Chapter 10

Ying Nian couldn’t stand to see such a scene. She knew SF had lost, and lost badly, without a shred of dignity. But seeing the SF light sign discarded in the rain made her heart feel as if it were being gripped and torn apart by multiple hands.

Her instinctive reaction was to rush into the rain and retrieve the sign, not caring about how heavily it was pouring. Standing under the eaves, she focused solely on drying the sign with whatever she had at hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure approaching through the rain but didn’t pay much attention to it.

The tall figure moved closer, stepping under the eaves and passing right by her. Ying Nian hesitated for a moment, thinking she might have seen wrong, and turned her head to follow the figure with her gaze.

The person stopped a couple of steps after passing her and casually placed the umbrella on the ground.

Ying Nian looked at the SF team uniform the person was wearing and blinked in surprise, trying to process what she was seeing.

That height…

In the entire team, only Yu Linran matched that height!

Taking a closer look, Ying Nian recognized him from his side profile and the way he moved. It really was Yu Linran!

He had placed the umbrella near her and then walked straight toward the convenience store. The rain was pouring down, making it hard to move, but now that she had run into Yu Linran, it felt like her feet were rooted to the spot, unable to budge an inch.

She stood there, dumbfounded, clutching the SF light sign, and staring at the convenience store door without knowing what to do.

Before long, Yu Linran came back into view, holding a bottle of water he had just purchased. Ying Nian panicked and averted her gaze, caught between the urge to flee and the desire to stay.

Her nerves were in a mess, and within the blink of an eye, Yu Linran had reached the spot where he had left the umbrella. He bent down and picked it up.

Ying Nian’s cheeks grew warm as she debated whether to turn around and face the wall, hoping to avoid him until he walked away. But before she could make a decision, that tall figure suddenly approached her.

Instead of passing by, Yu Linran took two steps forward and stopped right in front of her.

Ying Nian was startled and looked up in surprise.

His calm gaze felt intense, making her scalp tingle. Her face flushed even more as she watched him extend the bottle of water toward her.

She hesitated for a moment. “For…for me?”

He gave a slight nod.

Ying Nian reached out to take the bottle, feeling like she was in a dream.

Yu Linran’s expression remained calm and serene, like still water. Without a hint of emotion, he extended the umbrella to her and quietly said, “Take it.”

Ying Nian automatically followed his instructions, taking the umbrella from him. It was only after she had it in her hands that she realized what this meant. “But what about you…” 

Before she could finish, Yu Linran turned to leave. She subconsciously took a half-step forward to follow him, but he paused again.

Her hand, holding the bottle of water, struggled to balance the light sign she was cradling. Yu Linran’s gaze swept across what she was holding, and his voice carried a hint of dampness, as if soaked by wind and rain.

“Next time, we won’t lose this badly again.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the rain.

Ying Nian wanted to call out to him, but her voice caught in her throat. It wasn’t until he got on the bus across the street that she realized the SF team’s vehicle had been parked nearby all along.

A few staff members wearing badges got on the bus afterward, and it slowly pulled away in the rain, gradually disappearing from her sight.

She didn’t know why Yu Linran had come, but she had heard his words clearly.

He didn’t arrogantly promise they would definitely win, but he did assure her, “We won’t lose this badly again.”

The rain continued to fall.

Ying Nian could hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest, like a drum being struck, and it kept on pounding, as if it might just go on beating like this forever.

…

That night, Ying Nian updated her Weibo with a new post:

【@YuLinranMarryMe:

I’ve fallen for someone truly remarkable.】

Then, she replied to her own post in the comments:

[These words are worth my sincerity. Until the feeling fades, I will like you wholeheartedly, without any reservation.]

…

Ying Nian returned to school for her classes. On Tuesday, just before the end of a lesson, the Chinese teacher made an announcement: “the National High School Students’ Speech Competition is about to start. The city preliminaries will be held at our school. Representatives for the high school division will be chosen from grades 10 and 11, excluding grade 12. As usual, each school will have two slots—one male and one female.”

As the teacher mentioned this, the classmates responded and simultaneously glanced at Ying Nian. Many of them knew she had experience in speech competitions, especially those who had moved up from the middle school division with her. Back then, Ying Nian had always represented the girls, while a senior from the grade above had represented the boys.

After making the announcement, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher gestured to Ying Nian, “Ying Nian, could you come with me for a moment?”

Ying Nian followed the teacher to the corner of the hallway, where the teacher asked, “The monthly exams are coming up soon. How’s your preparation going?”

“Pretty good,” Ying Nian nodded, assuming the teacher was concerned about her getting distracted. She assured her, “I’ll balance my time well and won’t let anything slip.”

The teacher looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, then cleared her throat and said, “The reason I called you out here is to tell you…”

“Yes?” Ying Nian waited expectantly.

“This time, for the speech competition, you don’t need to prepare much—just focus on writing your speech. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Ying Nian was puzzled. “Teacher, I don’t quite understand.”

The teacher explained, “You’ve participated in many competitions before. You represented the middle school division for three consecutive years. This time, I think it’s fair to give other students a chance as well. Otherwise, it might seem a bit unfair.”

Ying Nian frowned. “Then why do you still want me to prepare a speech?”

“Your speeches have always been well-written. So, how about you write one and help out the student who will be competing instead?”

Ying Nian’s expression grew darker. “So you’re asking me to write a speech for someone else to use in the competition? Why should I?”

The teacher, displeased by her tone, retorted, “Why should you? Where’s your sense of team spirit?”

Ying Nian’s face hardened. “Teacher, let me ask you this: I’ve represented the middle school division in national competitions for three years in a row—when did I ever place outside the top three? The worst I’ve ever done is win a bronze medal.”

“You’ve certainly performed very well…”

“Then why should I give up my spot?” Ying Nian questioned calmly. “First, I don’t know who you’re asking me to give my spot to. Second, I don’t know this person, so how can I be sure they’re better than me? Third, it’s uncertain whether they can perform better than I can, so why should I write the speech for them?”

Ying Nian continued, her tone measured and logical: “If they’re better than me, then they should be the one writing the speech. While the speech competition primarily tests speaking skills, as someone who has participated in these competitions multiple times, you know as well as I do that the National Student Speech competition also evaluates writing ability. The quality of the speech itself accounts for two points in the final score. I don’t see how anything you’ve said justifies your request.”

“You…!” The Chinese teacher was infuriated by her argument, her face darkening, yet she couldn’t find a rebuttal. The hallway was busy, and while they were in a quiet corner, it wasn’t the best place for this discussion.

“Fine!” The teacher, face flushed with anger, waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s pretend I never said anything! You don’t need to prepare for the speech competition anymore. You can go back now!”

Ying Nian pressed her lips together but didn’t back down, seeing no reason to. Without another word, she turned and left.

…

In the evening after school, Ying Nian unexpectedly ran into Jiang Jiashu at the school gate. Normally, they might have exchanged a few playful banter, but today, Ying Nian wasn’t in the mood. She casually greeted him and was about to leave.

Jiang Jiashu caught up to her and asked, “Hey! Are you not participating in the speech competition this year?”

Ying Nian stopped in her tracks and asked, “How do you know?”

The competition lineup shouldn’t have been announced so quickly.

Jiang Jiashu replied, “I just walked past the office and saw your Chinese teacher talking to another girl about the speech competition.”

Ying Nian gave him a suspicious look. “At this time, most teachers are in meetings. You were passing by the office… Oh? You didn’t do your homework again, did you? Were you trying to sneak into the office to get your workbook back?”

Jiang Jiashu’s face flashed with a bit of embarrassment at being caught, and he clicked his tongue. “We’re talking about the speech competition—can you not get sidetracked?” He continued, “Seriously, though, your Chinese teacher also teaches the eleventh class, right? The girl in the office was from that class. What was her name again…”

Every teacher at their school usually taught two classes for a subject. Ying Nian’s Chinese teacher also taught Class 11 and was their homeroom teacher.

Jiang Jiashu suddenly remembered the name and clapped his hands. “Oh, right! The girl from Class 11 is called Xue Feifei!”

“Xue Feifei?” Ying Nian had no recollection. “Who’s that?”

“You don’t remember?” Jiang Jiashu looked surprised. “She transferred to our school in the third year of middle school…”

“Nope, don’t remember.”

“She participated in a writing competition with you in the third year.”

“Really?” Ying Nian thought for a moment. “For the writing competition in the third year, the other two who went with me were both boys…”

“I’m not talking about the national competition!” Jiang Jiashu clarified. “I mean during the school-level selection.”

Ying Nian paused. “The school-level selection? I placed first, and the two boys were second and third…”

“Exactly! And she got an honorable mention.”

“……”

Since the selection was for the national competition, only the top three—gold, silver, and bronze—had one winner each. Honorable mentions were given to ten students.

Ying Nian’s mind flashed back to what her Chinese teacher had said about writing the speech. Just then, Jiang Jiashu added, “Let me put it this way: she’s the girl in our grade with the most high-pitched, cutesy voice!”

With that hint, Ying Nian vaguely recalled who Xue Feifei was.

Although Ying Nian couldn’t clearly recall Xue Feifei’s appearance, her voice was unforgettable.

High-pitched didn’t necessarily mean bad. Some girls had a cute, sweet voice, like juicy winter fruit—crisp and refreshing.

But this one…

Her voice was more like drinking three glasses of pure honey without a drop of water and then eating ten donuts afterward—sickeningly sweet, almost unbearable.