"Thereās an elderly person at home alone, and Iām a bit worried. Teacher, can I leave a bit early?"
Li Liang raised his hand and looked at the watch on his wrist, "There are still over ten minutes left. The rain outside seems to have lightened up a bit. Just hold on a little longer," he said, walking towards the podium, making it hard to read his expression.
In her heart, Lin Wan cursed him countless times. What kind of person is this, always being touchy? A rogue is just a rogue.
Wasnāt he just eyeing Su Ling not long ago? Whatās going on today?
Lin Wan looked around the classroom and noticed that Su Ling wasnāt here today. Neither was Yin Peibai. Not just the two of them, several classmates hadnāt come, probably because of the rain.
Finally, enduring until the end of the class, Lin Wan packed up her books, grabbed her umbrella, and quickly left the classroom.
"The rain hasnāt stopped outside. Itās not safe for a girl to go back alone. Where do you live? How about I give you a ride?" At some point, Li Liang, with his umbrella, had come up next to Lin Wan.
If it were before, not knowing Li Liangās true intentions, she might have gratefully accepted this gentlemanly gesture.
Who knows, after some back-and-forth, under Li Liangās persistent efforts, something might really happen.
In the past life, this was how it was. Li Liang would come to her school every week and wait for her to come out; heād take her to see movies, to the library, out shopping.
Initially, Lin Wan didnāt pay much attention to him because Li Liang was introduced to her by Ye Qing. Every time Ye Qing invited her out to play, Li Liang was always there. Lin Wan thought Li Liang was pursuing Ye Qing, but Ye Qing said he wasnāt. She thought Li Liang was secretly in love, and she even gave him some advice in private. Over time, as they interacted more, Lin Wan also regarded him as a friend. Gradually, when Ye Qing invited her out, she would either be unable to come or leave midway.
She was naive then and didnāt realize this was Ye Qingās deliberate plan.
Spending more time alone with Li Liang, he would always touch her either intentionally or unintentionally. It would either be seemingly accidental hand-holding or putting a hand on her leg or waist. Initially, Lin Wan felt uncomfortable, but she noticed that he acted the same with Ye Qing. His actions had no overtly lewd intentions, and over time, she stopped rejecting his actions, assuming them to be friendly gestures and lowered her guard against him. Moreover, he was introduced by Ye Qing and was a friend, plus he was a talented person with good painting skills. Lin Wan thought that interacting with him more wouldnāt be a bad thing. At least he could guide her drawing techniques. Every time they went out, Li Liang was always very considerate. Although she had a good impression of Li Liang, she knew she was married and couldnāt do anything inappropriate.
One Sunday, Li Liang took her and Ye Qing to a movie. The tickets were for a little after eight in the evening. After watching for an hour, it was already past nine when they came out, with a heavy rain pouring down. They couldnāt leave, and Ye Qing was nowhere in sight. Lin Wan thought Ye Qing had wandered off, but Li Liang said that Ye Qing hadnāt slept well the previous night and couldnāt hold up, so she got a room at the hotel next door to take a nap. Lin Wan was puzzled as to why Ye Qing hadnāt told her when she left.
After a moment of confusion, Lin Wan didnāt think much of it and took shelter from the rain at the entrance.
When there were fewer people around, Li Liang gave her a gentle smile, "I donāt think this rain is going to stop, and since we didnāt bring an umbrella, why donāt we also stay at the hotel for a night?"
Lin Wan looked at the sky and thought it was okay, so she nodded and agreed.
Li Liang took off his jacket and used it to shield Lin Wan from the rain as they ran to a hotel a few hundred meters ahead.
Li Liang brought her to a hotel, and Lin Wan originally thought she could just share a room with Ye Qing. But Li Liang said he didnāt want to wake Ye Qing, so he booked two separate rooms.
Who knew that in the middle of the night, Li Liang suddenly knocked on her door? Seeing it was him, Lin Wan let her guard down and let him in, asking what was wrong.