Zhao Qian walked a few steps before realizing Xu Zhinan wasn’t following. She turned to look back.
The young girl was looking down at her phone. The light from the screen illuminated her straight nose bridge with a faint bluish-pink glow, causing her fine eyebrows to slightly furrow.
“Nan?” Zhao Qian asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Xu Zhinan turned off her phone and pressed it to her chest, her footsteps faltering, “I just remembered something I need to do at my shop. You go back to the dorm first.”
Zhao Qian frowned, disapproving, “It’s so late.”
Xu Zhinan casually made up an excuse: “A customer from this morning wasn’t satisfied with the tattoo design. I need to redraw it, and my drawing pad is still at the shop.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“No need.” Xu Zhinan smiled, “Just send me a message when you get to the dorm.”
“Alright.” Zhao Qian said goodbye, “Come back early and be careful.”
Early June weather, after the rain, left small puddles scattered across the ground.
Xu Zhinan’s tattoo shop wasn’t far from the bar, just about a dozen meters away. She ran back to her shop, unlocked it, and went inside, then took out her phone to text Lin Qingye.
[Xu Zhinan: Now?]
[Qingye Ge: Yes.]
[Xu Zhinan: Aren’t you still at the bar?]
[Qingye Ge: I left.]
Xu Zhinan stared at the text message for a moment before replying, “Okay.”
She grabbed a light pink backpack from beside the wooden table, put in a book and a water bottle, then locked the door and headed back toward the bar.
From a distance, she could already see Lin Qingye standing at the side entrance of the bar, his figure tall and straight.
The night wind suddenly grew stronger, with a cold and clear crescent moon behind thick clouds.
Lin Qingye wore a mask and had a cap pressed down on his head. His facial features and jawline were sharply defined. He had a guitar case slung over his shoulder and was leaning lazily against the wall.
Xu Zhinan calmed herself, raised her hand to brush back her wind-tousled hair, and slowed her pace.
She watched as Lin Qingye pulled down his mask, revealing a pale white wrist with clear blue veins. He then took a cigarette pack from his pocket, pulled one out, and put it between his lips. His cheeks hollowed slightly, and the cigarette tip glowed red.
He exhaled a puff of smoke, sensed her gaze, and turned his head to look at her, revealing a pair of jet-black eyes from under the brim of his cap.
Then his hand holding the cigarette lifted slightly, gesturing for her to come over.
At the same time, the weather changed. The sky that had cleared momentarily suddenly began to rain again. Raindrops crashed down heavily. Xu Zhinan had no time to hesitate and quickly ran over to him.
The side entrance of the bar had a narrow eave above it, and the two squeezed together underneath.
The hair she had just neatly arranged was blown messily again, revealing her smooth, beautiful forehead. She raised her hand to hold down her hair and looked up to find Lin Qingye’s eyes.
“Qingye Ge,” she asked softly, “Was it you who paid for our drinks earlier?”
“Yes,” he flicked his cigarette ash and answered casually, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?”
“I decided to come with a friend at the last minute.”
The summer rain came down suddenly and heavily without warning. Xu Zhinan had left in a hurry and forgotten her umbrella at the shop.
“Did you bring an umbrella?” she asked.
He laughed, his voice mixed with smoke, “No.”
“Ah…” Xu Zhinan looked worriedly at the raindrops falling in strings from the eaves.
“Run?” he asked.
Xu Zhinan hesitated. In such heavy rain, they’d probably be soaked if they ran back.
The young girl hesitated anxiously, with a backpack over her shoulder. Her face wasn’t a thin, oval shape without flesh—her bone structure was small, but she still had some baby fat, making her look even more innocent.
Lin Qingye looked at her for a moment, then took off his jacket.
He bit the half-burned cigarette between his teeth, grabbed her shoulder to pull her closer, draped the jacket over her, lowered his gaze, and zipped it up.
Then he directly grabbed Xu Zhinan’s wrist and ran into the curtain of rain.
Xu Zhinan was caught off guard and let out a light exclamation, having to stretch her legs to barely keep up with his stride.
They didn’t go back to Lin Qingye’s apartment but to his nearby studio, not far from the bar—just across a small alley.
However, this alley had an uneven road surface, and they stepped into countless small puddles on the way back.
Water splashed up, hitting Xu Zhinan’s exposed calves, feeling somewhat cool.
The wind howled through the alley. Xu Zhinan was wearing his jacket, which reached to the middle of her thighs, so she didn’t feel cold.
Lin Qingye kept holding her hand until they reached the studio entrance. Only then did he stop, take out his key to open the door, push her inside, and then raise his hand to press the light switch above her head.
He had worn a cap, so while his clothes were soaked, his face was fine.
Xu Zhinan was completely the opposite—after taking off his jacket, her dress underneath was dry, but her hair was completely wet. Black strands clung to her fair neck, creating a stark color contrast.
Lin Qingye roughly brushed her hair, smiling: “I forgot to give you my cap earlier.”