Rainy Night
Occasionally, the deserted road would echo with the honking of passing vehicles. The light drizzle fell silently, making the road even quieter.
Meanwhile, the bar was alive with revelry, the music never ceased. Tang Mingchuan walked out of the noisy bar, the drizzle falling on him unnoticed.
Perhaps it had been a long time since he had drunk so much, Tang Mingchuan felt his head heavy.
Looking up, the vast city was illuminated with countless lights, yet none belonged to Tang Mingchuan. He felt a slight ache in his eyes, and even his breath felt unsteady.
A convenience store emitted bright light, and a girl was arranging products inside. Through the transparent glass window, the girl's soft hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white sweater and jeans, with a gray apron tied around her waist, her figure slender.
Tang Mingchuan entered the convenience store, observing the girl as she arranged the products, not uttering a word, as if he had found a place to belong.
After arranging the goods, Lin Xi turned around and saw Tang Mingchuan standing in front of the counter, which startled her.
Carefully observing the man in front of her, Lin Xi noticed his hair slightly dampened by the rain, but it didn't detract from his attractiveness. His deep brown eyes were profound, exuding a noble aura, yet there was a hint of redness around his eyes, and a faint smell of alcohol lingered around him, giving off a sense of desolation.
Lin Xi couldn't deny that the man in front of her was handsome, but his silent presence behind her did startle her.
"Sir, may I help you with something?" Lin Xi steadied her nerves and asked the man in front of her.
"Get me a bottle of mineral water," Tang Mingchuan's voice was hoarse.
Lin Xi handed the bottle of water to Tang Mingchuan, and upon contact, she felt that the man's hand was quite cold. Tang Mingchuan took the water, thanked her, and turned to leave.
Without knowing why, Lin Xi felt a warmth in her heart as she watched the man's departing figure. "Young lady, it's just a light rain, you keep it," Tang Mingchuan said, smiling.
The two were close, and Lin Xi felt the smell of alcohol even stronger than before. He must have had quite a bit to drink.
Lin Xi didn't say anything, simply handed him the umbrella and hurried back into the convenience store.
Watching the girl's back, Tang Mingchuan smiled, considering this encounter the only fortunate event of the day.
Lin Xi returned to the convenience store, surprised to encounter such a drunk handsome man when it was almost time for her shift to end. The man was very good-looking, but why was he getting drunk?
"Xi, I'm taking over now, you should head back to school," Ye Ming pushed the door open and entered, shaking off the water from his umbrella.
"Then I'll leave first, Senior." Lin Xi picked up her backpack and prepared to leave.
"Xi, I brought you some strawberry cake," Ye Ming handed Lin Xi a delicately packaged box.
Ye Ming was Lin Xi's senior, very handsome, and always took good care of Lin Xi.
Lin Xi wasn't shy and accepted the cake graciously, thanking him before leaving the convenience store.
Ye Ming admired Lin Xi and had followed her to the convenience store to take over her shift just to have a conversation with her.
Lin Xi, a naturally cute girl, was a bit slow when it came to matters of the heart, but Ye Ming would slowly let her know his feelings.
The convenience store was close to the school, and Lin Xi often worked there. Although her family was well-off, she wanted to rely on herself to become an independent woman of the new era.
Today, when Lin Xi returned to the dormitory, her friend Bai Wei was picking out clothes.
"Xi, you're back. Can you help me choose an outfit?" Bai Wei was excited.
"Are you going on a date tomorrow?" Lin Xi asked, puzzled.
"Yes, our department has a new professor, and he's really handsome. I suddenly thought of having a passionate student-teacher romance on campus," Bai Wei said with excitement.
Lin Xi had worked all day and her head was still spinning, making it hard to get up.
"Xi, which one do you think looks better?" Bai Wei muttered to herself.
But she found that Lin Xi had already lay down on the bed and fallen asleep.
The next morning, Lin Xi was pulled out of bed by Bai Wei.
"Wei Wei, it's too early," Lin Xi rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"It's not early. The girls from our department have already gone to save seats, so we should hurry," Bai Wei said, excitedly.
Lin Xi's head was still a bit dizzy from yesterday's encounter with the drunk handsome man.
Bai Wei pulled Lin Xi along and headed straight to the classroom.
Sure enough, the front row of the classroom was already filled with people, all of them girls.
"It's Lin Xi after all. I wasted all this effort putting on makeup," Bai Wei said disappointedly. The young and handsome professor was indeed popular.
The two found a seat casually and listened to the whispers of the two girls in front.
"Our new professor is named Tang Mingchuan, just returned from abroad. He's so handsome."
"Yes, I've heard of him. I didn't expect him to come to our school. He's only 26 or 27 years old and already a professor at our school. He's really amazing."
... After a while, a tall man walked onto the podium.
Lin Xi felt a sense of familiarity with his figure, and upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same man from yesterday's drunken encounter!
He was actually her professor. Lin Xi never expected such a coincidence to happen to her.
"Wow, he's really handsome, just my type," Bai Wei couldn't help but swoon beside her.
Different from the desolate charm of yesterday, today Tang Mingchuan was dressed in a black coat, matching pants, with neatly combed black hair and silver-framed glasses perched on his high nose. His lips were lightly tinted, as smooth as jade.
If Tang Mingchuan's distinctive appearance hadn't given him away, Lin Xi would have thought he was a different person from yesterday.
Standing on the podium, Tang Mingchuan noticed the girl below, who turned out to be a student of A University.
Tang Mingchuan casually smiled, truly a coincidence, the girl was actually his student.
Listening to Bai Wei's descriptions little by little, Lin Xi learned some things about Tang Mingchuan. He was the youngest professor at A University, having obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University at a young age, and after returning to China, he received offers from various universities.
According
to Bai Wei, Tang Mingchuan was truly a winner in life, possessing both looks and talent.
Why did such a talented person give off such a sad vibe yesterday, Lin Xi wondered. Lin Xi looked up and found Tang Mingchuan also looking in her direction, his eyes burning.
She couldn't help but lower her head, feeling an inexplicable emotion stirring in her heart.
Tang Mingchuan must have recognized her.