Chu Yang decided to stay. After dinner, while Chu Yang was washing dishes in the kitchen, Chi Yan kept humming and wandering around her, "Yang Yang, do you need help?"
Chu Yang: "Get out of the way."
Chi Yan smiled happily: "Okay. I'm out."
Chu Yang: ...
That night, Chi Xin received a phone call, "Boss, the investigation results from the Zhu Family Villa are in. DNA analysis confirmed a total of 22 people died there. According to the police, there were over 30 missing females with the same birth dates reported over the past decade. We compared the DNA and found those 22 were among those 30 missing people. We also discovered an underground passage leading from the villa to the entrance. The police have ordered a search for Zhu Ying. The Zhu family is also implicated, as the missing persons are apparently related to the Zhu family head."
"Understood. Any news on Zhu Ruxin? I heard she is missing."
"None so far."
"Okay, let me know if there are any updates."
"Yes."
After hanging up, Chi Xin immediately called Chi Yan about this.
Chi Yan was about to tease Chu Yang when the call came in. He put it on speaker for Chu Yang to hear.
"Got it, uncle. Please update us on any new developments."
Hearing Chu Yang's voice, Chi Xin said, "I know. We'll talk later."
"Thank you, uncle."
After hanging up, Chi Yan tossed his phone, "The police uncle will catch the bad guys who hurt you, Yang Yang. Shall we continue where we left off?"
Chu Yang: ?
Chi Yan pulled up the blanket to cover them both, hugging Chu Yang, "Yang Yang, wanna do what we did this afternoon again?"
...
The sound of Chi Yan's butt being slapped by Chu Yang indicated she knew he had ulterior motives for keeping her there.
After some commotion, Chu Yang fell asleep. Chi Yan kissed her soft cheek and went to sleep too.
Around 3-4AM, the howling winds and pouring rain woke Chu Yang up. She nudged Chi Yan, her voice still sleepy, "Xin Xin, it's raining. Bring in the clothes."
Without opening his eyes, Chi Yan muttered "Mm" and got up to leave the room. Last night, the balcony door was left open, and rain had blown in, leaving a puddle. Now wide awake, Chi Yan quickly brought in the clothes, closed the balcony door, checked and closed any open windows in other rooms, and mopped up the wet areas.
Seeing it was just past 3AM, the heavy rain had cooled the weather. Chi Yan hurried back to bed, snuggling with the warm and soft Chu Yang, quickly falling back asleep.
However, in a mountain somewhere, Zhu Ying watched the thunderstorm, thinking of Chu Yang. He never expected to fall for someone like her, but no matter - he would recover soon, and had even found something good. That little girl would be no match for him then.
Zhu Ying drank some blood, as the unconscious Zhu Ruxin lay on the ground nearby, severely emaciated with graying hair and bloody wounds all over her skinny arms. But Zhu Ying paid her no mind.
The rain made it easier to sleep in, coupled with the previous night's activities, so Chu Yang and Chi Yan slept late. "Hurry, hurry, we'll be late!"
They scrambled to get ready, skipping breakfast to leave for school. With the rain causing traffic jams and Chi Yan dropping Chu Yang off at her classroom building first before driving to A University for his own classes, Chu Yang made it on time while Chi Yan was late.
But Chi Yan didn't dare complain, since it was his fault from the night before. When Chu Yang woke up, she even pinched his cheek, "It's all your fault."
"My fault, my fault."
"I'm not coming over this week then."
"Ah?"
*Slap* - there went Chi Yan's joy.
It was all classes that rainy day, so the evening run was canceled too. With the continuous downpour, Chi Yan couldn't visit, so the couple didn't see each other after parting ways.
Not just that day, it rained the whole week. Chu Yang was busy studying, so she neither visited Chi Yan nor had him over, staying in the dorm every night.
Jin Yang and the others found it odd, wondering if the couple had fought.
While applying body lotion after a shower, Jin Yang cautiously asked Chu Yang, "Yang Yang, did you and heartthrob Chi Yan fight?"
Chu Yang shook her head, "No, why?"
Jin Yang: "Well, you haven't gone to A University this week, and you've been staying in the dorm."
Chu Yang glanced outside at the thunderstorm. "Mainly due to the weather. Such heavy rain makes it inconvenient." She showed Jin Yang her phone, where Chi Yan had just sent a kissing emoji. "See, we just chatted. No fights."
So the heartthrob was like this in private, huh.
"Okay, if you didn't fight, that's a relief. We thought maybe what we said before backfired on you two or something. You two had better stay together, you know? If you break up, we'll lose faith in love."
Chu Yang wondered if it was that dramatic.
"Why would you lose faith in love just because we split up? This world has broken relationships and lasting ones. We're just insignificant specks of dust in the cosmos. As the saying goes, 'feelings are like drinking water - you know if it's warm or cold yourself'."
The three nodded, sort of understanding but as single ladies, not really. They just felt Chu Yang and Chi Yan seemed happy together, and Chi Yan always looked so delighted seeing Chu Yang.
To them, that was what a relationship should be - feeling joyful upon seeing your partner and being happy spending time together.
A knock sounded at the door. Zhou Caicai opened it to find Zou Tong from the next dorm - the one who had complained to Zhou Caicai about her roommate constantly fighting with her boyfriend.
"Zou Tong? What's up?"
Zou Tong shushed her, whispering, "I need to borrow some money from you all."
Zhou Caicai immediately reached for her bag. "What happened? How much do you need?"
Zou Tong waved them over and spoke softly when they gathered around, "I know you four have good reputations, so you can't tell anyone else about this."
Chu Yang and the others nodded. "Don't worry, we're not blabbermouths." Though they gossiped, it was only stuff they heard from others, and no one told them not to share it. If they wanted to know something, they'd just honestly ask Chu Yang to divine it.
Zou Tong whispered, "Chen Tian is pregnant. She doesn't want to keep it, so she wants to..." Zou Tong made a scooping motion from her belly. "We're pooling money for her in our dorm, but we're all broke students. That's why I'm asking to borrow some from you all."
