Stars in the rain
When the red typhoon warning signal was issued, Ayu was adjusting his camera settings under the arcades of the old town. The iron lanterns on the eaves rattled in the wind, and the rain slanted down, weaving silver threads that blurred the blue brick wall opposite, creating varying shades of ink painting. He had just switched to a wide-angle lens, trying to capture the upturned eaves through the rain curtain, when a sudden gust of wind whipped his trouser legs up to his calves.
"Ayu!"
Zhong Hua's voice pierced through the rain as A Yu was tiptoeing out of the arcade. The moment he turned around, a gust of wind, carrying large raindrops, lashed out. The plaid umbrella in his hand, which he had used for three years, groaned under the weight. The ribs snapped in half with a "crack" like a broken tree branch, and a section of the umbrella collapsed, rainwater pouring down onto his camera bag through the tear.
"Take it." Zhong Hua strode up to him and shoved the black umbrella in his hand into his arms. It was a heavy, long-handled umbrella with thickened alloy ribs, as steady as a rock in the gale. Before A Yu could react, Zhong Hua turned around and took another umbrella from the person behind him—a folding umbrella that rolled into a thin tube when closed, but when opened, it revealed a full bloom of pink and white roses, which stood out starkly against the gray rain.
“Zhong is walking through a flower garden today.” Lin Wanqing followed behind, holding her phone with the camera steadily pointed at Zhong Hua’s back. “I’m going to post this in the project group so everyone can see that our meticulous and rigid structural engineer also has a tender side.”
Zhong Hua didn't turn around. His left hand pressed firmly against the rolled-up umbrella, while his right hand naturally reached out to gently support A Yu's swaying camera bag. "Hold on tight to the umbrella, don't let the lens get wet." His thumb brushed against the loose buckle on the bag strap, his fingertips cool from the rain, sliding down the canvas texture to tighten the loose strap round and round.
Ayu's fingers tightened around the black umbrella. The umbrella was enormous; its brim could almost cover two people, but Zhong Hua deliberately stood half a step to her side, so the brim of the floral umbrella only covered her shoulders. The wind blew sideways, causing the floral umbrella to tumble and swirl like a lotus leaf pressed into water. Each time Zhong Hua pressed it down, the ribs creaked softly, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
"How about we switch back?" Ayu leaned closer to him, the edge of the black umbrella over Zhong Hua's shoulder, shielding him from the slanting raindrops. The camera bag felt heavy in his arms, the canvas that had just been soaked now stained with dark marks. He could feel Zhong Hua's hand still lingering on the bag strap, his fingertips occasionally brushing against the back of his hand, like a drop of cool rain.
“It’s alright.” Zhong Hua tied the bag strap neatly in front of him. “Your camera is more valuable than mine.” He spoke with his head down, the stray hairs on his forehead damp with rain, clinging to his full forehead. The edge of the floral umbrella drooped down, just enough to obscure his eyebrows and eyes. Only when he occasionally looked up could Ayu catch a glimpse of the water droplets clinging to his eyelashes, shimmering in the gloomy light.
Lin Wanqing was still holding up her phone and muttering to herself, "Speaking of which, Ayu, you're really going all out. You insisted on filming the drainage system of an old building during a typhoon. Did you see the video that was posted in the supervision group yesterday? The drainage pipes of that old Republican-era building in the west of the city were blocked by leaves, and the second-floor balcony turned into a waterfall. Luckily, Engineer Zhong insisted on having the construction team replace the downpipes with thicker ones last week..."
Ayu hummed in agreement, but her gaze involuntarily fell on Zhong Hua's hand gripping the umbrella handle. It was a hand that had been used for years to hold drawing pens and measuring instruments; the knuckles were distinct, and there was a light brown callus between the thumb and forefinger, supposedly from constantly using compasses to draw structural diagrams during his university years. At this moment, his fingertips were white from the force of his grip, and rainwater seeped between his fingers, dripping down the umbrella handle and forming small puddles on the watch face of his wrist.
They were going to survey the old bank building on the street corner, built in the 1930s. The red brick walls, washed by the rain, revealed a warm, dark red hue. Zhong Hua walked along, glancing up at the gutters under the eaves, but his steps were always a beat slower than A Yu's, as if deliberately matching his pace. Suddenly, the wind changed direction, and the floral umbrella flipped upwards sharply. Zhong Hua instinctively reached out to press it down, and the water droplets kicked up by the umbrella splattered onto his neck. He merely frowned and tightened his grip on A Yu's camera bag.
"Mr. Zhong, your umbrella is no good." Lin Wanqing caught up with him and brought her phone camera close to the rose that had been deformed by the wind. "I should have let you take my big umbrella. This little broken umbrella of mine is only good as a prop when filming videos."
"No need." Zhong Hua turned to the side, shielding A Yu behind him. The wind and rain lashed against his back, and the floral umbrella flipped up again, revealing the words "Anniversary Gift from [Shopping Mall Name]" printed inside. Only then did A Yu realize that this umbrella was actually a cheap item that Lin Wanqing had won in a raffle at the project team's dinner last year.
The iron gate of the old bank was half rusted shut. Zhong Hua tried to push it twice but couldn't budge it, so he simply bent down and peered through the gap under the gate. Rainwater streamed down his jawline, dripping onto the surface of his floral umbrella, then sliding down the ribs to the edge, forming small puddles on his shoulder. Ayu held out the black umbrella, offering it to him. When the edge of the umbrella touched Zhong Hua's arm, he suddenly turned around.
“Take a picture here.” Zhong Hua pointed to the drain above the lintel, where there was a stone dragon head with its mouth slightly open, and rainwater was pouring down from it. “Look at the groove inside the dragon’s mouth. This drainage design from the Republic of China era is very ingenious. It can automatically clear debris by using water pressure difference.”
Ayu quickly raised her camera, the lens pointing at the dragon head through the rain. He knelt on the wet steps, and Zhonghua immediately tilted the floral umbrella over his head, exposing half of her shoulder to the rain. The wind picked up again, this time with a spinning force, and the floral umbrella suddenly broke free from Zhonghua's hand, spinning like an out-of-control flower, tumbling a few times on the waterlogged pavement before being blown across the street.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
