You hidden in my heart - Chapter 53.4

Chapter 53.4

The registration process wrapped up on July 7th, and students had to head back to university on July 8th to sign the application confirmation form. 

Yu Wenyin had planned to take her daughter and her in-laws on a vacation after submitting Li Xining’s college application. But then, an unexpected project popped up at work in early July, throwing a wrench in her plans. So she pushed back the trip to go on the business trip to Dongfu.

Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Li came up with a new plan. Mr. Li’s sister, who was Li Xining’s grand-aunt, got married and moved away when she was young. She was celebrating her birthday in early August and invited her brother and sister-in-law to visit her a couple of weeks ahead of time.

As the trip was postponed, so Mr. Li decided to visit his sister. 

He initially thought about taking Li Xining along with them, but considering the long trip, all the social events, and other things, he figured it would be better to take the more mature and responsible Li Xiyan instead.

The elders at home went away leaving only Li Xining and the housekeeper at home.

Was she lonely? Yes.

Was she free? Free!

No one was there to care about her at home, so she felt like a bird who could fly high in the sky.

****

Lu Yuling’s birthday was on Friday, the13th of July. 

It rained heavily on Friday night.

Li Xining had a sketching class that evening. 

Summers in Xifu were known for their intense rain.

The class started at 6.00 PM. 

During summer, the daytime was long, usually with the sun blazing outside. But today, the sky looked dark and heavy, almost like it was made of lead, and thunder rumbled ominously from the thick clouds.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, the downpour started. 

Li Xining was focused on her drawing throughout the class, and it wasn’t until the break at seven that she remembered to send a WeChat message to Lu Yuling, reminding him to grab an umbrella before heading out.

Unfortunately, it was too late. After class ended at eight, she spotted Lu Yuling right away—he was drenched, with water droplets clinging to his hair.

 “Didn’t I tell you to take an umbrella?” Li Xining asked with distress.　　　

Lu Yuling didn’t say much. He just handed her a white box wrapped in a clear plastic bag. A few bamboo skewers poked out from one side. “It’s fresh out of the grill. You should eat it while it’s hot.”

Li Xining was taken aback. “Grilled squid?” she asked with a surprise.

Just yesterday, she had seen a food blogger reviewing the grilled squid from the snack street near the old textile factory in the West District. The way the blogger described it made her mouth water, and she could almost smell it through her screen. Feeling a bit greedy, she had sent the link to Lu Yuling, saying, “I’m craving this so much!”

After checking it out, Lu Yuling replied, “I’ll grab some for you tomorrow.”

She thought he’d wait for her to finish class and then take her there, but she never expected him to buy it for her right away.

Her class was in the city center, not too far from the old textile factory, but the grilled squid spot was always packed, with long lines every day.

Who knows how long he stood in the rain today just to get this?

Li Xining felt a mix of gratitude and worry, and her nose tingling. “Why didn’t you just get an umbrella? Aren’t you worried about getting sick?”

Lu Yuling shrugged it off. “It’s just a little rain; I’ll be fine.”

Li Xining rolled her eyes, and scolded the man. “You’re such a show-off!”

Then, Lu Yuling urged her to dig into the squid while it was still warm. But worried about him catching a cold, she insisted he head home and change instead of lingering around.

Falling to persuade Li Xining, Lu Yuling went home with his girlfriend.

Although the rain had stopped at the moment, they took a taxi back home.

Lu Yuling’s cheeks had begun to flush as he sat in the air-conditioned taxi on his way home.

Noticing that, Li Xining was particularly concerned that Lu Yuling would get a fever, so she swiftly requested that the driver switch off the air conditioner. She continued to stroke his forehead, which was already somewhat hot. “Why don’t we go to the hospital directly?”

Lu Yuling was very tough and pushed her hand away. “No, it’s okay.”

Li Xining was helpless, feeling that this guy was really stubborn.

Lu Yuling returned home and took a hot bath before changing into dry clothing.

When he changed his clothing and exited the bedroom, Li Xining, who was seated in the living room, noticed that his face had turned much redder and he was still coughing furiously.

Li Xining couldn’t sit still any longer and sprang up from the sofa. “Let’s go to the hospital!”

In fact, Lu Yuling’s head was already dizzy, but he clenched his teeth and said, “No, I’m fine.”

Li Xining was anxious and helpless. “Then let’s not go out to eat. I’ll go downstairs to buy some food and come back to eat. Wait for me, I’ll buy you some medicine.” After saying that, she took the key and went out.

Lu Yuling was unable to cling on after Li Xining left. He immediately suppressed his arrogant demeanour, felt dizzy and weak throughout, and collapsed on the sofa.

End of chapter 53

Have a nice day!