Chapter 44: The Kiss That Changed Everything

It was raining.

Shen Yu stood under the school's entrance, hugging his bag close. The downpour had come out of nowhere, and of course, he had forgotten his umbrella. He sighed, watching the rain hammer against the pavement, soaking everything in sight.

A shadow loomed beside him. "You look miserable."

Shen Yu turned and found himself staring up at Lu Zhixuan, who was holding a black umbrella over his head, looking annoyingly unbothered by the weather.

"I am miserable," Shen Yu muttered. "Go ahead, laugh."

To his surprise, Lu Zhixuan didn't. Instead, he sighed, then tilted the umbrella slightly toward Shen Yu. "Come on."

Shen Yu blinked. "What?"

Lu Zhixuan rolled his eyes. "I said, come on. Unless you'd rather run home in the rain?"

Shen Yu hesitated. Sharing an umbrella meant getting very close. But the alternative was getting drenched and possibly catching a cold. After a moment of internal debate, he let out a small huff and stepped under the umbrella. Their shoulders brushed, and Shen Yu immediately regretted everything.

The walk started in silence, the rhythmic sound of raindrops filling the space between them. Shen Yu tried to keep a reasonable distance, but the narrow umbrella forced him closer than he was comfortable with. He could feel the warmth radiating from Lu Zhixuan's body, and it was so distracting.

After a few minutes, Shen Yu found himself sneaking glances at him. Lu Zhixuan had his usual unreadable expression, but his grip on the umbrella handle was firm, steady.

Unable to help himself, Shen Yu finally asked, "Why are you being nice to me?"

Lu Zhixuan stopped walking.

Shen Yu frowned and turned toward him. "What—"

Before he could finish, a strong hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward. Then—warm lips crashed against his.

Shen Yu's mind blanked.

The umbrella slipped from Lu Zhixuan's grip, falling to the ground as the rain poured around them. Shen Yu barely had time to react before Lu Zhixuan deepened the kiss, his other hand sliding to the back of Shen Yu's neck, holding him in place.

Heat flooded Shen Yu's entire body. His fingers curled into fists, gripping the front of Lu Zhixuan's jacket as his heart pounded erratically.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, Lu Zhixuan pulled back, his dark eyes searching Shen Yu's face.

"I'm not playing games, Zhao Rui," Lu Zhixuan murmured, voice low but firm. "I never was."

Shen Yu stood there, completely soaked, completely breathless, as Lu Zhixuan bent down, picked up the umbrella, and started walking ahead—leaving him standing in the rain.

His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out everything else. His lips still tingled, and his mind raced in a thousand different directions.

And for the first time, he stopped denying it.

He was falling for Lu Zhixuan.