After finishing sit-ups, they had about ten minutes of free time.

A few boys went to play basketball, arms around each other, while others headed off in pairs or threes to the restroom or the school store. Before meeting Liu Sizhen, Lin Bosheng would probably have slowly headed back to the classroom alone, using that time to finish some homework.

But now, with Liu Sizhen around, he went to get water for him.

When Lin planned to go alone as usual, Liu, who had been sitting on the grass, suddenly stood up as if he’d gotten tired of sitting and stretched theatrically—clearly signaling he’d join him.

Lin couldn’t quite explain the feeling, but watching Liu turn down invitations to play basketball or smoke in the restroom, instead choosing to accompany him to the store, made him feel unexpectedly pleased.

“Why are you standing there dazed?! Idiot!”

“Uh, yeah.”

Lin took a few quick steps to follow behind Liu.

After buying what they needed, they wandered aimlessly around the campus.

They intended to return to the classroom, but somehow ended up climbing the stairs all the way to the rooftop. The sunshine that day was perfect, paired with a gentle breeze—it was so pleasant, evoking the peace of a quiet, beautiful life.

When they were alone, Liu wasn’t quite sure how to interact with Lin. As he sat in silence, Lin was also unsure of what to say. In the stillness, Liu suddenly recalled their last one-on-one encounter in the boys’ restroom.

That incident was a bit of a character-break, but the system had only lightly reprimanded him without imposing any severe punishment. Liu had apologized to the system afterward, promising to be more mindful, as it could impact his task score.

As for explaining the situation to the main character, he thought, whether by chance or fate, the day after the incident, he realized it had actually been April Fool’s Day.

So when the main character asked about it, could he just say it was an April Fool’s joke? Liu immediately went with that, lifting his chin slightly. “What else would it be?”

Lin stifled a laugh. Sure, whatever he said.

For now, they set the matter aside, though the atmosphere between them remained a bit awkward. They stood there quietly, occasionally glancing at each other, silently watching a flock of birds circling above.

—

In a corner of the rooftop, there were a few discarded cigarette butts.

Suddenly, Lin spoke up, “Thanks…”

At first, Liu didn’t understand what he was talking about, but then he saw Lin handing him some money and understood.

Somehow, the main character’s situation reminded him of his own past, leading him to do subtle little things for him without breaking character.

To Lin, however, these gestures were anything but subtle.

Yesterday, the class had been asked to buy two workbooks, costing over eighty yuan.

Lin could probably scrape together enough, but a few days ago, the money he’d left at home had been stolen by his dad. Fortunately, he always hid his money in different places, so his dad hadn’t taken too much, just a hundred or so, likely to buy alcohol.

So, Lin decided he’d turn in the money a couple of days late.

During the big break that day, most of the class had left, and Lin, coming back mid-break, noticed Liu was still in the classroom. Instead of going in, Lin glanced through the window and saw Liu moving around suspiciously near his desk.

Liu was in a good mood, humming a tune, even picking up a book that had fallen and dusting it off.

Lin nearly got spotted, and for some reason, instinctively ducked out of sight when Liu looked his way.

When he returned, the class rep in charge of collecting the money handed him some change, saying it was money left on his desk with a note bearing his name.

Lin instinctively looked over at Liu, who showed no reaction. Catching Lin’s gaze, Liu responded with a tone that was audibly annoyed:

“What are you looking at?”

Liu Sizhen thought he hadn’t been noticed. When Lin Bosheng thanked him out of the blue, he was caught off guard and continued to play dumb.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Lin knew Liu was pretending, so he didn’t argue. He just added another entry to his mental “debt book.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

This awkward version of Liu Sizhen… was kind of cute.

Lin couldn’t take his eyes off Liu as he drank, his gaze fixed on Liu’s throat as he swallowed. Ever since Liu had hugged him that one time, Lin felt like something inside him had changed, too.

To the other students in Class Eleven, it looked like they both slipped into the classroom right as the bell rang. Through the window, they could faintly see Lin holding the drink Liu wanted, following him closely.

From afar, it almost looked like… a well-trained, obedient dog following its owner.

---

The weather forecast predicted sunny skies all week, and the first few days had indeed been unbearably hot. But on Friday evening, during the second period of night study, it began to rain softly outside.

The unexpected rain brought a slight coolness to the previously stifling air. Even the wind from the fans overhead felt much more refreshing.

The thought of the upcoming weekend brightened everyone’s mood. Boarding students would just run through the rain across the campus to their dorms, while the commuting students either had family members come with umbrellas or could easily buy one at the school gate.

Thanks to a “friendly reminder” from the system, Liu Sizhen had prepared an umbrella the day before. He tapped the pointed end of the umbrella on Lin Bosheng’s back, naturally instructing him to hold it.

Lin hesitated, and before he could answer, Liu had already tossed the long, black umbrella into his hands.

Classmates who noticed whispered among themselves.

“Doesn’t he have hands? Treating him like a servant.”

“Never knew Lin Bosheng was this easy to push around.”

The “easily pushed around” Lin followed Liu, opening the umbrella as they walked. They were about the same height, and though the umbrella was big, it was still a tight fit for two teenage boys.

Lin tilted most of the umbrella toward Liu.

Liu said nothing, but moved closer to Lin so that neither of them would get wet, no matter how much Lin angled the umbrella.

Usually, Liu had someone pick him up, but today, before he left the classroom, he texted Uncle Zheng, his driver, to cancel the pick-up.

That morning, Liu had noticed Lin didn’t bring an umbrella. He had thought about having Uncle Zheng drive him home but didn’t want to hurt Lin’s pride and couldn’t think of a good excuse to invite him into the car.

In truth, Lin’s house was only about a ten-minute walk from the school, so even without an umbrella, he wouldn’t get too drenched since the streets were lined with shops for cover.

Liu had insisted on dragging him along because, in the original storyline, the main character was supposed to be cornered by a group of dropouts on a rainy day, earning a new scar in the process.

Liu wasn’t sure which rainy day it would be, but he wanted to help him avoid it.

---

Outside, the rain continued softly. The sound of raindrops on the umbrella was nothing compared to the speed of Lin’s heartbeat. Being this close to Liu, shoulder to shoulder, was something he had never experienced.

Lin scrambled for a topic.

“Don’t you usually have someone pick you up?”

Liu froze. He hadn’t expected Lin to notice, let alone remember that he usually had a ride after school.

But he couldn’t come up with a suitable excuse right away, so he cleared his throat and glared at Lin.

“None of your business. Just hold the umbrella properly!”

Lin’s grip on the umbrella tightened. He was certain that Liu could have taken a car home, which meant…

Realizing this made Lin feel as if his heart was blooming. Despite the rain outside, he felt like it was a warm, sunny day within him.

Even the sound of the rain seemed to become more pleasant.

“Oh…”

When Lin Bosheng got home, the rain outside still showed no signs of stopping, but he didn’t feel cold. In fact, he actually felt… pretty warm.

As he was washing up that night, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror—wearing a dumb grin, looking just like a lovestruck, awkward kid.

Was he that happy? But why?

Honestly, he didn’t know why.

Lin got home a bit later than usual that night. He had walked Liu Sizhen home before heading back himself. It hadn’t really delayed anything; the rain meant that his relative’s barbecue stall wasn’t open, so he hadn’t missed out on any chores. In fact, he was… quite happy about it.

He didn’t see walking Liu Sizhen home as a hassle at all; in fact, he wished the walk had been longer so that they could’ve spent more time together under the umbrella. If only it had no end.

With the soft rain outside, the umbrella felt like a little world of its own. Two young boys, shoulder to shoulder, walking side by side. They had plenty to say, yet neither wanted to break the perfect silence between them.

When they were about to part ways, they both spoke up at almost the same time.

“You…”

“Oh, right…”

“You go first.”

“No, you…”

In the end, Liu Sizhen spoke first, telling Lin to be careful on his way home. With an unusual seriousness, he mentioned that Changning hadn’t been very safe these past few years, with its surveillance system still incomplete and the streets quite chaotic.

There was something odd about the way he said “these past few years,” like an outsider describing events from years ago, even though he lived in Changning.

And… even if Lin had come home late before, he had always come back alone, and no one had cared.

Well, not anymore.

“You… you be careful going back… don’t…” Liu paused, then muttered, “…don’t fall and die or something.”

“…Alright.”

Lin held onto Liu’s umbrella. It was a long-handled, meticulously crafted umbrella with a subtle fragrance, just like the scent that lingered around Liu Sizhen. It felt worlds apart from his own dusty, worn-down house.

At first, Liu had wanted Lin to go home alone, but Lin refused and, for some reason, especially didn’t want Liu to see his home that night.

Lin had never been one to care about appearances or pride, yet suddenly he found himself feeling self-conscious. He dreaded the thought of Liu seeing the shabby place he lived, afraid of even a hint of disdain in his expression.

Though so many people already knew about his circumstances, Lin had never felt ashamed before. But with Liu… he didn’t want to look pitiful.

---

On the way to Liu’s place, they passed through a narrow, dark alley. When the streetlights worked, it usually didn’t feel so creepy, but with the rain, the lights were flickering on and off.

Out of nowhere, a stray dog barked at them from the shadows.

Liu hadn’t mentioned being afraid of dogs, but he instinctively tried to shield Lin, which made Lin want to laugh a little. He could feel Liu’s shoulder trembling slightly against his own.

Without saying a word, Lin picked up a stone and scared the dog off. Once it was gone, he quietly reassured Liu, “It’s okay now.”

“…”

Lin had good hearing; he caught Liu’s barely audible “thanks” and felt the grip on his sleeve loosen.

And then Liu added, pretending to be brave:

“I wasn’t scared, okay?!”

Not so tough after all, huh? And he’s actually afraid of dogs?

Lin tried to hold back a smile but couldn’t quite manage. Luckily, it was dark, so Liu didn’t see his expression, or else he’d probably get annoyed again.

Thinking about Liu’s annoyed face only made Lin’s smile widen.

In the quiet of his own thoughts, Lin reached into his pocket and found a few colorful candies. He didn’t have to guess; they were obviously Liu’s doing.

They were sweet, with strawberry-flavored fillings.

---

The sky was just beginning to lighten, with faint stars still visible in the dawn. It was barely five in the morning. Street cleaners had already started sweeping the streets as a new day began in Changning.

Inside a small, worn bathroom in a low-rise house on Shuichang Third Alley, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy was crouched over, scrubbing his clothes with all his might.

His face was burning hot and blushing, and he could hear his own heartbeat pounding. His young, tender feelings had snuck up on him so unexpectedly.

Lin Bosheng was quickly sinking, falling deeper and deeper, without any resistance. He didn’t want to resist.

With his growing feelings came a sense of helplessness. He knew he was reaching for something unattainable, and though his rational mind tried to tell him what he should do, his heart refused to listen…

“What am I going to do… what am I going to do…”