Typhoon, Rainy Night

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's fine, it's nothing. Divorce is pretty normal, isn't it?" Yoshie seemed completely unfazed.

"True enough. So, your parents don't live with you?" Su Yang asked, just making small talk to break the silence—otherwise, sitting in the dark house staring at each other would be a bit awkward.

Yoshie shook her head. "No, my parents don't live here. They're in a small place called Qiutian County in the northeast, my hometown."

"Oh, I see." Su Yang nodded. "Do you usually work in this city or Tokyo?"

"I work in Shanli County."

"That's quite far."

"It's okay, though. There are special express trains and electric buses to Shanli County from here, so transportation is pretty convenient. Plus, I'm planning to buy a car in a few days."

"That's good. Having a car makes it easier to get around anywhere."

Yoshie nodded, staring at Su Yang.

For a moment, Su Yang didn't know what else to say. Their eyes met, and Yoshie shyly brushed her hair aside.

The main issue was the situation—dark, no phone signal, and they'd only just met. Yoshie was the gentle, homely type. If she'd been an outgoing, cheerful girl, he'd have plenty to talk about.

Dealing with a gentle divorced female teacher like Yoshie wasn't something Su Yang had much experience with, so he was at a loss for words.

With Su Yang not asking questions, and Yoshie staying silent, they just sat there awkwardly, staring at each other.

After a few seconds, Su Yang glanced at her work outfit and asked, "By the way, sis, you got home not long ago, right? I can tell you haven't changed yet."

"Yeah, that's right. I had dinner with coworkers after work, and just as we finished, it started pouring. I rushed home to put things away and didn't have time to change."

"Oh, that explains why you're so dressed up at home."

Yoshie smiled and looked at him. "So, Su-Sang, have you had dinner yet? If not, I can make you something?"

Su Yang waved his hand. "No need, I've eaten."

"Alright."

"Hey, sis, do you have any cigarettes here?"

"Cigarettes? I do, but they're women's cigarettes. Will they do?"

"Sure, they'll work. I just feel like having one when I'm idle. Mine got soaked in the rain."

"Ha, I'll go get them." Yoshie pushed herself up from the table and headed to her room.

Soon, she returned with a pack of Japanese women's cigarettes and sat down across from Su Yang. "Here."

She handed him the cigarettes and a lighter.

"Thanks, sis. You're really kind."

Yoshie smiled softly. "You're welcome. How many days do you plan to stay in Japan this time?"

"Our visa is for fifteen days, but we might not stay that long. The typhoon's going to mess up the weather for a few days, so we'll see after it passes. Maybe we'll head to Behaidao for a trip and then go back."

Yoshie nodded. "The scenery in Behaidao is beautiful. This typhoon shouldn't have too much of an impact there. You should be able to go after the storm passes."

"Yeah, we'll see once the wind dies down."

"Su-Sang, do you want to drink?" Yoshie suddenly asked.

"Drink? Is that okay?"

"Of course. I usually have a drink or two after work when I have nothing to do anyway. Since we're both free, how about we share a few?"

"Sure, that sounds great. Thanks for the trouble."

"Don't be so formal. We're friends now."

"Haha, alright."

Yoshie gave him a warm smile and got up again. Soon, she returned with two bottles of whiskey and two glass cups.

"Whiskey?" Su Yang asked.

"Yeah. I was worried you wouldn't like the local stuff, so I brought whiskey instead."

"I can drink just about anything."

"Want me to switch?"

"No, no bother. Whiskey's fine."

"Okay." Yoshie bent down to place the bottles on the table, and Su Yang unintentionally looked up—a glimpse of her cleavage caught his eye.

Yoshie didn't notice. She sat down cross-legged, opened the bottle, and poured two glasses.

"Come on, Su-Sang. It's fate that we met. Let's have a drink."

"Yeah, definitely fate. If I hadn't been blown away by the wind, I wouldn't have ended up here. We have to down this one."

They clinked glasses and drank it all in one go.

"Mmm, not bad. Good stuff."

"I'll go get some snacks." Yoshie started to get up again.

Su Yang called out, "No need, sis. But if you want some for yourself, feel free to grab a little something to go with the drink."

"I was worried the alcohol might hit you hard on an empty stomach."

"Haha, I can hold my liquor pretty well."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." Su Yang nodded and refilled their glasses.

"Alright then, no food. Let's keep going." Yoshie picked up her glass, clinked it with his, and downed it again.

Su Yang thought to himself, 'Drinking that fast. Looks like something's on her mind.'

After downing the drink, Yoshie grimaced slightly, put down her glass, took a cigarette from the pack, and lit it.

Su Yang observed for a few seconds, finished his second glass, and then asked, "Sis, is something bothering you?"

"Huh? No, not really."

"Are you sure? You're drinking pretty hard. If you have something on your mind, you can talk to me."

Yoshie looked at him and smiled. "It's nothing much. It's just that my ex-husband suddenly reached out to me again, so I've been a bit annoyed."

"I see. Let me ask you honestly—do you still have feelings for him?"

Yoshie shook her head without hesitation. "No, I don't like him anymore."

"Then what's the problem? Just ignore him. Unless he's the type to pester you endlessly?"

"Not really. He just said he wants to stay friends. He's not being pushy."

"But what really bothers me is that I'm almost thirty-five and still alone. All my friends already have kids several years old. I can't help but overthink it."

"Sis, you need to take it easy. You're not that old anyway. Fate isn't something you can rush. What's meant to come will come eventually. If it hasn't happened yet, it just means the time isn't right. You'll meet the one when it's your turn."

Hearing this, Yoshie stared straight at Su Yang. "Really?"

"Of course." Su Yang nodded and refilled his glass. "Come on, sis, let's keep drinking. Don't dwell on those worries. Honestly, you've got nothing to be upset about—you have a good job, you're gorgeous. Why would you worry about not having great men chasing after you, right?"

Su Yang's words lifted Yoshie's spirits a little. She smiled warmly and raised her glass. "Alright! Thanks for the compliment, Su-Sang. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" They both downed their drinks once more.

Meanwhile, Meng Wenzhou and the other ten or so people were still sitting on the living room floor, chatting and drinking tea.

After spending some time together, the Kawashima sisters had gotten a basic understanding of Meng Wenzhou and his group.

This group was indeed easy to get along with. After getting to know each other a bit more, they started talking more and gradually blended in with everyone.

But because there was no cell phone signal and only one candle in the room giving off a faint light, everyone could only sit around and chat.

At that moment, the wind outside the window was still fierce, and the rain showed no sign of letting up, maintaining its previous intensity.

“Looks like we’ll all have to stay up tonight,” Liu Bo said as he sat by the window.

“What else can we do? If it gets too late, we can just lean somewhere and catch a few winks. I don’t believe the wind will still be this strong tomorrow,” Meng Wenzhou said, walking over to sit beside Liu Bo.

Just then, Kawashima Mika, the younger of the two sisters, looked at Pan Ning and the others and spoke up: “Sisters, if you get sleepy later, you can go rest in our room. If you two brothers don’t mind, you could sleep on the sofa in the living room. Is that okay?”

Su Qingci turned her head and smiled: “It’s okay, Mika. There are too many of us, and it wouldn’t be convenient. Besides, we’ve already caused you so much trouble. How could we be so rude as to sleep in your room? Tonight, we’ll all just sit in the living room and chat. When you two get tired, you can go sleep.”

“That’s right, Mika. We’re already embarrassed enough for suddenly barging in with over a dozen people. Thank you so much for providing clean clothes for all of us,” Lu Yun added.

“It’s no trouble, sisters,” Mika said, waving her hand.

Zhuang Mengli also chimed in: “Anyway, when you two get sleepy, just go back to your room and rest. We’ll just lean against something in the living room. It’ll be fine.”

...

Over on Su Yang’s side, the two of them had already finished a bottle of whiskey.

They were basically drinking one glass at a time, and Yoshie’s face already showed a flush.

She then opened a second bottle.

Seeing this, Su Yang reached out, grabbed her fair wrist, and stopped her: “Sis, I feel like you might be a bit drunk already? Maybe we should stop drinking.”

Yoshie waved her hand and smiled: “I’m not drunk. My face just gets red when I drink.”

“Really?”

“Honestly, do I look drunk to you?” Yoshie said, spreading her arms and straightening her back.

With a pop, a key button at the chest of her white shirt burst open under the force of two mysterious pressures.