He paused, rested one hand on the advertisement board, and leaned closer to her, a hint of amusement in his tone: "Yu Wanwan, after all these years, when did you become such a coward?"
They were now very close, so close that Yu Wanwan could smell the cool woody scent on him.
Only when she heard him accurately call her name did her pounding heart slow down a little. Could he be an old acquaintance?
But she scrutinized him for a long time and couldn't recall who he was.
She frowned slightly, trying to identify him in the dark: "You are..."
After a moment, she finally remembered who he was and widened her eyes in surprise: "Zhang Jingxu?!"
No way, no way? She remembered Zhang Jingxu from her childhood as a frail scholar. After ten years in the U.S., his temperament had completely changed!
Zhang Jingxu spoke slowly: "Now you beg for mercy? You were quite arrogant when you threw the brick, weren't you?"
Hearing his sarcastic words and realizing he was an old friend, Yu Wanwan immediately shed her scared demeanor. She stood up straight and proud, startling the man so much that he stepped back.
Yu Wanwan put her hands on her hips and said arrogantly, "Who told you to splash me with water when driving?"
She hugged her limited-edition bag to her chest: "Look at my dress and my bag—all ruined!"
Zhang Jingxu paused, his deep eyes scanning her soaked dress and bag. Instead of apologizing, he said calmly, "So you solved it with a brick?"
"You!" Yu Wanwan was furious. Her hands clutching the bag unconsciously formed fists. "Do you know my bag is a limited edition?!"
Seeing her angry expression, Zhang Jingxu finally softened his tone. He let out an almost imperceptible sigh and then apologized kindly, "Sorry, it was too dark. My driver probably didn't see anyone here."
"Even if he didn't see anyone, he should slow down at a bus stop!" She glared at him. "Did your driver buy his license?"
Seeing that the rain showed no sign of stopping and to ease the awkward atmosphere, Zhang Jingxu took the initiative to invite her: "It's raining heavily. Let me take you home first."
Yu Wanwan didn't hesitate. She just wanted to get home quickly and take a hot shower, so she grumpily climbed into the back seat.
The car started again. The interior was bright white and perfectly sealed, completely blocking out the sound of the rain outside. Zhang Jingxu handed her a soft, dry towel and said, "I'll compensate you for your dress and bag."
Yu Wanwan was about to continue her outburst, but then she caught sight of the crack she had made in the rear windshield. She waved her hand in a magnanimous gesture: "Forget it. I hit your car, so let's call it even."
The car fell into a dead silence. Yu Wanwan kept glancing at the man beside her from the corner of her eye. She still couldn't match the name "Zhang Jingxu" with the man in front of her.
After all, he had changed so much. She remembered that as a child, Zhang Jingxu had only two hairstyles: a crew cut or a flat top. Back then, Yu Wanwan loved to rub his crew cut—the prickly feeling was amazing. Every day after class, she would push him down into a chair and "torment" him.
And he was like a well-behaved little puppy, obediently enduring her "tyranny" without daring to complain.
But now, looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar old friend, there was no trace of the little puppy. He was a full-grown wolf.
If she dared to "torment" him like before, she'd probably get bitten.
Just as she was pondering how to break the silence, Zhang Jingxu spoke first: "It's raining so hard. Why are you outside alone without driving?"
Author's note: