Endless Fall

Dark clouds gathered and bean-sized raindrops fell.

The lawn outside Ming Xin mansion that had been washed by the rain emitted a refreshing fragrance. Holding an umbrella, Pei Yilan walked into the building.

It was clearly gloomy weather, but the smile on her face did not diminish at all.

!!

She stood outside Unit 8 with the rain-drenched suitcase.

Ding dong—

The doorbell rang every two seconds.

Jiang Ye, who was squeezing toothpaste on his toothbrush, stopped and walked to the entrance in his pajamas.

Unexpectedly, a familiar face entered his vision.

He frowned and looked at her from head to toe. There was no surprise, only worry. “It’s raining so heavily outside. Why didn’t you wait for me to pick you up?”

“I’m in a hurry to see you.”

“Come in first.” He placed the slippers at her feet and turned to get a towel. “You’re still smiling even though you’re all wet.”

Pei Yilan smiled even more sweetly.

“Don’t be angry.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the side of his face. “I’m not cold. There are many people outside without umbrellas.”

“Why are you comparing yourself to them?”

“I just want you to not worry about me.”

Jiang Ye held her hand and led her to the living room.

He gently wiped her hair and shoulders, showing no signs of anger. “Did you have a hangover after drinking so much last night?”

“No.” Pei Yilan looked up and was gradually enveloped by the warmth on his body. “Did you just get up?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ye dried her hair and carried her suitcase to the bedroom. “I’ll help you unpack. You can watch TV first.”

“Okay.” Her raised voice showed her joy, making him smile.

He squatted down and unzipped the suitcase. First, he took out a few coats, then sorted out her socks, bags, and underwear.

This time, she brought five sets of underwear. Two of them were normal, and the remaining three were sexier.

When he saw the lace on it, the tips of his ears burned.

This was the first time he had touched a woman’s personal things. No matter how hard he tried to restrain himself, he still couldn’t help but imagine her wearing it.

“Jiang Ye.” Pei Yilan walked over and asked in all seriousness, “Which one do you think looks better?”

Jiang Ye’s heart skipped a beat. He felt like he had been caught red-handed, and his ears seemed to be bleeding.

He pretended to be calm. “They’re all about the same.”

“What if you had to choose one?”

“The white one.” At least it looked normal.

“You actually like the white one?” Pei Yilan unfolded the underwear he had folded and showed him the hollow out design.

Jiang Ye was speechless. He quickly looked away as if he had been dazzled. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Then do you still choose the white one?”

“The deep blue one.”

“Are you sure about the deep blue one?” Pei Yilan held back her laughter, wanting to show it to him.

The next second, Jiang Ye quickly stuffed all the clothes into the wardrobe.

In order to shake the thoughts in his mind, he changed the topic and said, “You brought too few clothes.”

“Someone will send the rest over.” Pei Yilan came in a hurry today and did not have time to pack up.

“What did your parents say?”

“Nothing.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “My mother even prepared a gift for us.”

Jiang Ye found a ‘gift’ from the bottom of the suitcase.

He opened the square black box and closed it with a bang.

“Yilan.” He gripped the square box tightly, his heart pounding. “Are you sure this is a gift from Auntie?”

“I’m sure.” Pei Yilan pretended not to have seen it and asked curiously, “What makes you so excited?”

Jiang Ye, who was usually eloquent, was lost for words.

“Nothing.” He walked into the other bedroom with the hot potato and found a place to hide it first.

He leaned against the wardrobe and pondered for a long time. The moment the drawer locked, his heart finally calmed down.

“Jiang Ye, where’s the gift?” Pei Yilan had enough of laughing in a place he could not see. When he returned, she looked at him innocently.

“I put it away.” Jiang Ye continued to put away the remaining clothes and said without changing his expression, “Auntie gave it to me.”

“Can’t I see it?”

“Not at the moment. I’ll show you one day.”

“Alright.” Pei Yilan knew very well that with his personality, he would not take it out, so she did not force him.

The empty suitcase was placed in the storage room.

Jiang Ye walked into the bathroom with her makeup bag and placed the bottles on the sink before picking up his toothbrush to brush his tooth.

...

The rain outside the window had yet to stop.

The water vapor condensed by the raindrops formed a faint fog that blocked everything outside the window.

The sound of running water could be heard in the kitchen. After washing the dishes, Jiang Ye wiped his fingers and walked towards the living room.

He leaned against the sofa and put his arm around Pei Yilan’s waist, spending a tranquil weekend with her with romantic comedy.

“Yilan.” When night fell, Jiang Ye mentioned visiting her parents. “Ask Uncle and Auntie when they are free.”

Pei Yilan sent a WeChat message to her family group and quickly received a reply. “Next Saturday.”

“What do they like?”

“Grandpa likes to play chess. My mother likes to go to the beauty shop. My father likes to smoke.”

Jiang Ye remembered it by heart. “Other than smoking, does Uncle like anything else?” He couldn’t possibly send cigarettes as a gift.

“He also likes my mother.” Pei Yilan really could not remember what other things he liked. “Buy whatever you want. As long as it’s not too expensive.”

“Ok.” He rubbed his phone, thinking that he would ask Wu Rui, who was already married, tomorrow. “What about Pei Zhi?”

...

“Ignore him. He is going to take Jiaojiao out to have fun.” Pei Yilan tore open the bag of potato chips and curled up in his arms to eat slowly.

Jiang Ye rested his chin on the top of her head and listened to the clicking sound, feeling inexplicably at ease.

He narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you ask about my parents?”

Pei Yilan paused. “I forgot.” She did not turn to look at him. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Jiang Ye knew what she was thinking.

He tightened his grip on her and said calmly, “My mother ran away with someone when I was seven years old.”

“Three years after she left, my father was also sentenced to eight years in prison for intentional assault.”

“In order to escape from my father’s control, I came to Lin City after graduating from high school. I haven’t contacted him all these years.”

“So, I can’t bring you home.”

Pei Yilan could not imagine what kind of experience and pain he had gone through.

She grabbed a handful of potato chips and stuffed them into her mouth to stop herself from sobbing and the tears from flowing out.

“Yilan.” Jiang Ye’s gaze was still on the TV, so he did not notice anything wrong with her. “Do you mind my family background?”