He had thought the rain would stop by the time school let out.
Instead, it only grew heavier.
Standing at the foot of the classroom building, Yu Bu'e still couldn't make up his mind.
Wu Yang stood beside him, planning to dash out once the rain eased a little.
Just then.
A figure suddenly darted into the curtain of rain. He ran with nimble strides and his arms spread wide, then spun twice on the spot.
The rain quickly soaked his hair, and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He wiped his face with one hand and burst out laughing.
"Let the storm rage even harder!"
"I can feel the elemental resonance within me... Come on! Let all this rain fall!"
"..."
Wu Yang stared, dumbfounded. "Yu, is that... Cheng Ruxin?"
"Yeah... Who else could it be?" Yu Bu'e sighed.
Wu Yang sounded rather wistful. "Honestly, sometimes I really envy his state of mind..."
"Yeah... He shines in his own little world, with absolutely no regard for anyone else's survival..."
The students leaving the classroom building hurried along, even those carrying umbrellas.
Wu Yang took off his uniform jacket and draped it over his head. His gaze turned fierce, like a warrior facing an army, ready to meet his death.
"Brother Yu, I'm off! Once I charge into battle, there can be no retreat-only death!"
Yu Bu'e glanced at him. "You and Cheng Ruxin probably have plenty to talk about right now."
Wu Yang looked disgusted.
"That's different. He's a full-blown delusional edgelord. I'm just a little theatrical, at most."
While Yu Bu'e was still wondering what the difference was, Wu Yang had already plunged into the rain.
Yu Bu'e took off his jacket too, covered his head with it, and dashed out.
He ran so fast that he didn't hear the call from behind him.
"Yu!"
Song Ziyu hurried over with an umbrella in her hand, only to see that Yu Bu'e had already run into the downpour.
The girl beside her said with a smile, "He really is impatient. And after you spent all that time borrowing an umbrella for him, too."
"Qianqian, let me borrow your umbrella!"
Song Ziyu took the umbrella from the girl beside her, opened it, and rushed out as well.
Her other hand gripped the umbrella she had borrowed for Yu Bu'e as she jogged along.
The girl named Qianqian watched Song Ziyu's retreating figure and gently shook her head.
As Yu Bu'e ran, he suddenly noticed the people around him slowing down.
As though sensing something, he raised his head and looked ahead.
Through the hazy rain, all he could see were the backs of students in school uniforms. They hurried beneath their umbrellas like a rushing current, all flowing in the same direction.
Amid the surging crowd, a girl in a pale, moon-white satin qipao came against the current, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
Her steps were light. A few pink-and-white peach blossoms were embroidered on her qipao, and her hair was pinned up with a jade hairpin carved with rippling water patterns, lending her the gentle grace of a woman from Jiangnan.
The girl was tall and slender. Though hardly voluptuous, the qipao traced an elegant waistline, making her look like a flower bud swaying softly in the rain.
The wind stirred her hair in time with the tassels at her cuffs. Her features were as delicate as an ink painting, with a hint of cool reserve.
Those approaching instinctively stepped aside, as though afraid their intrusion would ruin a beautiful painting.
Many stopped and stared blankly at the girl beneath the umbrella. The misty rain seemed like an ethereal haze, setting off her fresh, otherworldly beauty.
Yu Bu'e watched her draw closer. Raindrops rolled down the umbrella's surface and fell from its rim.
One fair, unadorned hand held the umbrella handle. The other took Yu Bu'e's arm and pulled him beneath it.
"I told you I'd come pick you up."
Up close, Yu Bu'e gazed at that flawless face. Her exquisite features were like a perfect work of art.
He had always known Luo Feixuan was beautiful, but now she seemed more like an immortal maiden stepping out of a painting.
"You..." He grew nervous, his breathing turning quick and shallow.
"Come on. Let's go home." Luo Feixuan gently linked her arm through his and walked toward the school gates under everyone's gaze.
The smile blooming on her face suddenly brought vivid color to what had been an ink-wash painting.
Against his arm, Yu Bu'e could feel the softness of her body and the silky fabric of her qipao.
Luo Feixuan suddenly turned toward him. Their eyes met, and Yu Bu'e hurriedly looked away, his ears warming.
"Why are you wearing a qipao today?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Her voice sounded like a gently flowing stream. "Because yesterday, you said it looked nice! Do you like it?"
"I do... Ah, no... I mean, you look really beautiful." Yu Bu'e stumbled over his words.
Luo Feixuan's lips curved upward. "See? I can be everything you like! That way, you won't have to look at anyone else."
Now it wasn't just Yu Bu'e's ears that burned. His face had gone red too.
He cleared his throat, but couldn't think of anything to say, so he could only stare straight ahead.
Yet if he had turned to look, he would have seen that the girl's face was flushed crimson too.
Suddenly, as though sensing something, Luo Feixuan turned slightly and looked toward a girl's figure.
She gave the girl a soft smile, then turned back.
"Yu Bu'e."
"Hmm?"
"Who looks better in a qipao, Song Ziyu or me?"
The moment she asked, she felt a little regret. At the same time, a small flicker of anticipation stirred in her heart, and she stole a glance at the boy beside her.
Yu Bu'e gave it some serious thought, then shook his head.
"You're beautiful, and so is she. But I can't compare the two of you, much less judge either of you like that."
Luo Feixuan paused, feeling something she couldn't quite describe. It wasn't disappointment, nor was it happiness.
She simply felt that, given Yu Bu'e's personality, it made perfect sense for him to say something like that.
Song Ziyu returned to the classroom building beneath her umbrella, then handed the umbrella back to her friend.
"What happened? Couldn't catch up with him?" Qianqian asked, her eyes full of concern.
She could tell that Song Ziyu didn't look quite right.
"No... I just felt like he didn't need it."
"Huh?"
Song Ziyu turned to look at the curtain of rain.
"Qianqian."
"Yeah, I'm here! Are you okay?"
Song Ziyu's lips parted slightly. "I'm okay. But I only realized today that Luo Feixuan is so beautiful it's unfair..."
Qianqian seemed to understand something. She gently patted Song Ziyu's rain-dampened shoulder.
"Ziyu, you're wonderful too. You're pretty, you've got a great figure, and you're sweet. There are so many people at school who like you!"
Song Ziyu said nothing. She hadn't even caught what her friend said.
Her mind was filled with the look in Luo Feixuan's eyes when she glanced back at her.
Calm, graceful, and seemingly quite friendly.
It was as though...
She were looking at a little child making a pointless fuss.
Song Ziyu didn't want to admit that a single glance from Luo Feixuan, without the slightest hostility, had utterly routed her.
Inside the car, Yu Bu'e felt his soaked shoulder and clothes, his gaze full of grievance.
"Luo Feixuan, did it ever occur to you that your umbrella might be too small to cover two people?"
"Yes, I knew that from the start."
"Then... didn't you think about bringing a bigger one?"
"I did, but looking stylish mattered more."
Yu Bu'e: "..."
How refreshingly honest!
Before you continue