Chapter 10

Shen Yuze used an imperative sentence, leaving no room for Lu Ping to refuse.

And Lu Ping… indeed couldn’t refuse.

After all, this was the first time since starting at Jiaojiang No. 1 Middle School that a classmate had invited him out to hang on the weekend. Their class was full of cliques, one after another. Every weekend, the milk tea shops and fried chicken joints around school were packed. Students would crowd around a big table, sipping milk tea while doing (copying) homework.

These “weekend activities” had always had nothing to do with Lu Ping.

At first, Lu Ping felt a bit down about it, but later he got over it. A cup of tea mixed with creamer could sell for over twenty bucks, while his family’s authentic Glutinous Cakes only went for fifteen. His parents’ money didn’t grow on trees—why waste it and his energy on people who looked down on him?

If Shen Yuze had asked him to go to a milk tea shop (though Shen Yuze didn’t seem like the type to drink milk tea), Lu Ping might have hesitated.

But going to the Library Tower…

In front of Shen Yuze, Lu Ping always couldn’t help but tell a white lie to protect his fragile teenage pride. “…I happen to need a few books too. See you tomorrow, then.”

“Good.” Shen Yuze’s voice came through the receiver. “Lu Ping, see you tomorrow.”

After hanging up, Lu Ping couldn’t help but grin foolishly at the photo of Shen Yuze on his phone screen.

Oh god, what was he to do? From that very second, he was already looking forward to “tomorrow.”

…

They had agreed to meet at ten in the morning on Saturday.

Before heading out, Lu Dad unzipped the fanny pack he usually wore while setting up his stall. He pulled out a wad of change, thought for a moment, then put it back and replaced it with two crisp hundred-yuan bills.

Lu Dad stuffed the money into his son’s hand. “Pingping, this is your first time going out with a classmate. Be generous where it counts—don’t let them laugh at you.”

“Dad…” Lu Ping’s eyes heated up, and he quickly bowed his head. He hadn’t expected his dad to be so attuned, quietly keeping tabs on his social life.

Lu Mom washed some fruit and tucked it into Lu Ping’s backpack, reminding him to go and come back early. His little sister obediently handed him an umbrella, since the weather forecast predicted rain.

And so, Lu Ping set off like Momotaro on his first adventure in life, equipped with Dad’s pocket money, Mom’s fruit, his sister’s umbrella, and a whole lot of love. He hopped on the bus heading to the South Shore.

There were no direct buses from the North Shore to the Library Tower, so he had to get off at the nearest stop and walk fifteen minutes.

The trip went smoothly. When Lu Ping arrived at the bus stop, a light drizzle began to patter down from the sky. He was prepared, calmly pulling the folding umbrella from his bag and pressing the open button—with a whoosh, it sprang open. On the pale blue canopy, the elegant Queen Elsa gave Lu Ping a prim smile.

Lu Ping: “…”

Little sister, thank you. Thank you for giving your favorite umbrella to your brother. He was so touched that he decided to make her spell thirty English words when he got home.

The thought of strolling through the rain with Queen Elsa made Lu Ping’s face heat up several degrees.

Maybe… he should just dash through the rain?

As Lu Ping hesitated, a black sedan pierced through the layers of rain from the opposite lane.

The car moved at a steady pace, slow enough for anyone to make out the sleek silver logo letters on the rear—flowing script, elegant without being flashy or restrained.

Sharing the bus stop shelter with Lu Ping was a young couple. The girl stared at the luxury car speeding through the drizzle and exclaimed, “That car’s so pretty. It must be super expensive, right?”

Her boyfriend patiently explained, but Lu Ping had already beaten him to the answer in his mind.

—That was a Porsche Cayenne. A single scratch on the tail would cost more to fix than a taxi driver could earn selling his cab.

The windows were tinted for privacy, hiding the passenger inside completely.

But somehow, Lu Ping knew exactly who was in that car.

Lu Ping started souring again: Shen Yuze really knew how to make an entrance. A driver in a Cayenne just to pick him up for some reference books at the Library Tower? But then he thought, wasn’t his own entrance pretty grand too? Lu Ping had Her Majesty the Queen of Arendelle escorting him personally.

Lu Ping cracked himself up with the idea. As he laughed, he suddenly choked—because the Porsche Cayenne that should have kept going actually made a U-turn at the intersection ahead and headed straight for the bus stop!

The fine rain scattered in the wind, carrying Lu Ping’s fluttering heart farther and farther away.

The car glided smoothly to the bus stop and stopped right in front of him.

The rear window rolled down, revealing the handsome young man behind it.

This was the first time Lu Ping had seen Shen Yuze in casual clothes: a pure black shoulder-fit T-shirt that made his skin look even more jade-like and fair. The drizzle mixed with a breeze slipped through the window crack. Shen Yuze’s gaze lightly brushed over the umbrella in Lu Ping’s hand, and his thin lips parted to say two words: “Get in.”

Lu Ping: “…Huh?”

Shen Yuze: “Do you really want to walk to the Library Tower holding that ugly, stupid umbrella?”

“Show some respect for this umbrella!” Lu Ping protested. “Do you know how many girls’ dreams this is?”

As if to prove Lu Ping’s point, a young mom passed by holding her daughter’s hand. The girl, with two little pigtails and no older than five, kept turning back, staring longingly at the sky-blue Elsa Umbrella.

Lu Ping was smug. “See? I’m a heartthrob for girls too!”

Shen Yuze: “…” His expression blank, he asked, “Heartthrob, are you getting in or not?”

“I’m in.” Lu Ping finally folded the umbrella obediently, opened the door, and hopped into the car.

A multimillion-yuan luxury ride was worlds apart from a taxi you could buy for tens of thousands. The interior was all genuine leather, with a refined incense scent—like some kind of orchid.

Lu Ping clutched his precious umbrella, sitting rigidly next to Shen Yuze. Every muscle was tense; his butt barely grazed the edge of the seat, afraid he’d ruin the expensive leather if he sat properly.

He was like a mortal who had stumbled into a fairy palace, terrified that one loud breath would wake him from the dream.

Who could’ve guessed? Just days ago, he’d been fantasizing online about riding to school in a luxury car, and now here he was, actually in one!

Seeing how cautious he was, Shen Yuze found it amusing. “Just put the umbrella by your feet.”

“No, no…” Lu Ping shook his head. “It’s still dripping. What if it gets the car wet?”

“If it gets wet, someone will clean it,” Shen Yuze ordered. “Put it down.”

Lu Ping reflexively set the umbrella down.

With that done, he grew a bit bolder.

He tried shifting his full weight onto the seat—oh man, this seat was amazing, perfectly soft yet supportive, comfier than any sofa!

Lu Ping’s body gradually slid back until his back met the seatback.

As he sank in, a weird sigh escaped his throat, like a little animal getting its chin scratched. Realizing the odd noise, his face flushed. He clapped a hand over his mouth and instinctively glanced at Shen Yuze beside him… Luckily, Shen Yuze hadn’t noticed his slip-up.

Lu Ping spotted some odd “little bulbs” hidden in the black leather ceiling. They were so tiny and well-camouflaged that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.

Lu Ping: “Why are there so many little bulbs on the ceiling?”

Shen Yuze: “That’s the Starry Sky Lamp.”

“Starry Sky Lamp?”

“Yeah, it’s prettier at night—like real stars overhead.”

Lu Ping: “…”

Damn, is this the kind of joy the capitalist class has that I can’t even imagine…

Before Lu Ping could explore more of the car’s wonders, the speed slowed. Looking out the window, they had turned onto the street with the Library Tower without realizing it. But for some reason, traffic was at a standstill—cars honking everywhere, jammed solid.

The noise from all directions furrowed Shen Yuze’s brow.

“What’s going on?”

The driver peered ahead and replied respectfully, “Young Master,” (Lu Ping: Heaven, the driver actually called him ‘Young Master’?!) “looks like there’s an accident up front. That’s why it’s so backed up.”

Lu Ping knew the area well. The intersection ahead was notoriously narrow, with scrapes happening every other day. Add rain, and this jam made sense.

Lu Ping suggested, “It’s really close now. Why don’t we just get out and walk?”

Shen Yuze weighed the time cost of the traffic and agreed to Lu Ping’s idea.

The car pulled over to the side lane and parked. Shen Yuze got out first. He wore stylish knight boots that made his long legs look like a model’s. Lu Ping stood beside him holding his sister’s Elsa Umbrella, looking like a drab little duckling by comparison.

But Lu Ping’s mindset was solid. Ugly duckling? Fine, he’d been a duckling since birth anyway.

Shen Yuze frowned slightly, eyeing the umbrella disdainfully. “Why’d you even bring down such an ugly umbrella?”

“Don’t judge an umbrella by its cover, okay? Ugly or pretty, if it keeps the rain off in a downpour, it’s a good one.” Lu Ping shot back.

Shen Yuze ignored his nonsense.

The young master would never stoop to holding such a prissy princess umbrella.

The tall, long-legged teen turned and strode toward the Library Tower. Luckily, the street had plenty of shop awnings; with care, he could avoid the rain.

He walked fast with big strides, and Lu Ping could barely keep up, forced to trot after him.

Lu Ping grumbled as he chased, “Hey, Shen Yuze, you really not taking the umbrella?”

Shen Yuze’s hand dangled loosely in his pocket as he kept walking, too disdainful to reply.

They were just one intersection away from the Library Tower when suddenly, a harsh honk blared from the nearby bike lane. An electric scooter barreled through without slowing, its wheels splashing through a puddle and sending up a massive “wave”!

The “wave” was murky gray with white foam, mixed with leaves, pebbles, and unidentifiable debris, hurtling straight toward Shen Yuze.

Caught off guard, Shen Yuze froze in place. Everything seemed to slow to a cinematic crawl, each frame stretching infinitely in the river of time. Sounds vanished from his senses; all he could do was watch the filthy water rush at him…

But in that split second, a slender figure dashed over and blocked Shen Yuze!

At the same time, a crisp pop sounded by his ear. The pale blue umbrella snapped open like a shield, blocking every drop of the splashing sewage—not a single one crossed the line.

Shen Yuze’s eyes widened slightly, his amber pupils clearly reflecting the North Shore boy’s figure.

The sewage splattered to the ground.

Time’s spell lifted. Shen Yuze could hear the rain, the cars, the people—and the boy’s laughter—again.

“Shen Yuze, I told you long ago—” Lu Ping shouldered the open princess umbrella like a warrior carrying his shield. He tilted his head up, gazing at his new desk mate who was so close at hand, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “—that on rainy days, you have to use an umbrella!”

……

In the dessert shop across from the Library Tower, a girl who had witnessed the entire scene let out a startled cry. The half-drunk cup of cocoa milk choked right out from the corner of her mouth.

“Cough cough cough…” Chen Miaomiao coughed as if her heart and lungs were tearing apart. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, but her clear mind told her that everything she had just seen was real.

She stared at the two young men across the street, sharing a single Disney Princess umbrella, and fell into a state of utter bewilderment.

Chen Mama, sitting beside her, hurriedly handed her some tissues while muttering under her breath. “Some people really have no sense of public decency—they don’t even slow down when driving through puddles in the rain! … But why are you such a scaredy-cat? The water didn’t splash on you, so how come you’re coughing like that?”

Chen Miaomiao shook her head like a wandering ghost and murmured, “Mom, you don’t understand…”

“What don’t I understand?”

“I’m not choking. I’m shipping!”