When Zhan Jingrui carried He Yao back to the car, Luo Jia had already put the luggage into the car and settled herself inside.
Seeing He Yao being carried over, she quickly opened the car door.
"What's wrong? Why are you carrying her? Did you twist your ankle? Did you fall? He Yao, are you okay?"
Zhan Jingrui bent down to put He Yao inside, then looked down with disgust at his clothes, then at the clean cabin. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and got in.
In the back seat, Luo Jia was still looking He Yao up and down.
"What happened? Why aren't you speaking? Why haven't you taken off your clothes? What's going on? Don't scare me, you didn't fall and go stupid, did you?"
With her past temper, she would have argued with Luo Jia countless times if they were roommates.
But ever since she left home to work in the factory, she had encountered all sorts of oddballs and her tolerance had grown, making her less inclined to argue.
He Yao had now developed a skill: she didn't listen to what she didn't want to hear, and didn't say what she didn't want to say. She was very calm, mostly immersed in her own world, acting as if these people didn't exist.
So, no matter how much Luo Jia chattered, He Yao had only one question on her mind.
Why was Zhan Jingrui helping her so eagerly, being so good to her? Did she still have feelings for him?
If so, what should she do?
Hearing her words, Zhan Jingrui drove the car forward and turned around.
When they returned, the water was deeper, and the car slid forward almost like a snail, still creating quite a splash.
Luo Jia leaned against the car window, watching the scene outside, and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
"Damn it, what madness is this, such heavy rain all of a sudden. If I knew the dorm would turn into this mess, and I didn't prepare a place to stay in advance, where will we go now?"
"Although I've agreed to be Zhang Jun's girlfriend, it's only been a few days, and the probationary period isn't over yet. I don't want to live together so soon... He Yao, where are you planning to stay? Why don't we just stay together?"
"Whether it's a hotel or something else, we'll split it. Otherwise, if I live with him so soon, my value will drop in his eyes. Who knows how he'll control me later."
He Yao didn't respond. She looked intently at Zhan Jingrui's focused expression as he drove, and hearing Luo Jia's words, Zhan Jingrui also looked up at her.
Their eyes met again unexpectedly.
Seeing that she wasn't responding, Luo Jia nudged her.
"What's wrong? You haven't said a word to me since we got in the car. Did you really fall off the bed? Did you really hit your head? Oh my god, our floor was so dirty, you didn't fall into poop, did you?"
The more she spoke, the more absurd and crazy she became.
He Yao pushed her a little to the side and said coldly.
"Yes, I fell into poop, and my mind is full of poop now. Stay away from me."
Whether Luo Jia was genuinely simple-minded or feigned it, He Yao didn't know.
The harsher He Yao's words were, the more Luo Jia seemed to enjoy it, thinking she was joking.
"You can still joke, so you seem fine. Hurry up and answer my questions. Why haven't you taken off your clothes? What will you wear tomorrow? Where are we going next? To a hotel? Have you found a place? Which hotel?"
"If not, let's find one together quickly. Once we do, I'll call Zhang Jun and tell him not to come. The water is really deep, and if his car gets submerged, it'll be even more troublesome to owe him a favor."
He Yao hadn't prepared anything and was dragged out by Zhan Jingrui. She didn't know what she would wear tomorrow or where she would go tonight.
Seeing Luo Jia's suggestion, she belatedly remembered that her phone was in her briefcase and wondered if it had gotten wet.
Luo Jia opened her phone and searched for nearby hotels. He Yao quickly rummaged through her briefcase and found her phone among a stack of documents.
As expected, it had gotten wet. The phone screen was a mess, like a rainbow. No matter how she took pictures or pressed buttons, it was unresponsive.
"Your phone is broken? Oh dear, how could you be so careless?"
Luo Jia started chattering again: "But then again, all your clothes are wet, so it's no wonder your phone is wet too. It's broken, it's broken, don't be sad. You've been using this phone for so many years, I think you should have replaced it long ago. This is a good opportunity..."
As they were talking about phones, Zhan Jingrui's phone also rang.
Connected to the car's Bluetooth, a loud ringtone blared out. He Yao and Luo Jia instinctively looked at his central control screen.
The caller ID displayed the two large characters: Chu Xi.
So, they hadn't broken up.
He Yao's wandering thoughts immediately became anxious.
Before the ringtone could finish its third ring, the call was automatically answered. Chu Xi's sweet voice came from the other end, filling the entire car.
"Jingrui, where are you now? The rain outside is so heavy. I heard that the roads in the city center are already flooded. Will there be any problems coming back after work?"
He Yao stared at Zhan Jingrui's eyes in the rearview mirror.
He looked straight ahead, his expression unchanged.
"I'm driving. The water is quite high. But it's okay, I'll just go slower. Don't come out if you don't have to."
"Ah, you're driving. I thought you'd be back later. Alright then, I won't bother you for now. Drive slowly, be careful, and call me when you get home."
After saying that, Chu Xi sensibly hung up the phone.
Although they didn't say anything particularly intimate, nor did they speak in an intimate tone, from Chu Xi's concerned words, it could be seen that they were quite close.
After so many years, they were still so good. It seemed they were on the path to marriage.
Indeed, Chu Xi was beautiful, came from a good family, and excelled in her studies. In every aspect, she was a perfect match for Zhan Jingrui.
A talented man and a beautiful woman, with no financial pressures, they likely wouldn't face family opposition. What reason would they have to break up?
How ridiculous.
With her own conditions, how could she possibly compare herself to Chu Xi?
Zhan Jingrui was merely helping her out of a little sentiment from many years ago. She had actually dared to fantasize, thinking he still had feelings for her...
Her phone was already broken, making her upset. Confirming the relationship between Zhan Jingrui and Chu Xi only made her feel worse.
Seeing Luo Jia's suitcase with its dirty wheels stuck on the seat, she felt a blush creep onto her face.
Clutching her wet phone, she sighed inwardly several times, then looked out the window and said to Zhan Jingrui.
"My phone got water damage. I can't give you the money today. I'll have Xu Zheng pay you for the car wash another day. I'm sorry, for making your car so dirty. Thank you for the trouble today."
After going back and forth so many times on this journey, saying sorry, thank you, and now having to pay for the car wash.
Was she trying to provoke him?
Zhan Jingrui seemed to want to retort, "Do I lack that little bit of money?"
But with someone else present, he couldn't say much.
Suppressing the anger in his heart: "Have you decided where you're staying? Where should I drop you off?"