LVLYA

Chapter 39: To Meet By Chance

Yue Zhishi was still in his classroom when he sent across his messages. After hearing they'd be let out early for their monthly break, he was too excited to sit still and for the first time, sneakily used his phone while his teacher was still standing at the podium.

He was so excited, he completely missed the reason why they were being released for their monthly break so early in the morning.

In the classroom, his classmates were all delighted at the news, and the class adviser once again stressed, "The storm warning this time is level red and might be the largest amount of rain we've had so far this year. Those who live at school, try not to leave if you can. Safety comes first..."

Yue Zhishi was entirely focused on his WeChat. He'd thought he would have needed to wait for a long time, but Song Yu's reply came faster than he'd imagined.

[Xiao Yu gege: It's raining today, don't come.]

Yue Zhishi drew his eyebrows together, not quite happy with his reply.

[Yue Zhishi: No way, I agreed to it last night. If you don't come see me, then I'll go look for you at your research lab building.]

After he finished typing, Yue Zhishi lifted his head and saw everyone was already packing their things away to go home, so he stuffed his phone into his pocket and quickly got himself ready as well. His phone was set to silent mode — Yue Zhishi only remembered after he'd gotten on the bus home. He immediately looked at it, and as expected, there was a reply sent two minutes after he'd sent out his own.

[Xiao Yu gege: What time]

There was another message right under it, only one minute separating the two.

[Xiao Yu gege: I need to go to the lab right now, there's a bunch of new data I need to organise and remodel. Let me know when you're almost here, and I'll come out and get you. Remember to bring an umbrella, and be careful on your way here.]

Song Yu usually didn't speak much, but he often explained himself very clearly even though Yue Zhishi didn't know what his work was and what he needed to do.

Yue Zhishi silently reread Song Yu's messages and thought their conversation felt a bit stiff, so he sent over a sticker of a little puppy nodding, making their chat feel a lot gentler.

[Yue Zhishi: I'll arrive at 6pm.]

He didn't want to tell Song Yu he'd been let out early — he wanted to give him a surprise. It was fine even if Song Yu needed to study; he could always sit next to him and not bother him.

It would be very nice to see him earlier.

When he got home, Lin Rong was just pouring the finished soup into an insulated container. She praised Peiya for having a conscience when she heard he was released early, but she was still a bit worried at Yue Zhishi going to Wuhan U.

Lin Rong waited for Yue Zhishi to come down again after changing his clothes and said, "If you go over in the afternoon, what are you going to do if it starts storming? It's really not safe enough if you're in a car."

Yue Zhishi was wearing a smoky blue short-sleeved t-shirt with a pair of black jeans, and his outfit emphasised his long arms and legs and his pale, glowing skin. He held a black baseball cap and went to sit in front of the dining table, pushing a small piece of cantaloupe into his mouth with a fork. "Then I'll take the subway. It goes directly there anyway even if it's a bit slower."

"Why don't I go instead." Lin Rong was still anxious. "I'll drive over there and then head to the high-speed rail from Wuhan U."

"Don't, it'll be too much of a hassle. You're only taking the high-speed rail because your flight was cancelled. What if your train's delayed?" Yue Zhishi chose a bigger piece of fruit and stretched out his arm until the cantaloupe piece rested next to Lin Rong's mouth. "Aunt Rong, don't worry, nothing will happen."