Heartbeat Engine

Luo Ye stretched lazily and checked the time, realizing he had been in the library for two hours already.

His writing task for the day was finished.

As he walked out of the library, the rain started falling again.

So this is southern weather? If only it rained like this during military training every day.

Luo Ye was about to head back to the dorm when he stood by the library door, holding his umbrella.

Behind him, the pretty senior who had helped him with facial recognition also walked out.

Qin Yuwen glanced at Su Baizhou, then looked outside.

For some reason, the light rain seemed to be getting heavier.

"Baizhou, why don't we stay in the library a while and wait for the rain to stop?"

"No need. There's something I need to check on at the freshman registration office," Su Baizhou said nonchalantly, glancing at the drizzle.

"Yuwen, take care of the computer for me."

"Hey, Baizhou, you're really going?"

Qin Yuwen followed Su Baizhou to the library entrance, watching her leave.

At that moment, Luo Ye, who had already stepped out of the library, heard footsteps behind him.

He turned around to see the senior hurrying.

The drizzle had turned into a torrential downpour.

The weather in Jiangcheng was so unpredictable, the heavy rain came suddenly.

Su Baizhou held both hands over her head, but the downpour was so intense that her hands couldn't shield her completely.

The rain soaked her clothes, clinging tightly to her body, revealing her figure.

Her body was absolutely stunning.

But that wasn't the point.

Luo Ye rushed to catch up.

"Senior!"

Luo Ye opened the umbrella and held it over Su Baizhou.

"Thanks."

Su Baizhou, with her aloof nature, didn't even glance at Luo Ye's face.

Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out.

Su Baizhou, who had been walking hurriedly, froze in place.

"Senior?"

Luo Ye looked at her curiously, realizing she was scared of thunder.

"Sorry," Su Baizhou said, her expression unchanged.

Another thunderclap sounded.

Su Baizhou froze again.

The rain was getting heavier, with lightning flashing across the sky.

Luo Ye's umbrella wasn't very large, and since Su Baizhou was keeping some distance from him, half of his body got drenched.

He looked at the nearest teaching building and asked, "Senior, should we head there to shelter from the rain?"

Su Baizhou silently nodded and followed him under the umbrella.

The two of them stood in the corridor of the teaching building for a while.

The silence felt awkward.

Should he say something?

Luo Ye hesitated, then asked, "Senior, what year are you in?"

"Third year."

"Hmm."

...

"Senior, what's your major?"

"Computer Science."

"Hmm."

...

"Senior…"

"…"

"Uh…"

Luo Ye pointed to a big tree nearby.

"That tree looks so sturdy, haha…"

An awkward silence lingered.

Luo Ye was terrible at talking to girls. He had never been in a relationship in his eighteen years of life.

He sneaked a glance at the senior beside him.

She had a cold, indifferent look.

Su Baizhou also felt the awkwardness.

So she chose to remain silent.

She wasn't thinking about student council work right now.

She should have stayed in the library with Qin Yuwen and waited for the rain to stop.

She was afraid of thunder, but she didn't expect it to storm like this. The weather forecast hadn't mentioned thunderstorms.

Luo Ye absentmindedly checked his phone. He opened the chat with his crush but hesitated for a moment before closing it and opening a chat with someone else.

"Love Eating Hotpot."

This person was one of the friends Gu Mingxuan had introduced to him while they were playing games. He was really good at gaming, so Luo Ye added him to his contacts, and they often played together. They weren't really close, just gaming buddies.

Luo Ye typed, "I'm currently hiding from the rain with a senior who looks like a fairy."

A moment later, Su Baizhou's phone rang.

She picked it up and saw the message:

Falling Leaves: "I'm currently hiding from the rain with a senior who looks like a fairy."

Su Baizhou: …

She turned and looked at Luo Ye, then silently muted her phone and replied, "How pretty is she? Send me a picture."

Ding-dong!

Luo Ye's phone buzzed. He checked the message.

Falling Leaves: "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to secretly take a photo?"

Love Eating Hotpot: "You can find a chance, just don't let her notice, right?"

Luo Ye didn't reply.

Su Baizhou, understanding the situation, turned her head and pretended to look at the scenery outside.

Soon, Luo Ye received another message.

Falling Leaves: [Picture]

Falling Leaves: "Pretty, right?" (animated emoji)

Su Baizhou stared at the photo, deep in thought.

This world really was full of surprises.

The boy she often gamed with, who she knew was Gu Mingxuan's younger brother, had been asked by Gu Mingxuan to look after him before he went abroad.

But she hadn't expected that her first meeting with Gu Mingxuan's brother would be under these circumstances.

She wasn't prepared for this.

Su Baizhou felt the situation was getting complicated.

The rain kept pouring.

Thunder continued to roar, and the sky grew darker.

A cold wind blew through, making Luo Ye shiver.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and turned to look at the senior.

She was still in the same position, but her body trembled slightly.

Such a beauty, so vulnerable in the rain.

Luo Ye thought he should slap himself when he got back.

It was so cold, and the senior had been drenched in rain, yet he had just let her stand there shivering.

Without thinking, Luo Ye took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Thank you."

It felt like an eternity before the thunder grew quieter, and the rain began to ease.

The downpour lasted only twenty minutes in Jiangcheng, but it was fast and furious, disappearing just as quickly as it arrived.

The light drizzle continued, dancing in the wind.

It wasn't much of an issue if they went out now.

Su Baizhou said nothing and left with a calm expression.

Luo Ye watched her retreating figure, mesmerized.

The senior was about 5'7" tall, and though Luo Ye was 5'9", his jacket was a bit big for her, but it fit just fine.

She had a great figure and was beautiful, but her aloof nature made her hard to approach.

Someone this beautiful must have a boyfriend already, right?

Luo Ye sighed.

He had never been in a relationship.

He had been secretly in love with someone for three years, and during that time, he hadn't talked to any girls except her.

He thought about the senior's face and felt a little stir in his heart but quickly shook his head.

He was probably just infatuated with her beauty.

If he started liking her just because of a single encounter, wouldn't that be ridiculous?

Luo Ye grabbed his umbrella and left the teaching building, heading back to the dorm.

To his surprise, someone was already there.

A guy around 5'9", with a buzz cut, sturdy build, and slightly dark skin, saw Luo Ye enter and immediately sat up.

"Are you my roommate? Hi, I'm Li Haoyang, born and raised in Jiangcheng."

"Hi, I'm Luo Ye, from Beijing."

"Beijing? Big city boy, huh?"

They exchanged contact info and started chatting.

"Isn't the local student registration tomorrow? Why are you here so early?"

"Well, my home is nearby, so I thought I'd move my stuff in first. I didn't expect it to start raining."

Luo Ye looked at his slightly wet clothes with a strange look.

Is it a trend to tempt others with wet clothes around here?

Noticing his gaze, Li Haoyang laughed.

"I had an umbrella, but I saw a girl in the rain at the school entrance and lent it to her."

"Guess what? I thought she was short, just over 5 feet tall, but she ended up bringing luggage into our school."

"I even helped carry her bags."

"Haha, people can be surprising."

"I always thought southerners were petite. Looks like you're stronger than I thought, Haoyang."

Li Haoyang flexed his arm, showing off his muscles.

"I work out every day."

The two chatted happily. With a roommate in the dorm, Luo Ye felt a little more at ease.

The next morning, there was a knock on the door.

Luo Ye got up and opened it.

"Hello!"

A tall, extremely handsome guy stood in the doorway.

This guy… was ridiculously handsome. Luo Ye even felt like he was as handsome as him…

No, it must be a mistake.

"Are you a celebrity?"

Luo Ye asked instinctively.

The guy smiled.

"I'm not a celebrity, I'm your roommate. My name is Shen Qiao."

Behind him, another guy about 5'7", with a mischievous look, followed in.

"Hi, I'm Wang Dachui."

Luo Ye immediately put his arm around Wang Dachui's shoulders and pulled him inside.

Meanwhile, Li Haoyang was still fast asleep, his large feet sticking out from the bed, releasing a charming odor.

When Li Haoyang woke up, the four of them went to buy some things like a trash can and a broom, then headed to the third dining hall.

Jiangcheng University has three dining halls. Why go to the third one?

Because it's closest to the girls' dorms, and there are plenty of pretty girls there.

"Tomorrow's military training," Wang Dachui sighed.

"What's there to be afraid of? Isn't military training good for us?"

Li Haoyang flexed his muscles, causing the other three to roll their eyes.

They sat in the corner of the third dining hall, chatting and laughing.