Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After a rolling thunder boomed in the sky, the horizon instantly returned to calm.

Still shaken, Shu Yao immediately stepped out from behind Wen Mochuan. She was well aware that her behavior had been inappropriate, and she felt extremely awkward at this moment. After apologizing to both Jiang Yiyan and Wen Mochuan, she quickly turned around and hurried away from the scene.

Wen Mochuan, of course, remembered Shu Yao's fear of rainy days and thunderstorms—a psychological shadow left by her biological father. However, given his current status, he no longer deemed it appropriate to do anything for her.

After Shu Yao ran off, Wen Mochuan lifted his gaze and calmly looked at his wife, Jiang Yiyan.

"Earlier..."

"You don't need to explain," Jiang Yiyan felt there was no need for him to explain anything to her, nor did she particularly want to hear it.

She wouldn't blame Wen Mochuan, nor would she blame Shu Yao, as she hadn't taken the matter to heart at all.

"There's no need for you to explain; I don't think there's anything wrong with it." Jiang Yiyan spoke sincerely, every word coming from her heart. "On the contrary, I believe Yao Yao was genuinely frightened."

Wen Mochuan's gaze lingered on his wife's face for a long time until Jiang Yiyan could no longer ignore his stare and smiled, asking, "Is there something on my face?" Only then did Wen Mochuan shift his gaze from his wife to the night sky outside the corridor.

He gazed at the thick, dark clouds rolling across the night sky and furrowed his brows, saying, "It looks like a heavy storm is coming." As soon as he finished speaking, another roll of thunder echoed in the distance.

Immediately after, raindrops the size of mung beans began pelting down fiercely.

"Let's go inside." As Wen Mochuan said this, he gently took hold of his wife's arm. He guided her forward while walking behind her. The heavy rain outside was blown onto the veranda by the wind, and Wen Mochuan, wearing a shirt, could clearly feel the chill on his back.

However, Jiang Yiyan, walking ahead of him, managed to avoid getting drenched in the rain.

This sudden downpour also startled all their classmates who were still eating and chatting. Everyone immediately shifted their attention from socializing to the heavy rain.

"How did such a heavy rain start so suddenly? Judging by the intensity, it doesn't seem like it will stop anytime soon."

"The weather forecast mentioned rain today, but since the weather was so nice during the day, I thought the forecast might have been inaccurate. Who would have thought that the current weather forecast is quite accurate, and here comes the rain."

"Why don't we... just stay here tonight? With such heavy rain and the sky being completely dark, it's nighttime. If something unexpected happens, it wouldn't be good."

Once someone suggested this, many others quickly agreed.

"It's the weekend tomorrow anyway, and there's nothing pressing. Why not stay overnight here? It's been a long time since we've seen each other, and today has been enjoyable. We should chat to our hearts' content."

Xu Yan immediately walked over and said, "I'll call my friend and let her know."

"Then, Class Monitor, please talk to her quickly. It would be great if you could ask about the price, and we'll pay."

The farmstay had accommodations available, which could be considered a semi-open guesthouse. Of course, it was much larger than an ordinary guesthouse.

It was currently summer vacation, and many families brought their children out for travel. In the past few days, the farmstay had been open to guests. However, because their classmates were gathering here today, the farmstay owner, considering Xu Yan's face, declined all other guests for the day.

Now, the rooms in the farmstay were empty. If they wanted to stay, it would be perfect.

Xu Yan's friend was very straightforward and promptly agreed without any unnecessary words.

As soon as Jiang Yiyan entered, she saw this commotion and was momentarily confused, hurriedly asking the people beside her, "What's going on? Can't we leave?"

Wen Mochuan responded with a soft "Mm": "The rain is heavy outside, and it's not safe to drive back at night. It's better to stay overnight and leave early tomorrow morning."

Jiang Yiyan: "…"

"But… I didn't bring any change of clothes." Jiang Yiyan instinctively didn't want to stay any longer. She originally thought that after dealing with the banquet, sitting for a bit more would be enough before leaving. Who would have thought that they would encounter such a heavy downpour?

However, with the slippery roads due to the rain and being in the outskirts, where it was already late, rushing back into the city through the rain might indeed lead to unforeseen incidents.

Thus, Jiang Yiyan hesitated.

Wen Mochuan went over to speak with Xu Yan for a moment, then returned to tell his wife, "There are clean bath towels and robes in the room. As for a change of clothes, you'll have to endure wearing them for two more hours. We'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Well, since he put it that way, what else could she say?

Moreover, seeing everyone's high spirits, she didn't want to be the one to dampen the mood.

It's just staying overnight, right? There's nothing to it. After all, she wouldn't need to socialize tomorrow and could return home first thing in the morning.

Since they decided to stay overnight, Xu Yan naturally busied himself with helping everyone check-in. Couples who came together would naturally share a room. As for the remaining single individuals, they would pair up temporarily for the night.

Jiang Yiyan clearly hadn't realized the most serious issue until Xu Yan handed her the room card and informed her that it was for their couple's room. At that moment, alarms went off in Jiang Yiyan's mind.

She was going to spend the night in the same room as Wen Mochuan?!!

But thinking about it, wasn't it strange for them to stay separately given their relationship? If they stayed in separate rooms tonight, she could guarantee that many people would privately speculate about the state of their marriage tomorrow morning.

Was it merely a facade? Had their marriage become a mere formality? And so on.

Ah, ah, but suddenly, without any mental preparation, she was expected to be alone with Wen Mochuan in a small room, even sharing a small bed. How was she supposed to handle that?

For a moment, numerous thoughts raced through Jiang Yiyan's mind. She had considered whether staying with someone other than Wen Mochuan would be more appropriate. Shu Yao? No, if she stayed with Shu Yao, she'd rather be with Wen Mochuan.

As for others, she was even less familiar with them.

Seeing no hope in finding someone else to share a room with, Jiang Yiyan placed her hopes on the weather. She silently prayed that the rain would pass quickly. Once it stopped, she could find an excuse to go home.

Unfortunately, the heavens did not cooperate, and the rain continued pouring down without stopping.

In the end, Jiang Yiyan could only reluctantly give up her struggle.

Wen Mochuan and the other men were still chatting, so Jiang Yiyan used fatigue as an excuse to return to the accommodation area.

The room wasn't large, but it was better than she had imagined. The bed, perhaps 1.5 meters wide, was enough for her to sleep alone. As for how cramped it would be for two people, that remained uncertain.

Jiang Yiyan hadn't brought any luggage, no skincare products, and no makeup remover. Missing one day of skincare wasn't a big deal, but sleeping without removing her makeup would cause significant harm to her facial skin.

So after some thought, she decided to borrow some from Shu Yao. Shu Yao and Xu Yan were both currently single and had the best relationship, so they shared a room. At this hour, it was already late, and Xu Yan and Shu Yao had returned to their room to get ready for bed. Hearing the knock on the door, Shu Yao immediately ran to open it. But when she opened the door and saw Jiang Yiyan standing in the rain under an umbrella, Shu Yao was instantly stunned. Clearly, because of her instinctive move to hide behind Wen Mochuan during the thunder earlier, she now didn't know how to face Jiang Yiyan. Xu Yan was in the bathroom washing up; she must have heard the knock as well and called out loudly to ask who it was. Shu Yao snapped back to reality, saying "It's Yiyan," then quickly invited Jiang Yiyan inside. The rain continued to fall outside, though it had lessened somewhat since before. Even with her umbrella, some raindrops still splashed onto Jiang Yiyan. After Jiang Yiyan came in, Xu Yan emerged from the bathroom. Seeing the water droplets on Jiang Yiyan's exposed arms, Xu Yan immediately fetched a towel to hand to her. "Thank you," Jiang Yiyan said as she took it. Shu Yao then realized what needed to be done and said, "Let me pour you a cup of hot water." She turned to fetch a cup, first warming it with freshly boiled water before filling it halfway and handing it over. Grateful for her thoughtful care, Jiang Yiyan sincerely said, "Thank you, Yaoyao." "Go ahead and sit down," Xu Yan said with a smile, breaking the awkwardness. She led Jiang Yiyan to a seat and asked, "Are you here to see Yaoyao?" Jiang Yiyan held the cup to warm her hands and then explained why she had come: "I didn't expect to stay overnight here when I left this morning, so... I didn't bring any toiletries. Most importantly, I forgot my makeup remover. My face... I won't be able to sleep well if I don't remove my makeup tonight, so I came to borrow some from Yaoyao." Shu Yao felt a bit embarrassed, as she hadn't brought any either. But Xu Yan cleverly covered for her at this moment: "Yaoyao never wears makeup, so you're better off borrowing from me." With that, she got up, went to the bathroom, and retrieved her own makeup remover. After some thought, she also brought out a few of her skincare products. "I've already washed up, but if you don't mind, feel free to use them." Though Xu Yan's skincare products were a notch below those Jiang Yiyan was used to, they were still top-tier for someone as frugal as her. So, Jiang Yiyan only took the makeup remover and left the rest. "I just need to remove my makeup." Xu Yan didn't insist and put her things away. It was already quite late, and Jiang Yiyan didn't want to disturb them further after she finished removing her makeup. So, after some thought, she said, "Class monitor, let's add each other on WeChat. I won't return it tonight, but I'll give it back to you tomorrow morning before we leave." Xu Yan readily agreed: "Sure." Then she immediately took out her phone. After successfully adding each other on WeChat, Jiang Yiyan thanked her again and bid farewell to both of them. Xu Yan and Shu Yao personally escorted Jiang Yiyan to the door. Once they closed the door, Xu Yan asked Shu Yao, "What's wrong? You seemed off just now. Why did you seem so distracted in front of her... Did something happen?" Feeling awkward, Shu Yao then told Xu Yan about hiding behind Wen Mochuan in front of Jiang Yiyan earlier.