I Think of You When It Rains

Reunited after years apart | He has a secret crush on her | Childhood friends beat the new guy

[A truly flirtatious, supposedly aloof bad boy vs. a seemingly composed, genuinely cool beauty]

The summer after the college entrance exams, Cheng Yiqing's parents' marriage fell apart. Her mother took her away from Lian Ning, and they went to England to stay with her aunt.

The last time she saw Chen Heye was the day before the exams began. He made her promise they'd both get into Lian Ning University. Cheng Yiqing nodded and said yes.

Ten years later, Cheng Yiqing returned to China and joined Paraludi, the country's largest fast-fashion clothing brand. An unknown fashion designer, she lived a quiet, routine life.

She ran into Chen Heye again in a bar's hallway, where she unexpectedly saw a stunning woman confessing her feelings to him.

Their eyes met across the space between them. They passed each other without a word.

The second time they met was at a friend's wedding. She had been asked to be a bridesmaid and was on her way to the restroom when she once again came upon a woman confessing to him.

This time, though, she had nowhere to hide.

After the woman left, Chen Heye glanced at her coolly and gave a cold snort. His dark eyes were devoid of emotion. "Sure. Eavesdropping twice. Getting hooked?"

Cheng Yiqing heard the chill in his voice and assumed he disliked her. She apologized and turned to leave.

So she missed the way his eyes stayed fixed on her long after she was gone.

*

Chen Heye went to London to see Cheng Yiqing three times.

The first time, a blizzard stranded him at the airport for three days and nights. The second time, he cooked a Chinese dish for her.

The third time, he saw a handsome, refined gentleman give her a vivid red rose after she finished singing at a bar.

He threw the delicate, gorgeous Freedom rose in his hand into the trash, and from then on, he never mentioned Cheng Yiqing's name again.

One was in London, the other in Lian Ning City. With mountains and rivers between them, they might as well never have seen each other again.

He thought he could forget Cheng Yiqing for good. But the moment he saw her again in Lian Ning City, every carefully built wall of indifference and pretense crumbled.

His friend teased him, "Cheng Yiqing's back in China. Still planning to chase after her?"

Chen Heye's voice was cold. "Why should I?"

His friend thought he'd moved on, until the man murmured, "If anyone's going to chase the other, it should be her chasing me."

His friend: "..."

*

One late night after they had made up, rain began to fall outside the window. Chen Heye sat with Cheng Yiqing and listened to it. His voice hoarse and strained, he asked, "In those ten years abroad, did you ever think of me?"

Cheng Yiqing was silent for two seconds, then answered softly.

"I think of you when it rains."

*Next time you look down at a puddle under your umbrella, you'll remember me saying that rain is God's fireworks., Yamamoto Cheese

Theme: He is a butterfly, and I am a monster