INS Chapter 29

Tao Ling sat down at the table, and Wen Qingying brought out two cups, pushing one towards him. Curious, Tao Ling took a sip and found it was ginger tea.

Wen Qingying watched him intently, waiting for his reaction.

Tao Ling smiled, took another sip, and placed his phone between them to write: “It’s good, not too spicy.” Then he wrapped his hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth.

The little tiger teeth across from him were very charming.

 

The rain outside grew heavier, making it look like evening even though it was still afternoon.

After staring at the rain for a while, Tao Ling turned back and met Wen Qingying’s gaze. They held each other’s eyes for a moment before Wen Qingying looked down at the table.

Tao Ling felt something was off with Wen Qingying today, attributing it mostly to his poor sleep from the previous night.

 

The rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Being alone with Wen Qingying was far from boring; Tao Ling didn’t even feel the urge to check his phone, wanting only to look at him. However, he remained clear-headed, aware that he couldn’t be too obvious. He lowered his eyes and checked his phone, noticing a new message in the faculty work group, requesting an update on personal information.

Almost simultaneously, a message from the dean’s office assistant arrived, asking Tao Ling to send over his summary report immediately. The report had been ready for a while, and though Tao Ling had mentioned he would send it a few days ago, they had said there was no rush. Now, suddenly, it needed to be sent right away.

Before he could reply, his app notified him of a new email. Opening it, he found an invitation from a university in Beijing to participate in a series of lectures. The person who recommended him in the email was Kou Huai shixiong.

 

Tao Ling couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration. Work matters should be handled before leaving for the day, not rushed after hours. It was like nothing happened for a while, and then everything came all at once.

Prioritizing, he first responded to the office colleague, “Can it wait a bit? I’m stuck in a downpour on my way home, and the file is on my computer.”

The colleague replied, “Can you get it to me by ten? I need to compile everything. They suddenly asked for it. Sorry for the inconvenience, Teacher Tao.”

 

Can he even say no? Tao Ling replied, “Okay.” Then he opened the chat with Kou Huai to ask about the lecture invitation.

Kou Huai quickly responded, “I meant to tell you earlier. Remember that conference paper submission notice I sent you a while back? You should submit a paper. The main purpose is to attend the conference, and you’ll also get to give this lecture. It’s beneficial for you.”

 

Tao Ling immediately refused, “I can’t do it. Shixiong, you should go. I’ve never given a lecture before.”

Kou Huai: “How can you say you’ve never done it? It’s just like the platform courses at your school. It’s a private college, don’t overthink it. You’re scaring yourself before you’ve even gone. There’s a first time for everything. Academic exchange is about communication, and the key word here is exchange.”

 

Over the years, anything involving interaction with the outside world had always been something Kou Huai had “forced” Tao Ling into. Both of them were well aware of this.

Although Tao Ling felt resistant, he couldn’t say much more. He simply replied, “I’ll submit a paper for the conference first. Whether I can go or not is uncertain.”

 

During this time, Wen Qingying kept his head down, using a fountain pen to draw.

Tao Ling finally finished replying to his messages, still thinking about sending the document once he got home. He looked up and saw that Wen Qingying’s paper already had a complete drawing on it.

He leaned closer just as Wen Qingying was finishing the final touches. After half a minute, Wen Qingying moved his hand away and showed the drawing to him.

 

In the drawing were two people, one standing and one sitting. The person sitting was holding a book, while the one standing was holding a watering can.

On the ground were pots and pots of flowers, spread out, just like at this moment.

 

Tao Ling was startled and looked up.

Wen Qingying caught his gaze with a smile, pointing at the person sitting in the drawing, then at Tao Ling, then at the standing person, and finally at himself.

“Sir, can we count as friends?” he wrote on his phone.

After a brief pause, Tao Ling solemnly nodded.

 

Unconsciously, it was already near evening, and the rain showed no signs of letting up. Tao Ling, still thinking about the things he had to do, finally asked Wen Qingying, “Do you have an extra umbrella? Could I borrow it?”

Wen Qingying glanced at his phone, immediately got up, and took an umbrella from behind the cabinet.

 

Tao Ling took the umbrella from him and was about to say goodbye when he suddenly remembered something and asked again, “How many umbrellas do you have?”

Wen Qingying just blinked at the question and didn’t answer. Seeing this, Tao Ling immediately understood and handed the umbrella back to him.

Wen Qingying stubbornly shook his head. Tao Ling thought for a moment and wrote, “Then let’s go together?”

 

After Wen Qingying packed up some things, the two of them left together.

 

The umbrella wasn’t small, but in the stormy rain, it was difficult to cover two grown men. Wen Qingying held the umbrella, tilting it towards Tao Ling, but after just a few steps, half of Tao Ling’s body was already wet.

He glanced sideways in the rain and saw that Wen Qingying’s situation was even worse; he was almost entirely exposed to the rain.

 

Tao Ling didn’t think much and grabbed Wen Qingying’s hand that was holding the umbrella, trying to push it towards him. However, before he could exert any force, Wen Qingying suddenly switched the umbrella to his left hand, stretched out his right arm, and pulled Tao Ling into his embrace, protecting him in front.

This made the space under the umbrella a bit more spacious.

 

Their heartbeats mingled with the sound of the rain, as if the rain itself was a series of rapid drumbeats.

Wen Qingying’s arm was so strong that Tao Ling couldn’t break free, nor did he really want to. He had to use a lot of self-control to avoid the awkward impulse to wrap his arm around Wen Qingying’s waist.

 

They quickly walked to the street corner, where the light was red. The street was full of cars, with no pedestrians in sight, making it seem like they were the only two people left in the entire city. While waiting, Wen Qingying kept frowning, worried that Tao Ling might catch a cold, and rubbed his shoulder repeatedly.

Tao Ling turned to look at him. Just as the light changed to green, a strong gust of wind blew, causing the umbrella to wobble. Although Tao Ling was fine, Wen Qingying ended up completely soaked.

 

After walking a few steps, Tao Ling, with the thought that it was just for convenience, finally wrapped his arm around Wen Qingying’s waist. The two of them leaned against each other and ran towards home.

The warmth and firmness of Wen Qingying’s chest against Tao Ling’s shoulders made him feel as if there was a wall behind him to lean on.

 

Once they reached the community and got to the building entrance, Wen Qingying immediately let go of Tao Ling and waved at him.

Seeing that Wen Qingying was still dripping wet, Tao Ling grew anxious, took a few steps to grab his wrist, and pulled him back into the building, pressing the elevator button.

 

Wen Qingying didn’t resist and entered the elevator. Tao Ling glanced back at him and saw his hair damp and hanging over his forehead, giving off a pitiful look. Despite being incredibly handsome, he appeared surprisingly docile at that moment.

Tao Ling’s heart raced, and he couldn’t help but reach out to brush Wen Qingying’s hair off his forehead. Wen Qingying looked a bit embarrassed, and they smiled at each other.

 

Once inside, Tao Ling immediately threw down the items he was holding, wiped the water off his phone screen, and typed a message for Wen Qingying to see: “Go take a hot shower and change out of your wet clothes.”

After showing him the message, he didn’t wait for a response and instead nudged Wen Qingying towards the bathroom.

 

As Wen Qingying entered the bathroom, Tao Ling turned to leave but felt a tug on his arm. Wen Qingying didn’t seem awkward but appeared a bit puzzled.

Tao Ling quickly typed another message: “I’ll go find you some pajamas and a towel. I’ll leave them on the chair by the bathroom door. Hurry up and shower. I’ll shower after you.”

Wen Qingying nodded and let go of his hand.

 

While searching for pajamas, Tao Ling suddenly thought of the fact that Wen Qingying had attended a regular university. So he probably wasn’t born deaf-mute. Do hearing aids help him at all?

After mulling it over for a while, he realized he might need to enroll in a sign language class.

After placing the clothes by the bathroom door, Tao Ling turned and headed back to his room, stripping off his wet clothes along the way and planning to change into something dry.

 

Worried that Tao Ling might catch a cold, Wen Qingying showered quickly. When he came out, he noticed the bedroom door was open.

The room was brightly lit, and he glanced in to see Tao Ling’s slim, bare back as he bent over, pulling off the remaining pant leg. His back was arched, and his shoulder blades were prominently visible.

Wen Qingying was momentarily taken aback, gripping the towel tighter and quickly turning away.

 

When Tao Ling emerged dressed in clean clothes, he was surprised to see Wen Qingying standing by the bathroom door. “That fast?”

Wen Qingying stood still, his lips slightly pressed together. Tao Ling obliviously walked by him, gathered their wet clothes, and tossed them into the washing machine.

 

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TL: Sorry about disappearing for a week there, my summer econ class’s grip on me is stronger than Wen Qingying’s grip on that towel