Chapter 5

The torrential rain came without warning. Raindrops hammered against the ground, splashing into layers of ripples as though violently venting some pent-up emotion, each drop striking with force. The students hurriedly opened their umbrellas, complaining about the ridiculous weather that could change without warning. Yuwen Jian walked beside Ji Xian, holding an umbrella over him. He sneered disdainfully. “I knew it. Qiao Zhen must be trying to play hard to get. That’s hilarious.” Another boy snorted. “Do you really think she can hold out? I bet she’ll come running back within a week, begging for his attention.” “A week? I say two days at most!” Their mocking laughter was gradually drowned out by the pounding rain. The sky grew darker as thick clouds recklessly blanketed the earth. Ji Xian suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression freezing in an instant. The boys followed his gaze. In the distance, a young man and woman were sharing a black umbrella, their shoulders pressed closely together as they smiled at each other, looking just like a couple deeply in love. The heavy rain cast a hazy filter over them, making the scene seem vaguely intimate and tender. When everyone took a closer look, their eyes widened. Wasn’t that... Qiao Zhen and Qin Yichi?! Silence fell over the group. After a moment, Yuwen Jian narrowed his eyes. “Well, well. She’s really committing to the act. That’s quite a clever little trick.” “Exactly! Young Master Ji, you absolutely cannot fall for it!” Everyone knew Qiao Zhen was obedient, gentle, and easy to bully. She had chased Ji Xian desperately for so many years, and now that she had finally realized there was no hope, they figured she was trying to play a few petty mind games. They all came from wealthy families and had seen plenty of these cheap little tricks. Ji Xian stood motionless, his expression cold and distant. His face was even gloomier than the storm clouds overhead. After a moment, he turned around expressionlessly and walked away. The others quickly followed... The rain grew heavier. The torrential downpour came crashing down like a waterfall, mercilessly pounding the ground. Qiao Zhen’s dormitory was quite far from the cafeteria, and it was also in a completely different direction from Qin Yichi’s dorm. Seeing that she hadn’t brought an umbrella, Qin Yichi happened to walk her back. Even beneath the umbrella, countless raindrops were blown sideways by the wind, splattering onto Qiao Zhen’s clothes and hair. She pressed herself closely against Qin Yichi, almost completely leaning against him. Qiao Zhen looked up at the umbrella over Qin Yichi’s head before obediently lowering her gaze again. She was only 164 centimeters tall, while Qin Yichi was a full 186 centimeters. The difference in height made it difficult to share the umbrella properly. Almost the entire umbrella was positioned over Qin Yichi’s head! Suddenly, Qin Yichi extended his arm toward her. His voice was low and husky. “Link your arm with mine.” Qiao Zhen froze for a moment before slowly looking up, confusion in her eyes. “What?” Qin Yichi repeated seriously, “Link your arm with mine.” Qiao Zhen nearly stumbled. They were both at that age when boys and girls were becoming increasingly conscious of such things. Wasn’t doing this a little... Yet Qin Yichi seemed completely unconcerned. He lazily said, “The rain is heavy. It’ll be easier for us to walk like this. Don’t girls usually link arms like this?” Qiao Zhen lowered her head without saying a word, but inwardly, she was screaming. Ugh! You big dummy! You know that’s something girls do with each other! When do male and female classmates ever walk around arm in arm? ◍⁰ᯅ⁰◍ At that moment, Qin Yichi seemed to remember something and suddenly chuckled. “You used to cling to my arm and neck all the time. I couldn’t shake you off no matter what I did. You even said you were going to strangle me to death and peel off a layer of my skin. Did you forget all that?” Qiao Zhen: “……” Those were things they had done when they were little. How did he remember them so clearly? Qiao Zhen looked up and unexpectedly met Qin Yichi’s deep, dark eyes. He happened to have his head slightly tilted, his obsidian-like eyes gleaming with light. They looked as though a beautiful, scorching spark had been ignited within them—mesmerizing and alluring. Perhaps she was genuinely afraid of getting soaked by the rain. Qiao Zhen softly hummed in response and, almost as if possessed, reached out her hand. She linked her arm with his and pressed herself tightly against him. The distance between them became even smaller, and the scent of the young man slowly drifted toward her, surrounding her layer by layer. Qiao Zhen lowered her head to watch the road, carefully avoiding the puddles. Her arm felt strangely stiff. So close. She was so close to him. Qiao Zhen blinked and suddenly noticed that the umbrella handle had tilted. And it was tilted toward her, keeping more of the rain from splashing onto her. Silently, Qiao Zhen reached out and straightened the umbrella. But before long, the large umbrella gradually tilted toward her again. “...?” Just as Qiao Zhen reached out for the second time to straighten it— Qin Yichi suddenly spoke. “What’s wrong?” Qiao Zhen’s arm stiffened around his. She said softly, “You’re holding the umbrella at an angle. You’ll get wet.” Qin Yichi casually replied, “Oh. As long as you don’t get wet.” He paused, then added nonchalantly, “I just like getting rained on.” ??? Qiao Zhen was just about to say something when she suddenly felt that the scene looked strangely familiar. The next second, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her head. Her thoughts became a chaotic mess, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. All strength instantly drained from her body, and she collapsed toward Qin Yichi. It was as though the memories from her previous life had surfaced once again... —————— In her previous life, on a gloomy night, Qiao Zhen had just finished her twenty-third birthday concert. At long last, she received a birthday message from Ji Xian. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she excitedly opened their chat. The next instant, she felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss. **[She’s back in the country. I have to go pick her up.]** The moment the cold message appeared, every single word stabbed deeply into her eyes. Qiao Zhen’s face stiffened. Her gaze went blank, and a painful tightness formed around the tip of her nose. Her heart felt as though an enormous hand had seized it tightly, making it difficult to breathe. The “she” he was referring to was the eldest daughter of the Yu family, Ji Xian’s childhood sweetheart whom he had known since childhood. She was beautiful and radiant, and her family was perfectly matched with his in status. Even though Qiao Zhen knew Ji Xian didn’t actually like this childhood sweetheart, and even though she knew he was only maintaining contact with her because he wanted to cooperate with the Yu family, Qiao Zhen’s eyes still reddened when she saw the message. Bitterness spread through her heart, eventually turning into a mist of tears in her eyes. It had always been her taking the initiative. She was always the one who reached for his hand first, sent him messages first, asked him out first, apologized and lowered her head first, followed behind him first, confessed her feelings first... Even after they started dating, nothing had really changed. Whenever she became disheartened, Ji Xian would give her the slightest response, the tiniest glimmer of hope. As though perhaps, just perhaps, he did like her a little. But if you truly loved someone, you wouldn’t allow the people around you to mock and humiliate them. If you truly loved someone, you wouldn’t belittle their career or dreams. If you truly loved someone, you wouldn’t subject them to prolonged cold treatment... Qiao Zhen could barely breathe. Every step felt heavy and exhausting. After a long while, she finally moved her stiff fingers and typed on the screen: **[You broke your promise again.]** That single word—“again”—represented far too many broken promises. Her phone buzzed. Ji Xian’s message suddenly appeared before her eyes. **[Stop being unreasonable.]** Stop being unreasonable. Of course. That was exactly the kind of reply he would give. Ji Xian seemed as though he had never cared about her feelings. Not once. Over time, her disappointment and grievances accumulated little by little, like drops of water that, without her realizing it, eventually formed a river and merged into an ocean. Ji Xian’s indifference. His mother’s disdain. His friends’ ridicule. And all those countless cold, piercing nights... They had extinguished every bit of warmth and enthusiasm in her heart. Countless emotions surged within Qiao Zhen like stormy waves. She clenched her fingers and let out a mocking smile. **[Let’s break up.]** From anticipation to disappointment. From burning passion to ashes. From love to weariness. All of it had accumulated little by little... “BOOM!” A clap of thunder exploded overhead, and the sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour. The rain struck her face mercilessly, cold enough to pierce straight through her heart. The next second, a red car came speeding toward her, its blinding headlights flashing as it accelerated, almost crashing directly into her. Qiao Zhen froze, her face turning deathly pale. Her throat was dry and raw. Her vision blurred as though she had fallen into an abyss she could not escape. In an instant, someone tightly wrapped their arms around her from behind and suddenly dragged her forward at a frantic pace, nearly pressing her completely against his chest. The red car narrowly brushed past them. Qiao Zhen’s head spun as she found herself enveloped in a hot, warm embrace. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face only inches away. She froze, her voice choking with emotion. “Qin... Yichi...” The air seemed to freeze in that instant, as though the entire world had been reduced to just the two of them. Qin Yichi’s entire face was tense. He held her tightly around the waist and stood there, taking a deep breath as though he had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to say it. After a long silence, he finally released her. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Long time no see.” Qiao Zhen’s eyes were red. “Long time no see.” After she started dating Ji Xian, she had gone a very, very long time without contacting Qin Yichi. After graduation, they never saw each other again. She had only occasionally come across news on her phone about Qin Yichi winning motorcycle racing championships. Qin Yichi picked up the black umbrella from the ground and held it over her head. His gaze was deep and restrained. “I was passing by, so I came to watch your concert.” Amid the raging wind and rain, the umbrella remained tilted toward Qiao Zhen. Qin Yichi paused, his throat dry. With great restraint, he leaned toward her ear and whispered a birthday wish. At that moment, the tears Qiao Zhen had been desperately holding back finally fell. She had waited all day, filled with anticipation, only to receive no birthday wishes from Ji Xian. Yet she heard, with her own ears, the birthday wish of Qin Yichi, whom she had not seen for so many years. “Happy birthday, Qiao Zhen.” —————— “Ah...” This memory was even clearer and more vivid than the fragments she had seen in her earlier dreams. The dizziness gradually faded, leaving Qiao Zhen with a complicated feeling she could not put into words. The emotions from her previous life surged into her heart. Her nose stung, and she looked up at Qin Yichi. Her eyes slowly reddened, and tears began falling one after another like strings of pearls. The Qin Yichi who was now a freshman in college and the Qin Yichi who would one day become an Asian champion somehow overlapped in this moment. So it turned out... The person who had always tilted his umbrella toward her had been him all along.