Chapter 51: Sheltered by the Storm

They hadn’t brought much to begin with, so there was nothing they needed to pack up. Everything was finished quickly.

Barely five minutes after they got into the car, a torrential downpour began. Unable to see the road clearly, Gu Zehuai slowed down more and more. In the end, he had no choice but to pull over to the side of the road.

Sitting together in the car, watching the rain pour down outside the window, they both suddenly thought of Pei Yi. Gu Zehuai took out his phone and sent a message to Pei Yi. Only when Pei Yi replied that he was fine did Gu Zehuai let out a sigh of relief.

It had to be said, this rain came rather unexpectedly. Before they left, the sky was only a little dark, nothing more. Who would have expected it to suddenly pour like this?

Wen Jiu, seeing that the rain showed no sign of letting up, tilted her head and asked Gu Zehuai, “What should we do now? Go back to your villa?”

Gu Zehuai nodded. “That’s all we can do.”

Once the road became visible again, Gu Zehuai turned the car around and drove back to the villa.

Thankfully, there was an umbrella in the car, though it was only a small one for a single person. Gu Zehuai got out, opened the umbrella, and walked over to the passenger side. The moment Wen Jiu stepped out, she shivered.

An autumn rain always brings a chill.

It was much colder now than when they had left. Gu Zehuai wanted to take off his jacket and drape it over Wen Jiu’s shoulders, but in these conditions, it would only waste more time. Without lingering, they hurried toward the villa.

Gu Zehuai tilted the umbrella almost entirely over Wen Jiu. When they returned inside, Wen Jiu saw that most of Gu Zehuai’s body was soaked.

He took off his wet jacket, turned on the heater, and went into the bedroom to fetch a thin blanket, which he handed to Wen Jiu.

She took it and wrapped it around herself, feeling much warmer.

Seeing Gu Zehuai sniffle a couple of times, Wen Jiu said quickly, “You should go take a shower. You’re drenched.”

Gu Zehuai shook his head. “It’s fine, doesn’t matter. I’ll make some ginger tea first to ward off the chill.”

With that, he headed into the kitchen.

Soon, the scent of ginger wafted from the kitchen. Gu Zehuai brought out two small bowls, one for each of them.

After drinking it, Gu Zehuai finally asked, “Do you want to take a shower?”

Wen Jiu felt uncomfortable in her damp clothes, but hesitated as she had nothing to change into.

It was as if Gu Zehuai sensed her concern; he cleared his throat awkwardly. “If you don’t mind, you can wear mine for now.”

Wen Jiu finally nodded.

Gu Zehuai led her into the bedroom and explained, “You can use the master bathroom. I’ll use the guest room.”

As he spoke, he took a shirt and a pair of shorts from the wardrobe and handed them to her. He didn’t dare to meet her eyes. “Just wear these for now—they’re brand new.”

As soon as she took them, Gu Zehuai quickly left the room, pausing at the doorway to say, “If you need anything, message or call me. I’ll be right next door.”

Wen Jiu carried the clothes into the bathroom, washed her hair and took a quick shower, then put on Gu Zehuai’s shirt and shorts. After blow-drying her hair until it was half-dry, she came out, picked up the thin blanket from the sofa, and draped it over herself—since she was wearing nothing beneath the shirt.

Once she was sure the blanket was secure, she left the room.

Gu Zehuai had already showered and was drying his hair. When he saw Wen Jiu, he looked away, a bit awkward.

After a while, he said, “You sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll be in the room next door. If you need anything, just knock.”

Wen Jiu nodded, deciding it was best not to chat with Gu Zehuai while dressed like this, and said, “Then I’ll go back to my room now?”

Gu Zehuai nodded. “Go ahead. Remember to cover yourself well tonight, don’t catch a cold.”

“Got it.”