Zhan Jingrui left after speaking, and he left quickly.
Glancing back at He Yao from the rearview mirror, she was still holding her briefcase, looking around for a car as if she didn't care that he was leaving and didn't even spare him a glance.
Zhan Jingrui suppressed his rising anger, telling himself: she didn't deserve sympathy, he had important things to do, no time to settle old scores with her, and slowly retracted his gaze.
A taxi passed by, but He Yao didn't flag it down.
Her clothes were already wet anyway, why waste money?
After ten minutes in the rain, she finally got on a bus.
Although there weren't many people on the bus, she still attracted everyone's disdain as soon as she got on.
Her shoes and clothes were soaked, dripping water as she walked.
Wherever she stood for less than two seconds, there was a puddle of water.
She was too embarrassed to sit, afraid of wetting the seat, so she stood there looking out the window, enduring four stops.
After four stops, she had to transfer. It was almost the end of work, and the crowds were noticeably larger. As soon as she got on, it was packed with people, young and old.
She chose a spot near the back door to stand, continuing to be jostled.
The rain outside grew heavier, as if pouring down, blurring her vision.
The driver drove slowly, with people getting on and off, and the bus crawled forward.
However, even so, as it swayed, it still managed to get scraped.
An elderly woman, eager to pick up her grandson, was riding her electric bike across the road and accidentally fell in front of the bus.
The driver said they wouldn't be able to move for a while. Passengers either had to wait for a transfer or find their own way. Complaints filled the bus.
There were still three stops left before He Yao's home. It would only take ten minutes by bus, but walking would be much more troublesome.
Besides, the street was already deeply flooded.
But she didn't want to wait endlessly like this.
Thinking her clothes were already wet, she decided to just run home.
While everyone else was still arguing with the driver, she pushed through the crowd and got off the bus.
The water was deeper than it looked. As soon as she stepped in, it reached her calves, sending a shiver through her.
The rain hitting her face made it impossible to open her eyes. She held her briefcase over her head, trying to quickly reach the sidewalk.
As she was only a few steps away from the roadside, a black car screeched to a halt in front of her.
The driver almost hit her and, furious, rolled down his window and roared into the downpour.
"Are you trying to die? Rushing to be reincarnated! Can't you watch where you're going! Damn it, are you crazy!"
He Yao had indeed run out from the motor vehicle lane. It was her fault, and she couldn't argue. She just let the scolding go in one ear and out the other.
She continued to walk, and from the opposite lane, Zhan Jingrui saw this scene and felt a pang of unease.
Regardless of the reason, He Yao was working at Zhan's today. If something happened to her on her way home from work, it wouldn't look good for Zhan's reputation.
He was driving such a large car with so many empty seats; it wouldn't have hurt to let her sit for a while. Why be so stingy?
Although her actions after their breakup had always bothered him, people should still have basic humanity.
With this thought, he turned on his hazard lights and pulled the car over.
He Yao walked quickly with her head down. Zhan Jingrui caught up with her, slowing his speed.
As soon as he lowered the car window a bit, the rain splattered in.
"He Yao."
He Yao vaguely heard someone calling her, but how could that be?
At this hour, on this road, she had no friends.
She continued to walk forward, and Zhan Jingrui called out again.
"He Yao!"
This time she heard clearly. Someone was indeed calling her.
Turning her head towards the source of the sound, she saw Zhan Jingrui, his presence as persistent as ever.
The window was only slightly open, revealing only his high nose bridge and his tightly pursed lips, looking somewhat impatient.
Just as He Yao was about to ask him what he wanted, Zhan Jingrui said in a cold and deep voice, tilting his chin slightly.
"Get in."
Get in?
He Yao didn't want to get in.
She hadn't even gotten in when she was at the entrance of the industrial park and wasn't as disheveled as she was now. What was the point?
She shook her head, subconsciously about to refuse. Zhan Jingrui suddenly rolled down the entire car window.
He had a look of absolute authority.
"Just get in when I tell you to. Stop with the nonsense, and hurry up! Otherwise, if something happens to you on your way home from work, don't blame Zhan's!"
So, it was for this reason. She had really been overthinking.
For a moment, she had even fantasized that he still had feelings for her...
Since he was being so clear about separating personal and professional matters, she shouldn't make things difficult for herself.
He Yao ran to him with her bag: "But my clothes are all wet, they'll dirty your car."
"Then hurry up! Otherwise, won't you just get wetter?"
That seemed reasonable. He Yao opened the back door and sat down.
The car had the heater on, and the biting cold was somewhat relieved as soon as she got in. However, she felt truly miserable.
She was soaked through, making the seats and floor mats look terrible.
She wasn't a shameless person and felt a blush creep onto her face as she looked at the water stains on the seats.
She really shouldn't have taken advantage of him...
Zhan Jingrui saw her drenched appearance clearly in the rearview mirror.
Feeling like she could catch a cold at any moment, he couldn't help but take off his suit jacket and toss it to her.
He said nothing. He Yao thought he wanted her to use it to pad the seat and sat down properly after placing it there.
When Zhan Jingrui closed the window and looked into the rearview mirror again, he was speechless.
What was wrong with her? Was a dirty seat more important than a person? She was actually using her clothes to pad the seat...
Regardless, the car started moving.
After driving for a few seconds and seeing that she had no intention of speaking, Zhan Jingrui couldn't help but look at her in the rearview mirror again: "Where do you live?"
He Yao pushed her wet hair back: "Xiushan Avenue."
"Xiushan Avenue is so long, which part?"
"Any part. Just drop me off on that street."
Zhan Jingrui was annoyed by her again.
Was it necessary to be like this?
Who was in the wrong in the first place?
Although it was disloyal of him to go after someone else right after breaking up with her, He Yao wasn't blameless, was she?
He hadn't even bothered to dwell on it, yet she was still holding a grudge?
His pride told him to just abandon He Yao and not bother with her, but a stray thought in his mind wouldn't allow it.
"Any part? Why don't you get out then? If you like the rain so much, let's let you get your fill."
He frowned and retorted, then asked again, "Where exactly are you going?"
Seeing that he insisted on taking her home, He Yao told him the address truthfully.
Zhan Jingrui said nothing more, driving seriously with a grim expression.
The luxurious car was warm and comfortable to ride in, and it smelled good, but the feeling it gave her was truly unpleasant.
Fortunately, the journey wasn't long.
Ten minutes later, Zhan Jingrui parked the car at the entrance of the alley He Yao had mentioned.
The alley was narrow, with two large garbage bins placed at the entrance.
They were overflowing, and colorful garbage was strewn all over the ground.
Furthermore, the ground inside was lower, and with the heavy rain, it seemed like a small waterfall was rolling garbage into the alley.
Looking into the alley through the rain and the darkening sky, it resembled a sinister black hole.