Global Film Emperor

Chapter 552 Rainy Night
The sounds of metal clashing mingled with the sound of flowing water. A large hand squeezed a sponge, squeezing out dense foam that slowly flowed into the drainpipe along with the water. The air conditioner delivered warm air, causing the fabric strips at the air vents to sway.

The rain outside showed no signs of stopping; in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Soon after, a deep purple flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, but no thunder was heard for a long time.

The cold air brought by the rain met the still warm ground, and white mist rose into the air, obscuring the surroundings from dozens of meters away. The lights of many roadside signs were also preserved here, slightly dim, yet colorful in the eye.

For some reason, their reunions always happened on rainy days. She sat in her usual spot, her head lightly pressed against the windowpane, looking slightly awkward, feeling the warmth in the quiet room and recovering the body heat she had lost while standing in the rain.

Lu Ze wiped his hands, took the washed towel, neatly wrapped the lunchbox, put it into the insulated bag she had brought, and gently pushed it in front of her.

As I turned and walked behind the bar, I couldn't help but gag. Having not eaten oily food for a long time, it was hard to adjust to eating oily food all of a sudden. No matter how hard I swallowed, I couldn't get rid of that sticky feeling in my throat. Even after wiping my lips several times, I could still feel the greasiness. Not to mention the irritation to my stomach. I feel quite unwell right now.

"Brother Lu, are you feeling unwell?"

"fine."

He spat out a mouthful of saliva, casually wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, took out a piece of white paper and wrote and drew for a short while. After a slight hesitation, he stuck the white paper on the glass door.

The sound of tearing transparent tape was quite loud. She looked up, unaware that she was looking directly at Lu Ze. After a moment, she lowered her head again, took the lunchbox that Lu Ze had washed in her hands, placed it on her lap, and gently rubbed the two corners of the insulated bag.

The two hadn't interacted much before, and now they were even more silent, the atmosphere slowly shifting from warm and quiet to oppressive.

"Well... I'll be going now. Brother Lu, you should get some rest."

Before Lu Ze could say anything more, she couldn't stand it anymore. As if trying to escape something, she hurriedly got up, grabbed her lunchbox, walked to the door, waved her arms in the air a few times, grabbed the umbrella, and pushed the door open with some force. Instantly, the sound of rain entered her ears.

"Let me take you there; it's raining so hard."

"No need to trouble yourself, I can manage on my own. Traveling is tiring, you should close the shop and go to sleep."

Lu Ze was somewhat surprised by her quick and decisive answer, which was quite different from her usual tone. In the past, she always spoke slowly and timidly like a rabbit, but now she spoke with a tough attitude, which was quite interesting.

Before she could even open her umbrella, she stepped into the rain. Under the streetlights, the tangled raindrops falling on her head were clearly visible, gathering into larger raindrops on her smooth hair and rolling down. She panicked and frantically tried to open the umbrella, but couldn't manage it for a while, until the umbrella was snatched away by a stronger force, opened with a bang, and placed on her head.

"Stand here, don't move, wait for me."

She obeyed, keeping her head down and remaining silent, but gripping the umbrella handle tightly until Lu Ze opened another umbrella and stood behind her, saying something.

"Let's go."

Without further hesitation, knowing that refusal was useless, she walked forward with her head down. She had a good memory and remembered the road conditions. She could easily bypass places prone to flooding. This was not the first time Lu Ze had seen her with such ability, but he still admired her.

Clearly, Lu Ze wasn't the only one who remembered their last rainy night get-together; perhaps she was the one who truly left a deep impression. A few minutes later, she couldn't help but ask the question she least wanted to bring up at that moment.

"Brother Lu... are you going to sell the shop?"

"Well, I'm thinking of selling it. I won't be staying long this time, so I think I should just sell it."

Lu Ze wasn't surprised, nor was she surprised that she had guessed it. The shop's long hours of being locked, the papers with writing and drawing on them, and the tape torn off the door all indicated that this shop was about to go out of business.

She had never hated rainy days as much as she did today. It seemed that any sad news was being conveyed to her in this terrible weather, just like a rainy night a year ago when the man behind her rejected her feelings for him.

This time, a year later on a rainy night, it seemed that the man really wanted to say goodbye to her, or rather, never see her again.

Her steps never stopped, but each step became increasingly difficult. The mental anguish manifested in her body, as if even her legs felt lighter.

An accident occurred. Although she could clearly remember the terrain, she couldn't avoid the props that inconsiderate passersby might leave behind. She stepped on an ice cream bag and immediately slipped. Her already weak legs instantly lost their balance. She consciously tried to use her umbrella to brace herself, but she clearly overestimated the value of her cheap umbrella. The umbrella broke in the middle in an instant. The poor loser seemed about to make a fool of herself again. Fortunately, her out-of-control body was supported by the person behind her, and she fell backward into Lu Ze's arms.

"I told you I had to take you, otherwise you might fall and hurt yourself on your way back, twisting your ankle or knee...?"

Lu Ze stopped mid-sentence, his smile fading slightly. With a clatter, the lunchbox fell to the ground. He could clearly feel a pair of soft little hands moving up his arm from the back of his hand.

Then, droplets of water fell onto the back of his hand, and the warm sensation clearly told him what was happening.

This is not rain.

Lu Ze suddenly fell silent, letting her turn around, her hands clinging to his waist, then slowly moving upwards until her fair, soft hands gently caressed his cheeks. Lu Ze lowered his head, looking at her face. She seemed to be wearing makeup, though very lightly; she hadn't applied lipstick or drawn her eyebrows. Only when they were so close, and tears streamed down her cheeks, could one see the faint traces.

This was a gaze that only one person could witness. Lu Ze discovered that even a pair of unfocused eyes could still be filled with sorrow. The overflowing mist condensed together, and tears dripped down the corners of the eyes, down the chin, and onto the ground, mingling with the rain.

At the crossroads, the red light turned green, the sunlight mingling with the yellow glow of the streetlights. Navigating through the thick fog, braving wind, frost, rain, and snow, she found her home in her eyes. She touched Lu Ze for the first time, in the third year of their acquaintance. Her lips parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth, yet trembling, as she uttered words that still stirred Lu Ze, a man who had weathered countless storms and tasted the full spectrum of life, his heart long since calm.

"Brother Lu... how come you... how come you're so thin?"

She had only ever touched a hand like Lu Ze's, with loose skin that revealed the bones. Such a hand inevitably reminded her of the afternoon her grandfather passed away. Coupled with Lu Ze's repeated gagging earlier, an idea involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Panic surged through her heart, but her flustered expression softened Lu Ze's heart. He reached out and touched her slightly damp, jet-black hair.

"What are you thinking? Are you afraid I'm going to die?"

"Afraid……"

Her voice trembled with tears. In the past, she would have blushed and hidden away long ago, but she didn't flinch at the warmth on her head. She frankly expressed her worries, which made Lu Ze's face slowly smile again, only this time very gently.

"I just lost weight, so I look more handsome."

"He's not handsome at all. You should eat properly."

"Really? I accept your suggestion. I'll take it into consideration and gain some weight."

"Don't lie to me. You're not feeling well and need to go to the hospital. I have some savings; take it all if you need more..."

"I'm not lying to you, you can't expect me to say that I'm sick, can you?"

"That was not what I meant……"

She couldn't stop her tears, showing her vulnerability to Lu Ze for the first time. It wasn't until more than a dozen cars passed by on the road with very little traffic that she slowly came to her senses, a faint blush appearing on her face. She pulled her hands away and squatted down in a panic to look for the dropped lunchbox.

"I'll take it, so you don't get your clothes dirty. Let's go."

She didn't refuse, but pitifully tried to lift up the battle-damaged, tattered umbrella that could barely be opened to shield herself from the wind and rain. However, Lu Ze ruthlessly snatched it away and unceremoniously threw it into the trash can. Afterwards, she walked side by side with Lu Ze under one umbrella. During this time, she tirelessly inquired about Lu Ze's physical condition. Only after Lu Ze confirmed it repeatedly did she slowly feel relieved.

The road was flooded and difficult to walk on, so we walked slowly. When we reached the school gate, the rain stopped, and moonlight shone through the sea of ​​clouds to illuminate the misty earth. The old man who kept watch in the security room had already gone to bed, but he hadn't fallen asleep. Seeing someone standing at the gate, he leaned against the window, picked up his flashlight, shone it, and then quickly turned off the light.

"Go back and get some rest."

"Yes, thank you for bringing me back."

"Stop overthinking all day. Is there a shower in the dorm? Go back and take a shower, or you'll catch a cold."

"Okay, I'll go in then, Brother Lu..."

After saying that, she didn't move her feet and remained standing there, seemingly thinking about Lu Ze's plan to exchange the shop. For some reason, after crying once, she found it difficult to control her emotions in front of Lu Ze, and her eyes became slightly red again.

"Then I'll go first."

"Okay... Be careful on your way back."

Lu Ze folded up his umbrella, shook off the rain, closed the lid, and turned to leave. Hearing footsteps, she hesitated, wanting to call out to Lu Ze, but not knowing how to start. After thinking it over, she picked up her lunchbox, feeling a little discouraged, and prepared to go back to her dormitory. But she stopped in her tracks just as she turned around.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, my shop's location is pretty good, and I should be able to sell it in the next few days. You don't need to come to the shop to look for me anymore."

"it is good……"

She wanted to ask again if there would be a chance to meet again, but she lost in the fierce internal struggle. With her head blank and her lips pursed, she finally agreed, but she couldn't help feeling inferior. Perhaps love was really a luxury for her. Thinking of this, she turned her back to Lu Ze and couldn't help but shed tears again.

"I'll come see you later."

She couldn't see Lu Ze's childlike laughter, and her heavy steps suddenly froze. But then she suddenly felt her body regain strength. Under the moonlight, she turned around abruptly, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and revealed a bright smile.

"it is good!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)