The rainstorm came without warning, raindrops slamming viciously against the ground, splashing up layers of spray—as if venting some kind of emotion with resounding force.
Students scrambled to open their umbrellas, complaining about the unpredictable, lousy weather.
Yuwen Jian walked beside Ji Xian, holding an umbrella over him, and sneered dismissively: “I get it now—Qiao Zhen’s trying to play hard to get, right? What a joke.”
Another guy chimed in with a cold snort: “Can she really hold out? I bet she’ll come running back within a week, all desperate.”
“A week? I’d say two days at most!”
The jeering laughter gradually drowned in the patter of rain. The sky grew heavier, dark clouds shrouding the earth with reckless abandon.
Ji Xian suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression freezing in an instant.
The guys followed his gaze.
In the distance, a man and a woman shared a black umbrella, shoulders pressed close, smiling at each other—like a young couple in the throes of a passionate romance.
The heavy rain cast a hazy, dreamlike filter over them, lending the scene an air of ambiguous tenderness.
When the group looked more carefully, their eyes went wide.
That… that was Qiao Zhen and Qin Yichi?!
A sudden silence fell.
After a moment, Yuwen Jian narrowed his eyes: “Well, well. Impressive. Going all in on the act—quite the clever tactic.”
“Exactly. Ji, don’t you dare fall for it!”
Everyone knew Qiao Zhen was obedient, docile, and easy to push around. She’d chased after Ji Xian for years, and now that it was clearly going nowhere, she was probably trying some petty tricks.
They all came from wealthy families—they’d seen this kind of low-grade scheme far too many times.
Ji Xian stood rooted to the spot, unmoving, his gaze cold and aloof, his expression darker than the storm clouds overhead.
A moment later, he turned and walked away without a trace of emotion. The others fell into step behind him…
The rain grew even heavier.
A torrential downpour surged down, lashing the ground mercilessly like a waterfall.
Qiao Zhen’s dormitory was quite far from the cafeteria, and it wasn’t in the same direction as Qin Yichi’s building either.
Seeing that she hadn’t brought an umbrella, Qin Yichi happened to offer to walk her back.
Even under the umbrella, countless raindrops blew in with the wind, soaking Qiao Zhen’s clothes and hair.
She pressed close against Qin Yichi, practically plastered to his side.
Qiao Zhen glanced up at the umbrella above Qin Yichi’s head, then obediently lowered her gaze.
She was 164 centimeters tall, but Qin Yichi was a full 186! Their heights didn’t match at all—the big umbrella was practically hovering over Qin Yichi’s head!
Suddenly, Qin Yichi extended his arm toward her, his voice low and husky:
“Hold onto me.”
Qiao Zhen froze, slowly lifting her head with a bewildered look: “What?”
Qin Yichi repeated seriously: “Hold onto me.”
Qiao Zhen nearly stumbled to the ground.
They were both teenagers at that age now—wasn’t this a bit…
But Qin Yichi didn’t seem to care in the slightest. He said lazily:
“The rain’s heavy. This way it’s easier to walk together. Don’t you girls always link arms like this?”
Qiao Zhen lowered her head without a word, but inside she was frantically clawing at her own face.
Ugh, you big idiot—he knows that’s between girls!
Since when do a boy and a girl walk arm in arm?
Just then, Qin Yichi seemed to think of something and let out a soft chuckle:
“You used to cling to my arm and my neck all the time, and no matter how I tried, I couldn’t shake you off. You said you’d strangle me, and you’d peel a layer of skin off me too—forgot all that?”
Qiao Zhen: “…”
That was when they were kids.
Why does he always remember things so clearly?
Qiao Zhen looked up and unexpectedly found herself caught in Qin Yichi’s deep, dark eyes.
He happened to be tilting his head, his obsidian-like eyes shimmering with light, as if a beautiful, blazing spark had ignited within them—both alluring and seductive.
Probably genuinely afraid of getting rained on, Qiao Zhen let out a soft “mm” and, as if possessed, reached out her hand.
She linked her arm through his, pressing close against him.
The distance grew even closer, and the young man’s scent drifted over, wrapping around her in wisps and strands.
Qiao Zhen kept her head down to watch the path, avoiding puddles, her arm feeling somewhat stiff.
So close.
She was so close to him.
Qiao Zhen blinked and suddenly noticed that the umbrella handle in front of her was tilted.
And it was tilted toward her direction, shielding more rain from drifting onto her.
Qiao Zhen silently reached out and straightened the umbrella.
But before long, the large umbrella gradually tilted toward her again.
“…?”
Just as Qiao Zhen reached out a second time to straighten it—
Qin Yichi suddenly spoke up: “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Zhen’s arm, linked with his, stiffened, and she said softly, “Your umbrella is tilted. You’ll get wet.”
Qin Yichi gave a faint “oh” and said, “As long as you’re not wet, it’s fine.”
He paused, then added casually, “I just like getting rained on.”
???
Qiao Zhen was about to say something when she suddenly felt this scene was somewhat familiar.
The next second, a sharp pain shot through her head, her mind plunged into utter chaos, and a buzzing sound filled her ears.
Her entire body lost all strength in an instant, and she collapsed into Qin Yichi’s arms.
In her mind, it seemed to be those memories from her past life again…
In her past life, on a gloomy evening, Qiao Zhen had just finished her 23rd birthday concert and finally received Ji Xian’s birthday wishes.
Her heart pounded wildly as she opened the chat window full of anticipation. The next moment, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
【She’s back in the country. I need to go pick her up.】
The moment that cold message popped up, every word pierced deeply into her eyes.
Qiao Zhen’s face stiffened, her gaze vacant, a sour ache gathering at the tip of her nose. Her heart felt as if a giant hand had seized it tightly, squeezing the breath out of her.
This “she” was the eldest daughter of the Yu family—Ji Xian’s childhood friend who had known him since they were young. She was radiant and captivating, and she matched him in status and family background.
Upon seeing the message, even though she knew Ji Xian didn’t actually like this childhood friend, even though she knew Ji Xian was only doing it for the partnership with the Yu family, Qiao Zhen’s eyes still reddened.
Bitterness spread through her heart, brewing into a mist of tears in her eyes.
It was always her who took the initiative.
It was always her who reached for his hand first, who sent messages first, who asked him out first, who admitted fault and lowered her head first, who followed behind him first, who confessed first…
They were dating, yet nothing had changed from before.
Whenever she grew disheartened, Ji Xian would give her just a tiny bit of response, a sliver of hope.
As if he did have a little bit of affection for her.
But if someone truly loved another, they wouldn’t let those around them mock and humiliate that person;
If someone truly loved another, they wouldn’t belittle that person’s career and dreams;
If someone truly loved another, they wouldn’t subject them to prolonged cold indifference…
Qiao Zhen could barely breathe. Her steps grew heavy and weary. After a long pause, she finally moved her stiff fingers and typed on the screen: 【You broke your promise again】
This “again” had happened far, far too many times.
Her phone buzzed, and Ji Xian’s message abruptly burst into her view:
【Don’t make a fuss over nothing.】
Making a fuss over nothing.
Of course, that was the reply.
Ji Xian, it seemed, never cared about her feelings.
Never had.
Over time, disappointment and grievance accumulated bit by bit, like drops of water that, unnoticed, coalesced into a river and merged into a vast ocean.
It was Ji Xian’s coldness, his mother’s disdain, his friends’ mockery, and so many bone-chillingly cold nights…
They extinguished all her passion.
Countless emotions surged within Qiao Zhen, churning like towering waves. She clenched her fingers and revealed a faint, mocking smile:
【Let’s break up.】
From anticipation to disappointment.
From burning to extinguishing.
From affection to weariness.
They all accumulated slowly…
A thunderclap boomed, and suddenly a torrential rain poured from the sky, raindrops mercilessly striking her face, piercing to the bone and heart.
The next second, a red sedan flashed with blinding lights, accelerating toward her, almost rushing into her face.
Qiao Zhen’s body stiffened, her face turning pale.
Her throat was parched, her vision blurry, as if she were falling into an abyss from which she could hardly escape.
In an instant, someone hugged her tightly from behind, sprinting forward with her, pressing her almost into their embrace.
They brushed past the red sedan.
Qiao Zhen felt dizzy, sinking into a scorching, warm embrace. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face, inches away.
She froze, her voice choked: “Qin… Yichi…”
The air seemed to freeze in that moment, as if only the two of them existed in the world.
Qin Yichi’s face was taut, his arm around her waist. He stood still, took a deep breath, and seemed to want to speak but hesitated.
After a long silence, he finally let go, his voice somewhat hoarse: “Long time no see.”
Qiao Zhen’s eyes reddened: “Long time no see.”
Ever since she got together with Ji Xian, it had been a very, very long time since she had contacted Qin Yichi. After graduation, the two had never met again.
She had only seen news of Qin Yichi winning the motorcycle championship on her phone.
Qin Yichi picked up the black umbrella from the ground and held it over her head, his gaze deep and restrained:
“I happened to be passing by, so I came to see your concert.”
Under the raging wind and rain, the umbrella handle remained tilted toward Qiao Zhen the whole time.
Qin Yichi paused, his throat dry, and with extreme restraint, whispered a blessing by her ear.
In that moment, Qiao Zhen’s forcibly held-back tears finally fell, betraying her.
She had waited all day with eager anticipation, yet never received a blessing from Ji Xian.
But she heard with her own ears Qin Yichi, whom she hadn’t seen for years, say to her:
“Happy birthday, Qiao Zhen.”
“Ah…”
This was a memory clearer and more detailed than the ones in her previous dreams.
Qiao Zhen’s dizziness gradually faded, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside her.
The emotions from her past life surged into her heart, and she unconsciously felt her nose sting. She looked up at Qin Yichi, her eyes slowly turning red, tears falling drop by drop like a string of pearls.
Qin Yichi, now a freshman in college, and Qin Yichi, who would grow up to win the Asian championship, miraculously overlapped in this moment.
So, the one who had always tilted the umbrella for her… had been him all along…