Zhan Jingrui left immediately after speaking, moving at a rapid pace.
Glancing back at He Yao from the rearview mirror, he saw her still standing there, holding her briefcase, looking around for a ride as if she didn't care that he was leaving, not even deigning to spare a glance in his direction.
Zhan Jingrui suppressed the anger that was about to erupt, telling himself: she didn't deserve sympathy, he had important matters to attend to, and no time to rehash old grievances with her. He slowly turned his gaze away.
A taxi passed by, but He Yao didn't flag it down.
Her clothes were already soaked anyway, so why waste money on a taxi?
After standing in the rain for over ten minutes, she finally managed to catch a bus.
Although there weren't many people on the bus, her arrival still drew looks of disdain from everyone.
Her shoes and clothes were drenched, dripping water with every step.
Wherever she stood for more than two seconds, a puddle formed.
She felt too embarrassed to sit, afraid of wetting the seats, so she stood and watched the window, enduring four stops.
After four stops, she needed to transfer. As it was nearing the end of the workday, the passenger traffic had noticeably increased. As soon as she boarded, the bus was packed, a sea of people, men and women, old and young.
She chose a spot near the back door to stand, continuing to be jostled.
The rain outside grew heavier, as if pouring down, blurring her vision.
The driver was going very slowly, with people getting on and off intermittently, the bus crawling along.
However, even at this pace, bumps and jolts eventually led to a scrape.
An elderly woman, in a hurry to pick up her grandson, was riding her electric scooter across the road and accidentally fell in front of the bus.
The driver announced that they wouldn't be able to move for a while, and everyone either had to wait for a transfer or find their own way. Complaints filled the bus.
He Yao's home was still three stops away. It would only take about ten minutes by bus, but walking would be a hassle.
Moreover, the street was already accumulating deep puddles.
But she didn't want to keep waiting endlessly like this.
Thinking that her clothes were already wet anyway, she decided to just run home.
While everyone else was still arguing with the driver, she pushed through the crowd and got off the bus.
The water was deeper than it looked, submerging her calves with one step, sending a shiver through her body from the cold.
The rain hitting her face made it impossible to open her eyes. She held her briefcase over her head, trying to quickly reach the sidewalk.
Just a few steps away from the curb, a black car screeched to a halt in front of her.
The driver, nearly hitting her, was so angry that he rolled down his window and roared into the downpour.
"Trying to die, are you? Rushing to be reborn! Don't you watch where you're going! Damn it, you're crazy!"
He Yao had indeed run out from the motor vehicle lane, and she was in the wrong. It was difficult to argue with him, so she just endured the scolding.
She hurried on. On the opposite lane, Zhan Jingrui saw this and felt a pang of distress.
Regardless of the reason, He Yao had gone to work at the Zhan Corporation today. If any accident were to happen on her way home, it would reflect poorly on the Zhan Corporation's reputation.
He was driving such a large car, with so many empty seats, it wouldn't have hurt him to let her sit. Why be so petty?
Even though her actions after their breakup had always bothered him, basic humanity should still be present.
With this thought, he turned on his hazard lights and pulled the car over to the side of the road.
He Yao walked quickly, head down. Zhan Jingrui caught up to her, slowing his speed.
As soon as he lowered the window slightly, the rain came pelting in.
"He Yao."
He Yao vaguely heard someone calling her name, but how could that be?
At this hour, on this road, she wouldn't have any friends.
She continued walking. Zhan Jingrui called out again.
"He Yao!"
This time she heard clearly; someone was indeed calling her.
She turned her head towards the source of the sound. How could that persistent Zhan Jingrui appear again?
The window was only open a crack, revealing only his prominent nose and tightly pressed lips, looking quite impatient.
Just as He Yao was about to ask him what he wanted, Zhan Jingrui's voice was cold and stern as he tilted his chin.
"Get in."
Get in?
He Yao didn't want to get in.
She hadn't been this disheveled at the entrance of the industrial park, and she hadn't gotten in then. Since she was already like this, what was the point now?
She shook her head, instinctively refusing. Zhan Jingrui suddenly rolled down the entire window.
His demeanor was one of absolute authority.
"Just get in when I tell you to, no more nonsense, hurry up! Otherwise, if something happens to you on your way home, don't come looking for the Zhan Corporation to take responsibility!"
So, it was because of this. She had really been overthinking it.
For a moment, she had even fantasized that he might still have feelings for her.
Since he was being so clear about separating personal and business matters, she shouldn't make things difficult for herself.
He Yao, holding her bag, ran to his car. "But my clothes are all wet, I'll dirty your car."
"Then hurry up! Otherwise, won't you just get wetter?"
That made some sense. He Yao opened the rear door and got in.
The car was heated, and the biting cold was somewhat relieved as soon as she got in. However, she felt truly miserable.
She was soaked through, making the seats and floor mats look terrible.
She wasn't someone with a thick skin, and seeing the water stains on the seats made her blush.
She really shouldn't have taken advantage of him.
Zhan Jingrui saw her drenched appearance clearly in the rearview mirror.
Seeing that she looked like she might catch a cold at any moment, he couldn't help but take off his suit jacket and toss it to her.
He didn't say anything. He Yao assumed he wanted her to use it to pad the seat, so she laid it neatly on the seat and sat down properly.
When Zhan Jingrui closed the window and looked in the rearview mirror again, he was speechless.
Was she crazy? Was a worn-out seat more important than a person? She was actually using her clothes to pad the seat.
Regardless, the car started moving.
After driving for a few seconds, and seeing that she had no intention of speaking, Zhan Jingrui couldn't help but look at her in the rearview mirror again. "Where do you live?"
He Yao pushed her wet hair back. "Xiushan Avenue."
"Xiushan Avenue is so long, which section?"
"Any section. Just drop me off on that street."
Zhan Jingrui was annoyed by her again.
Was it necessary to be like this?
Who was in the wrong in the first place?
Although it was disloyal of him to chase after someone else right after breaking up with her, He Yao wasn't blameless, was she?
He himself had let it go, but she was still dwelling on it?
His pride told him to just abandon He Yao and not bother with her, but a faulty wire in his brain wouldn't allow it.
"Any section? Why don't you just get out then? If you like getting rained on so much, let you get enough of it."
He frowned and retorted, then asked again, "Where exactly are you going?"
Seeing that he insisted on taking her home, He Yao told him the address truthfully.
Zhan Jingrui said nothing more, his face serious as he drove.
The luxury car was warm and comfortable to sit in, and it smelled good, but the psychological feeling it gave was truly not good.
Fortunately, the journey wasn't far.
About ten minutes later, Zhan Jingrui parked the car at the entrance of the alley He Yao had mentioned.
The alley was very narrow, with two huge garbage bins placed at the entrance.
They were packed full, and colorful garbage was strewn all over the ground.
Moreover, the ground inside was lower, and due to the heavy rain, it looked like a small waterfall was rolling garbage into the alley.
Looking in through the rain and the darkening sky, it resembled a sinister black hole.