NOVEL NEXT Ch. 2
Chapter 2: The Temptation of a Wet Body
She jerked her head up, her face streaked with a mix of rain, tears, and disbelief.
“You… your home?”
She repeated unconsciously, her voice faint beneath the pounding rain.
“Mm, not far.”
Bai Lengci’s voice remained calm, as if he were speaking of something utterly ordinary.
He pointed to an old residential building not far across the street.
“Over there.”
Another flash of lightning tore through the night sky, followed by a crash of thunder that made Yan Junzhu flinch.
The dense rain drummed on the awning with an urgent rhythm, while splashing water had already soaked through her trouser legs and calves, chilling her to the bone.
She looked at Bai Lengci, his pale face and rain-soaked hair clinging to his forehead.
He had just come from a doctor’s visit, still carrying a bag of medicine.
No matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
“…Alright.”
Her reply was soft, almost drowned out by the rain.
She tried to push herself up with the help of the cold wall, but pain shot from her ankle.
With a muffled groan, she collapsed back down.
Seeing this, Bai Lengci said nothing.
He tucked the medicine bag into his coat pocket, then extended his hand.
His fingers were long and well-defined, appearing somewhat cold under the dim light.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
Yan Junzhu hesitated for a moment, looked at that outstretched hand, and finally placed hers into it.
His hand was cold.
Bai Lengci carefully avoided her injured ankle, half supporting and half pulling her up to her feet.
When her weight leaned against him, Yan Junzhu could clearly feel the strength in the boy’s thin but steady frame.
And the faint scent clinging to him—rain mixed with the sterile smell of a hospital.
“Hold on.”
Bai Lengci spoke softly, then supported her as they plunged into the torrential downpour.
The icy rain instantly drenched them both, making Yan Junzhu shiver uncontrollably.
Bai Lengci all but half-carried her, shielding her as best he could from the storm with his own body, struggling toward the residential building across the street.
A short distance of just a few dozen meters stretched unbearably long under the rain.
At last, they rushed into the pitch-dark corridor, where the roar of the storm and the cutting wind were shut out, leaving only their ragged breathing echoing in the cramped space.
The motion-sensor light flickered on, casting a dim yellow glow over their soaked and bedraggled figures.
Bai Lengci released his supporting hold.
His breathing was uneven, and a faint flush of unhealthy red colored his pale face.
He pulled out a key and unlocked an inconspicuous iron door at the end of the first floor.
“Come in.”
He stepped aside.
Leaning on the doorframe, Yan Junzhu hobbled inside.
A faint blend of books and medicine greeted her.
The place wasn’t large—just a one-bedroom apartment—but it was unexpectedly neat.
The living room contained only a sofa, a coffee table, and a black bookshelf crammed with books.
The floor was spotless.
The windows were shut tight, blocking out the sound of the rain.
“Sorry for intruding…” Yan Junzhu murmured, uneasy.
Her wet clothes clung to her skin, cold and clammy, making her shiver slightly.
She glanced around, then her gaze fell on Bai Lengci, who was just as drenched.
Water dripped from his hair, trickling down his pale cheeks, and his lips were faintly purple.
She thought of how he had just come back from the hospital, already sick, and now drenched in this downpour…
“Bai Lengci! Go shower! Now! You’re still sick, and getting caught in the rain will only make it worse!”
Her tone was nearly commanding.
Bai Lengci seemed startled, lifting his eyes toward her.
At that moment, Yan Junzhu herself was soaked through.
Her thin white tracksuit clung tightly to her figure, outlining her curves.
The wet fabric had become faintly translucent under the light, faintly revealing the shape of her light-colored underwear.
Her hair clung messily to her cheeks and neck, droplets sliding down her jawline.
Altogether, it gave her a fragile yet disheveled beauty.
Bai Lengci’s gaze lingered on her for only a brief moment.
There was no hint of strangeness in his expression, and he quickly looked away, as if that glance had been no more than checking her condition.
“Mm.”
He gave a low reply, his voice slightly hoarse.
“Teacher Yan… sit first.”
He gestured toward the sofa, then rummaged through a simple plastic wardrobe in the corner.
He pulled out two clean old T-shirts and a towel, placing them on the sofa.
“They’re clean, you… can change into them for now. Staying in wet clothes will give you a cold. My room is over there.”
He pointed toward his bedroom, then walked straight into the bathroom without looking back, shutting the door behind him.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
“Click.”
The faint sound of the lock sliding shut followed.
Yan Junzhu stood there, staring at the closed bathroom door, listening to the steady rush of water.
Only then did the tight string of her nerves begin to ease.
The brief contact with the boy in the rain, and that fleeting glance under his calm eyes, left her belatedly unsettled.
She lowered her head, glancing at her nearly transparent clothes plastered to her body.
A rush of heat spread across her cheeks.
She hurriedly grabbed the towel Bai Lengci had left on the stool and wrapped it around herself.
It wasn’t enough to cover everything, but it eased the embarrassment somewhat.
Wrapped in the towel, she sat down on the sofa.
The damp chill lessened a little, though cold still seeped from her bones.
Yan Junzhu stepped into the bedroom.
She began to carefully take in the small space.
There were almost no extra decorations—so simple it was nearly bare.
A bed.
An unusually tidy desk.
On it sat a laptop, a water cup, a medicine box, and a few pens.
Her gaze fell on the medicine box.
Through the transparent lid, she could see all kinds of pills and capsules neatly sorted inside.
Yan Junzhu sat on the bed, eyes on the two oversized T-shirts beside her, falling silent for a moment.
……
Bai Lengci pushed open the bathroom door, steam billowing out.
He looked up and immediately saw Yan Junzhu sitting on the sofa.
Her damp hair hung against her fair collarbone, spreading a darkened patch of wetness.
She held nervously at the hem of a black T-shirt—clearly too big for her—that Bai Lengci had hastily given her.
Beneath the thin fabric, her long legs stretched out uncovered.
In the dim glow of the yellow light, her skin radiated a delicate softness, suffused with an unspeakable intimacy.
With the body of a mature woman, the role of a teacher, yet now wearing his clothes, in his cramped home, showing such… private and vulnerable sides of herself—
For a boy just turned eighteen, the visual and emotional impact of that sight was overwhelming, nearly pinning him where he stood.