“Why…”
Luo Qingchuan felt an indescribable impulse, as if his very soul were bound by Su Yingsnow.
“My kitty left on its own… only came back because it had nothing to eat. I love it so much—but to it, what am I?”
Hearing her words, Luo Qingchuan’s mind went blank. Gently, he pulled the girl beneath him closer, tenderness swelling in his chest.
After a quiet moment,
Su Yingsnow bit her lip softly. Her gaze hazy, she lifted Luo Qingchuan’s shoulder, breath growing ragged as she looked at him.
A faint, enchanting smile graced her elegant face. “Thrilling? You came so soon.”
Luo Qingchuan simply smoothed the sweat-damp strands of her black hair.
“Has the kitty come back?” he asked, lying beside her.
“It’s back… feels like a dream. It ran away for a whole month, yet still remembered home.”
Half her body resting on him, she spoke softly, “I stroked its neck, fed it, bathed it… Luo Qingchuan, I just couldn’t bring myself to hurt it.”
She smiled sweetly. “Because… I realized how utterly adorable my kitty really is!”
Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes—bright as morning stars, hazy yet breathtaking.
“I was just happy. So happy I forgot everything else.”
Luo Qingchuan’s throat tightened. His fingertips brushed her hair, cradling her head with overwhelming tenderness.
Wiping tears but smiling brightly, she whispered, “It’s gotten chubby again. Want to pet it later? It’s so well-behaved.”
He drew the blanket over her, arm circling her delicate shoulders. Leaning close, he held her gaze until her cheeks flushed and lashes fluttered.
“You’re too kind,” he murmured.
“This… is something I’ve never dared say aloud.” Eyes closed, shy and flustered, she whispered, “Will you hate me?”
“Everyone has shadows. Dark thoughts.” Luo Qingchuan smiled gently. “I don’t find it strange. It only shows how tender your heart is.”
He remembered clearly—he’d once considered using Chen Yanyu to kill Zuo Tian. He’d had that thought too.
Burying her face in his chest, she choked out, “I said something terrible… sorry.”
“No more phone talks next time,” he chuckled. “I’ll take perfect care of you.”
She let out a tearful laugh. “Don’t… it’s embarrassing…”
“Then… let’s continue.” He wasn’t satisfied—and sensed she wasn’t either.
He owed her this.
“Wait… still sensitive…”
At her startled cry, Luo Qingchuan gently resumed.
The bedframe trembled faintly. Her eyes shimmered with dewy longing, hazy yet soft.
Only deep into the night did exhaustion still them. Tidying up slightly, they drifted into sleep without noticing when.
... ... ...
Dawn broke.
Luo Qingchuan heard the pitter-patter of rain.
He stepped out in sleepwear and saw the black-haired girl seated by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Su Yingsnow had risen early—school uniform neat, face freshly washed. Hugging her knees, she gazed quietly at the ink-dark clouds, watching rain kiss the courtyard flowers. Tiny splashes danced in the pond.
He draped a jacket over her shoulders.
“Awake?” She tugged the fabric, cheeks tinged pink. “I’m not cold.”
“I worried you were.” He sat cross-legged beside her.
She smiled, curling onto his lap like a kitten, dark eyes bright upon his gentle face.
“I’ve imagined many terrible things… but only acted on one.”
“Hmm?” He took her hand, smiling. “Tell me.”
Her lips curved.
Her expression softened like sunlight warming skin.
“Sometimes… looking down from high places, I’d think of jumping. Life felt heavy. But I never dared—I knew it was an abyss of no return.”
She kept smiling. “So I wondered… what if bad luck brought me a villain?”
Luo Qingchuan stilled.
Rain whispered against the world—a tender, intimate white noise.
“If he came… if Mr. Bad Guy stabbed me, left me on cold ground… I wouldn’t fear. Wouldn’t resist. I’d sleep peacefully in the dark.”
Her voice, clearer than raindrops, sweet as a lark’s song, ached with vulnerability.
“I met the bad guy.”
Her eyes held his reflection.
“Mr. Bad Guy is very gentle.”
She shifted onto his lap. A faint fragrance drifted close.
“So I tried being a bad girl,” she whispered with a light laugh against his ear, “and I bullied Mr. Bad Guy.”
Luo Qingchuan understood.
She’d stood at the cliff’s edge long ago. He hadn’t pushed her—she chose to fall.
“But I was lucky. Because Mr. Bad Guy truly loves me.”
He chuckled softly. “Because I wanted to be good.”
Her fingers smoothed his sleep-mussed hair—infinitely gentle, full of lover’s care.
“So I didn’t fall into darkness, Luo Qingchuan. I fell into sunlight. I feel… alive again.”
She rose gracefully, standing by the window—delicate, luminous.
Rain dripped steadily.
“Do you like rainy days?” he asked.
“Never did.”
“Right—you hate noise,” he smiled. “Shall we go back?”
She shook her head. “But I like them now.”
“Why?”
She stepped close, her soft, slender hand taking his.
A sunbeam touched her face.
Sometime unnoticed—
the rain had ceased.
Ink-black clouds swirled apart across the sky.
Golden beams swept through post-rain clouds over the gleaming city. The Tyndall effect glowed ethereal. Night and chill had vanished.
Light traced their silhouettes in shimmering gold.
On Su Yingsnow’s breathtaking face bloomed the most radiant smile.
She was stunning.
A beauty beyond words—so profound Luo Qingchuan forgot to breathe, staring like a fool.
“Because…” she smiled at him, voice warm as dawn, “sitting here with you, watching the rain… felt so romantic. So from now on—I’ll love every rainy day.”
