Chương 96: An Embrace in the Rainy Night

Night had fallen, and the air was filled with an unusual dampness and oppressive atmosphere.

In the sky, leaden-gray clouds began to gather, completely obscuring the moon and stars. The night wind also became somewhat restless, stirring up fallen leaves and dust. All of this foreshadowed an impending night rain.

Lin Che dragged his body, which felt as heavy as lead, and slowly made his way towards home.

The price of defeating Mirror Lord was undoubtedly enormous. Although the wounds on his body miraculously disappeared after he returned to his original form, the weakness caused by the depletion of magic power and the emptiness of being isolated from power after the damage to "Star Tear" still haunted him, like an invisible shackle, making every step he took extremely difficult.

He looked up at the gloomy sky, and the unease he felt from the temporary disappearance of the Starfrost Power seemed to resonate with the oppressive weather.

When Lin Che finally arrived at his familiar front door, he unexpectedly discovered a figure that shouldn't have been there.

Su Yuqing, wearing light pink pajamas with a cat pattern, stood quietly in the shadows of the porch, her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered, as if waiting to see something.

Lin Che felt a warmth in his heart, and his pace quickened unconsciously. He tried to suppress his physical fatigue and discomfort, and forced a smile that looked as natural as possible.

"Why are you standing at the door? It's about to rain outside, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Upon hearing his voice, Su Yuqing slowly raised her head. Her eyes, which were usually bright and lively, now held a hint of worry and confusion that was hard to conceal.

"Ah Che, you're back." Her voice was soft, slightly hoarse.

"I... of course I was waiting for you."

"Wait for me?" Lin Che stepped forward, his voice softening.

"Didn't I send you a message saying I'd be home a little late?"

Why are you waiting at the door?

Su Yuqing gently shook her head, not answering his question directly, but staring intently at him, as if trying to find something on his face.

Not long ago, a message came from that familiar number that belonged to "Senior Xing Shuang".

The message was brief, saying that they had received an urgent notice and needed to leave immediately to handle a very important matter in another city, and would not be able to return for about a week.

At the same time, her senior instructed her to be careful if she encountered any infiltration from the virtual world in the next few days, and to follow Ruby's instructions and ignore the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Affairs' distress signals for the time being.

The senior colleague was going on a business trip for a week, and Lin Che was also coming home late. If these two things were taken out of context, they didn't seem like anything worth paying special attention to.

But for some reason, when they happened to happen on the same night, Su Yuqing felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her heart, and an indescribable worry and unease welled up inside her.

Moreover, Senior Xing Shuang's last instruction about the Bureau of Extraordinary Events' signals was very solemn. Although she did not explicitly state the reason, she keenly sensed an unusual meaning.

She had a vague suspicion that something dangerous and unknown was hidden behind this. These complex emotions and unfounded speculations piled up, making her feel inexplicably irritable.

The good mood I had enjoyed shopping with Xiao Li and Senior Xing Shuang during the day had completely vanished, replaced by anxiety about Lin Che's delayed return and speculation about the deeper meaning behind Senior Xing Shuang's words.

She tried hard to put these worries aside, telling herself that Ah Che was just delayed by something and that her senior was just on a normal business trip.

But those thoughts are like insects stuck in a spider web; the more they struggle, the tighter they get entangled.

Only now, seeing Lin Che standing safely in front of her, did the tension in her heart ease slightly.

However, she couldn't bring herself to tell Lin Che about these worries and speculations that lingered in her heart.

The secrets about magical girls, and Xing Shuang's advice—these all belong to another world, a world that Lin Che shouldn't touch, a weight she must bear alone.

Lin Che looked at Su Yuqing, who remained silent, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she gazed at him. The warmth he felt from her waiting was gradually replaced by a hint of doubt.

He reached out and gently touched her head, saying softly, "Alright, let's go inside. It's going to rain outside."

Su Yuqing gave a soft "hmm" and followed behind Lin Che. Looking at his slightly tired back, her unease deepened.

Just as Lin Che was about to step into the entrance hall, his body suddenly swayed, as if his feet were tripped by something, and he uncontrollably took a few steps forward and almost fell.

"A-Che!" Su Yuqing exclaimed, almost instinctively reaching out to support his swaying body.

The scalding heat made her heart skip a beat; it was clearly not a normal body temperature.

She immediately sensed something was wrong, her hand on Lin Che's arm tightening instinctively, her voice filled with undisguised panic: "A-Che! What's wrong?! You're burning up! Are you sick?"

Lin Che was supported by her, and almost all of his weight was on her. He could feel his forehead burning, and every breath he took was hot.

"It's nothing, it's just—maybe I caught a bit of a chill, I'm a little uncomfortable, I'll be fine after a nap," he said, trying to attribute his unusual feeling to a normal chill.

He tried to break free from Su Yuqing's hand and go into the house by himself.

But Su Yuqing held him tightly, not letting go. She gazed at Lin Che's pale face and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, her bright eyes filled with heartache and worry.

But she didn't press him further, nor did she expose his obvious lie. Instead, she stepped forward, opened her arms, and hugged him tightly.

The hug came suddenly, yet it carried an irresistible tenderness and firmness.

"You must be doing something really difficult again, right?" Her voice was soft, with a barely perceptible sob.

"And—you've encountered a lot of difficulties."

Lin Che's body stiffened slightly.

"Because the expression on your face is exactly the same as sometimes in my memory of my past life." Su Yuqing pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling his slightly rapid heartbeat, her voice muffled.

"That kind of exhaustion, that forced effort to keep everyone from worrying, is the expression that makes me most anxious."

"You know what, A-Che," she tightened her arms around him, as if trying to warm him with her own body heat and share his burden, "that expression really—really doesn't match you at all now."

"But I know you never did it on purpose, you just—never wanted me to worry."

"I'm clumsy. Many times I don't know how to help you, and I might even make things worse or do more harm than good," her voice was tinged with self-blame and helplessness.

"So—this is the only way I can tell you that I'm here, that I'm with you."

Boom! The cold raindrops finally pounded down from the thick clouds without warning.

At first, it was just a few sparse drops, but in an instant, they connected and turned into a torrential downpour, enveloping the whole world in a hazy rain curtain.

The rain pattered against the eaves and the ground, making a dense and muffled sound, as if isolating them from the whole world, leaving only this small porch and the warmth of their embrace.

Lin Che hugged the girl tightly in his arms, feeling the softness of her body and her unreserved trust and care, his heart churning with indescribable complex emotions.

Even at this point, even though she must have noticed those inexplicable oddities about herself, even though her heart must have been filled with worry about Xingshuang's sudden departure.

She still didn't choose to pursue the "truth" that might make her even more uneasy. Instead, she used this clumsy yet incredibly sincere method to comfort herself and give herself strength.

He truly felt an unprecedented fear and confusion. Having lost the power of Starfrost, and facing unknown enemies and lurking crises, he had no idea how to get through the coming week safely.

But Su Yuqing's hug and words were like a ray of warm sunshine, dispelling the immense insecurity he felt from losing his power.

He relaxed a lot at once; the tension and exhaustion of supporting himself alone seemed to be relieved at that moment.

"It's alright, Yuqing." Lin Che rested his chin on the top of her head, his voice slightly hoarse with emotion, "You've already—helped me a lot."

Su Yuqing tilted her head slightly in his arms, her eyes a little red, her voice tinged with uncertainty: "Really?"

Lin Che looked at her with unwavering determination and nodded heavily.

He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, his voice deep and strong, each word carrying an undeniable certainty:

"With you by my side, I feel like I can do anything."

The rain intensified, weaving a thick curtain of rain around the two of them. The night wind, carrying the damp chill of the rain, caressed the two who were embracing, yet it could not dispel the unspoken warmth and comfort between them.