An Impossible to Reject Confession

Chapter 9.2:

Xu Youyou gloomily sought shelter under the pavilion. Although the rain wasn’t heavy, it was able to block the winds slightly and it wasn’t as cold. Although her sickness had gotten better because of her relationship with Qiao Mu, she still wasn’t fully cured. Besides today she was only wearing a light jacket. During the day when under the sun, she didn’t feel cold but now it was raining, her body temperature had lowered. 

Xu Youyou had originally thought the rain would stop after a short while and she could wait it out. But when the wind blew through she felt that would not be able to last. 

She could only have Madam Li send her an umbrella, but she first had to figure out where she was. 

Although it was Madam Li’s hometown, she hadn’t been back in a long time and Hongluo Town had changed significantly. Madam Li may not be able to recognize the way. 

After thinking, Xu Youyou took out her phone and took a photo of the scenery at the bottom of the hill. She sent the photo to the group chat. 

YOYO: I’m stuck in the rain, does anyone know where this is?

This was Xu Youyou’s first message sent to the group chat, although she was not familiar with them but they had all received a red envelope from Xu Youyou. Each of their responses were very positive. 

Bai Yi: Isn’t this the pavilion on the hill?

YOYO: Can you be more detailed? 

Bai Yi: Detailed how?

YOYO: Detailed so that a person who just came from abroad would be able to find the way. 

Bai Yi: Then you want the name of the place. I always called it the small hill, I don’t remember the exact location. Does anyone else in the group chat know?

Li Haobo: It seems to be the path off of Hongyang road you can take up. 

Huang Ming: You can also take Liuzhou road up too. 

YOYO: ……

It seemed it would have been better if they didn’t say anything at all. 

A lot of the group were local people from Hongluo Town. They were able to take one look at the photo and recognize the location but the exact location no one could explain clearly. 

Shen Lili: Why don’t you wait for the rain to stop? I think the rain will continue for 20 minutes at most. 

It seemed this was the only way. The rain would stop in 20 minutes and even if they knew the location, by the time Madam Li found her way the rain would have stopped. 

=

Qiao Mu was in the study practicing calligraphy. In the courtyard, Grandmother Qiao was calling her son and the two have been talking for a while. Grandmother Qiao thought her son talked too much. She used the excuse of needing to cook and told him to call another time. 

After a while, Grandmother Qiao came inside and brought the phone over to Qiao Mu: “Here, your uncle wants to talk to you.”

Qiao Mu received the phone and waited for Grandmother Qiao to leave before looking at his uncle through the phone’s screen. 

“Has your grandmother’s illness acted up recently?” Qiao Mu’s uncle asked. 

“It’s okay. This past month she was only triggered once.” Qiao Mu said. 

“That’s good, please watch over her. My work requires me to go on business trips often and your aunt is accompanying your cousin in his film shooting. We can only rely on you. But next month your cousin will go back to school, at that time I’ll have your aunt go more often.” Qiao Mu’s uncle said. 

“Okay.”

Qiao Mu’s uncle did say anything further, he nodded his head and hung up. The screen returned to the main page and Qiao Mu saw the group chat had many notifications. He opened the notifications to look. 

Xu Youyou was stuck in the rain? 

Qiao Mu walked to the window and saw the falling rain outside. Although it wasn’t raining for long, Xu Youyou was afraid of the cold. When they had met earlier that morning, she seemed to only be wearing a thin jacket. And even in the autumn rain, a typical person who got wet would feel cold, not to mention her. 

Thinking about it, Qiao Mu grabbed an umbrella and said goodbye to Grandmother before leaving. 

Hongluo Town wasn’t big and Qiao Mu had grown up here. He was familiar with the alleyways and took a seven to eight minute shortcut up the hill. When he got there the sky was not yet completely dark and in the distance he could see a curled up figure in the pavilion. 

Qiao Mu hurried over. 

Xu Youyou was cold and bored, she lowered her head to count the ants when suddenly a pair of black sports shoes appeared in her peripheral. She looked up and saw a familiar person. 

“Qiao Mu?” Xu Youyou’s eyes were filled with surprise. 

Without her thick jacket and her head raised up, her fair and slender neck was exposed. From Qiao Mu’s angle looking down, he was even able to see her collarbone between her collar. 

“Here.” Qiao Mu silently held out the umbrella he was carrying

“You specifically came to pick me up?” Xu Youyou asked. 

“My house is nearby.” Qiao Mu said. 

It didn’t matter if his house was closeby, he specifically came to pick her up. 

“Thanks” Xu Youyou stood up and took the initiative to stand under the umbrella. Because the umbrella wasn’t big and she was afraid of getting wet, Xu Youyou was practically glued to Qiao Mu’s side. 

Qiao Mu’s heart leapt and he panically moved to the side, “I brought two umbrellas.”

Xu Youyou finally realized in Qiao Mu’s left hand there was another umbrella. It was because its color was the same as his clothes, she did not realize it earlier. 

“Oh” Xu Youyou reached out her hand to take the umbrella in Qiao Mu’s outreached hand. Qiao Mu then finally let out a breath of relief and opened the umbrella in his other hand. The two then walked into the rain. 

“Where is your house? I’ll send you home” Qiao Mu said. 

“The main road.” She had promised to eat dinner with Madam Li. 

From here to the main road, it would take about 20 minutes. Qiao Mu looked at the girl’s pale face. If they continued to walk it would be the same as if they were to wait at the pavilion. Since he decided to help he would help her to the end. 

“Do you want to come to my house?” Qiao Mu asked. 

Xu Youyou froze and looked at Qiao Mu. 

“To seek shelter from the rain.”

Maybe it was because the light in the girl’s eyes was too bright, but Qiao Mu couldn’t help but explain it a bit further.