Wood Yang Has an Epiphany

"I just… was afraid you'd get rained on," Ding Yebai panted.

Yang Zhi: "……"

Her pupils dilated slightly, and her hand, buried in her bag, unconsciously tightened its grip on the umbrella.

What kind of feeling is this?

Her heart thudded, then she felt nothing else, her gaze instinctively drawn to that person.

She stared straight at Ding Yebai, standing at the bottom of the steps, taking in his wet hair and the large damp patches on his pant legs. He looked up at her with sincere eyes, his hand still gripping the umbrella handle tightly, seemingly very nervous as he waited for her answer.

The rain hadn't lessened, pedestrians hurried past, and everything else was growing as usual.

But in this moment, in their eyes, it was as if only each other existed.

After a long while

Yang Zhi lowered her eyelids, her slender lashes trembling gently.

If there was anything in this world that could be called "the most beautiful," then in her heart, this moment was the most beautiful and fortunate scene she could imagine.

"Ding Yebai."

"Yeah?"

"Let's go back."

"Okay."

Yang Zhi took her hand out of her bag, walked down the steps, and then proactively stepped under Ding Yebai's umbrella.

Ding Yebai: "Didn't you…"

Did you bring an umbrella?

Even though he didn't finish, Yang Zhi knew what he was going to say. She straightened her posture, took a deep breath, and tightened her grip on her shoulder bag, looking at him with a bright smile. "Let's go. You came all the way here to pick me up, didn't you?"

You went to the trouble of coming here with an umbrella in the pouring rain to pick me up. If I took out my umbrella now, how sad would you be?

"…Okay." Ding Yebai turned his head to look ahead, feeling a little happy inside.

After they had walked only a few steps, the rain suddenly lessened.

Yang Zhi looked up at the sky and blurted out, "With this rain, you probably can't hold the sports meet anymore, right?"

Ding Yebai: "Yeah. Luckily, I finished my races this morning."

Yang Zhi: "What did you compete in?"

Ding Yebai: "The 1000 meters."

"1000 meters," Yang Zhi's gaze softened as she continued, "How did it go?"

Ding Yebai: "Not great, actually. All the track and field students were ahead of me, so I only got 6th place. A really bad ranking."

"I was asking how your body was."

"…Huh?"

Ding Yebai looked at Yang Zhi, a mix of confusion and delight on his face. "You…"

Yang Zhi asked again, firmly, "I was actually asking how your body was doing. It's a long-distance race, after all. When I ran the 800 meters back then, I was always exhausted. I don't know how you are?"

"My body is much better than yours, of course!" Ding Yebai quickly explained. "I'm a guy, running is just a piece of cake for me!"

He felt strange, as if this were a competition, and he had to prove his stamina was excellent.

"That's good then." Yang Zhi smiled calmly. "As long as your body is okay, that's what matters. And sixth place is still very good, isn't it? You said yourself that all the track and field students were ahead of you, so they're specifically trained for it. It's normal that you couldn't beat them."

She paused, then looked ahead again. "It's like if they were to compete with you in math or comprehensive science scores."

Ding Yebai: "That's true."

In the entire senior year, no one's math and comprehensive science scores were higher than his.

Yang Zhi: "In my eyes, you're really very smart."

A flicker of smugness flashed in Ding Yebai's dark pupils, then his expression turned serious. "Ha… I think I'm pretty smart too."

Yang Zhi's eyes curved with amusement, and she gave him a helpless sideways glance. "You're really not humble at all~"

Ding Yebai: "……"

Youthful arrogance was, perhaps, one of his hidden traits.

The two walked on slowly under the umbrella like this until they reached Yang Zhi's house.

Grandma was sitting inside, watching them.

"I didn't expect Ye Bai, you went to find Yang Zhi."

"Yeah."

After Ding Yebai saw Yang Zhi inside, he prepared to leave.

He hadn't expected to be called back by Yang Zhi as he was about to depart.

The two stood in the corridor, gazing at each other.

Yang Zhi: "I'm sorry, I have to go out of town for studies next week, so I can't tutor you this week. And since we don't have classes during the upcoming National Day holiday, you should just rest well."

Ding Yebai: "Okay. I know."

Yang Zhi: "I..." As she spoke, she took out a few worksheets from her bag and handed them to Ding Yebai. "I found some specialized practice sets for you. I specifically picked them based on your recent performance. Do them well, and if you encounter anything you don't understand, remember to ask me on WeChat."

Ding Yebai: "Okay." He took out his phone. "But Sister Yang Zhi, we don't have WeChat yet."

Yang Zhi froze for a moment, then shook her head with a hint of helplessness, thinking to herself how clumsy she was. Was she a blockhead? She had always relied on her Senior Sister for communication, and after all this time, she hadn't even added him on WeChat.

"Remember to do them carefully. If you want to improve your grades, you can't slack off. I hope you can achieve an even higher score on the next monthly exam, okay?"

"Sure."

Ding Yebai promised with great conviction.

"Then if there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Ding Yebai tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, realizing there was nothing more to talk about, and thought about leaving.

"Hey, wait a minute." Unexpectedly, Yang Zhi stopped him again.

Ding Yebai: "...What?"

Yang Zhi looked at his face and blinked her bright, watery eyes, appearing a bit awkward. The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Ah... um... it's nothing."

"If it's nothing, I'll be going now."

"Hey, wait."

"..."

They went back and forth...

Ding Yebai: "Sister Yang Zhi, is there something you need?"

He could clearly tell Yang Zhi had something to say to him, but she just wouldn't say it!

Yang Zhi's face flushed slightly, and she looked visibly flustered.

Her right hand, which she had been hiding behind her back, finally came out.

Huh?

She held out a box of bear cookies.

Ding Yebai: "What's this?"

Yang Zhi furrowed her brows slightly, lowered her gaze, and mumbled with a hint of embarrassment, "Do you think... it's too childish?"

Ding Yebai: "Is it for me?"

He was overjoyed and excited deep down, but his face remained incredibly, incredibly calm!!!

Yang Zhi: "Thank you for helping me out of a tight spot before. I thought about buying you something to eat, and after much deliberation, I impulsively bought this box of bear cookies. After buying it, I started regretting it, always thinking you wouldn't like it."

"I like it!" Ding Yebai snatched the bear cookies, feeling that every pattern, every word on the box was so captivating, so artistic!!!

Seeing him so happy, Yang Zhi also felt a secret joy. She clasped her hands behind her back, looking like a serene and gentle older sister.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I like it very much. Thank you, Sister Yang Zhi... Huh?!"

After saying that, Ding Yebai clamped his mouth shut tightly, too happy to control himself. How embarrassing!!!

It was as awkward as Conan calling Ran-neechan, you know!!!

Yang Zhi was surprised for a good while, then tilted her head slightly, tidied her hair at her temples, and smiled sweetly. "You're welcome."

Her voice was clear and warm, making anyone feel comfortable just by listening.

Not to mention her healing smile.

Ah... it was too wonderful.

She was too wonderful!

It was the first time Ding Yebai thanked his older sister.

Thanking her for knowing Yang Zhi, thanking her for being good friends with Yang Zhi.

Whether it was to repay a favor or out of their close friendship, he was very grateful that Yang Zhi had come into his life.

Because you came, everything in the story began to develop in a good direction!

Recently, watching the TV show "The Day I Became You," I suddenly realized that switching genders between male and female is quite interesting.