Hiding from the Rain

“I don’t like rainy days, but your name holds the only sound of rain I’m willing to listen to.” Lin Tingyu x Xie Yanheng Outspoken heiress × older man who only pretends to be restrained Sweet, lively face × cool face with a hot temper Blurb One - The night Lin Tingyu was rejected after confessing her feelings, she did two things. First, she clung to Xie Yanheng’s waist and cried for a whole hour, cursing Zheng Shuyan for having no taste all the while. Second, as she cried, she looked up and realized there was something strange about the way Xie Yanheng was looking at her. She hiccupped, drunk, and asked, “Do you think I’m ridiculous?” Xie Yanheng was silent for a long time. “No.” “Then why do you keep staring at me?” His thumb brushed over her tear-streaked cheek, his voice low and slow. “I was thinking… how I could make those eyes of yours see something else.” Like Every time you cry, I’m the one who comforts you. Every time it rains, I’m the one who brings you an umbrella. Like this: I like you so much. How can you not see it? - Ever since Lin Tingyu moved into the Xie family home during the summer break of her sophomore year, she and Xie Yanheng had never gotten along. She figured he’d have enough material to laugh at her for the rest of his life after she made a fool of herself confessing to someone who rejected her. But what had that night meant? Later, she won an award in a competition. He handed her a box without changing expression. Inside was a limited-edition bracelet she’d mentioned in passing just once. Once, she happened to flip through his phone album. After swiping through more than a dozen photos, she realized they were all of her. A strange thought surfaced. To test it, Lin Tingyu downed two glasses of wine for courage. After all, a drunk person isn’t responsible for what she says. She pinned Xie Yanheng against the wall, her face bright red. “Big brother, do you like me?” Xie Yanheng’s expression remained calm. So he didn’t like her. Lin Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief, though she wasn’t completely reassured yet. The next second, he spoke. “Took you long enough.” “What?” “You finally figured it out.” Lin Tingyu froze. “…?” The man walked toward her step by step. She instinctively backed away until her calves hit the edge of the bed, and she fell onto it. Only then did Xie Yanheng stop. He braced both hands beside her and bent over her, his gaze burning. “So,” he asked in a low, husky voice, “can big brother pursue you?” Blurb Two - After graduating from university, Lin Tingyu was invited to accompany a singer on a televised music competition. By chance, she ran into her former crush, who had since become a famous male star, and he even confessed his feelings to her. Lin Tingyu listened, then curled her lips into a smile. So when you don’t like someone anymore, you really don’t like them anymore. She turned to leave and ran into Xie Yanheng. He asked, “Were you crying?” “No.” “…Do you think I’m blind?” That night, rain poured outside the window. Steam filled the bathroom, fogging the mirror into a blur of white. Xie Yanheng wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin in the hollow of her shoulder as he coaxed her again and again. “Tingting, look up. Look at me.” Lin Tingyu’s lashes trembled as she shook her head. “…No.” Xie Yanheng stubbornly lifted her chin, his thumb warm as he made her look at the two blurred figures reflected in the mirror, and at him. “I need to be sure,” he coaxed, stressing every word, “that I really am the only one left in your eyes.” - Xie Yanheng had hated rainy days since he was a child. After meeting Lin Tingyu, he hated them twice as much, because she always cried for another man on rainy days. But there were two rainy days he would never forget. The first was during plum rain season, when he met her for the first time. The second was on the day of Frost’s Descent, with the warmth of her lips still lingering on his. The next moment, Lin Tingyu smiled and told him, word by word, “I like you, Xie, Yan, Heng.” 【Reading Guide】 1. The male lead has a secret crush. Both leads are hopeless romantics. The heroine genuinely liked someone else early on, but later she genuinely only likes the male lead, and she’s incredibly direct and passionate about it. They’re both good people, so please don’t put either of them down, especially not our precious heroine 🥹 2. There’s a six-year age gap. The heroine is 20, and the male lead is 26. Theme: You are my gift