The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 555 - 485: Kiss in the Rain

Chapter 555: Chapter 485: Kiss in the Rain
Luo Shangqing had never taken an interest in prying into other people’s private affairs, and naturally, he wouldn’t consider reading a young girl’s diary, but just now, he saw a name he recognized—his own.
Moreover, there were several pages with clippings attached, seemingly his academic articles published in a magazine.
Luo Shangqing’s intuition told him that this diary was undoubtedly deeply related to him.
Indeed, upon opening the first page, he saw his own photo; he remembered it was from his speech at the freshman entrance ceremony two years ago, which was also the day after Mu Chenxi enrolled.
Beneath the photo was a line of small text: I have met the man of my dreams, his name is Luo Shangqing!
As he continued flipping through, every journal entry related to him in some way. He did not want to intrude on a young girl’s thoughts, so he merely skimmed through a few pages. By the end, he saw the efforts she had gone through to become his assistant, transforming from a carefree child to someone obedient, well-behaved, and understanding.
"Mom, make sure you keep this safe this time, don’t lose it again." Hearing the voice outside, Luo Shangqing quickly put the diary back in its place.
"Professor Luo, sorry to keep you waiting." As Mu Chenxi came in, she bumped into Luo Shangqing who was about to leave; he quickly reached out to steady her shoulders.
"Are you leaving?" Mu Chenxi looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Yes."
"The rain hasn’t stopped yet; driving back now can be dangerous. How about waiting a little longer?"
"No need." Luo Shangqing looked as if he was in a hurry to leave, didn’t say much, just nodded at Luo Meijuan before going to change his shoes.
"Luo, do come by often." Luo Meijuan stood at the door, warmly adding, "Be careful on your way back."
Luo Shangqing smiled, glancing at Mu Chenxi, who stood timidly behind Luo Meijuan, and recalled the words from the diary.
Professor Luo is the man I like, and I am willing to like him for a lifetime, even if he never finds out.
The modest, delicate handwriting didn’t seem to match her bold and unrestrained personality, but the thought of those words suddenly made him feel somewhat frustrated and irritable.
The rain outside pitter-pattered relentlessly, with Luo Shangqing’s car parked not too far away. He stepped into the rain, prepared to jog to his car when after just a few steps, he heard someone calling him from behind, accompanied by hastened footsteps, and Mu Chenxi with an umbrella appeared running out, "Professor Luo, your umbrella."
She ran swiftly, quickly reaching him. Due to their height difference, she had to extend her arm high to hold the umbrella over his head.
Raindrops pounded on the umbrella surface, merging into countless streams flowing down from all directions. Standing under the umbrella, she looked up at him with a smile, her dimples faintly visible.
"You left in such a hurry earlier, I called you several times, but you didn’t hear," Mu Chenxi thrust the umbrella into his hand, "I should head back now, take care on your way."
She waved at Luo Shangqing and turned to run off. As soon as she took a step, her wrist was caught.
A flash of lightning split the night sky, illuminating Luo Shangqing’s fine features as he stared at her intensely, with what seemed like a flicker of flame igniting in his eyes.
Mu Chenxi’s entire body stiffened, unable to move; it felt as if everything around them went silent in an instant, even the whooshing rain sound gradually faded away. In this moment, in the universe and amidst the mortal world, it seemed only the two of them existed.
The torrential rain continued ruthlessly, washing the city’s dust, watering the plants. When the weather clears tomorrow, it will surely be a day filled with bird songs and fragrant flowers.
~
After hesitating for a moment, Mu Chenxi picked up the phone. Despite being incredibly nervous, she respectfully said, "Professor Luo."
"I’ve reached home," he said succinctly, those four words coming through the phone carried his unique, enchanting voice tone that on such a stormy night seemed like someone gently playing a cello, others enjoying an exquisite glass of wine.
Mu Chenxi responded with an "oh," then added, "Then Professor Luo, you should rest early."
Mu Chenxi’s palms were sweaty with nervousness, and she hurried to end the call after speaking.
"Mu Chenxi," Luo Shangqing called out to her, "Don’t you have something you want to ask me?"
Mu Chenxi racked her brains for a while, biting on one finger and said vaguely, "I’ll save those questions and ask you when school starts."
Luo Shangqing: "..."
Was it his lack of clear expression, or was she deliberately misinterpreting his meaning? Were these trivial matters really all he wanted to hear?
"Professor Luo, there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up, good night." Mu Chenxi didn’t wait for him to speak again and quickly ended the call. Only when the phone screen dimmed did she reach to touch her burning face.
Luo Shangqing furrowed his brow, listening to the dial tone from the phone, and after a while, he set the phone down on the table.
This rainy night was bound to be special for him; a girl much younger than him had, even under such circumstances, made him admit that he was fully conscious and, even now, he had no regrets about such impulsiveness.
He couldn’t remember since when, a little girl who was often ruffled and full of lies had burst into his radar. He used to see her in Cafeteria No.2 not far from him, always sneakily looking his way, or in the front row of his class pretending to be serious despite not paying attention, or even glimpsing her slender figure among the cheerleaders at the basketball court, cheering as if watching a national team game.
Turns out, he remembered all these details so vividly, just as freshly as she had written in her diary.
He once read a phrase that said: It’s not the clouds that move, nor the wind, but the heart.
The torrential rain outside continued, with the quick drops pattering against the window glass, forming streams on the smooth surface.
Luo Shangqing stood there for a while, went to his desk to arrange his pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and began to write characters. This had been his habit since childhood; whenever he encountered something he couldn’t resolve, he would turn to calligraphy to relieve the stress.
He spent two hours writing a small seal script of "Luoshen Poem," completely immersed in the joy calligraphy brought him, until the last character was written, and then he massaged his slightly sore wrist.
Luo Shangqing set aside the script he had written, preparing to wash his hands, when he suddenly found several pieces of paper with ink still visible under some scrap papers. He pulled them out and saw they were the characters Mu Chenxi had practiced here last time; he surprisingly hadn’t thrown them away, but had neatly stacked them here.
Even though he had personally taught her, her characters still appeared immature and youthful, although not grand, but delicate and clearly written by a girl.
Luo Shangqing carefully examined the characters, and his lips inadvertently curled upward.
～
Mu Chenxi tossed and turned all night, not sleeping well, and greeted Luo Meijuan in the morning with dark circles under her eyes.
"Were you secretly surfing the internet? Look how swollen your eyes are," Luo Meijuan admonished, yet cut two slices of cucumber and handed them to her, "Quick, put these on, or your dad will think I’ve been bullying you."
Mu Chenxi, yawning, took the cucumber slices and sat down on a dining chair, leaning her head back against the chair back, skillfully placing the cucumbers on her eyelids: "Mom, why isn’t dad back yet?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the sound of unlocking the door came from the entrance, followed by the door opening, and a weary Mu Kaihua returned home.
"Dad." Mu Chenxi happily removed the cucumber slices, ran over, and hugged his neck coquettishly, "You’re finally back. I’m returning to school this afternoon; I thought I wouldn’t see you."
Mu Kaihua casually placed his bag on the shoe cabinet and rubbed her head, "Why are your eyes so swollen? Didn’t sleep well last night?"
"Had a nightmare last night and couldn’t sleep after waking up," Mu Chenxi said with concern while massaging Mu Kaihua’s shoulders, "Dad, it’s not good for you to keep overworking like this. It’d be terrible if you collapse one day."
Mu Kaihua sat on the sofa, enjoying the massage from his daughter, eyes closed, "Don’t worry, these days will be over soon."
"What? Did your professional title evaluation come through?" Luo Meijuan peeked out from the kitchen, asking eagerly with excitement.
"The professional title matter hasn’t been settled, but today I received an invitation from a hospital in the United Kingdom. They are offering a handsome salary for me to work there," Mu Kaihua said, his whole demeanor seeming invigorated.