1.
One day, a mutual friend told Gu Jinzhou a few of Shu He’s standards for a partner.
"Shu He wants someone rich."
Gu Jinzhou crossed his legs and scoffed. "Is there anyone in Yungang richer than me?"
"Shu He also wants someone handsome."
Gu Jinzhou had plenty of confidence in his looks. He pointed at himself. "With this face, I'd be at the top of the entertainment industry."
"Shu He wants to be with someone who treats her well."
"Shu He herself said I'm good to her."
The mutual friend listed one requirement after another. Gu Jinzhou remained confident and unshakable, convinced he was the perfect match. It was as if those conditions had been tailor-made for him.
Then the final requirement was revealed, and he fell silent at once.
"Shu He said she wants to be with the person she loves most in this life."
"..." Gu Jinzhou suddenly fell quiet. After a long moment, he said in some confusion, "I don't think Shu He has ever said she likes me."
2.
The first time Shu He saw Gu Jinzhou up close was on a torrentially rainy day. She had no umbrella and was trapped in the school building.
Shu He had been helping grade papers in the office until now, and the school was already empty.
She stared dazedly at the rain and mist before her, wondering if she could make it home by running through the downpour.
But the next moment, a lazy yet impossible-to-ignore voice sounded behind her, brimming with the confidence unique to a teenage boy. "Hey, classmate, are you admiring the view?"
Shu He said nothing and didn't turn around. She knew who was speaking.
Then came the sharp sound of a window. It seemed someone had jumped down from the windowsill.
A moment later, a green apple appeared in the corner of Shu He's eye.
"It really is beautiful, isn't it? Even the rainstorm is pretty." Gu Jinzhou's voice was lazy, as though he'd just woken up.
"I can't finish these. Want to help me out?"
Shu He blinked, took the apple, and thanked him.
The green apple in her eyes soon grew damp with the wetness of the rainy season. It felt almost unbearable, cupped in her palm.
She thought,
It was beautiful.
Out of the corner of her eye, Shu He glanced at the wrist of the person beside her, resting on the railing just like hers, and silently added in her heart:
But not the rainstorm.
Theme: There are no conditions for liking someone
