“A cold front is currently moving through the area, bringing in heavy rainfall by midday. We would like to express a weather alert for northeast of China, especially the Liaoning province.”

Luhan was sitting in the hotel lobby, his gaze fixed on the huge glass windows in front of him. Outside, the rain was splashing down with such power that he could hear it from inside, even though the television was still on in the background.

Since early in the morning, the rain didn’t stop pouring down, getting heavier with each hour that passed and it wasn’t even midday yet. People rushed in and out, some of them soaking wet to the bone, cursing the weather while they were searching for a dry place.

The wind was blowing the raindrops in different directions, making them patter heavily against the glass window; the noise was disturbing him. Sometimes the rain was temporary, passing by as sudden as it had come, giving way to the sun again to lighten up the streets (and his mood).

Luhan stood up and walked over to one of the windows, looking out in hopes that he could discover a blue or a light spot in the sky.

To his dismay, all he saw was a blur of dark grey, dark blue and dark, dark, dark. Almost everything was dark, each shade mixing together into one huge grey soup. Luhan’s hopes slowly faded away, now that the weather alert was being announced by the news broadcaster on television.

When he had woken up that morning to the sound of rain lashing down the street, finding himself in a semi-dark hotel room instead of one which sunlight shone into, he already knew that this day was not going to turn out how he had planned it.

Of course, it had to be rain that ruined his day. Luhan always hated rain, because rain was capricious. It just decided to come whenever it felt like it should, ruining people’s days in the most unexpected moments. It just decided how long it would last, how heavy it would pour, and where it would be.

He hated rain. He hated it. So much.

Luhan had planned to visit the emperor’s tombs today and maybe stroll through the city, do some sightseeing in the evening and taking Mei out, to explore this city with her. Yesterday was her day and today was supposed to be his day. He had put hers ahead, because he thought he was being nice and considerate; he’d play on the safe side. But never had he thought of renouncing what he really wanted to do just because he had put another person’s wishes over his.

His plans for the place that he really liked to visit were ruined. In the end, he was left with nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

A quiet voice spoke out these words, a small body appearing beside him, her profile mostly covered by her hair. She didn’t turn her head when he looked at her. She just stared out of the window like he had been doing the whole time.

Luhan’s eyes widened for a short moment, surprised by her appearance, but more about her words. It was like she had heard his thoughts—and she was sorry. He returned his sight to the window again, examining his reflection which was blurred by the rain. Mei didn’t need to explain what she was apologizing for because both knew.

She was sorry that he had brought her to the Botanical Garden yesterday. She was sorry that she was the one who got to see the sides of Shenyang which were in her interest, what she had wanted the most, what she had wished for, and she was sorry that Luhan, the one who took her there, couldn’t see anything of what he was anticipating the day before.

Mei lifted her hand and put her index finger on the glass, following a raindrop with the tip of her digit as it was trailing down, making its way through the others.

“We could buy raincoats and rubber boots and umbrellas,” she started. “And we could use the underground to avoid the rain, even if it would take us longer.”

Luhan flashed her a slanted smile and shook his head. “In the news, they said some streets are not fit for traffic because they are flooded and the firefighters can’t take care of each of them. Some buses and trains even stopped driving and I’m very sure that some attractions are closed as well. And since it’s a long way to go there…” He shrugged it off. “It’s okay.” (Though for him, it really wasn’t. He was just being nice.)

Mei looked up to find Luhan staring blankly out of the window like he was hypnotized and captivated by the rain. But she didn’t miss the smile on his face. It was a slight one, a touch of sadness coming along with it, barely visible—and it made her sad as well.

She bit her lip and looked down, now blaming herself for making him sad (although it sounded strange, because neither of them were responsible for this). Yet she couldn’t stand seeing him like this, because after what he had done for her, he was left with nothing. It was Luhan’s road trip after all. He had planned everything, every city and every spot he anticipated to visit and yet he had nothing from their visit in Shenyang now, because the first day had been reserved for her and the second was ruined by heavy rain. Luhan didn’t deserve to be so sad, and she only found blame in herself.

He was kind, nice and caring, and the last thing he deserved was sadness.

Mei went away, leaving Luhan alone for a short time and although he didn’t watch her go, keeping himself busy with looking outside, he felt disappointment as she left. Was he being cold towards her? Indifferent? If it had been that way, he was terribly sorry for reacting like that. He had never been someone who could easily hide sadness. That function was not an option for him, no matter how much he wished for it.

Maybe he had blamed her for a second, perhaps more… or maybe he had blamed himself for taking her to the garden first, for putting her wishes over his, for being so selfless. And maybe he even regretted their trip yesterday—until he felt like being slapped the next second for thinking in such a cruel way, for being so bitter.

“Here.”

Luhan turned around to find Mei in front of him, dressed in a raincoat that she had probably just bought at the reception, and another one in her right hand. But what caught his attention were two items in her other hand. Paper sheets, strangely folded into… boats. Paper boats?

“Mei, we can’t go there, it’s—”

“We’ll just go in front of the hotel,”