The sound of raindrops hitting the corridor railings was like a string of scattered glass beads. Bai Zhiye stood at the exit of the teaching building, the damp wind blowing raindrops into her face, carrying with it the unique summer heat and the smell of earth.
She counted the splashes of water on the ground, and when she reached the thirty-seventh drop, the sky above her head suddenly darkened.
"You didn't bring an umbrella?"
The sound came from behind, like a piece of ice dropped into a carbonated drink, with a subtle bubbling sound. When Bai Zhiye turned around, the tip of her nose almost brushed against the other person's chin.
Ye Qingliu stood there holding a black long-handled umbrella. The ribs of the umbrella vibrated slightly in the wind and rain, making a metallic humming sound.
"Yeah." Bai Zhiye looked down at her wet canvas shoes. There was a crape myrtle petal on the toe that had fallen off in the rain.
The umbrella suddenly tilted fifteen degrees, and the scent of cedar and lemongrass mixed with the smell of rain enveloped me.
Ye Qingliu put his left hand in his trouser pocket and held the umbrella handle firmly with his right hand. There was a fresh pen watermark on the joint of his little finger, which was blue-black, like a butterfly flapping its wings and about to fly.
"Walk."
He started walking as soon as he said this, and Bai Zhiye had to jog a few steps to catch up. The umbrella wasn't very big, so the two of them had to get very close.
She smelled a faint scent of ink on him besides the scent of cedar, which should have been picked up when he was writing the lab report in the afternoon chemistry class.
Ye Qingliu walked with his back straight, his shoulder blades faintly visible under his wet shirt, like two folded wings.
"You didn't bring an umbrella again?" He suddenly repeated the question, his gray-blue eyes scanning her thin summer school uniform.
She was about to answer when a gust of wind suddenly blew through and lifted up a corner of the umbrella.
Ye Qingliu quickly adjusted his grip, and the arc of his wrist rotation reminded Bai Zhiye of the way he twirled a pen when solving math problems.
In the blink of an eye, her left shoulder was soaked. The cotton fabric stuck to her skin, making her shiver.
"Stupid." Ye Qingliu frowned and tilted the umbrella towards her. This action exposed most of his right shoulder to the rain, and his white shirt immediately became translucent, revealing the faint outline of his shoulder blade.
The rain dripped down his hair and landed on the back of her hand, hotter than she had imagined.
Bai Zhiye sneaked up on him and accidentally stepped on him with her canvas shoes. Ye Qingliu's body suddenly froze, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the umbrella, and his breathing suddenly became heavy amidst the sound of rain.
When she looked up at him, she found that the tips of his ears were so red that blood seemed to be dripping out, and the water droplets hanging on his eyelashes rolled down like tiny diamonds as he blinked.
"If you forget to bring an umbrella again tomorrow," he said in a voice lower than usual, with a hint of nasal twang, "I'll leave you in the rain."
Bai Zhiye smiled and deliberately leaned closer to him.
The ribs of the umbrella hurt her shoulders, but she could hear his rapid heartbeat in his chest, mixed with the crackling sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella, like a discordant song.
As they passed the basketball court, Ye Qingliu suddenly leaned towards her, blocking the rain curtain blown by the wind. This action soaked his entire back, and his shirt stuck to his skin, and the lines of his spine were clearly visible.
The automatic door of the convenience store slid open with a "ding" sound, and warm yellow light flowed out like melted honey.
Bai Zhiye pulled Ye Qingliu's sleeve and walked inside. Her fingertips touched his wet cufflinks, and the coolness of the metal made her shiver.
"Let go." Ye Qingliu said this, but his arms bent into an arc suitable for her to grasp.
He folded the umbrella with smooth movements. The long-handled black umbrella turned a beautiful arc between his wrists, and the water droplets fell in a fan shape into the puddle outside the door, without a drop splashing on the two of them.
Bai Zhiye stood on tiptoe to touch the water droplets on the ends of his hair: "Qingliu, your hair is dripping."
"Stop it." Ye Qingliu lowered his head slightly, just enough so she could touch his hair. Tiny water droplets still clung to his eyelashes, reflecting tiny glints of light under the light. His gray-blue eyes were like glaciers washed by rain.
The lady behind the counter greeted with a smile: "Today we have a special strawberry daifuku for couples. Would you like to try it?"
Bai Zhiye could clearly sense Ye Qingliu's breathing stagnate for a moment. The tips of his ears were visibly turning pink, but he maintained his expression of keeping strangers away, only his Adam's apple rolled unnaturally.
"Oden." His voice was an octave lower than usual, his slender fingers unconsciously stroking the umbrella handle, his knuckles still stained with blue ink from the afternoon chemistry class.
Bai Zhiye leaned against his back maliciously, resting her chin on his shoulder: "Qingliu, your ears are red."
"Shut up." Ye Qingliu's ears turned even redder, but he let her cling to him like a koala. He walked towards the oden counter more slowly than usual, as if to accommodate her pace.
Inside the glass counter, a milky white soup base bubbled up and down. Ye Qingliu held the tongs like he was writing, the curve of his wrist bone perfectly balanced.
Bai Zhiye stared at his profile as he selected ingredients - when he chose fish balls, he would poke them to confirm their elasticity, when he picked kelp knots, he had to make sure they were in perfect bow shape, and the white radish had to be cut into standard pieces 3 cm thick.
"Here." The paper cup he handed over was just the right temperature, with the fish balls placed in the center, the kelp knot on the left, and the white radish on the right, like a carefully composed sketch.
Bai Zhiye deliberately poked the fish balls he had picked out with a bamboo stick: "Qingliu is so exquisite."
"This is called basic etiquette." Ye Qingliu bit off a small piece of radish. His cheeks bulged slightly as he chewed, and his Adam's apple rolled gently as he swallowed.
It was clearly the most ordinary oden, but he made it taste as elegant as a Michelin three-star dish.
The lady at the counter suddenly interrupted with a smile: "I'll give you a strawberry daifuku~"
Ye Qingliu's hand trembled, and the kelp knot fell back into the soup pot. Bai Zhiye took the opportunity to grab his wrist and felt his pulse beating rapidly.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
