Chapter 110: The Road

Yang Shuli stuffed everything she had into her pockets.

The top of her beachwear jacket didn’t seem to hold much, so she filled the pants pockets as well with her treasures.

The overall look she presented was somewhat odd.

Especially around the pockets, which looked like several tumors were hanging on the outside.

Yang Shuli seemed to realize how amusing her current appearance was and mimicked the alien from a movie, trying to roar at Xu Nian.

The roar that reached Xu Nian’s ears turned into an adorable “awoo awoo.”

It was cute and entertaining.

Xu Nian smiled warmly, clearly in a good mood, unaffected by the rain that was steadily growing heavier.

The umbrella was fairly large, but no matter how big it was for a single person, it simply couldn’t shield two people from the sea wind and rain.

Especially since the rain by the seaside was only intensifying.

It had started as a light drizzle, nothing urgent, but now it was dripping steadily. Soon, it would likely turn into a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder.

Xu Nian and Yang Shuli shared the umbrella, slowly leaving the shoreline.

Yang Shuli remained playful beside Xu Nian, or rather, she was unleashing her childish innocence.

The small dormitory leader’s eyes seemed to focus briefly and solely within the umbrella—on Xu Nian and herself.

She seemed to want to imitate the alien but realized that given her size, she would be more like a facehugger.

That wasn’t bad; she was more than willing to cling to Xu Nian.

There was always a scent of sandalwood on Xu Nian, a smell Yang Shuli liked quite a lot.

But unlike Yang Shuli, who could simply look within the umbrella, Xu Nian had to watch the road ahead while holding the umbrella.

Then, on their way off the beach, he spotted Liu Xie, who seemed to be still asleep under a beach umbrella.

His thoughts moved swiftly.

Just like the moment he realized his best friend had transformed from boy to girl and, accepting that he couldn’t let go, immediately decided to pursue Yang Shuli and be with her.

Now, seeing Liu Xie sleeping under the sunshade, he pondered briefly.

Under this umbrella were only him and Yang Shuli; it was already the limit for a single umbrella.

He could get wet, but Yang Shuli couldn’t.

He even considered the possibility of having Yang Shuli ride on his shoulders, but he wasn’t fond of that position—it lacked the romantic feeling he wanted between the two of them.

So, generally, he avoided that posture, unless Yang Shuli requested it or if she was tired from walking.

Moreover, Liu Xie, even asleep, wasn’t completely defenseless against the raindrops—there was still a sun umbrella over her head.

With that thought, Xu Nian made his decision.

He chose to pretend he hadn’t seen her.

This entire train of thought took less than a single step to complete, without the slightest pause, so much so that Yang Shuli beside him didn’t notice anything unusual.

And so, Yang Shuli didn’t see Liu Xie sleeping soundly in the steadily intensifying autumn rain.

It seemed last night’s hangover had really taken a toll on Liu Xie’s mental state, evident from her deeply immersive sleep.

The two left the beach, ignoring the few remaining people still under the umbrellas, and the solitary figure left on the shore.

Yang Shuli naturally had no idea; she simply followed Xu Nian with inexplicable ease in her mood.

Perhaps because they shared one umbrella, she didn’t have to keep pace with Xu Nian’s footsteps; instead, Xu Nian adjusted the umbrella to follow her steps, ensuring she wouldn’t get wet.

But on rainy days, children’s playful nature tends to grow stronger—they would always walk along the white or yellow lines, solid or dashed, on the road, staggering slightly even on flat ground.

Xu Nian held the umbrella carefully and followed behind Yang Shuli.

At the last intersection, the hotel where everyone lived was just across the street.

Outside the umbrella, the rain had already become a downpour.

Precisely because they were at the crossroad, Yang Shuli instinctively reached out to tightly grab Xu Nian’s arm, even though he was holding the umbrella and she had to raise her arm to reach him.

The pouring rain, coupled with the nearly deserted seaside, meant there wasn’t a single car on the road.

“Let’s go back and try to use this thing to summon a dragon,” Yang Shuli said with a mischievous grin.

The two arrived at the crosswalk at the main road, and Yang Shuli happened to glance into her pockets.

Then she froze and stopped in her tracks.

She released Xu Nian’s arm and both hands began searching her pockets.

“Hey, where’s the stuff…?”

Xu Nian immediately guessed the treasure she had painstakingly dug up was lost and instinctively looked toward the path they had just walked from.

There, on the other side of the road, lay the intact scallop.

Its white color stood out clearly against the nearly black asphalt.

Xu Nian glanced up at the still-green traffic light, shoved the umbrella into Yang Shuli’s hand, and headed into the rain toward the scallop on the ground.

He was already almost soaked, so there was no need to have Yang Shuli follow him any further; she could wait there while he retrieved it.

With that thought, Xu Nian didn’t notice Yang Shuli’s panic behind him, nor the fearful expression on her small face once she realized what he intended to do.

He calmly reached the scallop, bent down, and picked it up.

The light was still green, with almost twenty seconds remaining on the countdown.

He looked up, but the gentle expression he always saw on Yang Shuli’s face froze, replaced by a look of terror.

Fear—fear of losing something.

What exactly was going on…?

Xu Nian scanned the surroundings—no strange occurrences.

The traffic lights were normal, the rain was heavy, and the intersection was empty of cars.

The countdown on the green light had been going for ten seconds; no matter what, he had to brave the rain and return to Yang Shuli’s side.

Just as he stepped forward, Yang Shuli’s hysterical shout rang in his ears: “Xu Nian, don’t come over!”

His steps halted.

He watched the countdown finish, and the traffic light switch to red.

He watched as Yang Shuli covered her ears, crouching on the ground in the pouring rain, holding the umbrella, her expression full of fear.

But he couldn’t go over, even though the road was empty—because Yang Shuli forbade him.

After a full minute of the red light countdown, the green light came on again for three seconds.

The tiny dormitory leader threw down the umbrella and ran toward Xu Nian across the road.

Like she was running toward someone she had never had the chance to run to before.

Though nothing had actually happened, the petite girl thoroughly checked Xu Nian from head to toe with meticulous care.

Then, she threw herself into Xu Nian’s arms, burying her head in his rain-soaked clothes.

“I don’t want it anymore… I don’t want that thing…” she muttered, voice trembling. “You have to come with me, don’t leave me. I want to hold your hand forever.”

Xu Nian’s expression had never been as grave as it was now.

He hugged Yang Shuli tightly in the rain, pressing his lips to her ear.

“It’s alright. I’m right here. It’s alright…”

Only when Yang Shuli’s grip on his clothes gradually loosened did he release her and place his hand in hers.

“I will always walk with you. I won’t leave you.”