Chapter 14: What the Hell Are You Doing Again?
Ruan Yu hurried into the house.
As she entered, her backpack swung in a small arc, brushing against Teng Yi's arm. She glanced at him and tightened her grip on the bag.
Teng Yi showed no reaction and closed the door behind her.
"Go straight upstairs. That brat’s definitely in his room playing games," he said, walking to the counter to pour himself a glass of water.
Ruan Yu nodded and headed up to the second floor.
Teng Hao’s door was slightly ajar. She knocked lightly.
"Who is it?"
He was home after all, yet he’d deliberately pretended not to hear her knocking, wasting her time for nothing.
Ruan Yu felt a surge of irritation.
"Ruan Yu."
"Come in," he replied promptly this time.
Pushing the door open silently, she found it heavier than expected. With a slight extra force, a basin of water tipped over from above, drenching her completely before she could react.
The basin clattered to the floor, and time seemed to freeze.
Then came an explosion of laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA…"
Teng Hao, sitting on his bed, doubled over in hysterics while still holding up his phone to record a TikTok video.
In an instant, humiliation, anger, and shame overwhelmed Ruan Yu. She felt her dignity dripping to the ground along with the water from her clothes.
Her eyes stung, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to let the tears fall and make herself even more pitiful.
Teng Yi, hearing the commotion from downstairs, rushed up—only to be met with an unexpected scene.
The girl stood at Teng Hao’s doorway, soaked from head to toe. Her ponytail clung to the nape of her neck, the thin black hair tie barely holding onto the disheveled strands. Her white shirt, now transparent from the water, faintly revealed the outline of her bra beneath… Her lower lip trembled between her teeth, fists clenched tightly at her sides, her entire body shaking—whether from cold or something else, it was hard to tell.
"Teng Hao! What the hell are you doing again?!"
Teng Yi roared, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over Ruan Yu.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Ruan Yu didn’t answer. Head bowed, she turned and strode away.
"Wait—" Teng Yi reached for her, but she forcefully shook off his hand, leaving him grasping at air.
Her retreating figure was stubborn and frail, the dark jacket hanging over her shoulders like a crushing weight that might topple her at any moment.
Teng Yi exhaled sharply. Instead of chasing after her immediately, he stormed toward Teng Hao by the bed. The younger boy instinctively tried to hide his phone, but Teng Yi snatched it away.
"Bro—"
Without a word, Teng Yi deleted the recently recorded video, hurled the phone back at Teng Hao, and sprinted downstairs.
On the living room floor, a long trail of water marked her path, along with that black hair tie—a fragile, slender thread standing out starkly against the white tiles.
Teng Yi picked it up and bolted out the door.
Dusk had settled, the sky darkening unnoticed. The early autumn wind carried a chill, gusting intermittently.
After scanning the surroundings and finding no sign of Ruan Yu, he dashed toward the residential gate.
She was nowhere along the way. Teng Yi questioned the guard on duty, who pointed toward the bus stop at the intersection, saying she’d gone that direction.
By the time Teng Yi reached the stop, Bus 527 was just pulling away.
Through the windows, he spotted Ruan Yu inside, standing with her back to him. Still wrapped in his jacket, she held herself rigidly upright.There were plenty of empty seats in the carriage, but she didn't sit down—she just stood there.
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