67. Chapter 67: The Umbrella

With the dryer doing its job, the clothes dried very quickly.

Lu Anzhi played with Qianqian with some toys for a little longer, and his clothes were completely dry. He quickly changed back into his own garments, instantly feeling the awkward sensation fade away, leaving his whole body comfortable and at ease.

To be fair, wearing Zhang Suxin’s bathrobe was actually quite comfortable. The fabric was soft and smooth, with an excellent drape, and it even carried a faint, pleasant scent. But for a grown man to wear such a garment was, after all, rather eccentric. He had better change out of it immediately.

He stayed for lunch at Zhang Suxin's place, enjoying a meal meticulously prepared by her. After Qianqian fell asleep in the afternoon, Lu Anzhi finally got up to leave.

Usually, Aunt Gu came over to cook, but since the rain kept pouring and because Lu Anzhi was wearing that embarrassing bathrobe, Zhang Suxin had called Aunt Gu beforehand to tell her she didn't need to come today.

Because of this, Zhang Suxin had to cook the lunch herself.

Lu Anzhi had originally wanted to help her prepare the meal and act as her assistant, but once inside the kitchen, his barely passable culinary skills looked utterly clumsy in Zhang Suxin’s eyes. Unable to bear watching him any longer, she had chased him out directly.

Thus, he had no choice but to simply wait for the food and then take full responsibility for washing the dishes.

"Here, take the umbrella. Don't go out and get soaked all over again. If you get drenched on the way back and forth, I'm afraid you'll end up catching a cold."

Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Suxin fished out an umbrella, handed it to Lu Anzhi, and gave him a parting reminder.

Lu Anzhi asked, "If I take your umbrella, what will you use?"

Zhang Suxin replied, "I'll wait until the rain stops before going out. If it doesn't stop at all, I'll have to trouble you to bring groceries over for me later. It's not convenient for me to take Qianqian out grocery shopping in the rain." In the past, she would have asked Song Xiaoqin to drop off some groceries for her. But now, having found another person to rely on, Song Xiaoqin slipped entirely out of her mind.

Lu Anzhi smiled and said, "It's my absolute pleasure! Delivering groceries is my job from now on!"

Zhang Suxin gave him a radiant, playful side-eye and saw him out the door.

Lu Anzhi opened the umbrella and stepped out of the residential complex. The patter of raindrops splashing against the canopy created a pleasing, rhythmic tune in his ears.

Zhang Suxin's umbrella was a pale, simple yet exquisite piece, nothing like the cheap promotional umbrellas given away casually by merchants.

Once outside the complex, Lu Anzhi stood by the roadside waiting for a taxi and sent a text message to Zhang Suxin: You must have specifically chosen this umbrella, right?

Zhang Suxin replied very quickly: Yes. For some reason, I just love rummaging through and picking out little things like this—umbrellas, cups, and the like. Sometimes, even if I don't buy them, I still love browsing and looking at them. I looked at so many umbrellas before finally picking this one. Isn't it pretty?

Lu Anzhi smiled involuntarily and typed back: What a coincidence, so do I. This umbrella really is quite nice.

At that moment, he felt a deep sense of happiness, and even the fine, dense mist of rain outside the umbrella seemed to sparkle.

In his past life, besides books and electronics, the items most frequently recommended by the big data algorithms on his e-commerce apps were umbrellas and vacuum flasks.

Books and electronics were things he bought often; as for umbrellas and vacuum flasks, though he never actually purchased them, for some inexplicable reason, whenever such items scrolled onto his screen, he would always browse through them for a while. Seeing pretty and delicate ones had sometimes sparked an urge to buy, though he would always stop himself upon realizing he had no actual need for them.

He never expected that he and Zhang Suxin would share such an obscure little hobby. Lu Anzhi found it rather wonderful.

Meanwhile, back at home, Zhang Suxin sat propped up half-reclined on the bed, gently stroking the messy hair of the sleeping little Qianqian, when a warm smile suddenly spread across her face.

She didn't know whether Lu Anzhi was just saying that to be agreeable or if he truly shared her peculiar little hobby, but the mere intersection of this trivial interest made her inexplicably happy.

She jolted awake from her thoughts and muttered to herself, "Zhang Suxin, oh Zhang Suxin, how have you become like this?!"

If it were the past, she would never have imagined herself having such a day.

She used to be a striving, determined student who ignored all scenery along her educational journey. Upon entering the music industry, she had remained steadfast and persistent, achieving dazzling results through her exceptional talent, hard work, and just the right amount of luck.

She had always believed herself to be strong and independent. Even facing the humiliation of three years ago, the malicious sabotage of villains, the betrayal of her company, and the defection of her manager, she had pulled through entirely on her own.

Not to mention that over the past three years, she had brought Qianqian into the world alone and raised her to this age all by herself.

She knew that all this strength came from the fortress she had built around her heart, keeping her constantly aware of her destination and direction, allowing her to stay single-mindedly focused.

Yet this fortress was gradually and steadily crumbling in the presence of Lu Anzhi.

Beneath the fallen walls, nothing was left except a soft, beating heart.

Still, perhaps this was for the best...

If he was someone she could rely on, why shouldn't she allow herself to rest?

Because of Qianqian, she had never dared to return home or let her parents know. Every Lunar New Year, she would make up excuses about being too busy with work to go back, and whenever her parents wanted to visit her, she never dared to give them her address.

For over two years, she had shouldered everything alone. Everyone else had family to lean on; wanting one for herself as well was only natural, right?

Zhang Suxin thought to herself.

Yes, family...

Not just a lover, but family as well...

Come to think of it, for the past two-plus years, hadn't she actually treated Qianqian as her pillar of support?

With Qianqian by her side, she had been able to make such resolute choices and walk step by step to where she was today.

Qianqian was family, and Lu Anzhi was family too. It was just that they were different kinds of support.

Precisely because of this, she had let her guard down in front of Lu Anzhi and turned into this soft-hearted version of herself.

She tapped her own cheek and sent another text message to Lu Anzhi: I'll pick out a cup and an umbrella for you another day.

"Bzz..."

Less than ten seconds after the message went through, Zhang Suxin received Lu Anzhi's reply: And clothes too.

Zhang Suxin bit her lip into a smile and texted back: Mhm, and clothes too.

"Hmm?"

Little Qianqian on the bed suddenly tossed and turned, waking up. The sleepy-eyed little one with messy hair blinked, looked around, and asked, "Where's Daddy?"

Zhang Suxin picked the little girl up and said, "Daddy had something to do and went out."

Qianqian nodded. "Oh, Daddy has things to do. Where's Mommy?"

Zhang Suxin chuckled in amusement. "Isn't Mommy right here?"

"I need to pee."

The little one wriggled out of Zhang Suxin's arms, crawled off the bed, and ran over to her private little potty.

Outside the Zhuyuan residential complex, Lu Anzhi finally flagged down a taxi. Getting into the car, he told the driver the address of Three Flavors Bookstore on Jiuan Road, and the vehicle pulled away from the curb.

Lu Anzhi placed the closed umbrella beside his feet, yet he couldn't bear to let the canopy touch the floor where people stepped—even though he knew that once he arrived at his destination and opened the umbrella outside, the fabric would be rinsed by the rain anyway.

He had no choice but to hold the handle with his hand, keeping the umbrella upright.

Family, huh...

Holding the umbrella, a warm glow bloomed in his chest, making the world feel a little more endearing with each passing day.

Special thanks to Book Friend 20220721224017412 for the tip.
(End of this chapter)