Chapter 1 – Summer Rain and Plastic Chairs

The sky above Linjiang City was overcast, covered in a soft blanket of grey clouds. A quiet drizzle had been falling since early morning, leaving everything damp and smelling faintly of wet cement and tree bark. The rain didn’t fall hard. It was light, almost lazy — the kind of rain that lingered, soaking through your uniform without you realizing.

It was the second week of the new school year at No. 4 High School.

The bell rang with its usual dull echo, ringing out from the school’s old, wall-mounted speakers. It was a sound that marked the start of another class, another routine. A few students rushed into Class 2-3, laughing breathlessly, their shoes squeaking on the wet floor.

At the very back of the classroom, near the window, sat Yichen.

His desk was clean and quiet. A notebook opened neatly in front of him, mechanical pencil resting perfectly along the crease. Outside the window, the school yard was nearly empty — only a few students crossing between buildings under their umbrellas. Rain tapped gently against the glass beside him, a soft rhythm that almost matched the ticking clock.

Yichen liked this seat. It was far enough back that teachers rarely called on him, and the view gave him something to focus on when the noise in the room became too much. His classmates were chatting loudly, moving chairs, swapping pens and snacks. It was normal. He didn’t mind the noise, but he didn’t join in either.

His gaze wandered downward, toward the school courtyard. The puddles shimmered with reflections of the pale sky. He wondered if the rain would stop by lunch.

“Yichen!”

A familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned just as Suyin rushed in, almost slipping on the wet tile.

“I told you to wait for me!” she said between breaths, sliding into the seat next to him. Her short hair was a little damp, sticking to her forehead. The strap of her canvas bag was falling off her shoulder, and her uniform blazer was slightly wrinkled from running.

Yichen blinked once. “It’s raining.”

“Exactly!” she huffed. “You were supposed to wait with me so we could use my umbrella!”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked down at her umbrella — it was still folded and dripping, hanging from her wrist. Then he looked at her shoes. Soaked.

“You didn’t even open it,” he said, quietly.

Suyin gave him a sheepish grin. “Yeah… I kind of forgot.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small packet of tissues, patting her face. Then she turned to him again, brushing her damp bangs aside.

“You’re so calm all the time. I bet if a typhoon hit the school, you’d just sit here and keep writing your notes.”

Yichen didn’t smile, but his lips twitched slightly. That was enough for her.

She leaned over and peeked at his notebook.

“So neat again. I don’t get how you do it. I swear your handwriting’s better than mine.”

He didn’t say anything, just flipped to a new page. But something about her voice — warm, teasing, light — made his heart shift. Not fast, not suddenly. Just… like a leaf turning in the breeze.

Their homeroom teacher entered the room moments later, clapping his hands for attention. Chairs scraped. Conversations quieted. The old ceiling fan above them spun slowly, creaking at every turn.

As roll call began, Yichen glanced sideways. Suyin was tapping her pen against her desk, quietly humming the chorus of a song. He recognized it — an old JJ Lin track, probably one she downloaded off QQ Music. She had a habit of doing that — humming at random, writing lyrics on the corners of her notebooks, daydreaming mid-lecture.

It was part of what made her... her.

In front of them sat Chen Ruoyu, already half-asleep with his head resting on his arms. His uniform was perfectly ironed, his bag placed squarely beside his chair. He looked peaceful, like he belonged in a place much quieter than this noisy classroom.

Two seats away, Lifen sat upright, already flipping through her textbook. She had her hair in a low ponytail and wore a simple black hair tie on her wrist. She glanced at Ruoyu, then lightly tapped his desk with her pencil. He stirred a little but didn’t open his eyes.

Their interaction was quiet — the kind of moment most people wouldn't notice. But Yichen did. He always noticed small things.

The class continued, dragging itself through grammar exercises and textbook reading. Suyin whispered to Yichen once in a while, asking what page they were on, or what the last answer was. He answered with a nod or a soft reply. Sometimes, she doodled in the margins of his notebook — hearts, stars, smiley faces — and he let her.

Outside, the rain softened into mist.

When the break bell rang forty-five minutes later, half the class jumped out of their seats. Students swarmed toward the back of the room or ran out into the hallway. Lifen walked to the front to ask the teacher something. Ruoyu leaned back in his chair, stretching.

Suyin turned toward Yichen again.

“Wanna go to the canteen?” she asked, swinging her bag over one shoulder. “They probably have those hot buns today. The red bean ones.”

He hesitated. Normally he stayed in his seat during break, reading or reviewing the next lesson.

But before he could say no, she added, “C’mon. You can read your book while you walk. I’ll even get you a cold drink.”

He stood up.

They walked down the hall together, the floor still slightly wet. The school smelled like damp books, steamed buns, and cheap soap. Around them, other students laughed and talked loudly. But for Yichen, the sound faded into the background.

Suyin walked slightly ahead, her voice drifting back as she spoke about a drama she watched last night. Yichen didn’t know the show, but he listened anyway. Not to the story, but to the way she told it — how her eyes lit up, how her hands moved when she got excited, how she stopped mid-sentence to fix her hair and then forgot what she was saying.

He didn’t say much. He didn’t have to.

Being next to her was enough.

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