"It’s just that she’s now... gone mad," Mu Bingtong continued, "A few days ago, my mom called and said she escaped from the asylum and went missing. But whether she’s been found now, I don’t know. As you know, I’m an illegitimate daughter of the Nangong Family. My mother can’t even step through the door of the Nangong Family, so there are many things I don’t know."

Chu Ge glanced at her, "When I left you back then, it wasn’t because you’re an illegitimate daughter of the Nangong Family."

Mu Bingtong suddenly looked up at him, "Then why was it?"

Chu Ge smiled, "Forget it, it’s all in the past. But now you’re back by my side for some reason; doesn’t that count as fate?"

Outside the car window, the rain continued to pour relentlessly, and the howling wind roared, as if trying to make its presence felt, a force not to be underestimated.

Mu Bingtong watched as the red light ahead lit up, and the car came to a steady stop. How many such rainy days had she spent alone?

The gloomy weather and oppressive darkness made one feel frustrated.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated half the sky, causing Mu Bingtong’s nerves to tense abruptly, preparing herself as a dull thunder rumbled overhead.

Warmth spread from her palm throughout her body, making her feel less frightened than before. Chu Ge reached out and held Mu Bingtong’s hand; her hands and feet were always cold in such weather.

Mu Bingtong quietly let him hold her, the warmth of his palm made her feel particularly at ease, and the ambiguous atmosphere inside the car intensified.

Mu Bingtong feared thunder the most. Whenever it thundered in the past, she’d immediately hide in Chu Ge’s arms. Now, with things as they were, Chu Ge could only lightly hold her hand to comfort her. His temper was such that he’d never directly tell her "I’m here."

Seeing the familiar building, the car came to a stop. Mu Bingtong knew she had to get out. She withdrew her hand, which Chu Ge had been holding, unbuckled her seatbelt, and said, "I’m here."

"Mm." Chu Ge looked ahead and softly replied.

Mu Bingtong saw that he had nothing more to say, so she prepared to get out and open the car door. Just as her hand touched the door, there was a click. Surprised, Mu Bingtong turned to look at Chu Ge.

Chu Ge pressed the lock button and the door shut. He turned to look at Mu Bingtong.

"I should get out," Mu Bingtong said, her hand over her chest.

"Don’t you have anything to say to me?"

"No... nothing."

Chu Ge glanced at her. If she said nothing, then nothing it was.

"Ouch, why’d you hit me?" Mu Bingtong looked at the "culprit."

"Get out," Chu Ge replied grumpily; after all, she acted like she despised him! A light smack was letting it slide.

Watching Mu Bingtong get out and quickly run into the building, he couldn’t help but smile. He touched his lips, reminiscing about the recent kiss.

Mu Bingtong ran into the elevator with her head lowered, afraid to look back. With her flushed face, she recalled the scene just now. Luckily, there was no one in the elevator; otherwise, they’d surely think she was lovesick.

What was that? Mu Bingtong thought of countless possibilities, none convincing enough. No words were exchanged; did it count as a confession? Should I be more proactive then?

It seemed like she was always the proactive one from the beginning.

She remembered the university basketball league held at her high school. She could never forget Chu Ge dashing around the court like the wind. The basketball came flying towards her, and for a moment, Mu Bingtong forgot to dodge. Her eyes fixated on the boy in the white shirt, watching him run quickly towards her. Her heart seemed to stop, her eyes radiating infatuation at the sight of the boy in white.

The boy in white reached out and intercepted the ball, tossing it back gracefully, and landed smoothly.

It wasn’t just Mu Bingtong who was captivated by him.

"So handsome," the surrounding screams couldn’t pull Mu Bingtong’s wandering heart back.

Chu Ge turned to look at Mu Bingtong, seeing her silly, infatuated smile that he mistook for fear, and walked over to ask, "Are you alright?"

Mu Bingtong, hearing his question, felt like she was on cloud nine and forgot to respond.

Chu Ge gave her his signature smile, showing eight teeth, then turned and ran back to the court.

Oh my god, he smiled at me, he actually smiled at me.

The elevator’s ding interrupted Mu Bingtong’s thoughts.

Mu Bingtong wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, looked around, and thankfully, no one was there.

Ah, I’m likely going to be sleepless again tonight. At 11:10 PM, Mu Bingtong glanced at her phone, but there were no notifications. That’s odd. Usually, after a kiss between a man and a woman, there’d be late-night calls, right? Did my phone get cut off?

Mu Bingtong tried dialing Fang Lan’s number. A sleepy voice answered lazily, "Hello?"

It connected, so it wasn’t cut off? Mu Bingtong quickly hung up without saying anything to Fang Lan, afraid that if the line was occupied, Chu Ge’s call wouldn’t come through.

With hopeful anticipation, Mu Bingtong gradually drifted into a dream.

In her dream, Mu Bingtong saw Chu Ge at the university basketball gym, watching his figure dart back and forth on the court from a distance. As she retrieved basketballs for her seniors, she could secretly watch Chu Ge, feeling content.