Chapter 14: Sharing an Umbrella

Ning Shuang knocked on the door. It took about half a minute before Ji Huaizhi came to open it.

A faint fragrance wafted from inside the room, like the scent of some flower or the sandalwood aroma after fresh snow. It carried a cool, aloof quality. Though it was also a south-facing room on the second floor, Ji Huaizhi’s space somehow felt much colder.

Ji Huaizhi had probably just been changing clothes. As he opened the door, he was fastening the top button of his shirt. Ning Shuang smiled and said, “Ji Huaizhi, it’s getting a bit chilly at night, so I brought you a blanket. Use it for now.”

“In another month or two, once the neighborhood heating kicks in, you won’t need it anymore.”

Ji Huaizhi reached out and took the blanket, murmuring softly, “Thanks.”

Ning Shuang shook his head. “No need to thank me! Besides, I get the feeling your health isn’t great, so remember to grab a jacket when you head out to walk the dog at night.”

Ji Huaizhi coughed lightly at just the right moment. “Got it.”

Only then did Ning Shuang relax. He waved and returned to his own room.

He wasn’t sleepy at all. After getting back, he sat down at his desk and pulled out a couple of practice test papers to work through.

By the time he finished them, it was around five in the afternoon. Ning Shuang changed into a clean set of clothes before heading downstairs.

The house was quiet. Ning Dundun was sleeping in its dog bed, but at the sound of Ning Shuang coming down, it perked its head up and trotted over to him, tongue lolling out.

Ning Shuang crouched down and gave Ning Dundun a thorough petting from head to toe.

When he looked up, he noticed Ji Huaizhi’s slippers still sitting on the shoe rack by the entryway.

Huh? He went out?

Ning Shuang had been wearing headphones while doing his papers, so he hadn’t noticed anything outside. A light rain was falling now, pattering softly against the transparent windows and blurring the view beyond.

“Yawn—” Ning Shuang stretched with a big yawn and got up to securely close the downstairs window that hadn’t been latched properly.

He saw some office worker hurrying past outside, using his briefcase as a makeshift umbrella. Ning Shuang paused for a second, then pulled out his phone and texted Ji Huaizhi: [You outside?]

Ji Huaizhi received the message just as the three Elders talking with him were figuring out the ride-hailing app, planning to call him a cab to get him home.

He glanced down and replied: [Yeah]

[Ning Shuang: It’s raining now. Got an umbrella?]

At the same time, one of the middle-aged men in his forties beside him said respectfully, “Clan… er, sir, we’ve got the car. You head home first.”

Ji Huaizhi ignored him and texted Ning Shuang back: [Forgot it, but it’s fine. I can wait for the rain to stop.]

Ning Shuang peered out the window and checked the weather forecast for the next few hours. The rain wouldn’t let up until late into the night—in fact, it was due to turn into a downpour in two hours.

After a moment’s thought, he typed: [Where are you? If it’s not far, I can come pick you up.]

A pleased curve touched Ji Huaizhi’s brow, and a spark lit in his eyes. He looked up at the three men around him. “You all take the car back. Don’t worry about me.”

“This…” The three exchanged uneasy glances.

But Ji Huaizhi didn’t look at them anymore. He turned and headed back into the teahouse.

They knew he didn’t like them. With his attitude made so clear, there was no point in pressing the issue.

He always had his own way of doing things—they couldn’t interfere, and they had no right to anyway.

They’d only come out this time out of necessity. None of the more than a dozen Elders had wanted to deal with outsiders, so they’d drawn lots in private. Somehow, it had been these three.

On second thought, they felt pretty unlucky. Something Ji Huaizhi could handle himself, and they had to clean up after? But they didn’t dare disobey his orders.

Still, if things like this kept happening, wouldn’t they always be the ones stuck tying up loose ends?

They only dared think it to themselves. With a collective sigh, the three got into the car and left.

Ji Huaizhi sent Ning Shuang his location, then typed: [It’s raining. Don’t bother coming.]

Ning Shuang didn’t mind at all. He opened the drawer in the shoe cabinet and pulled out two umbrellas.

He even sent back a voice message: “No big deal. We’re so close anyway—might as well think of it as me going out for a stroll to get some fresh air.”

The young man’s sunny, confident, upbeat voice came through the phone speaker. Listening to it, Ji Huaizhi could almost picture Ning Shuang’s expression right then. He carefully saved the message.

Then he took a book out of his shoulder bag, spread it open on the table, and settled in to quietly wait for Ning Shuang.

His mind wasn’t on the book at all. His gaze wandered, the neat lines of text blurring together. The sound of rainwater dripping from the eaves filled his ears, punctuated by cars splashing through puddles nearby.

He turned his head to look outside. The fine rain slanted in the wind, the leaves rustling—that was the shape of the wind.

“Knock knock.” The table suddenly rang with a tap.

Ji Huaizhi whipped his head around to see who’d made the noise.

Ning Shuang had arrived at some point without him noticing.

He set his umbrella by his feet and took the seat across from Ji Huaizhi, flashing him a grin with his prominent canine tooth. “Hey, you’re not even reading properly!”

Ning Shuang held up one finger, playfully chiding Ji Huaizhi for his distraction.

Ji Huaizhi brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear, unsure how to respond to the teasing about his lack of focus. Instead, he changed the subject. “Sorry for making you come out in the rain to get me.”

Ning Shuang shook his head. “No worries. We’re roommates, right? And I wanted to.”

Ning Shuang was never one to beat around the bush. If he liked someone, he’d go after them without hesitation. All his initiatives and overtures toward Ji Huaizhi so far stemmed from genuine interest—he was sure he liked the guy.

They had a cup of tea there, and about ten minutes later, the two left the teahouse together.

In front of the teahouse, Ning Shuang opened his umbrella and glanced sideways at Ji Huaizhi. He saw Ji shake out his own umbrella but not open it, so Ning Shuang reached over, took it from him, and handed over his own. “I’ll handle it.”

Preconceptions built up bit by bit. By now, Ning Shuang saw Ji Huaizhi as someone too frail to carry a load or lift a hand, so he was happy to hold the umbrella for him.

But once he had it in hand, he realized why Ji Huaizhi hadn’t opened it—the umbrella was broken.

“Hm?” Ning Shuang lifted it up and tilted his head to inspect it. “It’s busted?”

He couldn’t recall when they’d had a broken umbrella at home. Maybe it was just old and unused?

“Ji Huaizhi, we…” Ning Shuang looked up at him, about to suggest they cab it home. But then a shadow fell over his head as Ji Huaizhi opened the umbrella above them both.

The modestly sized umbrella sheltered the two of them.

“Is the umbrella broken?” Ji Huaizhi asked.

Ning Shuang nodded. “Yeah. Otherwise, maybe we should just take a cab back?”

He joked, “We can’t exactly share one umbrella the whole way, right?”

“Sure.”

“Right…” Ning Shuang started to laugh, but his smile faltered as he looked at Ji Huaizhi in confusion. “Wait, sure?”

“Yes, sure.” Ji Huaizhi’s cool face held firm resolve as he repeated it.

“What do you mean ‘sure’? It’s raining out there. Two grown guys squeezing under one umbrella—we’d end up soaked to the skin!” Ning Shuang figured he was just joking.

But Ji Huaizhi met his eyes steadily. “The rain’s not that heavy. I could use the fresh air anyway. You take a cab back.”

He stepped into the rain curtain, then turned back to Ning Shuang. “Thanks for bringing the umbrella.”

He even coughed twice for emphasis.

The bright light in Ning Shuang’s clear almond-shaped eyes flickered. Seeing Ji Huaizhi’s earnest expression and demeanor, he realized this was no joke. He quickly hopped down the steps and ducked under Ji Huaizhi’s umbrella. Amid the other’s startled look, he grinned, eyes crinkling. “Then I’ll keep you company.”

A gust of wind blew, lifting Ning Shuang’s bangs and revealing his handsome, refined features.

Ji Huaizhi’s gaze lingered on Ning Shuang’s face for a few seconds before he looked away, ducking his head with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Alright.”

Good thing the umbrella was big enough to just cover two grown men.

Ning Shuang was only a bit shorter than Ji Huaizhi, so from a distance, there wasn’t much difference to see. Ning Shuang took the umbrella from him and held it over their heads. “Let’s go. Home.”

Something stirred in the depths of Ji Huaizhi’s eyes, and he murmured softly, “Alright.”

Rain pattered on the umbrella’s surface, the wind carrying fine droplets onto them.

“How’d you end up studying at a teahouse?” Ning Shuang asked curiously.

Ji Huaizhi lied without batting an eye. “I just stepped out for some air, and it started raining when I got here, so I ducked inside.”

Ning Shuang teased him with a laugh. “Out for a stroll and you bring a book? Quite the eager student, huh!”

Catching the playful jab in Ning Shuang’s tone, Ji Huaizhi pressed his lips into a straight line and lowered his head a touch more.

“Alright, I won’t poke fun anymore.” Ning Shuang quickly changed the subject. “For dinner tonight, how about lemon chicken shreds, curry chicken chunks, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a pork rib winter melon soup? Sound good?”

“All good,” Ji Huaizhi nodded.

Ning Shuang asked with concern, “How’s that rash on you doing? Let me see.”

Ji Huaizhi slowly rolled up his sleeve. The allergy meds had clearly worked—the red patches were mostly gone, leaving just faint traces, though the scratches would take another day or two to fully fade.

“Looks like it’s almost cleared up.” Ning Shuang helped him lower his sleeve, covering the arm again.

“Thanks for caring,” Ji Huaizhi said earnestly as he straightened his cuff.

Ning Shuang waved his hands dismissively. “What’s the big deal about that?”

The two walked almost shoulder to shoulder, the umbrella barely covering both their shoulders.

They probably wouldn’t be able to walk the dog that evening. Ning Shuang pondered for a moment. There would be so much time to kill after dinner, and he definitely didn’t want them retreating to their separate rooms. He was hoping to use the weekend to really get to know Ji Huaizhi.

“Let’s play games,” Ji Huaizhi said suddenly.

Ning Shuang blinked. “Huh?”

“You can teach me how to play. I saw that you know how,” Ji Huaizhi said. He still remembered the time when he had first moved into Ning Shuang’s home—Ning Shuang and his friends had played games together for hours.

It would be great if he could play games too.

“Sure!” Ning Shuang hadn’t expected Ji Huaizhi to ask him to teach him. “Then tonight, we’ll start with the simplest one to get you familiar with the controller.”

Ji Huaizhi nodded. “We can play the ones you like. I’ll pick it up.”

His learning ability had always been strong. Anything he set his mind to learn, he could grasp after studying it carefully just once. A bit more practice after that, and he would have it down.

As expected of the top student in his major, Ning Shuang thought admiringly. There was a quiet confidence in Ji Huaizhi’s tone—not flashy or superficial, but something that emanated from deep within. It was surprisingly captivating.

“Okay,” Ning Shuang agreed.

The walk from the tea house to home took only about ten minutes.

Once they arrived, they headed to their rooms to change clothes. Ning Shuang finished first, and by the time Ji Huaizhi emerged from his room, he could hear Ning Shuang bustling about in the kitchen.

Ji Huaizhi walked over on his own initiative and asked if there was anything he could help with.

Ning Shuang was washing vegetables. He turned his head to glance at Ji Huaizhi standing beside him. His hair was tied up in a casual ponytail, with a few stray strands falling loose. Under the warm glow of the kitchen lights, he looked gentle and somewhat fragile.

Ning Shuang had no trouble handling things on his own.

“No need for help,” he said, refusing politely. “Here’s an idea—you can head to my room right now. There’s a controller manual in the drawer of my desk. Feel free to pick any single-player game on my computer and get a feel for the controller. Tonight, I’ll teach you the games I like.”

Ji Huaizhi’s ears twitched slightly. He looked at Ning Shuang. “Is that really okay?”

Ning Shuang waved him off. “Of course! Go on ahead.”