We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

"What are you looking at? Daydreaming?" Ye Chen chuckled when he saw her holding a tissue, which was suspended in mid-air.

Gu Yuxuan snapped out of her daze, put the damp tissue into her bag, and glanced at the dark sky outside as if to cover up her thoughts.

"This rain is going to keep falling for who knows when it will stop. Your clothes are wet, and you'll easily catch a cold standing here in the wind. Why don't we move further inside and wait for the rain to let up a bit before we go?"

"If we stay down for too long, the dorm supervisor will lock the door."

Ye Chen turned his head and looked around.

The grocery store had already pulled down most of its roller shutter to prevent people from entering, but the lights were still on next door. It was a shop selling Shaxian snacks, and the chubby owner in a white vest was wiping the table with a rag. It looked like it was about to close up shop as well.

Ye Chen patted Gu Yuxuan's hand.

"Wait here for half a minute, don't wander off. I'm going to ask the shop owner next door if they have any umbrellas I can spare."

Before Gu Yuxuan could speak, he draped his wet hoodie over his left arm, stepped out from under the plastic rain shelter, and rushed into the snack shop next door.

Through a rain-soaked glass window, Gu Yuxuan saw Ye Chen walk to the cashier and talk to the chubby boss who was wiping the table.

The portly shopkeeper straightened up, shook his head with some difficulty, and pointed to the rain outside the door, as if to say that the shop did not sell umbrellas and that he only had one to keep for his home.

Ye Chen didn't linger. He took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a bright red 100-yuan bill, and placed it on the cashier's counter. He then said a few more words in a polite and sincere manner.

The chubby shopkeeper stared at the brand-new hundred-yuan note on the table, then his hesitation instantly turned into a warm smile. He put down the rag, turned around, rummaged around in the corner behind the counter, pulled out an umbrella, and handed it over.

Ye Chen took the umbrella, thanked him, and stepped out of the snack shop.

With a click, the large, dark blue umbrella opened neatly in the rain, blocking the curtain of water.

He walked back to the eaves of the grocery store, raised the umbrella handle slightly, and gestured with his chin toward Gu Yuxuan in the corner.

"You're lucky, a private car is here to pick you up."

Gu Yuxuan looked at the large umbrella, which was wide enough to fit two people, and then at the owner of the snack shop next door who was stuffing money into his apron pocket. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she stepped under the umbrella.

The two walked back into the rain.

Although the long-handled umbrella was large enough, the wind and rain blew from the side, and Ye Chen's wrist, which was holding the umbrella handle, naturally leaned fifteen degrees towards Gu Yuxuan.

The raindrops pounded heavily on the taut dark blue umbrella overhead, making a crisp, crackling sound that shut out the surrounding noise of traffic, creating a quiet space under the umbrella for just the two of them.

As they walked through a stretch of path studded with deep water, Ye Chen, carrying his wet hoodie in his left hand and holding an umbrella in his right, reminded them:

"Walk on the inner bluestone slab; the outer brick is loose, and it's easy to splash water when you step on it."

Gu Yuxuan lowered her head to avoid the loose patch of pavement, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ye Chen's right shoulder was once again soaked by raindrops blown in by the slanting wind.

She paused for a second, then reached out her right hand, gently took Ye Chen's right forearm, and pulled his arm closer together.

With her movement, the severely tilted umbrella straightened slightly, and the two shoulders were pressed tightly together again.

Ye Chen glanced at her, his arm tensing up instinctively to give her leverage.

"The umbrella is so big, you don't need to tilt it all the way towards me."

Gu Yuxuan gazed at the rain streaks stretched long by the streetlights ahead, her voice enveloped in the sound of the rain, making it sound exceptionally gentle.

"If the two of you stand closer together, neither of you will get wet."

Ye Chen didn't refute her, a smile appeared in his eyes, and he slowed down his pace following her lead.

During the ten-minute walk, neither of them tried to find topics to talk about; the only sounds were the rustling of their footsteps on the wet fallen leaves and the sound of rain overhead.

Entering the university from the south gate, and passing through the sycamore-lined avenue lit by warm yellow streetlights, the lobby of the No. 3 girls' dormitory building soon comes into view.

Many couples trapped in the lobby by the rain were standing on the steps saying goodbye.

Ye Chen escorted Gu Yuxuan all the way to the eaves of the foyer, until her feet touched the dry, non-slip floor tiles, before finally putting away his dripping long-handled umbrella.

"Go upstairs and change your wet shoes first, then soak your feet in a cup of hot water so you don't wake up with a sore throat tomorrow morning."

Ye Chen placed the tip of the umbrella against the ground and looked at the girl in front of him, giving her some instructions.

Gu Yuxuan released her grip on his arm, turned to face him, and her gaze fell once again on his half-wet white long-sleeved T-shirt.

"You too, go back to your dorm and take a hot shower and change out of your wet clothes."

She paused, squeezed the strap of the canvas bag with her hand, and looked up into Ye Chen's eyes.

"The barbecue was delicious tonight. Thank you for bringing me back. Once you get to your dorm... send me a message."

"Okay, let's go up."

Ye Chen smiled and waved, reopened the large dark blue umbrella, turned around and stepped down the steps, striding into the vast rain.

Gu Yuxuan stood in front of the bright glass doors of the lobby, not going upstairs immediately.

She watched silently through the wet glass as the dark blue umbrella pierced through the halo of light cast by the streetlamp, until it disappeared completely after turning the corner past the laboratory building ahead.

Outside, the autumn wind whipped up raindrops that pattered against the glass, while inside, the glass fogged up due to the temperature difference.

Gu Yuxuan raised her hand, her fingertips gently tracing the outline of a small roof on the misty glass window.

She withdrew her hand, tucked her slightly cool fingertips into the pocket of her cardigan, smiled, and turned to go upstairs.

Ye Chen walked back to the boys' dormitory area with his umbrella. As soon as he stepped into the corridor on the fourth floor where room 417 was located, he heard a burst of cheering and howling coming from inside.

He pushed open the half-closed door, closed the dripping long-handled umbrella, and placed it in the plastic bucket behind the balcony door.

The dormitory room was brightly lit, and Sun Haoyu was standing on a chair, waving a towel with a cartoon pattern in his hand. The laptop screen on the table was still showing the victory results screen of "DOTA".

Lu Wenbo leaned back in his chair, took off his headphones, and rubbed his wrists. Chen Zhiqiang's bed was empty, and even the yellow raincoat that usually hung on the balcony was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Ye Chen push the door open and come in, Sun Haoyu jumped off the chair and immediately noticed his half-wet right shoulder.

"Old Ye, you're finally back! It's raining so hard outside, are you soaked?" Sun Haoyu casually pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, then said, "Zhiqiang just shouted in the group chat that the rain is so heavy today that the phone numbers for several fast food restaurants near the school gate have been ringing off the hook. The owners are too busy to handle it all, so they're giving the delivery drivers an extra two yuan per trip. He plans to deliver to a few more places tonight to earn some extra money for living expenses, so he probably won't be back until quite late."

Lu Wenbo turned his chair around and sighed, "With rain this heavy, I would have crawled into bed long ago. Zhiqiang is really good at enduring hardship."

"There are more food delivery orders on rainy days, but the roads are slippery when riding a bike, which can be dangerous."

Ye Chen casually tossed his wet clothes into the basin, pulled out a clean and dry set of dark gray cotton pajamas from the wardrobe, picked up a towel, and headed to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower first. I'm all wet and sticky, which is really uncomfortable."

"Go on, go on, while there's still hot water."