You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 646 The Rainy Day

It was sometime in the middle of June.

The sun was nowhere to be seen with dark clouds blotting the sky over Lexingport City. It was the first rain fall of summer.

Lightning flashed, and it was followed by the rumble of thunder. Rain poured down and students scattered across the campus. They raised their hands to shield their heads and hurried to seek cover from the sudden torrent of water.

One might even say that such a day inspired the expression "When it rains, it pours."

Michelle was one of the students who sought shelter from the rain, finding some solace beneath a red tent which turned out to be the Lost and Found Office set up by the student union in the campus. Pamphlets and lost items were spread out across a long table when a gust blew in, threatening to make a mess of everything. The student union members immediately rose from their seats, some trying to hold the pamphlets down with their arms while others putting the lost items in boxes to protect them from the rain.

More people rushed in and squeezed in with the other students. It was suddenly very crowded and Michelle was trapped in the middle. The students standing in the outer fringes of the tent's coverage, however, got soaked when strong winds whipped the rain in their direction.

Some in the crowd started grumbling and complaining that the rain came out of nowhere, but a few others were overjoyed.

The downpour made the summer heat and the dust in the air ebb, but warmth started to seep from the ground. About ten minutes passed and the humidity disappeared as well. In its place, the fragrance of flowers and foliage permeated the air.

The fresh air soothed everyone's mood, but it seemed as if the rain was not going to stop. It did lighten, however, from pouring buckets to a moderate drizzle. The roof of the tent continued to go pitter-patter with every raindrop and the water gathered to trickle over the edge like water pillars.

Some decided to brave the rain. But even if they took an umbrella, their lower halves would still get a soaking. A man carrying an umbrella as he walked by the tent seemed to confirm that fact. His hair and shoulders were blessedly dry, but he was wet from the waist down.

Soon, only a few students were left taking shelter under the tent. When they got tired of standing, they huddled on the bench with members of the student union. Michelle was getting exhausted herself that she ended up squatting on the ground to play games on her phone.

She sent a message to the dormitory group chat, asking if somebody-anybody-with an umbrella could come and rescue her. However, based on the sad emoticons and reactions she got in response to her query, it seemed like everyone else was also waiting for others to share their umbrellas.

Lydia was in the library, but she only had one umbrella on-hand. She could only save one person at a time so the group debated that she should rescue whoever was closer.

After everyone revealed their position across the campus, the dormitory group chat slowly became silent. They were clearly all too far from the library so they could only wait for the rain to stop. Michelle didn't know how long it would take for the rain to stop. It might not stop until the day after, but she didn't want to wait until then.

She stuck her hand out from under the canvas flaps to feel the rain on her palm. To pass the time, she watched the rain trickle through her fingers even though it was cold. Not much later, a few girls aside from herself remained under the tent.

Someone stood up to offer their seat to Michelle if she wanted to rest for a while but she refused. The person who offered was a younger female student. Although Michelle was all about respecting and giving way to the elderly, she wasn't about to accept things from others just because they were younger than she was.

Since the start of the month, Michelle had been in low spirits and was occasionally lost in her thoughts. Now, the rain was starting to make her feel even more depressed.

Amidst the confusing thoughts that swirled in her mind, she wondered, 'What has Leon been up to recently?' What has been keeping Leon so busy these days? He seldom replied to her messages which was unusual.

She sighed and took out her phone to check her WeChat Moments. A notification popped up and she saw that it was a photo taken by Wynn. It seemed to be an image of the Lexingport City airport with a stormy backdrop, and it was accompanied by the caption "I'm back."

Feeling herself cheer up a bit, Michelle replied to his message, "Wynn, you've arrived from your trip?"

"Yes. I came back from the neighboring city. As soon as the plane touched down, it's as if the sky just opened up to release all this water. Lexingport City really knows how to welcome me."

"Do you have an umbrella? Is someone going to pick you up? I forgot to bring an umbrella so I'm crouched pitifully under the tent of the student union."

Wynn wrote, "Don't worry about me. My friend will pick me up. You don't have an umbrella, you say? Well, don't worry about that as well. Someone will pick you up soon."

"Who is it, Wynn?"

"Send me your location. I will fetch you and treat you to a big meal. Your school is too big, finding you won't be easy. It would be best if you draw me a map."

"Okay. Thank you, Wynn. But can you bring two more umbrellas with you? My roommates also need them."

"No problem. Now, draw the map first."

Michelle immediately drew a picture using an app and sent it to Wynn. The twisted lines and shaky handwritten words made Wynn laugh so hard that his shoulders shook.

"No abstract artist holds a candle to you."

"It should be clear enough to understand."

Wynn didn't understand the map, but he believed that Leon would get it more than he did.

He dialed Leon's number and asked, "By any chance, did you take an umbrella with you?"

"I'm at home. Why would I need an umbrella?" Leon was sitting out on the balcony, enjoying the rain while he read. Setting his phone on loudspeaker and putting it down on the table, he added, "Did Bryant pick you up?"

"Yes," Wynn lied easily. He hadn't seen Bryant yet, and maybe the latter was stuck in a traffic jam. Anyway, he didn't really care about that because he had something more important to convey. "Michelle didn't bring an umbrella with her. You should pick her up. We can have dinner together tonight. Oh, and bring two more umbrellas with you."

"She got caught in the rain?" Leon stopped in the middle of turning a page and looked at his phone. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Yes, I wondered about that as well. Why didn't she tell you?" Wynn thought that was weird so he pressed, "Doesn't she pester you all the time? She'll tell you every little detail about her day, and she can go on and on about trifling things."

Leon's eyebrows scrunched into a frown and he froze when a certain memory came to mind.

Since he had an erection that night, he had been deliberately avoiding Michelle. When she greeted him in the morning all bright-eyed and energetic, he felt even guiltier.

From that point on, he intentionally avoided reading her messages. Sometimes it was unintentional, but he still felt so embarrassed that he didn't know how to face her.

Michelle, however, caught on quickly to his change in demeanor. When his replies came sparingly, the frequency and quality of her own messages started to decrease as well. These days, it seemed that she would only text him about something if it was truly interesting, nothing trivial.

"Are you two in a fight right now?" When Leon didn't reply, Wynn got nervous.

'I hope not. I really hope they can be together.'

"Fine. I'm leaving now to pick her up," Leon answered, much to Wynn's relief.

"Okay, I'll send you the map." Wynn forwarded the drawing that Michelle sent.

The corners of Leon's mouth twitched at the sight of the crudely drawn map. But soon, a grin broke through as he exclaimed, "What a little genius!"

Since he understood the strokes Michelle drew, it should have come as no surprise that he would find the girl with ease. The red tent looked like a flower drooping in the rain and squatting beneath that flower was the young woman he came to the campus for.

The girl was wearing a creamy white sweatshirt. A hood barely covered her head, revealing her pink-cheeked baby face. She held her chin in her petite hand as she stared out in a daze.

After a while, she leaned her head against the legs of the table next to her and played with the strings of her hoodie. Perched on the edge of the table was a board with the words "Lost and Found." Right under that sign, Michelle was squatting like a child waiting for someone to pick her up.

Leon smiled at the scene before him and walked towards the tent. His shoes left ripples in the puddles he crossed. He carried a black umbrella which covered more than half of his face, but it couldn't hide his build or the elegant way he carried himself. His long and lean legs were quite eye-catching and it seemed as if even the blustery rain couldn't shake his calm temperament.

When he approached, a girl suddenly rose from her seat and, gaze unwavering, she mumbled admiringly, "What a handsome man."

Michelle heard what the girl said but didn't think too much about it. In her eyes, Leon was the most handsome man in the world. Without looking up, she continued to play with the tassels of her hood and ended up tying both ends into a bowknot under her chin.

As Leon stood before the Lost and Found Office, the occupants of the tent pursed their lips, trying not to say anything flippant.

Some girls couldn't help turning around and whispering among themselves. Others were nearly vibrating with excitement while a few bravely took out their phones to take photos.

The student union members forced themselves to calm down and one of them greeted Leon. "Nice to meet you. Did you lose something and come for it?"

"Yes," Leon answered, tilting his head toward Michelle. With her arms curled around her knees, she looked even smaller.

"What is it? I can go get it for you while you sign your name on the record."

"Don't bother," Leon declared with a gentle smile that was as warm and bright as the sun after a storm. "I came to bring a girl back. Thank you for letting her stay here to avoid the rain, but I'll be taking her with me now."ÛÛ