At the entrance of Shanfu, with traffic flowing, Yun Mi felt something and looked up at the sky.
Drop by drop, rain began to fall from the sky, like tears.
Yun Mi searched her backpack and realized she hadn't brought an umbrella.
-
Chen Yiyang had just picked up the liberal arts/science tracking forms from the grade director when he received a call from Aunt Qin. "Xiao Yang, I'm sorry. I went to the big supermarket nearby to buy beef. It'll take about half an hour to get home. Xiao Mi just called me, saying she didn't bring an umbrella..." Aunt Qin hesitated. "Xiao Yang, did Xiao Mi not do well on this exam? She sounded quite unhappy."
Chen Yiyang tossed the pile of tracking forms onto the podium, asked a few questions, and said, "Got it."
There were still a few people left in the classroom.
Zhou Shihui was scrolling through the grade group on his phone under the desk. He shoved a video someone had taken of Yun Mi in front of Chen Yiyang. He'd already watched it a dozen times, lowering his voice with a grin: "Your sister is badass. So cool."
Chen Yiyang pursed his lips. "Where is she?"
Zhou Shihui asked blankly, "Who?"
Chen Yiyang stood there coldly and said a name.
"Ah, your sister? Didn't see her."
Chen Yiyang called Yun Mi, but her phone was off.
Battery must have died.
He packed his stuff into his bag and, before leaving, casually said to Zhou Shihui, "Zhou Shihui, Yun Mi has a name. Could you not refer to her as 'whose sister'?"
Chen Yiyang asked around, but no one had seen Yun Mi.
Then Xie Yue called.
"Yang ge, I found the poor little thing."
Chen Yiyang was busy looking for her, told him to cut the crap, saying, "Looking for someone."
Xie Yue went, "Oh, so you're not going to worry about Yun Mi?"
Chen Yiyang slowed his step down the stairs.
Xie Yue had been squatting there, joking around and chatting with Yun Mi for a while. He said, "Yun Mi told me that Ding Yuan's play has problems. She stayed up several nights rehearsing it. How much effort she put in! My poor Da Yuan Zi—her math score this time was just one rank lower than last time. Du Yun didn't have to be so harsh."
Xie Yue was completely fixated on his own concerns, not on Yun Mi. "Tell me, can that female demon just act like a human being..."
Chen Yiyang didn't want to hear Xie Yue's rambling complaints. "Where is she?"
"Da Yuan Zi?" Xie Yue grew more upset, talking nonstop. "Auntie picked her up. I heard she cried... She's usually so tough..."
Cut off: "I said Yun Mi."
"Oh, Yun Mi." Xie Yue glanced at Yun Mi and answered simply, "School gate, the guard booth."
Shanfu had staggered dismissal times: first years, then second years, then third years.
Aunt Qin had said Chen Yiyang would bring her an umbrella, but Yun Mi had waited until even the senior third years had come out, still no sign of Chen Yiyang.
She crouched under the eaves of the guard booth, clutching her backpack, feeling like she might grow mold on her head.
After running into Xie Yue, she finally contacted Chen Yiyang through him.
Chen Yiyang ran down from the office building. From a distance, he saw Yun Mi pouting in the corner. Xie Yue waved and smiled, heading home first.
Chen Yiyang quickly walked up to Yun Mi.
The girl looked very aggrieved. Chen Yiyang had thought she would be a little proud after doing well, but she only stood there with her head down as he approached.
Yun Mi's heart grew anxious from waiting. She originally didn't want to say a word to Chen Yiyang, but she broke down.
She puffed up and tilted her head to ask, "Chen Yiyang, do you hate me?"
Chen Yiyang was taken aback by the question. Frowning, he asked, "Why would I hate you?"
With his cool-looking face, Chen Yiyang was almost a head taller than her. Yun Mi looked up, feeling wronged.
"Then why did you only come to bring me an umbrella now? I've been waiting for almost an hour."
Chen Yiyang had just run all over the exam halls and office building, even gone looking for Jiang Wenshao. Aunt Qin hadn't even asked where Yun Mi was; he couldn't find her at all.
He lowered his thin eyelids and said coldly, "Your phone was off."
"..."
Yun Mi froze.
Chen Yiyang glanced at her. Her school uniform was rain-soaked and now half-dry.
It bothered him. "Take off that wet jacket."
Yun Mi replied bluntly, "Why?"
Chen Yiyang asked, "Are you cold?"
She'd catch a cold.
Of course, Yun Mi felt cold after being rained on, but she wasn't stupid. Her body heat had already warmed the wet clothes; taking them off would make her colder.
She refused sternly: "No."