The wild wind mixed with raindrops the size of soybeans, striking the car windows with a pelting sound, as deafening thunder occasionally rolled overhead.

The raindrops were so dense that Lin Jie could barely see the road ahead.

Luckily, they weren't far from the district now. Relying on memory, he cautiously drove the car forward slowly.

Lin Miao, sitting in the passenger seat, felt the overwhelming force of the rain and wind outside. The explosive thunder made her involuntarily shiver and flinch.

But sitting next to Lin Jie, she felt extremely at ease.

Lin Miao earnestly advised, "Brother, you don't have to make a special trip to pick me up in such weather in the future. I can sleep at the store."

Lin Jie reached out and ruffled Lin Miao's hair, deliberately messing it up.

This made Lin Miao a little anxious, and she let out a sound from her throat, like an angry little cat.

Lin Jie withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "I know you well. With such loud thunder, sleeping alone in the little room at the store would definitely scare you like a little cat who can't sleep all night."

"Sheesh, the wind and rain came too suddenly. It was just overcast an hour ago."

After saying that, he asked, "Miaomiao, has Sister Kexin replied yet?"

Lin Miao smoothed her hair, shook her head, and waved the phone in her hand, saying, "Not yet. I've sent several voice messages, and she hasn't replied. She didn't answer the call either!"

She complained further, "Brother, seriously!"

"You can't drink on your own, so why ask Sister Kexin to bring you wine? In this weather, accidents can easily happen."

Lin Jie smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit regretful.

He had not expected the storm to come so swiftly!

After contacting An Kexin, he drove back home, feeling increasingly uneasy about the ominous sky and decided to pick up Lin Miao first.

By the time he picked up Lin Miao, the storm was already looming over them.

When trying to contact An Kexin again, he couldn't get through.

Lin Jie guessed that An Kexin might have been focused on driving due to bad road conditions and hadn't heard her phone ring.

The car finally stopped in front of Building Six in Jingtai District, and Lin Jie let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing the daunting heavy rain, he was worried about floodwater submerging the underground parking, so he parked the car by the roadside in front of the building.

Lin Jie and Lin Miao ran into the building with an umbrella, and within the short distance of less than seven to eight meters, both of them were more than half-drenched!

Taking the elevator to the eighteenth floor, Lin Jie was stunned as soon as he stepped out.

A woman, drenched from head to toe, crouched with her body curled up in front of the door.

His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Sister Kexin!"

The woman before him stood up and called out in a somewhat miserable voice, "Lin Jie! Lin Miao!"

Though it was still An Kexin's voice, it had long lost its usual tranquility and grace, mixed now with a bit of joy at seeing friends, some grievance, and a hint of sobs.

At this moment, An Kexin stood there barefoot, carrying a water-dripping leather bag, looking as if she had just been fished out of water.

Her light-colored shorts and pale red short-sleeve blouse clung to her body, while her long hair, in strands, stuck to her head and face, still dripping water.

Lin Jie noticed particularly on her left leg's outer side and left arm were sizeable grazes that were still oozing blood.

Upon seeing An Kexin's right hand holding an intact bottle of red wine, Lin Jie felt overwhelming guilt, quickly opening the door to let her in.

Some twenty minutes later, after a hot shower, An Kexin, wearing Lin Jie's T-shirt and casual shorts, with a towel wrapped around her hair, came out into the living room!

She saw Lin Jie holding a family medical kit, waiting for her.

Lin Miao, who was sitting next to Lin Jie, stood up at the commotion and said, "Sister Kexin, your clothes have been washed but need some time to dry."

"Brother said your legs and arms are hurt. Is it serious? Does it hurt?"

An Kexin, pulling Lin Miao to sit with her opposite Lin Jie, said, "It's just some skin abrasions, nothing serious, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Saying this, she extended her left leg onto Lin Jie's lap, softly explaining, "When I was about two or three kilometers from here, I noticed a street tree blown down by the wind, blocking the way forward, while the way back was gridlocked."

As Lin Jie listened to her recount her ordeal, he carefully used tweezers to clean out the tiny gravel embedded in her wounds!

"There was no other option, so I parked on the roadside and walked."

"With such heavy wind and rain, the umbrella was useless, and I was soaked through in no time."

"To make it worse, the roads were flooded. I fell unexpectedly."

"Water got into my bag, my phone got wet, one of my shoes was washed away, and I had to walk here barefoot, step by step!"

"Wasn't I so unlucky!"

In this moment, An Kexin shed her professional strong woman demeanor, more like a little girl boasting about her thrilling adventure.

Lin Miao held her arm sympathetically and said, "That's really scary. I remember the news once reported people drowning in floods caused by heavy rains in some cities."

"Sister Kexin, stay here tonight. Wait until the wind and rain subside tomorrow before heading back."

An Kexin examined the decorations in the living room and said, "I guess I must. I'll call my dad in a while to let him know."

At this moment, Lin Jie held a piece of medical cotton dipped in disinfectant alcohol and said, "Sister Kexin, I need to disinfect your wound now. Please bear with it!"

An Kexin, nonchalant, said, "I'm not a little girl of five or six, this small pain... Ouch!"

The sudden intensity of the pain exceeded An Kexin's expectations, causing her foot to reflexively pull back, but Lin Jie was quick enough to catch it.

Lin Jie gently scolded, "Don't move!"

An Kexin, with her foot caught, remained still as if a spell froze her in place, allowing Lin Jie to disinfect the wound on her outer calf, then spray an anti-inflammatory solution over it, and wrap it with breathable gauze.

Afterward, Lin Jie also tended to the scrapes on her arm.

An Kexin, lowering her head, murmured with some embarrassment, "My right foot sole... it also hurts a bit!"

Lin Jie placed her right foot on his lap, ready to examine her sole.

This time, he noticed that An Kexin's feet were practically flawless, with nothing less than perfection.

The feet were white and translucent, veins faintly visible, with graceful, slender lines—truly feet that had never endured hardship, carefully maintained throughout her life!

At that moment, Lin Jie entered a doctor-like focus, concentrating on her foot sole.

Soon, he found the cause of An Kexin's pain: a small glass shard embedded in her heel.

He extracted the shard, thoroughly inspecting her other foot, finally resolving all her issues.

Looking up, Lin Jie saw that although An Kexin lowered her head, he could clearly see her face flush with red, even her neck was red, and he asked with concern, "Sister Kexin, your face is very red. Are you running a fever?"

"No fever, it's just... just... it'll pass in a while!" An Kexin replied somewhat flustered.

Lin Jie didn't pay much mind to her unclear explanation, getting up to say, "I'll prepare dinner. Miaomiao, keep Sister Kexin company!"

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