Chapter 19: Downpour
It was raining…
Su Yu looked out the window. A light drizzle scattered through the air, painting the thirsty cactus by the window a vibrant green, as if bringing it back to life.
The rain grew heavier, from a silent drizzle to a loud patter. Raindrops pelted against the window like bullets, scattering into droplets that rolled down the glass.
The sky… suddenly darkened. Thick clouds blocked out the light, as if night had already fallen.
A blinding flash of lightning, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The clear sky of the past few days seemed to be unleashing its pent-up fury, sudden and violent.
The dismissal bell was almost inaudible over the thunder. Today was their last day at school, the last day before the gaokao, and there were no more scheduled classes.
After reminding them of the key points for studying at home, the homeroom teacher left the classroom. Senior year often ended with an afternoon gathering in the classroom, a farewell party of sorts, to commemorate the end of their high school life.
But the sudden downpour replaced the planned celebratory tossing of papers from the rooftop, washing away their plans. They could only hurriedly pack their things and leave, a simple “goodbye” serving as their final farewell.
Su Yu looked at the pouring rain, worried. The weather forecast had predicted clear skies. He hadn’t brought an umbrella. If he thought about it carefully, he might have remembered that it had also rained heavily on this day in his previous life. But it had just been a bit of rain, nothing he had paid much attention to, so he had forgotten.
Oh well, Su Yu decided to brave the rain and go home. He could leave his books at school and pick them up tomorrow.
“You’re going to walk in the rain without an umbrella?” Chen Kai asked before leaving. “Do you want me to give you a ride?”
“It’s just a bit of rain. The bus stop isn’t far.”
“Alright then. I’ll be going. See you at the exam center.”
Chen Kai and Su Yu were assigned to the same exam center. He patted Su Yu’s shoulder and stepped into the rain.
Su Yu still stood at the entrance of the building, not leaving. Many others were also waiting in the stairwell, seemingly waiting for the rain to stop. But he remembered, this rain… would continue until evening.
The rain soaked the small space of the stairwell, making it damp. Everyone was eager to go home, their feet churning the mud and rainwater on the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye, Su Yu saw Xia Qian Ge’s delicate figure emerge from the crowd, holding an umbrella.
Then, something unexpected happened. As if a program that had run flawlessly thousands of times suddenly encountered a bug, the outcome was completely different.
Xia Qian Ge did walk out of the crowd, but not towards the exit. She walked towards Su Yu.
“Want to share?”
The girl held the umbrella and quietly stood beside Su Yu.
The hall was crowded, so it wasn’t a particularly noticeable action. But because it was Xia Qian Ge, the consequences were different. The surrounding gazes quickly focused on them. Su Yu froze, feeling the heat of everyone’s stares on his back.
Xia Qian Ge never interacted much with any boy in public. There might be exceptions, but whoever that person was, it would never be Su Yu.
They sat near each other in class, and for a while, there were even rumors that Su Yu had a crush on Xia Qian Ge. Although Xia Qian Ge seemed indifferent to the rumors, their relationship had cooled down a bit. Since then, she rarely talked to him in public.
The rumors quickly died down, but whenever they were seen together, it still attracted curious glances, let alone now, with Xia Qian Ge holding an umbrella and asking him if he wanted to share.
The release of pent-up emotions after graduation often led to impulsive actions driven by hidden affections. It seemed reasonable, and most of the other students shared similar thoughts.
But Xia Qian Ge seemed oblivious to the surrounding gazes. Her dark eyes were fixed on Su Yu, seemingly waiting for his answer. She looked the same as always, except… the usual smile on her lips was gone.
“After this… we won’t see each other again.”
These words were like a bolt of lightning, shocking Su Yu’s tense nerves. His knuckles turned white, the surrounding whispers forming walls around him, trapping him.
But Su Yu still stepped forward and took the umbrella from Xia Qian Ge. “Let’s go together then.”
…
The rain was heavy, the howling wind giving the raindrops immense force, each impact leaving a dull ache.
Su Yu held the umbrella, pushing against the strong wind, his hand gripping the handle tightly. He stood tall and straight like a poplar tree, withstanding the onslaught of the wind and rain.
The rain was cold, but he felt a soft touch on his back. Xia Qian Ge was behind him, gently holding onto the corner of his shirt. They were close, their body heat and breath mingling, like the last survivors of an apocalypse, huddling together for warmth.
The gazes behind them pierced through the curtain of rain. They had never seemed so well-suited, as if they were meant to be together.
Xia Qian Ge had been the school beauty of Yangming High for three years, a flower blooming on a cliff, so dazzling that people dared not look directly at her. They watched from afar, their admiration hidden in their hearts.
They had thought Su Yu was just like them, a boy with youthful features and no sense of style, as ordinary as a blade of grass in the crowd.
But now… if anyone could be worthy of Xia Qian Ge, it should be Su Yu.
…
“Are you okay?”
Su Yu shook the rainwater from his hair. Despite the umbrella, they were still quite wet, the wind sending chills down their spines.
“Yeah, I didn’t get too wet.”
The bus hadn’t arrived yet, so they huddled together under the shelter of the bus stop, the storm raging outside, an unspoken intimacy between them.
Xia Qian Ge broke the silence, her voice soft, her wet hair plastered to her shoulders. She looked frail, as if she would collapse with a gust of wind. “What do you want to ask me?”
“Why…” Su Yu looked away, his eyes meeting Xia Qian Ge’s in the cold, damp air. “Why me?”
“Are you afraid of what others will think?”
Xia Qian Ge didn’t answer his question but asked one of her own.
“We’re graduating. It doesn’t matter what they think. I’m just… curious.”
“Because we won’t see each other again after this. As for why you…”
Su Yu’s heart pounded in his chest. He instinctively took a few steps back, as if something terrible would happen after Xia Qian Ge revealed the answer.
“Because we’re friends. Others don’t know about my family situation, and they wouldn’t randomly meet me in that deserted park and chat with me.”
Xia Qian Ge spoke slowly, her tone lighter, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“You scared me. You suddenly seem like a different person.” Su Yu let out a long breath.
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t think I could have made it through without you.”
“Me too. Without your umbrella, I would be drenched.”
“I forgot to say it in class, good luck with the gaokao.”
“Yeah, good luck.”
…
The two of them huddled together in the storm, chatting about trivial everyday things, deliberately avoiding sensitive topics like university applications or misunderstandings. For a moment, it felt peaceful.
But both harbored secrets. The peace was just an illusion, the smiles on their lips merely a crude disguise. One person’s heart remained unchanged, a madness… a fierceness like the storm, as if ready to devour.
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