Under the pouring rain, Bei Jun was extremely uneasy. He said: “Sister.”

Bei Yao hugged him: “It’s okay. Xiao Jun, stay at kindergarten properly. Sister will go take a look.”

Bei Jun’s chubby little hand pulled at Bei Yao’s clothes. Bei Yao coaxed softly: “Listen to the teacher at kindergarten, okay? Sister has to go to school. Mom will come pick you up at noon after she finishes her business.”

Bei Jun could only say: “Goodbye, Sister.”

Bei Yao kissed his little face and opened her umbrella to walk out.

She walked about three hundred meters west. A van was stopped on the road. A youth with striking features wearing a mask rolled down the car window, anxiously poking his head out: “It’s you, you came back.”

Bei Yao asked him: “What help do you need?”

“Can you help me buy some medicine? Fever reducers, anti-inflammatories, alcohol, cotton swabs, bandages…”

Bei Yao noted everything down and said to the youth: “I’ve remembered. Is your sister alright?”

The youth didn’t speak, his expression somber. From inside the car came a woman’s low sobbing.

“Thank you. Keep the money.” The youth handed a bill out through the car window. As he raised his eyes, he saw Bei Yao’s delicate chin beneath the umbrella. She slightly lifted the umbrella, and Huo Xu saw her small, straight nose and a pair of lively, beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

The heavy rain half-obscured the view, yet couldn’t hide her beauty.

Huo Xu froze for a moment. Bei Yao had already taken the money and walked away.

Inside the car, the woman was sobbing quietly, wearing a white mask on her face. Above the mask, bloodstains had already seeped through. Shao Yue said: “Xiao Xu, Xiao Xu, I need to go to the hospital. Will my face be ruined?”

Huo Xu returned to the car, a flash of pained shock in his eyes. He held her tightly: “Sister Xiao Yue, it won’t be. This is all my fault, causing you to become like this. We can’t go to the hospital now. Since my uncle and the others know we came to C City, they’ve definitely stationed people at the hospital. Can you endure a bit longer? When it’s safer, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

The woman’s sobbing lowered: “Huo Xu, you must remember, everything I’ve done is because I love you…”

Huo Xu said: “Alright, I remember.”

Huo Xu’s eyes also showed confusion. He was only nineteen. The future was like this sudden rainstorm, making one feel helpless. But Shao Yue had sacrificed so much for him—there was no way he could go back now.

Before long, Bei Yao returned. Not far from the kindergarten was a clinic. She bought all the medicine Huo Xu needed from inside and gently tapped on the car window.

Huo Xu was extremely vigilant. Seeing it was her, he quickly rolled down the window and said in a low voice: “Thank you.”

He too wore a mask on his face, covering his features tightly.

Going back and forth in this heavy rain, even though the girl held an umbrella, she still got herself soaked through.

Bei Yao shook her head: “You’re welcome. I should thank you for honking the horn to scare away the wild dog. Can you return my student ID to me?”

Huo Xu’s face heated. This was his first time doing something so despicable. A wild dog appeared on the school route, frightening Bei Jun to tears. Worse, the child’s crying triggered the dog’s frantic barking.

Huo Xu’s car was stuck in the mud. He honked twice and pulled out the police baton from the car for self-defense to drive it away.

He saw it was a girl about fifteen or sixteen and a toddler three or four years old.

Because she was protecting her younger brother, Bei Yao’s things got covered in mud and scattered on the ground.

Huo Xu’s mind stirred. He helped her pick things up. He saw her student ID. In the sound of rain, the neat handwriting on it showed Bei Yao’s class and name.

The girl looked worriedly at her muddy schoolbag. After thanking him, she took her brother to shelter under the eaves. Her first action was to dial a number.

“I’m sorry, Pei Chuan. I can’t come today.”

Huo Xu was too far away to see clearly. But the girl’s voice was very gentle.

Huo Xu thought of Shao Yue in the car and finally spoke: “Bei Yao, help me.”

She looked up in surprise.

Not expecting this strange youth to know her name, Huo Xu held her student ID. Finally he had to change to an inquiring tone: “Is it alright? Consider it thanks for me helping you drive away the wild dog.”

Bei Yao thought for a moment: “Okay, please wait. I’ll come back after settling my brother.”

Huo Xu was truly afraid she wouldn’t return. Fortunately, she kept her word and came back.

Huo Xu returned her student ID to her.

He felt despicable for the first time. This was clearly a girl three or four years younger than him, yet in his helplessness, he was exploiting his favor.

The girl couldn’t see the person inside the car clearly. She took the student ID and put it in her bag without saying much, then disappeared into the rain with her umbrella.

She carried a faint scent of lilacs.

Early September wasn’t cold. She wore light blue capri pants, exposing her small ankles. Though her sandals were submerged in water, that water just lightly brushed past her.

Her retreating figure became the most unforgettable scenery in September’s rainstorm.

She didn’t ask his name, wasn’t overly enthusiastic, yet understood repaying kindness. Huo Xu was momentarily dazed until Shao Yue behind him tugged at his sleeve. Only then did he immediately come to his senses and apply medicine to her injured face.

~

Bei Yao didn’t dwell much on this matter. Even though she possessed memories of the entire high school period, this incident wasn’t particularly prominent in her memory.

She hurried home to change out of her soaked clothes. The heavy rain had lessened.

On days like this, it rained one moment and the sun came out the next. Fortunately there were no regular classes today. This morning Zhao Zhilan had business. Originally the plan was to drop off her brother and immediately go to school. Who knew she would encounter such a situation.

This season wasn’t when rapeseed flowers bloomed. She was afraid her brother would encounter dogs carrying the rabies virus.

After explaining things to the kindergarten teacher, Bei Yao uneasily told Zhao Zhilan about this as well. Zhao Zhilan said gravely: “I understand. I’ll pick up Bei Jun when I get off work. The kindergarten should report this to the police. Hurry and go to school.”

It was already noon. Bei Yao sighed. If she waited for the bus and rode it, it would take another two hours. She simply cooked noodles at home to eat, pulled out an old schoolbag to make do with, and would go to school in the afternoon.

Bei Yao walked along the bus stop route. To prevent rain, she still carried an umbrella.

Approaching the bus stop, she almost couldn’t believe what she saw.

Bei Yao said: “Pei Chuan?”

The youth turned his head. He was soaked through. The rain had finished, and the sun had come out, yet he was dripping wet, water streaming from his entire body.

After the heavy rain, the air carried the slight fishiness of earth. Seeing her, his pitch-black eyes rippled with some radiance.

He smiled: “You came.”

Bei Yao rarely saw him smile. Right now, however, she had to focus on the main point and hurried over: “How did you get so wet?”

Pei Chuan said: “I was waiting for you.”

Bei Yao said: “But didn’t I call this morning to tell you to go ahead?”

Pei Chuan fell silent. Didn’t we agree to go together?

Bei Yao raised her eyes, meeting his pitch-black gaze.

There was sullen anger, there was cold severity.

He spoke: “Are you blaming me for deceiving you last year?”

“No.”

Pei Chuan said: “Seeing me for the first time this year—are you very disappointed?”

Bei Yao shook her head: “Everyone has the right to decide what kind of person to become. I’m not disappointed in you.”

Pei Chuan laughed lightly, a sound that was strange and grating to her ears. Pei Chuan said: “That’s because you’ve never held any expectations of me, Bei Yao. I’ve always been curious—how could you be friends with a cripple from childhood to now? Don’t you find it disgusting and dirty?”

Such extreme language—when had Bei Yao ever heard this? Even when he deceived her last year, he did so calmly and quietly.

But as soon as these words left his mouth, while Bei Yao was shocked, a shallow terror also arose in her heart.

Was—was this Pei Chuan?

Bei Yao forced down her emotions with difficulty and said: “You know I don’t.”

“Oh? Is that so?” He laughed lowly.

Bei Yao said: “Pei Chuan, what are you angry about?”

Pei Chuan asked in return: “What do you think?”

What did she think! She only found it baffling. Pei Chuan took a step forward.

He carried the chill from that recent rainstorm. The feeble sunlight that had just emerged was completely overwhelmed by comparison.

Bei Yao instinctively wanted to retreat, but over ten years of habit made her feet remain rooted to the spot.

Pei Chuan lowered his eyes, lips slightly curved: “Look at yourself. Clearly afraid, so why don’t you leave?”

Bei Yao said: “I don’t want to talk to you. You’re very strange today.” She didn’t deny that she was indeed somewhat afraid. Yesterday’s phone call with Wei Wan had made her understand many things. The many bad things from childhood—could it be that he had done them all?

Bei Yao steeled herself to meet his eyes. His hand pressed against the back of her head as he lowered his face.

“Smack”—both of them froze.

Pei Chuan’s face was turned to the side. He pressed his lips together.

Bei Yao was both angry and frightened: “What are you trying to do?”

Pei Chuan clicked his tongue. In all these years of growing up, this girl had always protected him the best. She had used every bit of pity and kindness to grow up together with him. This was the first time she had raised her hand against him.

September’s wind blew, and he felt slightly cold.

Everyone else had gone to class. Only he and Bei Yao stood at the bus stop. Route 75 pulled up steadily. The driver glanced at them: “Students, getting on or not?”

Seeing the dripping wet Pei Chuan, he closed his mouth in shock. What kind of situation was this?

Bei Yao was extremely embarrassed. She hid her hand behind her back, somewhat wanting to cry.

Bei Yao said: “Uncle Driver, this isn’t our bus. You can go.”

The bus drove away.

Bei Yao also couldn’t stay any longer. Though her personality was gentle, her face wasn’t thick-skinned. Just now, Pei Chuan’s action reminded her of that night when he was drunk, his burning thin lips brushing past her fingers.

At the time, she thought he had mistaken her for someone else. As people grew day by day, high walls erected beyond friendship, and love moved in. One day she would eventually withdraw from his life, letting him seek the person he liked, leaving a wide path for his love. So whether it was Wei Wan or anyone else, as long as he liked them, that was fine.

But with one slap, it was as if Pei Chuan had forced her to brutally tear away the fig leaf.

Bei Yao pressed her lips together: “I’m going home.”

Standing together with him any longer would make her feel suffocated.

Pei Chuan said: “How about it—feel good hitting me?”

Bei Yao glared at him angrily.

Instead, he smiled: “Mm? Speak. You’ve endured grievances for many years, haven’t you?”

Bei Yao was extremely annoyed. She wished even more that he would stop smiling. The person before her eyes was like the Pei Chuan in the forum photos Chen Feifei had sent her—strange and wild. Not likable at all, his smile fake as death.

She turned and walked away.

Fallen leaves on September’s tree branches spun in a circle, drifting down beside her.

His smile gradually faded. Watching her retreating figure, it slowly became his usual cold expression.

“Bei Yao.” He said softly, “Can we pretend nothing happened?”

She had walked fairly far and didn’t hear his words.

His wet hair no longer dripped water. Pei Chuan turned around and punched the ginkgo tree behind him.

Pei Chuan closed his eyes. He hadn’t truly wanted to kiss her.

He knew he wasn’t worthy. She would find it disgusting.

However, he no longer needed this kind of superficially peaceful friendship. He even hated this kind of friendship. Well, what use was it? His forceful tearing of the relationship was actually anticipating Bei Yao’s reaction.

But she was angry, alarmed.

So it turned out that something like “liking”—even the most adorable, gentle girl wouldn’t bestow it as charity the way she did friendship.