"Ning, I..."
"Ah, enough already, I know, another confession? You do this every day, isn't it tiresome?"
"..."
Zhou watched the girl's retreating figure, silent and expressionless, yet a hint of indifference flickered in his eyes. The girl was named Ning, his classmate since junior high, and even now in high school, they were still classmates.
Since starting high school, Zhou had been pursuing her, and now in their third year, he confessed almost every day, only to be rejected each time.
He had become the laughingstock of the class, and though he didn't care, he didn't want to continue like this anymore.
So this time, he had decided it would be his last confession. But before he could even speak, he was rejected again, stripping away the last bit of hope he had.
"Hmm—"
Zhou exhaled deeply, turned around, and walked into the classroom, returning to his seat.
The others were already used to this and didn't even bother discussing it anymore.
"Rejected again?"
Zhou turned to the voice beside him, looking at his deskmate, a short-haired girl with delicate features, chewing gum, her school uniform casually draped over her shoulders.
"Yeah."
Zhou replied softly, then turned his head away.
The girl slung her arm over Zhou's shoulder and said, "Wanna go to the internet cafe after school? I have a promotion match, can you help me rank up?"
Zhou frowned, looking at her, and said indifferently:
"Tang, I just got rejected, and now you want me to go to an internet cafe? I'm not going. Anyone who wants to can go."
"I'll treat you, and buy you a medium cola."
"You play support, and the cola has to be sugar-free."
"Deal."
After school, it was already 9:30 PM when Zhou and Tang went to the internet cafe.
"Here..."
Tang placed the cola on Zhou's desk and sat down beside him, asking:
"How long are you going to keep confessing? It's the last year; if you don't succeed now, you never will."
Zhou took a sip of his cola, then shook his head, responding:
"Today was the last time. One can't keep hanging on the same tree forever, especially after hanging there for two years like I have."
Tang looked at him in surprise, asking, "Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"So you'll have plenty of time to play games with me now?"
"Don't get your hopes up. My mom wants me to study, or she'll cut off my allowance."
They played at the internet cafe until midnight before heading home. As they stepped out, they were stunned.
"When did it start raining?"
Zhou and Tang stood under the eaves of the internet cafe, watching the drizzle outside.
Shallow puddles had already formed on the ground, indicating it had been raining for a while.
"Did you bring an umbrella?" Tang asked Zhou.
"Yeah, did you?"
"I did too."
They opened their umbrellas, said goodbye at the entrance, and walked off in opposite directions.
Zhou walked along the dark road. Though the streetlights illuminated the path, the rain made his vision somewhat blurry.
His mind replayed the scene of being rejected by Ning earlier that day. Until this morning, he had still held onto a sliver of hope.
Back in junior high, they had been close. Despite his introverted and quiet nature, she never minded and often spent time with him.
During those formative years, he had developed feelings for Ning. When they ended up in the same high school class, he thought it was fate.
So he started pursuing her, believing his chances were high.
But reality hit him hard. The impatience in her expression and tone today would likely stay with him forever.
"Forget it, anyone would get annoyed. I should stop bothering her."
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Zhou stopped, his gaze falling on a figure under a streetlight.
There, on a step, sat a girl.
She had no umbrella or raincoat, just sitting in the rain, her school uniform soaked through.
Her long hair was wet and disheveled, but she seemed indifferent, sitting quietly, looking down, appearing utterly dejected.
Zhou initially thought to ignore her. After all, encountering such a scene late at night, not running away was already brave of him.
But as he stood there watching, he felt she looked familiar...
The girl seemed to sense someone nearby and looked up, brushing her wet hair aside to reveal her face.
She had beautiful peach-blossom eyes, slightly curved willow-leaf eyebrows, a delicate nose, and pink lips—like a girl straight out of a manga.
But her complexion was pale, looking somewhat haggard.
Her eyes clearly showed sorrow, her face wet with what could be tears or rain.
"Ah..."
Zhou was momentarily stunned, his mouth agape, blinking in surprise.
The girl's eyes widened too, filled with astonishment.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Zhou finally spoke:
"Meng Ran? What are you doing here?"
The girl named Meng Ran lowered her head, her voice slightly hoarse as she replied, "None of your business."
"Oh..."
Zhou nodded, then walked away.
If she said it was none of his business, then he was just meddling.
After walking a dozen steps, he suddenly heard faint sobbing behind him.
He froze, standing still for several seconds, listening to the crying, unsure of what to think.
Meng Ran sat with her head down, softly weeping, oblivious to the cold rain soaking her, shivering from the chill.
The rain grew heavier, the drops turning into lines, pouring down like a white curtain.
Then, Meng Ran felt the rain above her stop. She looked up to see Zhou standing there, holding an umbrella over her.
Zhou looked at Meng Ran expressionlessly, clearly seeing her sorrow.
Her pale face, red and swollen eyes, brimming with tears like morning dew on petals, ready to fall at the slightest touch.
Meng Ran wiped the rain and tears from her face, her voice trembling as she asked, "What... are you doing..."
"Meddling," Zhou replied.