MTB - Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Extra - Sunshower
Between spring and summer, it was graduation season once again.
Graduating students in academic gowns could be seen taking photos everywhere on campus. Yun Yang’s school had a partnership with this university, and the young high school students mixed in among the gowns looked out of place. Today was the last day of their visit. After a short meeting in the morning, they took photos in front of some of the university’s landmark buildings before leaving. Yun Yang waited for her friends in a shady spot, but the fickle June weather of Beicheng did not disappoint. Without any warning, rain began to fall from the clear, sunny sky.
She was about to leave when she felt a sudden urge to look to her side.
A glass-covered walkway cast a dry shadow, like a dividing line extending straight to her feet. The woman stood just beyond the curtain of rain. She looked quite young, perhaps a student at this university, and was sitting on a bench with her gaze lowered. The students in the distance, busy taking photos or seeking shelter, were like a bustling, dynamic video, while she was a silent painting, quiet and downcast.
Yun Yang glanced at a classmate waving at her from nearby, then felt for her folding umbrella in her bag. After hesitating for two seconds, she tapped the woman on the arm from behind.
“Sister, you can have my umbrella.”
The woman turned around, looking dazed and a little surprised. She first offered a stunned thank you but didn’t take the umbrella. “Thank you, but…”
“I’m with my classmate,” Yun Yang said, pointing toward the sky and explaining earnestly, “Besides, the sky isn’t even overcast. See? It’s a sunshower. It won’t last long. I won’t get wet.”
The girl’s eyes were sparkling, reflecting the clear light of the early summer afternoon, washed clean by the rain. The woman was at a loss for a moment. By the time she came to her senses, the white folding umbrella had been pressed into her hands. In the distance, someone called the girl’s name. Shielding her head with her backpack, she jogged off and merged into the crowd.
“I’m going! Goodbye, Sister!”
The woman raised her hand, but before she could wave farewell, the girl had already disappeared. If not for the folding umbrella in her hand, it would have felt like a brief daydream.
“Yuelou!”
She turned to see Ye Ziqiu jogging over under an umbrella, splashing through the puddles. Ye Ziqiu collapsed her umbrella under the walkway, shaking a small pool of water onto the ground. “I finally found you! Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t looking at it,” Tang Yuelou said.
Knowing she was in a bad mood, Ye Ziqiu didn’t press the issue. She asked, “What are your plans now?”
Tang Yuelou didn’t answer, just gave her a lukewarm glance.
Ye Ziqiu sighed helplessly and conceded. “Actually, I wanted to say that Xiao Jun’s flight is today. She hasn’t left yet.”
Tang Yuelou nodded. “I know,” she said, gazing quietly at the curtain of rain.
“She told me herself. She knew that as soon as I heard, I’d tell you immediately. She did it on purpose.” Ye Ziqiu seemed a little angry, pausing for two seconds before continuing, “Are you going to see her?”
This went far beyond a mere “hint.” Even an outsider like Ye Ziqiu could see that Ouyang Jun was waiting for her to ask her to stay. That was why she was getting worked up on Tang Yuelou’s behalf—a big fight every three days, a breakup every five. They had finally decided to make a clean break and leave immediately, only for one of them to realize at the last minute that she was reluctant to let go… or perhaps it was guilt, not reluctance. Ouyang Jun had clear goals in her studies and career, but when it came to her feelings, she didn’t understand herself, leading to her capricious behavior. From Ye Ziqiu’s perspective, it was excessive.
—But time waits for no one. You might want to remain endlessly entangled, but others have no obligation to play along. Some people know exactly what they want.
Of course, Tang Yuelou knew what this meant. She gave a flat “Mm” and replied, “No.”
The answer was what Ye Ziqiu had expected. In fact, she would have been furious if Tang Yuelou had chased after her. But along with her relief, she felt a strange sense of melancholy. From middle school through university graduation, it had been the better part of their youth. Whatever disagreements the two had, to outsiders, they were well-suited in every way—family background, appearance, talent… They were so “suited” that even when their feelings were exhausted and their relationship had frozen over, they could still calmly and rationally handle the transfer of Dianqing’s equity in a single meeting before parting ways, ensuring their personal conflicts didn’t affect anyone else in the slightest.
But people who can carry on with just “suitability” and “rationality” aren’t lovers; they’re business partners.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Tang Yuelou stood up a little straighter and said softly, “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Ye Ziqiu touched the top of her head. “It’s just, you’re a little too calm… I thought… I thought…”
Tang Yuelou: “You thought I’d break down crying, throw a fit, and threaten to kill myself?”
Ye Ziqiu waved her hands frantically. “You said it, not me! I just meant, let’s not do that. We’re adults now, be mature.”
Tang Yuelou lowered her eyes and smiled.
Ye Ziqiu smiled along with her. “Let’s go. Ready to go take pictures?”
“Let’s go.”
The rain seemed to be letting up.
In the half-day since receiving the breakup message, she had thought about many things. She watched wave after wave of students taking graduation photos on the steps of the library. They bustled about, coming and going, some wanting to remain in the past, others choosing to step forward.
Then she realized she had no strong desire to create memories with anyone. She wasn’t clinging to anything; she was far more resolute than she had imagined. Of course, it was also possible she simply didn’t want to continue wasting time on a relationship that was nothing more than mutual tolerance.
“You’re quite the prophet, bringing an umbrella.”
“It’s not mine.”
“Ooh, who gave you an umbrella, then?”
“Don’t joke like that. It was a kid. I don’t know why she was at our university.”
“Hiss…”
“The sun is still out, why did it suddenly start raining? My clothes are soaked. How are we going to see our parents like this!”
“They’ve already seen us soaked like snowmen during that big snowstorm last time. Just wipe yourself down so you don’t catch a cold.” As she spoke, Ye Feian handed over her bag. Yu Liang rummaged inside for an umbrella and tissues, then studied her for a few seconds, tracing a line in the air. “Your hair, your hair.”
Ye Feian leaned her head forward, and Yu Liang reached out to brush away the bangs stuck to her forehead. Ye Feian shook her head to even them out. “Good thing we brought an umbrella. This weather is so strange. It was overcast for the past two days but never rained, and now today of all days.”
“It should be less stuffy after the rain. Let’s go, Mom and Dad are waiting.”
“It’s fine, let the four of them order first. We’re not in a hurry.”
“That won’t do. It’s rude to make our elders wait for us. Hurry, hurry.” Yu Liang took the bag of drinks from her and patted her on the back, urging her on.
During the last holiday before summer break, Qingcheng was experiencing another small tourism peak. Normally, they would have planned a short trip for the long weekend, but the high school students were about to have their final exams, and Yu Liang had been mentally exhausted lately. Ye Feian was also busy publishing a paper, so they ended up just staying home for a day and getting both families together for dinner in the evening.
Ye Feian grumbled as she opened the umbrella, “This is so weird. Whose side are you on, anyway…”
“I’m on your side! Happy now, Dr. Ye? Let’s hurry.”
“I want to go too! Just look at this rain. Am I supposed to walk through it? Just call my professor and tell him I’ll be two minutes late. What’s the big deal? Is it that embarrassing?”
The two of them stopped in their tracks in perfect sync.
A girl with a backpack was on the phone, her expression anxious. She was biting her lower lip, her eyes red and welling with tears.
“It’s the Dragon Boat Festival today, and I had a full day of makeup classes. You’re not worried I won’t have dinner, but you’re worried my teacher will have to wait two more minutes?!”
Without waiting for a reply, she hung up, wiped her eyes with her arm, and began pacing anxiously on the steps. She took off her backpack and clutched it to her chest, then bit her lip, about to dash into the rain. Yu Liang and Ye Feian exchanged a look, and Yu Liang tapped the girl on the shoulder.
“You can use our umbrella,” she said, holding it out.
“Th-that’s not right…” The girl was stunned, her face flushing. It took her a moment to remember to thank them. She was about to accept it but hesitated and waved her hands in refusal. “Thank you, Sister, but what will you two do if I take it?”
Yu Liang pressed the umbrella into her hand. “It’s okay. We’re not in a hurry. We can just wait here for a bit.”
“Go on to class, and be careful on the way,” Ye Feian said. “In this weather, your teacher probably won’t mind if you’re two minutes late.”
“Besides, even if you get scolded a little, it’s okay. As long as you can handle it, it’s not a big deal. A teacher won’t change their impression of you over one mistake,” Yu Liang added comfortingly.
Ye Feian seemed to understand something and glanced at her, then chimed in, “Right, this sister here is a teacher, so you can trust her. And if your teacher does scold you, just call us, and we’ll pretend to be your parents and explain for you.”
Her words were getting ridiculous. Yu Liang couldn’t listen anymore and jabbed her in the side with an elbow.
The girl let out a small laugh, wiped her eyes, and bowed to them. “Thank you, sisters!”
“Be careful on your way!”
The transparent umbrella plunged into the curtain of rain, refracting mottled spots of light in the sun. Yu Liang leaned on Ye Feian’s shoulder, watching the girl turn onto a tree-lined path and disappear from view. It was as if she were seeing herself from ten years ago—anxious and timid.
She wanted to open a small umbrella for every child as lost as she had been, as if reaching back through the wasted years to shield her younger self from a bit of the gloomy rain.
Ye Feian looked at her profile, her lips curving into a smile as she hooked a finger around Yu Liang’s.
“Hm? What is it?” Yu Liang came back to her senses and turned to look at her.
Ye Feian: “Nothing. I just think my Yuyu is such a good person.”
Yu Liang couldn’t help but smile too, pressing her fingers against Ye Feian’s forehead to push her away slightly. “Get out of here.”
Ye Feian: “So what do we do now?”
“What time were we supposed to be there?”
“Six.” Ye Feian showed her the watch on her wrist.
…It was already five past six.
Ye Feian: “Take a taxi?”
Yu Liang: “Make a run for it?”
After speaking at the same time, they stared at each other. One thought it was pointless to take a taxi for a two-minute walk, while the other thought it was undignified to run through the rain and get soaked. Neither could convince the other with a look, so after a moment of staring, they both broke into laughter.
“Why don’t we just wait a bit longer for the rain to stop,” Ye Feian said, shifting the shopping bag to one hand and pulling out her phone with the other. “I’ll call my mom and tell her we’ll be a little late. It’s all family, it’s fine. If worse comes to worst, we can just buy an umbrella nearby.”
“You can use my umbrella.”
It was a woman’s voice. The two of them froze and turned their heads in unison.
The woman who had spoken to them looked to be in her early thirties. She wore a blue shirt with the top three buttons casually undone and had two bags slung over her arm. Though she was dressed for an outing, her elegant and steady demeanor made even her slightly wide-legged jeans look as refined as a professional woman’s attire. At first glance, she stood out from the crowd.
Ye Feian was surprised she hadn’t noticed such a conspicuous person approaching. She scanned her warily, her gaze moving from the seemingly plain solid-colored shirt to the bag on her shoulder, then to the watch on the hand holding out the umbrella. She then gripped Yu Liang’s wrist, pulled her back, and silently declared her claim.
The blue of the shirt was unique, a beautiful sky blue. Yu Liang stared at it for a couple of extra seconds before Ye Feian tugged her back to reality. She quickly waved her hands. “Ah… no, no, what will you do if you give us your umbrella?”
“It’s alright. I’m with my partner, and she has an umbrella.” The woman smiled gently at Ye Feian, her meaning clear. “She went to buy drinks. She’ll be back soon.”
Their eyes met briefly. Ye Feian took the umbrella and nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You should get going, don’t keep your family waiting.” The woman smiled, tilting her head to look at the sunlight half-hidden by the clouds.
“Although, a sunshower… won’t last too long.”
Yun Yang returned with the drinks just in time to see this scene of the umbrella being given away. She watched for a moment, waiting until the people had left before walking over.
Yun Yang (in a theatrical tone): “My, my, Teacher Tang, didn’t you tell me you didn’t bring an umbrella and we’d have to share one? My umbrella is so small. What if we get wet?”
Tang Yuelou: “Because I wanted to share an umbrella with you. I wouldn’t mind getting wet.”
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