[Short story, around 80,000 to 100,000 words. No paid chapters while serialization is ongoing.]
School life | Bittersweet | Secret crush
Well-behaved and sensible × free-spirited and bold
Top student × top student
"On that rainy night, he held out a transparent umbrella to me."
"And I remembered it for the rest of my life."
That summer in their senior year, the rainy season seemed especially relentless.
Yu Shu walked out of the classroom and stood beneath the corridor, gazing at the dark sky. The air was thick with the dusty smell of the sudden downpour, damp and stifling.
She silently watched the rain splash up, then hugged her schoolbag to her chest and prepared to leave in the rain.
She had just taken a step when a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back.
A boy's bold, carefree voice rang in her ear. "It's pouring. Don't go rushing out there, or you'll catch a cold."
Yu Shu turned around in alarm. A transparent umbrella was pressed into her arms, but the boy who had handed it to her dashed into the downpour without hesitation.
As he turned, the corner of his mouth lifted. His windblown hair was soaked by the rain, and his eyes were bright as he called out cheerfully, "No need to thank me. You can keep the umbrella."
The rain fell wildly. Clutching the umbrella, she watched his figure grow smaller and smaller. Her long-silent heart began to beat again, its rhythm pounding through her ears.
-
Later, she hid away the transparent umbrella, along with her longing for him.
The rain splashed wildly, but it could not extinguish the heart beating beneath her cold exterior.
The years were long, and so was her longing.
be
2025.08.29
Theme: Love means leaving no regrets
