Little Floral Umbrella

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Raindrops fell one after another, stringing together like pearls, connecting heaven and earth in threads of silk.

All around them, there was silence.

All Shen Si could see was that pair of eyes. He instinctively held his breath, but it was as though his whole body had suddenly been exposed to the cold rain. The chill swept through him, making his scalp tingle and his throat tighten until he couldn't get a single word out.

Realizing that a mere look had frightened him, Shen Si was stunned at first. Then an indescribable sense of embarrassment and irritation welled up inside him.

Ridiculous.

How could he be afraid of someone who wasn't even worthy of his notice?

Raindrops pounded down one after another, without end.

"Should I praise you for your courage?" Shen Si snorted. He was just about to teach this loudmouth a lesson when a familiar figure emerged from behind, choking all his words in his throat.

There was no telling where this person had heard the news. His timing was almost uncanny, barging in at just the right moment, neither early nor late.

Chi Zhao strolled onto the rooftop beneath a small, transparent floral umbrella.

A lollipop was stuck between his lips. He tipped up the umbrella, revealing his extraordinarily handsome face. Wisps of hair fluttered over his forehead, and his silver-white wolf cut was tied into a little tuft at the back.

An extremely, extremely bizarre combination.

Everyone who saw his little floral umbrella thought the same thing.

The umbrella was only big enough for one person, and its ribs were too thin to withstand the fierce wind on the rooftop. His leisurely stroll was ruined when the little umbrella blew inside out.

In an instant, the rain soaked one side of him.

He looked a mess, but no one dared laugh.

"Tsk."

Displeased, he adjusted the canopy with his hand. "I just bought it. How did it break already?"

Someone behind him worked up the courage to offer him an umbrella.

Chi Zhao accepted it with some delight, then opened it and sighed with a hint of regret. "It's a little ugly."

The umbrella's owner looked at the little plastic floral umbrella, the kind sold in shops on any street, then at his own high-end, custom-made Italian umbrella in the old-money style. A thousand words clogged his heart.

Now that he had an umbrella, Chi Zhao returned to his earlier manner. Dragging his feet at a leisurely pace, he walked between the two sides.

"Why didn't anyone call me when there's so much excitement?" With the candy in his mouth, his voice was muffled and languid, the end of his sentence lifting slightly, as though he really was wondering and complaining about why no one had called him.

Ding Yiheng tugged Cen Xia's sleeve and lowered his voice. "We're saved. Chi Zhao and the president don't get along, and he hates Shen Si too."

The moment Shen Si saw Chi Zhao, he knew that today's affair had to end here. Otherwise, if Chi Zhao got something on him, there would be no peace for He Wangsheng again.

Shen Si said, "You're late. The fun's over."

"Oh?" Confusion appeared on Chi Zhao's face. "That fast?"

Then his tone changed, and he directed his next words straight at Shen Si. "You didn't wrap things up early because you saw me coming, did you?"

Shen Si didn't particularly want to keep talking to this lunatic. "Of course not. Can't you see we're about to leave?"

Cen Xia caught Shen Si's threatening look but made no move. Ding Yiheng, however, boldly stepped forward, ready to quit while they were ahead.

"Yes, yes, yes, we're all leaving."

With that, he gave Cen Xia a look.

Let's get out of here, brother. When big shots battle it out, we mere mortals are the ones who get caught in the crossfire!

Cen Xia shifted the person in his arms higher. "Let's go."

Ding Yiheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had really been afraid Cen Xia would stubbornly refuse to leave.

"Let's go, let's go!" Ding Yiheng waved toward the rooftop entrance, dispersing the crowd.

Shen Si smiled faintly at Chi Zhao. "Then... we'll be going too."

Holding the high-end, custom-made Italian umbrella, Chi Zhao brushed past Shen Si and spoke casually in a low voice.

"Go back and tell him I've caught him by the tail."

Shen Si stiffened for an instant, then quickly returned to normal and left without a change in expression.

Chi Zhao watched him leave, bit through the candy that had dissolved to half its original size, and curved his lips in a playful smile.

So there really is something to use against him...

Before leaving, he picked the ruined little floral umbrella off the ground and stroked it rather tenderly. The next second, he tossed it mercilessly into a corner.

"Beautiful things just can't be kept-"

A murmur that was almost a sigh lingered amid the rooftop downpour.

The infirmary.

Shi Su had been in the rain too long. His body temperature had dropped, and he wouldn't stop shivering.

Cen Xia took off his wet clothes and wrapped him tightly in a thick blanket from the infirmary.

The doctor took his temperature and said he had developed a low-grade fever.

Ding Yiheng had gone to get medicine from the doctor, while Cen Xia stayed in the sickroom to watch over him.

The moment Fang Sheng received the news, he found some clothes and rushed to the infirmary through the downpour. Nearly half of him was soaked, but the clothes he brought hadn't gotten damp at all.

Panting, he handed the clothes to Cen Xia. "Hurry and change out of your wet clothes too. They're all mine, so they'll probably be a little small on you."

He pulled Shi Su's clothes out of the bag. "These are Shi Su's. Should we change him now?"

Cen Xia shook his head. "In a little while."

Only then did Fang Sheng plop down and pound his weak legs. Heaven knew how he had struggled to run all the way here against the fierce wind and rain.

Cen Xia went into the bathroom to change. Fang Sheng's clothes were indeed a little small on him, but he could still wear them.

By the time he opened the door and came out, Ding Yiheng had returned with the medicine.

It was Ding Yiheng's turn to change. Cen Xia picked up the medicine and examined it, dissolved the powder in hot water, and carried the cup to the bed.

His voice was unusually gentle. "Shi Su, get up and take your medicine. You can sleep afterward."

Shi Su opened his eyes in a daze. When he saw Cen Xia, he called out in a hoarse voice that was barely audible, "Brother Cen..."

Cen Xia supported his head and fed him the medicine himself.

"Go to sleep..."

Shi Su fell asleep.

The three of them watched the torrential rain outside the window. Not one of them spoke.

Shi Su had a very long dream.

When he woke, he remembered nothing except the person in his arms holding tightly to his arm and calling to him gently, over and over, in his ear.

"Shi Su-"

He opened his eyes, waking from the dream.

Cen Xia reached out and waved a hand in front of his eyes.

"Are you awake?"

He barely reacted, only staring blankly, his eyes still hazy.

Cen Xia moved, and then he noticed that Shi Su's eyes followed his every movement.

"Wasn't it a low-grade fever? Why does it feel like it fried his brain?"

Another head appeared in Shi Su's field of vision. It was Fang Sheng's.

"Is he really an idiot now?"

He too reached out and waved a hand in front of Shi Su's eyes.

Shi Su slapped his hand away. "You're the idiot," he said hoarsely.

Fang Sheng clutched the hand that had been slapped. "..." Was I the one who said it first? Or was I the only one who said it? Why are you only attacking me?

Cen Xia breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, you're all right." Good, he hasn't turned into an idiot. As he spoke, he brought the medicine over. "Your fever's gone down, but just in case."

"Ding Yiheng went to buy food. The rain's too heavy, so the cafeteria isn't delivering." He also explained where Ding Yiheng, who was currently absent, had gone.

Shi Su drank the medicine in one go. Even with the water to moisten it, his throat was still a little hoarse. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

Shi Su glanced out the window. Not only had the rain failed to stop, but it was still coming down as hard as it had at noon.

Under the lights, the trees swayed wildly in the wind, like a row of evil spirits baring their fangs and claws.