Rain Curtain (Revised Version)
After returning from the autumn outing, Su An felt as if he had been immersed in a jar of warm honey, a sweet and slightly dizzy feeling enveloping him. The dark blue tin box containing the mints became the most precious treasure in his schoolbag, which he would take out every now and then to confirm its presence.
He became more easily distracted. In physics class, looking at the familiar handwriting in that black notebook, he would unconsciously recall the eyes reflected in the starlight by the campfire; when drinking the hot milk that Jiang Qi "casually" brought every day, he would think of the hand warmer handed to him in the cool autumn night breeze; even seeing the clouds outside the window would remind him of the close profile of that person when pointing out the Cygnus constellation.
“Su An’an, I’m giving you a serious warning,” Jiang Zhao said, biting his straw and pointing sternly at the almost cold glass of milk in front of Su An, “If you keep staring at the things my brother gave you like that, I’m going to ask the teacher to change your seat on the grounds of ‘affecting your deskmate’s mental health’!”
Su An snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing red. She grabbed her book as if to hit him: "What nonsense are you spouting! Who's laughing like an idiot!"
"Who's grinning like an idiot? Their mouths are practically stretched to their ears!" Jiang Zhao nimbly dodged, leaned closer, lowered his voice, and winked, "So? Any real progress since the autumn outing? Jun and I really created a fantastic environment for you!"
"No substantial progress... none!" Su An tried to remain calm, pretending to read a book, but his racing heart betrayed him. Progress? It seemed there was, yet it also seemed not. The unspoken understanding and ambiguity were real, but a thin, unbroken veil still separated them.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Zhao shook his head in exasperation: "My brother's efficiency is terrible! It seems Jun and I will have to give him another push!"
Su An simply couldn't do anything about his deskmate, who was so keen on playing matchmaker.
That afternoon, during the last self-study period, the sky suddenly darkened, thick, dark clouds rolled and gathered, and the air was filled with the oppressive feeling of an impending rainstorm. When the school bell rang, large raindrops were already pelting down, instantly forming a white curtain of rain, and the only sound in the world was the sound of the rain pouring down.
"Holy crap! This rain is insane!" Jiang Zhao wailed, standing at the entrance of the teaching building, looking at the waterfall of rain outside. "I didn't bring an umbrella! I'm doomed!"
Su An took her folding umbrella out of her bag and breathed a sigh of relief: "I brought it."
"That's a true friend!" Jiang Zhao put his arm around Su An's shoulder. "Come on, take me to the bus stop first!"
The two opened their umbrellas, squeezed under the small canopy, and rushed into the rain. The rain was torrential, and the wind blew the raindrops sideways, so even with the umbrellas, their trouser legs and schoolbags were quickly soaked. When they reached the main road leading to the school gate, Su An glanced up casually and spotted that familiar, tall figure amidst the dense rain and the crowds rushing to find shelter.
Jiang Qi stood alone under the eaves of the side entrance of the teaching building. He didn't use an umbrella, nor did he anxiously look around like the others. He simply watched the rain quietly outside, his expression indifferent, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him. The dampness from the rain sprayed around him, making him look like a lonely sculpture isolated by the rain.
Su An felt a slight tug at her heartstrings.
"Hey? Isn't that my brother?" Jiang Zhao saw him too. His eyes darted around, and a cunning expression, a mix of "opportunity has arrived" and "a plan has come to mind," instantly appeared on his face. He suddenly clutched his stomach, his features contorted, and let out a painful groan: "Ouch! Su An! My stomach hurts! It hurts so much! I must have eaten something bad at lunch! I can't hold it in anymore! I need to go to the toilet right now! You take the umbrella! Don't wait for me!"
After saying that, before Su An could react, Jiang Zhao gently pushed Su An towards Jiang Qi's direction with a seemingly painful but actually swift movement. He then clutched his stomach and sprinted back to the teaching building at top speed, disappearing from sight in an instant.
"Jiang Zhao! You..." Su An stood there, holding his umbrella, looking in the direction Jiang Zhao had disappeared, then glancing at Jiang Qi not far away. He immediately understood that this guy was faking it! What stomachache? He was clearly creating an opportunity! This guy!
The rain was getting heavier, and the wind was making it hard to hold the umbrella. Su An hesitated for a few seconds, looking at Jiang Qi's lonely figure standing under the eaves, and finally took a deep breath, opened the umbrella, and walked step by step towards that corner that seemed to have been forgotten by the world.
Footsteps approached, and Jiang Qi turned his head. When he saw Su An standing in the rain, holding an umbrella and looking slightly awkward, a clear look of surprise flashed in his indifferent eyes, which was then replaced by a deeper emotion.
"Jiang... Jiang Qi," Su An mustered her courage and raised her voice to avoid being drowned out by the rain, "Didn't you bring an umbrella? How about... we walk together?"
Jiang Qi's gaze fell on Su An's rain-soaked hair and shoulders, then she looked at the umbrella in his hand, which was clearly not enough to completely shield the two boys, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"No need," he said, his voice low and muffled in the rain. "I'll wait for the rain to stop."
“It doesn’t look like this rain is going to stop anytime soon,” Su An insisted, taking another half step forward and raising the umbrella to try and cover Jiang Qi as well. “Besides… Jiang Zhao ran away, and I… I also need to go back.”
Jiang Qi watched him silently. Su An's cheeks were flushed from nervousness and running, his eyes clear yet carrying an unyielding determination. Raindrops slid down his long eyelashes, making him look both fragile and stubbornly touching.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Jiang Qi finally moved. He strode out from under the eaves and into Su An's umbrella.
The space under the umbrella, which had been fairly spacious, suddenly felt cramped with Jiang Qi's arrival. Su An could even feel the warm, damp body heat emanating from her, and that familiar, clean, and refreshing scent. His heart pounded uncontrollably in his chest, so loudly that he suspected Jiang Qi could hear it.
"Let's go." Jiang Qi's voice rang out from above, a few decibels lower than usual.
"Mmm." Su An responded softly, trying to steady her trembling hands, holding up the umbrella, and walked side by side with Jiang Qi into the vast rain.
The umbrella was indeed too small. To avoid getting wet, the two had to stand very close, their arms occasionally brushing together. Each unintentional touch felt like a faint electric current, making Su An's body stiffen and even his breathing become cautious. He could feel Jiang Qi deliberately slowing her pace to match his, and subtly tilting the umbrella slightly towards him.
"The umbrella... let's move it a little closer to you," Su An noticed that Jiang Qi's shoulder, which was closer to the outside, was already wet from the rain, and couldn't help but whisper, "Your shoulder is all wet."
"It's alright," Jiang Qi replied. Instead of moving closer, she seemed to move even closer, almost using half of her body to shield Su An from the wind and rain blowing in from the side.
Su An stopped speaking, but her heart felt filled with something, a bittersweet feeling mixed with an indescribable warmth. The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella shut out the outside world; in this small world under the umbrella, only their clear breathing and heartbeats could be heard.
At that moment, behind a window on the third floor of the teaching building, two "culprits" were leaning against the windowsill, watching with great interest the two people walking side by side in the rain below.
"Look! What a scene! How harmonious! How beautiful!" Jiang Zhao excitedly patted Lin Jun's arm. "Wasn't my 'golden cicada shedding its shell' and 'creating solitude' trick brilliant?"
Lin Jun looked down at the small umbrella that was clearly tilted towards Su An, and at Jiang Qi's almost soaked right shoulder, and smiled: "It's wonderful, but poor Brother Qi, half of his body is soaked."
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!" Jiang Zhao said righteously. "What's a little sacrifice! Look at Su An's distressed little eyes! It's worth it!"
Lin Jun turned her head to look at Jiang Zhao's excited profile. Rainwater traced winding lines on the glass, making his eyes shine brightly. Lin Jun suddenly reached out and ruffled Jiang Zhao's still slightly damp hair, her tone filled with a doting affection she herself didn't realize: "Yes, yes, you're so clever. But don't run so fast next time, the stairs were slippery just now, I almost fell."
Jiang Zhao was stunned for a moment, feeling his hair, which Lin Jun had rubbed, was a little hot. He awkwardly pushed Lin Jun's hand away and muttered, "I know, Brother Jun, why are you like my mom..." But the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
On the other side, Su An and Jiang Qi walked in silence for a while. Only then did Su An belatedly remember a question: "Um... which direction is your house in?" He remembered that Jiang Qi's house and Jiang Zhao's house seemed to be not far from the school, but they didn't seem to be on the same route as his.
"I'll take it to you first." Jiang Qi's reply was still concise, but it carried an unquestionable tone.
Su An was taken aback: "Huh? No need for that, I..."
"It's raining heavily." Jiang Qi interrupted him, glancing at him sideways, her eyes appearing somewhat profound in the rain. "It's on my way."
It was "on the way" again. Su An remembered that Jiang Qi had said the same thing after their autumn outing. He looked down at the water splashing at his feet, and the warmth in his heart rippled like a stone thrown into a lake. He didn't argue anymore and acquiesced to Jiang Qi's arrangement.
The two walked in silence, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward; instead, there was a subtle and intimate tension. The rain only subsided slightly as they approached the entrance to Su An's residential complex.
"I've arrived." Su An stopped under the awning at the entrance of the residential area. "Thank you... for bringing me back."
Jiang Qi also stopped. He stood at the bottom of the steps, rainwater sliding down his neat black hair and dripping onto his wet shoulders. His gaze fell on Su An's face, as if trying to etch something onto it.
"Hmm," he responded, but showed no intention of leaving immediately.
Looking at his soaked shoulders, Su An felt guilty. After hesitating for a moment, she took out the dark blue mint candy box from the side pocket of her backpack and handed it to Jiang Qi: "This... is for you. Be careful not to catch a cold after getting wet in the rain."
Jiang Qi stared blankly at the candy box in his hand. It was the candy he had given to Su An, and now Su An had stuffed it back into his hand. He looked up at Su An, his eyes deep and unfathomable, filled with emotions Su An couldn't understand.
Su An's cheeks flushed as he stared at her, and she hurriedly said, "I...I still have some at home! You should go back now! Goodbye!" After saying that, she turned around and rushed into the residential area as if she were fleeing, without even daring to look back.
Jiang Qi stood there, watching Su An's hasty retreating figure disappear between the buildings, remaining motionless for a long time. He slowly closed his fingers, tightly gripping the candy box that still held Su An's warmth; the cold metal seemed to have become scorching hot.
He looked down at the candy box, and a clear smile slowly, very slowly, curved his lips. It was no longer a fleeting curve, but a genuine, warm, and evident smile. Raindrops slid down his handsome brows, but they couldn't diminish the brightness that emanated from his heart.
He opened the candy box, took out a white mint, and put it in his mouth. The cool sweetness melted on his tongue, spreading all the way to the softest corner of his heart.
Su An, who had run home, leaned against the closed door, his heart still pounding. He raised his hand to touch his burning cheeks, his mind filled with the image of Jiang Qi standing in the rain, holding the candy box and looking at him.
He returned the candy... Will Jiang Qi misunderstand something?
But seeing him soaked, I couldn't help but want to give him something.
Su An shook his head, trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts in his mind, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
The sound of rain outside the window gradually became a light drizzle. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhao was also given a ride home by Lin Jun, who was "going the same way." Standing at his own door, Jiang Zhao watched Lin Jun's departing figure with an umbrella and suddenly called out, "Brother Jun!"
Lin Jun turned around.
Jiang Zhao scratched his head, a slightly unnatural blush creeping across his face: "Um... thanks."
Lin Jun smiled through the rain, waved, and turned to walk into the gradually subsiding rain.
Jiang Zhao watched his retreating figure, muttering to himself: It seems... being a wingman could be quite interesting. Of course, that is, if I could be with someone.
This sudden downpour seemed to wash away some unspoken thoughts, making them clearer. The feelings between the young people were quietly growing under the nourishment of the rain, spreading resilient vines in their respective destined directions.
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