On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 4: The Time of the Crime Draws Near

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Time of the Crime Draws Near

Seemingly noticing Chen Mo’s gaze, a shy Su Yuqing instinctively tugged at the hem of her hoodie, losing her balance on the stool.

"Be careful!" Chen Mo quickly reached out from behind to steady the wobbling Su Yuqing. His hand, however, slipped right under her arm and slid forward, landing on a place it certainly shouldn’t have. Su Yuqing, already sensitive to physical contact, felt her body go limp. Now completely unable to stand, she stumbled off the stool and tumbled right into Chen Mo’s wide embrace.

The lingering scent of sandalwood in her hair and the citrus of shower gel abruptly mingled. Both of them froze on the spot.

The spell was broken only when boiling water from the pot splashed onto the counter.

Chen Mo hastily pulled his hand back and took half a step away, pressing the slotted spoon into her sweaty palm. "You stir. I’ll get the eggs."

As he turned, he caught sight of his own flushed ear tips in the mirrored cabinet door. ’So it wasn’t that I’ve been immune to girls all these years,’ Chen Mo realized. ’It’s just that no other girl has ever made my heart flutter like this again.’

Blushing, Su Yuqing lowered her head to stir the noodles. The collar of her hoodie gaped slightly with the movement, revealing the gentle curve of something pale pink.

Chen Mo found he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Steam from the pot swirled between them. The blush on Su Yuqing’s ears crept all the way down to her collarbones.

She frantically tugged at the hem of her hoodie, but Chen Mo had already turned and cracked an egg into the frying pan. The SIZZLE of the hot oil perfectly masked the thundering of his heart.

The fragrance of the tomato noodle soup soon filled the kitchen. As Chen Mo pushed the porcelain bowl toward Su Yuqing, his fingertips deliberately avoided her trembling ones.

The young woman lowered her gaze, staring at the scallions floating in the broth. The collar of her hoodie slid down another half-inch as she leaned over, her bare shoulder glowing with a pearlescent sheen under the warm yellow light.

"Be careful, it’s hot." Chen Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he placed the remote on the edge of the dining table. "You can change it to whatever channel you want."

The moment the TV lit up, Su Yuqing suddenly clenched her chopsticks. On screen were the "study materials" Chen Mo had forgotten to switch away from, and the woman in the video was... extremely well-endowed!

Su Yuqing instinctively glanced down at her own chest.

"Ahem!" Chen Mo let out an embarrassed cough, quickly grabbing the remote to switch the input from his screen-mirroring to the TV’s VOD menu.

’So many years had passed that he’d completely forgotten. On this very night, his younger self had been home alone, screen-mirroring... that.’

’No wonder I was so hesitant to let Su Yuqing stay.’

The memories of his feelings from back then came rushing back.

Back then, there were several reasons for his hesitation. First, his physical condition hadn’t been normal, making him uncomfortable with letting a girl into his house. Second, he was afraid of his parents finding out. Third, he worried about the malicious gossip it would stir up among neighbors and classmates.

Fourth, Yuqing’s request had been just too bizarre. He was only a teenager back then, in no position to take responsibility for another person’s life. Taking her in meant shouldering a heavy burden.

For the high-school-aged Chen Mo, the best option had been clear: escort Su Yuqing home and find out what was really going on.

That way, he could avoid a situation where something bad happened to her in his house, leaving him unable to explain himself.

’If his younger self had actually let Su Yuqing stay, he didn’t dare to think what he might have done. At that ravenous, hormonal age, so eager for ’hands-on experience’ with his ’biology lessons,’ what kind of improper things might he have done to such a helpless lamb?’

’It could have led to some irreversible consequences.’

Fortunately, after years of life experience, he was much more mature now.

He could even get caught with his "study materials" by a girl and switch it off without batting an eye, acting as if nothing happened.

They shared a silent, mutual understanding, pretending nothing had happened. Not another word was spoken about it.

"I hear girls like *Crayon Shin-chan*. Let’s watch that." Chen Mo put on the cartoon, and soon, the show’s familiarly cheeky voice filled the room.

The cartoon’s cheerful music quickly washed away the awkwardness between them as they watched the cheeky protagonist bounce across the screen.

Su Yuqing’s tense shoulders finally relaxed. She scooped up a spoonful of the broth and blew on it gently, the rising steam coating her eyelashes in a misty, silvery sheen.

"How is it?" Even back in high school, Chen Mo knew how to cook. But after becoming a criminal detective, he’d spent so much time on the job that he rarely cooked for himself anymore and usually just threw something together.

’Now that I’m suddenly back in high school,’ he thought, ’I’m not even sure if my cooking skills have held up.’

As the sweet and sour flavor of the tomato burst on her tongue, Su Yuqing’s eyes suddenly brightened like stars igniting in the night sky. She couldn’t resist another sip before looking up at Chen Mo. "I had no idea you were such a good cook!"

As she looked up, the collar of her hoodie slid down her shoulder. The corners of her lips, damp with broth, glistened under the light.

Chen Mo propped his chin on his hand, watching her puff her cheeks as she blew on her noodles. The steam blurred her features but couldn’t hide the tiny beads of sweat forming on the tip of her nose.

He took out a tissue and gently dabbed her nose. "You’re sweating," he said with a smile. "That means you’ve worked out the chill."

"Eat slowly. There’s more in the pot."

Over the cartoon’s exaggerated sound effects, Su Yuqing secretly glanced at Chen Mo, who was still watching her with his chin propped on his hand.

The web of his thumb rested against the sharp angle of his jaw, a clean line that still held the lean look of youth. His pinky finger unconsciously traced his cupid’s bow, and the slight, natural upturn of his lips always seemed to carry the faint hint of a smile.

Seeing his silhouette haloed by the warm light, his handsome face flickering in and out of sight with the shifting glow of the cartoon, and watching the dazed way he was looking at her, Su Yuqing felt her heart flutter. But she pretended not to see any of it and focused on eating her noodles.

Soon, she had finished everything, down to the last drop of broth.

Only then did a look of pure satisfaction appear on her face.

"Full already?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

"Mhm."

The word had barely left Su Yuqing’s lips when—CRACK!—a sudden peal of thunder erupted outside.

Chen Mo reflexively glanced at the wall clock. The hands pointed to 9:57. There was only about half an hour left until the time the crime had occurred in his past life.

It would take time to get there from his house, and he also needed to scout the area for anyone suspicious. Chen Mo prepared to set out.

"Here, drink some water to rinse your mouth." Chen Mo got up, returning with a glass of water and a blanket. He draped the blanket over Su Yuqing’s shoulders with a smile.

"Since you’re full, you can watch some TV in the living room while you digest. Just leave the bowl, I’ll wash it later. I’m going out to buy something; I’ll be back in a little while."

"You’re going out? But it’s raining so hard," Su Yuqing said, glancing worriedly at the downpour outside.

"It’s fine, the store is close by. I’m just getting some things for a late-night snack," Chen Mo replied with a smile.

"Remember, don’t open the door for anyone until I get back, you hear me? I have my key, so I won’t be ringing the doorbell." Chen Mo had reached the front door when he suddenly turned back to remind her.

’He was worried that the attacker Su Yuqing had encountered wasn’t an opportunist but had planned the crime. If so, it was highly likely the perpetrator had followed her and was now lying in wait somewhere near his house.’