Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The rain came down harder and harder.

All I could hear was the rain-and my own frantic heartbeat.

When I passed that alley, I stopped. After hesitating for a moment, I still turned in.

In the downpour, the cardboard box that had held the newborn kittens had long since collapsed.

It had been soaked almost into pulp, leaving only a filthy mush on the ground.

Where were the kittens?

Where had that whole litter gone?

In rain this heavy, could newborn kittens even survive?

Only then did my eyes finally sting.

This damned world-some bitch slandered me, my friend betrayed me, my teacher suspected me… Fate had taken my parents from me in a car accident on a rainy night, and now it was going to take the kittens too?

I hugged my knees in the pouring rain, curled into a ball, and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Then, suddenly, the rain seemed to stop.

A shadow fell over me.

I looked up and saw a tall figure backlit by the light.

The person stood beside me with an umbrella. In a gentle voice, he asked, “Classmate, are you looking for the cats?”

The stairwell was dim.

I stared at the adult cat and kittens in the cardboard box, still unable to fully process it.

The slender, upright boy put away his umbrella and said, “This morning’s weather forecast said there might be heavy rain this afternoon.

“So I spoke to Aunt Li on the first floor ahead of time and asked her to help move the kittens into the stairwell for now.”

Watching Mimi affectionately rub against his fingertips, I shivered.

By then, I was soaked through. My white school uniform had been drenched by the rain and clung tightly to my body, faintly revealing the color of my skin beneath.

Embarrassed, I lowered my head and folded my arms across my chest.

Just as I was trying to think of some excuse to run away, the boy suddenly took off his own school uniform jacket.

The next second, the jacket, carrying the scent of lavender laundry detergent, was draped over my shoulders.

Under the dim stairwell light, I finally saw his face clearly-fair-skinned, handsome in a clean-cut way, refined and gentle, with an inexplicably familiar air.

He leaned closer to put the jacket around me, then quickly stepped back.

The entire time, he kept his head turned slightly aside and his eyes lowered, his movements maintaining just the right amount of distance.

I asked instinctively, “Why… why are you turning your head away?”

I still remembered the last time I accidentally spilled water on my chest. Zhang Kang had stared at me the entire time, his gaze disgustingly blatant.

The boy was silent for a moment before answering, “Because my mom said that when a girl is embarrassed, you shouldn’t keep staring at her.”

Realization dawned on me-so Zhang Kang wasn’t just a scumbag. He was an uncultured scumbag, too.

I pulled the jacket tighter around myself and caught sight of the name on the collar-Song Wangshu.

I remembered now.

Beside the path from the school gate to the teaching building, there was an honor wall.

Song Wangshu-this name always appeared at the very top of that honor wall.

I secretly studied the boy in front of me.

So he was the legendary genius who had repeatedly ranked first in science.

But there weren’t any photos on the honor wall. Why on earth did I find him familiar?

After thinking for a moment, I finally remembered-back when Luo Xing and I were still friends, I had caught her secretly looking at a photo on her phone.

In the photo was a boy playing basketball.

At the time, I had even teased her, “Ooh, Xingxing, do you have a crush on someone?”

When Luo Xing heard that, her face turned bright red with embarrassment. “Don’t talk nonsense! It’s just a one-sided crush.

“He’s my male god. He’s especially good at basketball.

“But he’s so aloof. I can’t even find a chance to give him water.”

Although I’d only caught a fleeting glimpse, I remembered it very clearly-the face in that photo was unmistakably Song Wangshu’s, a face almost unfairly outstanding.

So he was the cool, aloof boy Luo Xing had a crush on.

I couldn’t help but give him a fragile, pitiful smile.

Gratefully, I said, “Thank you.

“My name is Li Zhuguang.

“What’s yours?”

Friday afternoon.

I spent a small fortune at the school store on a few bottles of water, then headed for the school basketball court.

The sidelines were packed with people-enough to stuff more than two hundred Hannibals to death.

I didn’t understand basketball at all. It wasn’t until the spectators started cheering that I realized the blue team had won.

With my school uniform jacket hooked over one arm and a bag of bottled water in the other hand, I walked over to the blue team.

“Song Wangshu, do you want some water?”

At the sound of my voice, Song Wangshu turned his head, a little surprised.

He hesitated for a moment, but still took the water from me. “Thanks.”

I let out a breath of relief and quickly handed him the jacket in my arms. “I washed your jacket. Here, I’m returning it.”

When Song Wangshu took the jacket from me, the other players’ gazes began drifting back and forth between us.

I took out the bottles of water and handed them out one by one.

Seeing his teammates’ expressions grow more and more interesting, Song Wangshu explained calmly, “Her name is Li Zhuguang. She’s my friend.”

At that, a boy with spiky hair dragged out his tone. “Ohhh-so she’s a new friend.

“We won the game today, and you made a new friend.

“Captain, shouldn’t you treat us and your new friend to milk tea?”

Amid their teasing, Song Wangshu had no choice but to agree.

As I left the court surrounded by the basketball team, I seemed to sense something and turned back.

In the crowd, Luo Xing stood frozen in place, her face pale, the bottle of water in her hand crushed out of shape.

Not far away, Zhang Kang was glaring at me.

His face was twisted by jealousy, so ugly it looked like some long-buried miscarriage of justice.

If Luo Xing was sad and hurting because of Song Wangshu, then why was Zhang Kang angry?

The intense possessiveness in his eyes disgusted me. That vague lock screen image resurfaced in my mind.

Thoughtful, I turned my head back and blended once more into the basketball team’s chatter and laughter.

Through deliberate effort, my life and Song Wangshu’s slowly began to intersect.

During the break between classes.

I was tidying up my desk when I suddenly heard someone call me. “Li Zhuguang, someone’s here for you!”

I turned toward the back door of the classroom, and sure enough, I saw a slim, upright figure standing there.

A few girls whispered among themselves. “Song Wangshu, the top student in our grade? What’s he doing here?”

Instinctively, I looked in Luo Xing’s direction.

She was lying on her desk, resting.

I couldn’t see her face, but I could see her knuckles, clenched so tightly they had gone white.

I stood up and walked toward the back door.

When I passed Zhang Kang, I knocked his desk crooked.

Under Zhang Kang’s vicious glare, I strode straight to Song Wangshu.

Song Wangshu handed me the notebooks in his hand. “Here. Physics notes.”

Because I had once mentioned that I was struggling with physics, Song Wangshu had lent me his notes.

Now, he carefully pointed out the numbers on the lower right corners of the covers and told me the bottom notebook was a collection of the hardest final problems.

I took the notebooks from him and hugged them to my chest gratefully. “Thank you. I really don’t know how to repay you.”

Before Song Wangshu could speak, I tilted my head and made a suggestion as if inspiration had just struck. “Do you often go to the alley to feed Mimi too?

“How about this-next time, let’s go feed the cat together.

“I’ll bring an extra sausage just for you.”

…