Chapter 242: The Big Storm
Even so, Toan Phuong’s white Audi continued to trudge forward. The windshield wipers worked tirelessly, clearing the driver's view. Ahead of them was a mass of vehicles and a downpour that blurred everything in sight. While focusing on driving, Toan Phuong slightly turned his head and asked Kieu Ly:
"Are you scared?"
Kieu Ly smiled gently:
"I'm not scared. With you by my side, I feel very safe."
Kieu Ly recalled years ago, also on a day when rain poured like a waterfall. She had ridden her green bicycle alone on the road. At times, she had been terrified. The rain lashed her face, stinging like needles, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and trees collapsed across the road. But she was close to her destination, and her stubborn nature kept her going. When she finally reached the Vinhome villa and saw him standing there waiting, a strange emotion quietly blossomed inside her—one she couldn't quite understand.
Now, the rain didn’t touch her face, and the sun no longer scorched her head. She was sitting beside him. Even if they were stuck in traffic for hours, she wouldn’t mind. Even if they were riding a motorbike, directly facing the sharp sting of the rain, she probably wouldn’t be afraid like before. Having someone by your side made all the difference.
Toan Phuong didn’t seem to be bothered by the heavy rain either. He stared into the misty void ahead, occasionally nodding to himself and softly humming a tune.
For a moment, Kieu Ly felt that the man sitting next to her truly wasn’t affected by the troubles of the world. Even on a gloomy, rainy afternoon, he could let his soul drift along with distant melodies. She smiled and said:
"Are you singing? Sing a little louder so I can hear it."
Toan Phuong shook his head:
"Not yet. I’m still composing it. Once it’s finished, I’ll sing it for you."
"Composing? Right now? Stuck out here in the middle of a storm?"
"Haha. As long as I’m sitting next to you, there’s no storm at all. I only feel the air cool down and hear a powerful symphony of wind and water."
Kieu Ly smiled, said no more, and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes for a short nap.
Because they were caught in the pouring rain, it wasn't until 6:30 PM that the two of them made it home. Upon arriving, Toan Phuong gently woke Kieu Ly up.
Due to the sudden storm, the café was short on customers, so Kieu Ly’s parents closed early and cooked dinner. When Kieu Ly and Toan Phuong got back, there was no need to cook—everyone gathered around the table and enjoyed a hot, home-cooked meal.
Though Kieu Ly had studied domestic skills and household management, she always felt that her mother’s cooking was the best. No matter how much she learned, she could never match it.
After dinner, Kieu Ly cleaned up and washed the dishes, while Toan Phuong opened his laptop to finish the work he had left incomplete in the afternoon. At the same time, he grabbed a blank sheet of paper to write down the song he had composed earlier in the car.
Once Kieu Ly finished the dishes, he joined her for a shower. By the time they could finally relax, it was already 8 PM. The storm had mostly passed, leaving only the soft patter of raindrops outside the window.
Toan Phuong opened the windows and the balcony door wide, letting in a rush of cool breeze that helped dispel the remaining heat and humidity in the room.
The wind blew through, lifting Kieu Ly’s hair and fluttering her dress, revealing her smooth, pale skin above her knees. But she was carrying a basin of water and couldn’t fix her clothes at the moment. Besides, there was no one else in the room. She set the basin down at the edge of the bed and said:
“Come here, I want to practice a new skill I learned today.”
Toan Phuong looked at the basin of water, which gave off a faint scent of essential oil, and began to guess what she had in mind. He sat on the bed but pulled both his legs up, refusing:
“No way. If someone saw this, they'd say I'm abusing you—making you serve me like that.”
Kieu Ly was a bit surprised at being turned down, but she patiently tried to persuade him:
“Didn’t you say earlier that ‘let the dogs bark, the people keep walking’? Why care about what others say?”