Ah Yu then remembered that they had come to pick up the newly arrived drone equipment. The box was still at his feet, wrapped tightly in a plastic bag by Zhong Hua. "Is the equipment wet?" He bent down to check, but Zhong Hua squatted down first, pinching the edge of the plastic bag and examining it carefully: "It's sealed, it's fine."
He squatted on the ground somewhat awkwardly; because he was tall, his knees almost touched his chin, and the collar of his T-shirt had slipped down a bit, revealing a shallow scar on his collarbone. Ah Yu suddenly remembered the origin of this scar—during their junior year, when they were shooting their graduation project, they went to the mountains to photograph a waterfall. Ah Yu almost fell while trying to find the best angle, but Zhong Hua reached out and grabbed him, only to be cut by a nearby rock and bleed profusely. Lin Wanqing pulled out a band-aid from her bag, scolding the two of them for being reckless, while carefully bandaging Zhong Hua's wound.
The blood was hot then, mixed with the mountain dew, dripping onto Zhong Hua's white T-shirt like a striking red rose. Ah Yu was so frightened that his hands trembled, but Zhong Hua patted him on the back and said, "It's okay, it's just a minor injury, it won't affect your ability to hold the camera."
"What are you thinking about?" Lin Wanqing waved her finger in front of Ah Yu's eyes. "You're staring blankly."
Ah Yu snapped out of her daze and realized she was staring at Zhong Hua's collarbone. She hurriedly looked away and pretended to be studying the camera settings: "N-nothing, just checking if the lens got wet."
Zhong Hua had just stood up when he heard this. He reached out to take the camera to check it, but Ah Yu dodged backward like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and ended up bumping into the canvas tent support behind her with a dull thud.
"You're so clumsy." Zhong Hua frowned and helped him up, placing his palm on his back and gently rubbing it. "Did you hurt yourself?"
"No!" Ah Yu's voice was a little muffled, but her cheeks were burning even hotter. Lin Wanqing laughed so hard her shoulders shook, and took out a bottle of iodine from her bag and handed it to her: "Here, just in case. You two, you're never a cause for worry when you're together."
Zhong Hua took the iodine, unscrewed the cap, and was about to apply it to Ah Yu's neck when Ah Yu jumped away, saying, "I'll do it myself!" He snatched the iodine bottle, but his finger accidentally touched the rim, getting some orange-yellow liquid on it. Just as he was about to wipe it on his pants, Zhong Hua pulled out a wet wipe and handed it to him.
"Wipe it clean, don't get it on your clothes." His tone remained calm, but his eyes followed Ah Yu's fingers until he saw the orange-yellow stain being wiped away, then he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and looked away.
The rain gradually subsided, no longer pouring down, but turning into fine, dense raindrops, slanting across the sky. Sunlight, seemingly out of nowhere, peeked through the clouds, gilding the raindrops with a golden edge, making them dazzlingly bright on the puddled pavement.
“You can walk now.” Zhong Hua picked up the equipment case, tested its weight, and moved it closer to himself, clearly intending to carry it himself. Ah Yu was about to say, “Let me help you,” when she saw him already bend down and hoist the case onto his shoulder, leaving a shallow mark on his white T-shirt.
"Let's go, to the subway entrance." Lin Wanqing gave Ah Yu a push and gestured towards Zhong Hua's direction with her chin. "Follow your personal bodyguard."
Ah Yu said "Oh," and quickly followed, walking to Zhong Hua's right, deliberately leaning towards the side of him that wasn't wet from the rain. Zhong Hua seemed to notice, slowing his pace to make it easier for her to keep up. Sunlight filtered through the raindrops, casting long shadows that pressed tightly together on the wet ground, like two intertwined vines.
Ah Yu looked down at his shadow on the ground and suddenly remembered the photo he had taken under the canvas awning earlier. He quietly took out his camera, switched to browsing mode, and on the screen, Zhong Hua's profile, outlined by warm light, was silhouetted against the rain curtain. Water droplets glistened on his eyelashes, and there was something indescribable in his eyes, like sugar softened by the rain, sweet in a subtle way.
He set this photo as his screensaver, his finger lightly touching Zhong Hua's cheek on the screen. A thought suddenly popped into his mind: perhaps this torrential rain that trapped them wasn't an accident. Just like the rain that fell for the lotus flowers in college, just like the wind carrying salt grains by Qinghai Lake, it was all to give certain gentleness hidden in the everyday a chance to quietly emerge.
The wind swept the last wisps of rain across the street corner. Ah Yu pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders, smelling the scent of soap mixed with the aroma of sunshine. He looked up at Zhong Hua walking ahead and saw him slightly tilting his head, as if waiting for him to catch up. Sunlight fell on the tips of his hair, giving them a pale golden hue, like a sprinkle of crushed sugar.
Ah Yu quickened her pace to catch up, deliberately bumping Zhong Hua's arm with her shoulder.
"What?" Zhong Hua turned his head, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"It's nothing," Ah Yu said with a smile, waving her camera and pointing the lens at the rain curtain illuminated by the sunlight. "Let's take a group photo to commemorate this rain."
Zhong Hua paused for a moment, then nodded, moving closer to Lin Wanqing to make room for Ah Yu. Ah Yu ran to the middle of them, raised his camera, and just as he pressed the shutter, he felt Zhong Hua's hand gently touch his back, as if to say, "Stand firm."
In the photo, the three smiling faces are enveloped in sunlight and raindrops, against a backdrop of wet streets and a shimmering sky. Looking at the screen, Ah Yu suddenly felt that this half-hour under the eaves was more precious than any meticulously planned photoshoot. Because some moments can only be captured in unexpected instants, revealing the warmth hidden in the rain, the wind, and in the eyes—like the roots of a plant, quietly and deeply embedded in unseen places.
He put his camera back in his bag, and when he looked up, he met Zhong Hua's gaze. Sunlight shone into his pupils, making them shine like a starry sky.
"I'm leaving," Zhong Hua said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Mm," Ah Yu replied, quickening his pace to catch up. This time, he didn't fall behind.
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