Wanjianlei didn’t dare strip the girl’s dress off. He just fumbled blindly with a towel inside it, wiping rainwater away like a man groping in the dark.
He couldn’t avoid brushing her tender skin.
As a grown man, Wanjianlei wasn’t like Autumn Ease—who barely touched women. He’d dated before, but none of his exes were this stunning. And those flings never got this intimate.
He dragged out a dusty heater from the warehouse. It hadn’t been used in half a year. He aimed it at the girl to dry her clothes fast. They’d still be dirty, but at least he wouldn’t need to undress her.
He’d never realized he could be such a gentleman.
Anime protagonists always annoyed him for this. So many got a girl falling from the sky and did nothing. What a waste.
Wanjianlei always thought, if it were him, he’d seal the deal instantly. How perfect that’d be.
But now he saw he was all talk. When it happened, he did nothing.
Late night. Sleepiness washed over him.
Wanjianlei yawned hugely again. He had a million questions, but no energy to ask. The girl was asleep anyway—no point.
How could she answer if she’s out cold?
The night passed quietly.
Wanjianlei woke early today. Only seven a.m.
His office was close, so he usually slept an extra hour.
Maybe he’d worried about the girl.
“Hehe, Autumn Ease’ll be so jealous,” he grinned, remembering last night’s find. “But… he’s got a girlfriend already. Hmm… I should tell Guan Yuanyue. Hehe… he’s still single.”
Guan Yuanyue was GuanPeng’s nickname. In high school, a teacher misread his messy handwriting as “Guan Yuanyue Niao”—splitting one character into three. The nickname stuck as “Guan Yuanyue”; dropping “Niao” made it snappier.
Wanjianlei entered the living room. The girl still slept.
Morning sun warmed her face, highlighting the soft fuzz on her cheeks.
A sign she wasn’t fully grown yet.
“Probably not eighteen… I can’t commit a crime,” he muttered. He touched her forehead.
Still feverish, but better than yesterday. One more dose of medicine should fix it.
“Mmm… uh…” she mumbled in sleep. Wanjianlei couldn’t catch it. He reached to cover her kicked-off blanket, but she grabbed his hands.
“Don’t… don’t leave…”
“Uh… it’s okay. I won’t leave,” he soothed. She calmed, slowly releasing him. He stroked his stubbly chin. “Dumped? Or abandoned? Probably dumped… who’d ditch such a pretty daughter?”
Early still. He cooked congee slowly. Toasted bread with pork floss for breakfast.
He made a portion for her too. Covered it. Left a note on the table.
When he left for work, she hadn’t woken.
Work dragged. He kept zoning out.
“Hey, Wanjianlei! What’re you doing? You’ve spaced out five times! Don’t mess up the orders!”
“Ah! Sorry, sorry,” he snapped back, apologizing.
He’d just kept wondering: Was she hungry? Had she left?
After his nine-to-five shift, he felt uneasy heading home.
Deep down, he hoped she’d stayed. Not love at first sight—that was nonsense. Just… living with such a cute girl would make him happy.
Even a stray kitten he’d rescued, he wouldn’t want it gone by morning.
He pushed the door open carefully. Dreading an empty room.
Luckily, she was there.
“Ah, awake?” Wanjianlei asked with an awkward smile, heart leaping.
“Mm… thanks,” the girl on the sofa nodded, tired. The TV played Ultraman Gaia on demand.
But her eyes weren’t on the screen. Lost in thought, probably.
Well, of course. Why else wander streets in midnight rain?
“Uh… want me to take you home?” He instantly regretted saying it.
“…” She shook her head, downcast. “I have no home.”
“Ah? Oh… that’s… terrible. Stay here, if you don’t mind.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m Wanjianlei,” he smiled. “Your name?”
“Autumn… um…” She bit her lip. “Leaf… no… not… I’m… Ten Rain.”
“Ten Rain? Surname?”
“The surname Ten.”
“Weird surname,” he chuckled, dropping it. “Shower? Your clothes are dirty. And… kinda smelly. Ahem.”
Ten Rain’s face flushed slightly.
“Oh—you’ve no spare clothes? I’ll buy some…”
“No! No need,” she cut in. “Anything’s fine.”
“But my clothes’ll swamp you.”
“Mmm…”
“Ah! My sister’s clothes… um… I’ll grab them later… or… you take them? Her closet’s open…” He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Huh…? I… take them?”
“Yeah. You’re both girls. Less awkward than me poking around.”
“Mmm… o-okay…”
