..."

Liang Yuting felt a bit uncomfortable. That was the quilt she had been using, and perhaps because she was dressed lightly, the quilt was quite close to her skin.

Shen Weiyue insisted, "It really does. You probably can't smell it yourself, but it smells very good. It's not like a guy's quilt, which is all stinky..."

"Oh? Well, you've reminded me. Once you leave tomorrow, I'll throw this quilt away," Liang Yuting said, frowning.

"Don't!" Shen Weiyue shouted in a hurry. "Don't throw it away. Instead of that, why don't you let this quilt come with me?"

Let this quilt come with you?

Liang Yuting was extremely flustered by his sudden, playful remark, and her breathing became erratic.

"You... keep dreaming! Why would I give you my quilt? Taking advantage of your teacher like this, you really are a rascal."

She didn't dare to meet his eyes, looked down, and scolded him quickly, "Alright, stop dawdling. Go to sleep. If you aren't going to sleep, then go home."

"Good night!"

Shen Weiyue quickly lay back down, wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, and hid his head inside.

Liang Yuting subconsciously turned back to her room, but then remembered she needed to go to the Restroom, so she braced herself and walked out again.

It was amusing.

...

Having lived two lifetimes, Shen Weiyue was naturally very good at reading the room.

He was fully aware of Liang Yuting's embarrassment. While jokes could be pleasant, one had to know where to draw the line.

So, the next morning, when she opened her bedroom door, Shen Weiyue was already gone, leaving a note on the table held down by a pen.

"Teacher Liang, I made some simple breakfast and kept it warm in the pot. Remember to eat it. I'm heading back now. Thank you so much for letting me stay on this rainy night. Thanks."

Liang Yuting went to the kitchen.

Sure enough, there was steamed egg custard, vegetable porridge, boiled corn, and a plate of chili-oil pickled vegetables in the pot.

Simple yet refined, it was quite appetizing.

"It's not even seven o'clock yet. How did this guy wake up so early?"

Liang Yuting ate breakfast, puzzled, when another thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Setting aside factors like status and age, just from a woman's perspective, a man like Shen Weiyue was very suitable for living life together.

To use an apt label, he was an "economical and practical man."

Who knows who will be lucky enough to end up with such a guy in the future?

If Shen Weiyue knew she had this thought, he would definitely retort righteously: "What the hell is an 'economical and practical man'? I'm not going to be a househusband. Director Shen is a man who is going to be a billionaire!"

Of course, if Liang Yuting heard such words, she would only think it was wishful thinking.

Although this was an era of mass wealth creation, tens of billions or hundreds of billions were still myths. For a small-town test-taker to break into a big company and earn an annual salary of one million was already considered a great success.

Liang Yuting nibbled on the boiled corn, looking at the clean kitchen and the neatly folded quilt on the sofa, her gaze distant, lost in thought.

...

On the other side.

After returning to his rental apartment, the first thing Shen Weiyue did was go to the Restroom to take a shower.

Being too young comes with its own set of regular troubles. Fortunately, he had woken up at the critical moment last night; otherwise, it would have been too embarrassing to have stained Liang Yuting's quilt.

Sigh, hurry up and graduate from the College Entrance Exam.

After graduation, get into university early and find a girlfriend sooner.

Of course, sighing aside, if he could have last night's dream again, Director Shen would be very willing.

The person in the dream was wearing a lace purple dress, posing and acting seductively in every way; the scene was simply indescribable.

He showered in cold water, his mind wandering, then tiredly returned to bed and fell straight asleep, starting his morning nap.

Meanwhile, Liang Yuting had finished breakfast and was preparing to take the quilt back to the bedroom.

But the moment she picked up the quilt, she couldn't help but sniff, and the next second, she frowned.

Liang Yuting unfolded the neatly folded quilt, and her world collapsed.