Zhan Jingrui carried He Yao back to the car. Luo Jia had already put the suitcase in and settled herself inside.
Seeing He Yao being carried over, she quickly opened the car door.
"What's wrong? Why are you carrying her? Did you twist your ankle? Did you fall? He Yao, are you okay?"
Zhan Jingrui bent down and placed He Yao inside. He looked down with disgust at his clothes, then at the clean cockpit. After a long hesitation, he gritted his teeth and got in.
In the back seat, Luo Jia was still examining He Yao.
"What happened? Why aren't you talking? Why haven't you taken off your clothes? What exactly happened? Don't scare me, you didn't fall and become stupid, did you?"
With her usual temper, she would have argued with Luo Jia long ago if they were roommates.
But ever since she left home to work in the factory, she had encountered all sorts of oddballs. Her tolerance had grown, and she was too lazy to argue.
He Yao had now developed a skill: she didn't listen to what she didn't want to hear, and she didn't say what she didn't want to say. She was very calm, often lost in her own world, treating these people as if they didn't exist.
So, no matter how much Luo Jia chattered, He Yao's mind was occupied with only one question.
Why was Zhan Jingrui so eager to help her, to be so good to her? Did she still have feelings for him?
If so, what should she do?
Zhan Jingrui listened to her and drove the car forward to turn around.
When they returned, the water was even deeper. The car slid forward like a snail, still creating quite a splash.
Luo Jia leaned out the car window to look at the scene outside and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Damn it, what's going on? Such heavy rain all of a sudden. I didn't expect the dorm to become this mess, and I didn't prepare a place to stay in advance. Where are we going now?"
"Although I've agreed to be Zhang Jun's girlfriend, it's only been a few days, and the probation period hasn't passed yet. I don't want to move in so soon... He Yao, where are you planning to stay? We can stay together."
"Whether it's a hotel or something else, we'll split the cost. Otherwise, if I move in with him so soon, I'll lose value in his eyes. He'll be able to control me later."
He Yao didn't respond. She looked intently at Zhan Jingrui's focused expression as he drove through the rearview mirror. Hearing Luo Jia's words, Zhan Jingrui also looked up at her.
Their eyes met again unexpectedly.
Seeing that He Yao wasn't responding, Luo Jia nudged her.
"What's wrong? You haven't said a word to me since we got in the car. Did you really fall off the bed? Did you hit your head? Oh my god, our floor was so dirty, did you fall into something worse than dirt?"
Her words became more and more outrageous, like a madwoman.
He Yao pushed her aside a little and said coldly,
"Yes, I fell into something worse, and now my head is full of it. Stay away from me."
Luo Jia, whether genuinely clueless or pretending to be, seemed to enjoy it more when He Yao spoke harshly to her. She thought He Yao was joking.
"You can joke, which means you're fine. Hurry up and answer my questions. Why haven't you taken off your clothes? What are you going to wear tomorrow? Where are we going next? To a hotel? Have you found a place? Which hotel?"
"If not, let's find one together quickly. Once we find one, I'll call Zhang Jun and tell him not to come. The water is really deep, and if his car gets submerged, it'll be even more troublesome to owe him a favor."
He Yao had been dragged out by Zhan Jingrui without anything prepared. She didn't know what she would wear tomorrow or where she would go tonight.
Seeing Luo Jia say this, she belatedly remembered that her phone was in her briefcase and wondered if it had gotten wet.
Luo Jia opened her phone and searched for nearby hotels. He Yao quickly rummaged through her briefcase and found her phone among a stack of documents.
As expected, it had gotten wet. The screen was smeared like a rainbow. No matter how she tried to take pictures or press buttons, it was unresponsive.
"Your phone is broken? Oh no, how could you be so careless?"
Luo Jia exclaimed again, "But it's understandable. Your clothes are all wet, so how could your phone not get wet? Don't be sad if it's broken. You've had this phone for so many years; I think you should have replaced it long ago. This is a good opportunity..."
As they were talking about phones, Zhan Jingrui's phone rang.
Connected to the car's Bluetooth, the loud ringtone echoed. He Yao and Luo Jia instinctively looked at his central control screen.
The caller ID displayed the two large characters: Chu Xi.
So, they hadn't broken up.
He Yao's wandering thoughts immediately became anxious.
The call was automatically answered within three rings. Chu Xi's sweet voice came through, filling the entire car.
"Jingrui, where are you now? The rain outside is so heavy. I heard the roads in the city center are flooded. Will there be any problems coming back from work?"
He Yao stared into Zhan Jingrui's eyes through the rearview mirror.
He looked straight ahead, his expression unchanged.
"I'm driving. The water is indeed heavy. But it's okay, I'll just go slowly. Don't come out if you don't have to."
"Ah, you're driving. I thought you'd be back later. Alright then, I won't disturb you. Drive slowly, be careful, and call me when you get home."
After speaking, Chu Xi sensibly hung up the phone.
Although they hadn't said anything particularly affectionate, nor had their tone been intimate, He Yao could tell from Chu Xi's concerned words that they were quite close.
After all these years, they were still so good. It seemed they were destined to be together.
Of course, Chu Xi was beautiful, came from a good family, and excelled in her studies. In every aspect, she was a perfect match for Zhan Jingrui.
They were a golden couple, without financial pressure, and likely without family opposition. What reason would there be to break up?
It was ridiculous.
With her own circumstances, how could she even compare to Chu Xi?
Zhan Jingrui was merely helping her out of a bit of old affection. She had actually started to fantasize, thinking he still had feelings for her...
Her phone was already broken, making her upset. Now, confirming the relationship between Zhan Jingrui and Chu Xi, she felt even more annoyed.
Seeing Luo Jia's suitcase with its dirty wheels stuck on the seat, she felt a flush of embarrassment.
Clutching her wet phone, she sighed repeatedly in her heart. She looked out the window and said to Zhan Jingrui,
"My phone got water in it. I can't give you the money for the car wash today. I'll have Xu Zheng pay you for the car wash another day. I'm sorry for getting your car so dirty. Thank you for your trouble today."
She had said "sorry" and "thank you for your trouble" so many times on this trip. Now she had to offer to pay for the car wash.
Was she trying to annoy him on purpose?
Zhan Jingrui seemed to want to retort, "Do I lack that little bit of money?"
But with an outsider present, he couldn't say much.
Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Have you decided where you're staying? Where should I drop you off?"