Chapter 8

Chapter 8

In May, there was a torrential downpour.

I was on my way back from the project site when my car broke down halfway.

By the time I finished calling for a tow truck, the rain was coming down so hard I could barely keep my eyes open.

When Zhou Yubai called, I was crouched by the roadside, trying to rescue the documents that had been soaked by the rain.

“Where are you?”

I gave him the address.

He only said, “Don’t wander off.”

Twenty minutes later, his car stopped in front of me.

The headlights split open the curtain of rain.

He walked over with an umbrella, his expression grim.

“Why didn’t you get in the car first?”

I hugged the documents to my chest.

“It’ll be even more troublesome if the blueprints get wet.”

Zhou Yubai glanced at me.

He didn’t scold me.

He just took off his jacket, draped it over my head, and dragged both me and the documents into the car.

By the time we got home, I was soaked through.

I left a trail of wet footprints across the living room floor.

I sneezed.

Zhou Yubai went to the walk-in closet and brought out a white shirt for me.

“Change first.”

I looked at the shirt, which very obviously belonged to him.

“No women’s clothes?”

“Your clothes are on the balcony. You didn’t bring them in.”

“Who told you not to remind me?”

“I did.”

He paused.

“You said I was overstepping.”

I choked on my own words.

In the end, I took the shirt and went into the bathroom.

Only when the hot water poured over me did I belatedly realize I was trembling.

Not from the cold.

It was the kind of slackening that came after someone had fished you out of the rain.

When I came out after changing, Zhou Yubai had already made ginger tea.

His shirt was far too big on me, the hem falling to my thighs.

I tugged at the cuffs.

He looked up at me, then quickly looked away.

“Your pants are in the dryer.”

“Oh.”

We sat at opposite ends of the dining table.

The atmosphere was as subtle as a thread soaked soft by the rain.

Holding the ginger tea, I suddenly felt like teasing him.

“Zhou Yubai.”

“Mm.”

“Were you afraid to look at me just now?”

His face remained expressionless.

“No.”

“Then look at me.”

He really did lift his eyes.

His gaze landed on my face, then on the damp tips of my hair.

At last, it stopped on my lips, faintly flushed from the heat.

The air went abruptly still.

I’d only wanted to beat him for once.

But the moment he looked at me, my heartbeat suddenly fell out of rhythm.

Zhou Yubai stood and walked over to me.

He raised his hand and used a towel to dry my hair.

His movements were very slow.

“Don’t catch a cold.”

I tilted my head up to look at him.

“Is this part of your contractual obligations too?”

His fingers stilled.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, “Then consider it me overstepping.”

We were too close.

Close enough that I could smell the faint scent of cedar on him.

Close enough that when his breath fell over me, I almost thought he was going to kiss me.

I didn’t move away.

And he didn’t step back.

But just as his fingertips brushed the side of my face, my phone rang.

It was my dad.

I snapped back to my senses, and when I stood, my knee hit the corner of the table.

Zhou Yubai caught me.

But I stepped back before he could.

“There’s no clause for this in the agreement.”

The moment the words left my mouth, both of us fell silent.

Zhou Yubai looked at me.

The emotion in his eyes slowly withdrew.

“Then I’ll add one tomorrow.”