Chapter 64

Ye Zhi wasn’t very clever, but he quickly found the flaw in Huo Youqiao’s words.

He had already hung the umbrella on the rack with the others. Normally, Huo Youqiao wouldn’t have noticed, so how did he know Ye Zhi had used an umbrella?

Could it be that when he entered the courtyard, the man was watching from upstairs?

Ye Zhi was in a wretched state, visibly drenched from head to toe. His normally soft hair dripped water from the ends, and his coat was soaked and heavy, making him look cold.

As Huo Youqiao approached, Ye Zhi didn’t want him to see him like this, so he stepped back, his voice trembling, “It’s fine. I’ll change my clothes right away. Thank you for your concern.”

Huo Youqiao’s frown deepened, possibly due to Ye Zhi’s defensive posture. Ye Zhi kept his head down as usual, making it hard to see his expression. Only his pale, thin chin was visible, and his lips, tinged with blue, were still trembling.

He looked like an abandoned, shivering cat.

Huo Youqiao said, “Then go change quickly.”

The man stepped back, allowing Ye Zhi to come out of the corner and head towards his bedroom. Ye Zhi, already feeling dizzy and weak, became even more rigid under Huo Youqiao’s gaze, almost forgetting how to walk. Halfway there, he realized he was dripping water onto the carpet.

Deciding to clean up after changing, Ye Zhi opened his bedroom door and quickly went inside.

Once the door closed, his tense body relaxed.

Huo Youqiao really is a good person, he thought.

If others discovered his “bad intentions” and saw him in such a sorry state, they would probably be pleased or indifferent. Even though Huo Youqiao clearly disliked him, he still made an effort to check on him and even showed concern.

It was his own fault for not deserving this warmth for long.

Ye Zhi carefully took the wallet out and placed it in a drawer before heading to the bathroom. His bathroom had a small bathtub, which he filled with hot water after struggling out of his clothes. He quickly slipped in.

So cold, really cold.

Focused on his task, he hadn’t noticed the cold while searching for the wallet. The cold had seeped into his skin and bones, and now the hot water only intensified it. He felt increasingly drowsy and weak, finding it hard to even wash his hair.

His eyelids drooped, and he couldn’t shake off the sleepiness. Ye Zhi barely managed to rinse the soap from his hair before telling himself he would just rest for a moment. He lay back in the tub and closed his eyes.

Huo Youqiao couldn’t settle down to sleep. Ever since he noticed Ye Zhi hadn’t returned, he couldn’t remain calm.

He knew Ye Zhi might be staying late at work to avoid awkwardness, but he still couldn’t focus on reading or doing anything else.

After putting his daughter to bed, Huo Youqiao had been sitting on the second-floor balcony, smoking.

He wasn’t a heavy smoker, usually limiting himself to two or three cigarettes a day. However, recently, he couldn’t stop himself. Like now, he kept lighting cigarette after cigarette, barely smoking them but unable to stop.

He checked his watch several times.

Even if Ye Zhi was trying to avoid him, it was late enough for him to come back.

When he finally heard the gate open, Huo Youqiao’s first action was to extinguish his cigarette. He hadn’t turned on the balcony light, so with the cigarette’s glow gone, even if Ye Zhi looked up, he wouldn’t see anyone standing there.

Not that Ye Zhi did look up.