Got it 🌙 — continuing straight into t
Morning came with pale light and tired hearts.
Li Wei barely slept. The faint smell of Yuhan's coffee still lingered in the café, a ghost of last night that wouldn't fade.
He'd watched Yuhan leave just before sunrise — hood up, shoulders hunched, as though trying to slip between worlds.
But he'd also seen the way Yuhan turned at the door, gave him that small, helpless smile.
That one look had said more than a thousand words.
It said: I'll come back.
And Li Wei believed him.
---
By noon, the café was crowded again. Students. Office workers. Noise.
Li Wei forced himself to smile, to move, to serve, but every ring of the bell made his heart stumble.
Then, his phone buzzed under the counter.
> Yuhan:
Made it back to the hotel. They think I went straight home.
Still smells like your coffee in my jacket.
Li Wei smiled, hiding the screen quickly as Zhao Ming passed by.
> Li Wei:
Careful. Secrets smell stronger than caffeine.
> Yuhan:
Then I'm already addicted.
---
That night, Li Wei drew — the way he always did when words weren't enough.
He sketched Yuhan by the café window, rain falling behind him, his eyes soft and tired.
He didn't notice when his phone lit up again.
> Yuhan:
I showed someone your sketch today.
Li Wei's heart stopped.
> Li Wei:
Who?
> Yuhan:
My manager. He found it on my desk before I could hide it.
Li Wei's stomach twisted.
> Li Wei:
What did he say?
There was a long pause.
Then—
> Yuhan:
He said, "You're getting distracted."
He told me not to go back there.
Said it's not safe for my image.
Li Wei stared at the message until it blurred.
His fingers trembled.
> Li Wei:
So… are you going to listen?
Minutes passed before Yuhan replied.
> Yuhan:
I don't know.
But the thought of not seeing you feels worse than being caught.
Li Wei closed his eyes.
Rain started outside again — of course it did. It always did when things began to hurt.
---
Two days later, the doorbell chimed again.
Li Wei looked up — and froze.
Yuhan stood there, no disguise this time.
Just himself.
His hair was messy from the wind, his jacket damp, his expression caught between fear and relief.
"You shouldn't be here," Li Wei whispered.
Yuhan smiled weakly. "That's what he said too."
"What if someone sees you?"
"I don't care."
There was something raw in his voice — the kind of exhaustion that comes after pretending too long.
He walked to the counter, close enough that Li Wei could see the dark circles under his eyes.
"I'm tired of hiding," Yuhan said quietly. "Of pretending everything's fine. Of being a name instead of a person."
Li Wei's voice was soft, careful. "Then be a person. Here."
Yuhan looked at him for a long moment — then nodded, as if making a choice that had been waiting all along.
He pulled out a small envelope and set it on the counter.
"What's this?"
"My number," Yuhan said. "The real one. No manager, no team."
Li Wei blinked. "You trust me that much?"
Yuhan smiled — the kind of smile that hurt to look at. "I already do."
He turned toward the door, pausing just before he left. "If I disappear for a while… don't stop drawing me."
And then he was gone.
---
That night, Li Wei opened the envelope. Inside was a single piece of paper, written in Yuhan's neat handwriting:
> "If they try to silence me, I'll find another way to reach you.
Where there's rain — there's us."
— Y.
Li Wei folded the note and placed it beside the others.
The quiet felt heavier than ever — not empty, but waiting.
Somewhere out there, fame was pulling Yuhan away.
But Li Wei knew — rain always comes back.
And so would he.
---
End of Chapter 6