Chapter 71: Everyone Goes Home
The wheelchair was taken out of the car. Leng Qing Qiu held an umbrella in one hand and Lu Zhiyin’s waist with the other. Not wanting to fall into the water, Lu Zhiyin hugged Leng Qing Qiu to prevent herself from falling.
After being carefully placed in the wheelchair, Lu Zhiyin slowly returned to her own doorstep.
The entrance to her home was quite a bit higher than the road surface, so there was no immediate worry about the house flooding. This was considered good news.
Lu Zhiyin took out her key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the door. What greeted her was a living space that had become somewhat unfamiliar.
It was normal to feel unfamiliar since, after arriving in this world, she had spent far less time at her own home than at Leng Qing Qiu’s.
“Hoo…”
Back inside the house, Lu Zhiyin let out a sigh. She looked at the two girls standing at the doorway.
At this moment, Leng Qing Qiu had put away her umbrella and was standing under the eaves. Long Qinxin was still holding her umbrella and standing in front of the car.
She looked at Lu Zhiyin, and her green eyes held a hint of reluctance? Lu Zhiyin didn’t know why she had this feeling.
“Ah…”
Long Qinxin opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
“Um, classmate Zhiyin, I’m going home. See you tomorrow.”
Unlike her assertive interactions with Leng Qing Qiu, Long Qinxin almost always spoke softly to Lu Zhiyin.
Differential treatment, but it was understandable.
With her back to Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin slowly got back into the car.
To be honest, if she could, she would have liked to spend more time with Lu Zhiyin. But it was really late now, and if she didn’t go back… Long Qinxin didn’t know what her parents would think.
Would they worry about her? Who knew? Anyway, Long Qinxin didn’t think those two people who were gradually becoming strangers would care about her.
Hmm… maybe…
Back in the car, Long Qinxin closed the door and looked through the window at the girl in the wheelchair sitting by her front door.
She had turned on the light at some point, and the white light behind the girl made her appear even more pure.
“Hmm… See you tomorrow.”
Leaning against the car window, Long Qinxin murmured to herself, no longer looking at Lu Zhiyin.
She was afraid that if she looked at her again, she would waver in her resolve to go home and choose to stay here.
She had only just become friends with Lu Zhiyin. If she asked to stay over now, it would probably scare her…
Long Qinxin’s thoughts were overly delicate, like those of most reclusive people.
Looking at the passenger seat in front of her, Long Qinxin fastened her seatbelt with one hand and caressed the seat next to her with the other, her mind filled with the feeling of Lu Zhiyin’s palm from earlier.
The seat still held some residual warmth, as if Lu Zhiyin were still sitting beside her.
Long Qinxin felt she was being a bit too peculiar, but there was no help for it. After all, Lu Zhiyin was her only friend now. To her, Lu Zhiyin was the light illuminating her dark life, and her treasure.
At least, that’s how it was now.
“I wish this rain would stop soon.”
Murmuring to herself, Long Qinxin clenched her fist.
Although they had said goodbye and would see each other tomorrow, if the rain didn’t stop, she probably wouldn’t be able to go to school tomorrow… She pursed her lips and looked at the driver in front.
“Uncle Wu, drive. It’s time to go home.”
After she spoke, the car quickly turned and sped away along the way they had come.
“…”
Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Zhiyin watched the car drive away in silence.
She could still hear the engine sound in her ears, the sound growing fainter and fainter until it disappeared.
After the car had completely vanished from sight, Leng Qing Qiu put down her umbrella and went into Lu Zhiyin’s house on her own.
Long Qinxin had been here many times before. But now, it was much colder than she remembered, and there was less furniture.
“…”
Maneuvering the wheelchair, Lu Zhiyin went to the table and turned on the television.
The news was reporting about the heavy rain today, warning citizens not to go out alone. It was a bit boring.
Lu Zhiyin wasn’t paying attention to the news content; she was just checking the time.
It was exactly 6 PM.
Although they had finished school very early, where had the time gone?
It had probably been wasted too long in front of the Principal’s office and on the plaza leading from the teaching building to the school gate.
Leng Qing Qiu had also waited for such a long time at the entrance. She was probably angry now.
Trying to guess Leng Qing Qiu’s thoughts, Lu Zhiyin pushed up the sleeve of her school uniform.
Her fair skin was covered with unsightly, mottled scars.
In the short time she had been here, how many injuries had she sustained? She couldn’t remember anymore.
Fortunately, these injuries were not too severe and were not life-threatening.
“Hoo…”
Looking at her forearm, Lu Zhiyin let out a breath.
“I’m sorry for making you wait in the rain for so long.”
She looked at Leng Qing Qiu, lowered her head, and apologized softly.
“Um, if it would make you feel better, you can do anything you want to me…”
Then, without waiting for Leng Qing Qiu to react, she extended her forearm and brought her hand to Leng Qing Qiu.
“…”
Leng Qing Qiu looked at Lu Zhiyin’s outstretched hand in silence, a little stunned. It took her a while to react, and she grabbed Lu Zhiyin’s wrist.
Gently tracing the scars on her wrist with her fingers, Leng Qing Qiu didn’t do anything outrageous.
“It’s okay, I’m not angry.”
Not really. Leng Qing Qiu was angry, but the target of her anger wasn’t Lu Zhiyin, but that person named Long Qinxin.
“Hmm… that’s good…”
Lu Zhiyin withdrew her hand, still keeping her head down.
Leng Qing Qiu, standing beside her, opened her mouth, but found there was nothing to say. For some reason, their interactions had become a bit awkward.
“I don’t really like that Long Qinxin person. You should contact her less.”
After holding back for a while, Leng Qing Qiu finally chose to speak ill of the person who disgusted her.
“Mm.”
Lu Zhiyin hummed softly, not giving a definite reply.
She couldn’t distance herself from Long Qinxin, so she could only placate Leng Qing Qiu for now.
“…It’s raining heavily today. I don’t know if there will be flooding or a power outage in the latter half of the night. Do you want to come to my house tonight? It would be good to have someone to look out for…”
Looking at the rain falling outside the door, Leng Qing Qiu still wanted to stay with Lu Zhiyin. She tried to find a suitable excuse.
“Hmm… No, thank you. Oh, by the way, can you give me back my phone and the money I entrusted to you? They seem to still be at your place.”
Gently refusing Leng Qing Qiu’s suggestion, Lu Zhiyin changed the topic to another matter.
“Yes, I can.”
Looking again at Lu Zhiyin’s lowered head, perhaps out of guilt, Leng Qing Qiu felt a little embarrassed to force her to do things she didn’t like.
She slowly returned to her home and brought the phone she had bought for Lu Zhiyin and the several hundred yuan to Lu Zhiyin’s house.
“Well, see you tomorrow.”
After putting down the items, Leng Qing Qiu turned back as she left the doorway.
She waved to Lu Zhiyin and said goodbye.
