The next day
In the morning, there was a 1,000-meter event, and Ding Yebai warmed up behind the field.
After a while, Lin Feifei ran over, carrying a bottle of water.
"Ding Yebai, I'll definitely be waiting for you at the finish line."
Ding Yebai glanced at her and said flatly, "No need. Go take care of your own business."
Lin Feifei froze for a moment, staring blankly as he walked past her.
Ding Yebai was very athletic and exercised regularly at home, so running 1,000 meters was effortless for him.
The five athletes in the grade took the top five places, while he happened to come in sixth.
After he reached the finish line, only a handful of people gathered around those athletes, but Ding Yebai was surrounded by a crowd.
There was no denying that he was incredibly popular.
The "real-life version of Jiang Zhishu" was no exaggeration.
He pushed his way out of the crowd, unscrewed his water bottle, and gulped down the water.
Lin Feifei followed him, a smile on her face. "I saw that you came in sixth!"
Lin Feifei said, "Actually, I think sixth place is a little below your level. I think you could have done better."
Ding Yebai said, "Thank you."
With that, he set the bottle on the ground, turned around, and left.
Seeing how he was completely ignoring her, Lin Feifei immediately grew angry. "Hey, Ding Yebai, the least you could do is look at me."
Ding Yebai stopped on the grass, still not turning to look at her. "..."
Lin Feifei said, "Take a good look at me. I don't believe you feel absolutely nothing."
She was extremely confident in her own looks.
Ding Yebai sighed and turned halfway around to look at her. "I don't have feelings for you. Lin Feifei, you should go do something more meaningful instead of wasting your time on me."
With that, he crossed the track and walked to the class's rest area.
Lin Feifei: "..."
This felt awful...
If there hadn't been so many people on the field, she would have burst into tears.
Ding Yebai had no events in the afternoon. He went to school to sign in and report his attendance, then slipped out midway to have some fun.
On his way home after playing basketball at the court, Grandma dragged him back to her house to try the flaky pastries she had just made.
This time, she had added several more flavors, and each one was more delicious than the last.
Ding Yebai sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, eating flaky pastries as he asked, "Grandma, where's Sister Yang Zhi?"
Grandma said, "Oh, she went to help a friend."
Ding Yebai asked, "Help a friend? What kind of help?"
Grandma said, "Her friend opened a café. The violinist who was supposed to perform today had something come up, so she went to help out."
With that, she looked up at the sky. "But the clouds are getting thicker and thicker. I'm afraid it's going to rain."
Ding Yebai asked, "Didn't she bring an umbrella?"
Grandma said, "It was sunny when she left, so she probably didn't. I'll ask her."
She immediately made a call, but no one answered. Yang Zhi didn't reply to her messages either, as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
Ding Yebai looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were sinking lower and lower, and the layers kept rolling and thickening. It looked like there was going to be quite a storm.
Grandma said, "She didn't answer. She's probably busy and hasn't checked her phone. Earlier, she said she had to hurry back to drive to Jinghuai University, because she had an assignment to finish. But don't worry. The café is very close to here."
Ding Yebai looked at Grandma, slowly took a sip of hot tea, and said softly, "It would be best if she came back before it starts raining."
Less than a minute after he finished speaking, a raindrop landed on the tip of his nose.
Immediately afterward, the rain came pouring down.
Ding Yebai quickly helped Grandma into the house, then stood beneath the eaves and watched the rain crash down.
After a while, he turned around and asked, "Grandma, is Sister Yang Zhi coming back now?"
Grandma sat in her chair, drinking hot tea to warm herself. "Yes. She told me earlier that she would come back at four to drive to school."
Ding Yebai said, "All right, Grandma. I suddenly remembered that I have something urgent to take care of, so I'll be leaving first."
With that, he opened his black umbrella and hurried into the rain.
Grandma didn't even consider that he might be going to pick up Yang Zhi.
After all... even if Yang Zhi hadn't brought an umbrella, she could easily borrow one from a friend at the café. And even if there wasn't one there, she could run home through the short distance. She would end up soaked, of course... but that girl wasn't so delicate that she couldn't stand getting wet in a little rain.
Despite her delicate, fragile appearance, she was actually the type who was soft on the outside but strong-willed within.
The air was gloomy, and dark clouds pressed down overhead.
The rain today was frighteningly heavy.
The rain roared as a hazy curtain of water seemed to hang between heaven and earth.
The torrential rain turned the daylight into something resembling night, leaving the land shrouded in darkness.
Ding Yebai ran with his umbrella toward the café Grandma had mentioned earlier.
Grandma hadn't given him the address. He had figured it out himself.
The nearest café around here that had violin performances could only be that one!!!!
About ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination.
His trouser legs had already been soaked by the rain from running so quickly, and his hair was wet as well. Several strands of his bangs clung damply to his forehead.
Holding his umbrella, he stood there panting as he looked at the café.
A few minutes later, Yang Zhi walked out with her bag, chatting and laughing.
The two of them exchanged glances.
Yang Zhi froze, along with the hand she had been about to use to take an umbrella from her bag.
"Ding Yebai, what are you doing here?"
She asked incredulously.
Ding Yebai stared straight at her. He didn't come back to himself until rainwater slid down his forehead and into his eyes.
He roughly wiped the rain from his face with his arm, then said to Yang Zhi, "I came to pick you up."
Yang Zhi said, "Pick me up?"
Ding Yebai said, "Yeah. Grandma said you might not have brought an umbrella."
Yang Zhi was both surprised and delighted, but after thinking it over, she felt that Ding Yebai was adorably silly.
"Thank you for coming all this way to pick me up. Look, you're soaked."
"You really didn't need to make a special trip. It rains frequently in Jinghuai, so I always carry an umbrella with me. And even if I hadn't brought one, I could have borrowed one from someone inside. I was only in a hurry today. Otherwise, I could have waited until the rain stopped before going home."
Ding Yebai listened very seriously, and his breathing grew slightly more rapid.
He continued to stare straight at Yang Zhi's eyes, looking as blank and dazed as ever.
After a long while,
he said solemnly, "I didn't think that far ahead. I was just worried you'd get caught in the rain."
Yang Zhi: "...Huh?"
Those words were like a lamp suddenly being lit, illuminating her heart. Spring sprouted within her, bringing immeasurable warmth.
Thanks to Luohua Langji for 100 Origin Point Coins, Hao Da De Gui for 600 Origin Point Coins, Hao Da De Guigui for 1,500 Origin Point Coins, and Kano Hikaru for 100 Origin Point Coins.
As for Lin Feifei, she was mainly there to provide assistance later on. But she wasn't merely there to play the supporting role.
Before you continue