Chapter 20: Downpour

You Hu Village, a tranquil mountain hamlet.

The town’s clamor hadn’t reached here yet. This was still nature’s stage.

The summer cicadas’ hum was oddly soothing. Sang Shen, pedaling the bike, instinctively slowed down.

Yin Xing, sitting sideways on the back seat, tilted her head, resting half her face against his back.

For a moment, Sang Shen thought it wouldn’t be bad if time froze here.

What was the girl behind him thinking right now?

Did she feel even a hint of… sweetness from life?

“Yin Xing…”

His hesitant words barely reached his lips when the sky darkened. A fierce wind roared, bending the rice stalks in the fields.

Bamboo groves on the hillside swayed wildly, like cheerleaders for the coming storm.

Early summer in Jiangnan—rain came without warning.

“Damn! Big rain’s coming!”

Before he could speed up, the downpour crashed down.

The noisy cicadas were silenced instantly, replaced by the whoosh of wind and rain, punctuated by occasional thunder.

Only one thought filled Sang Shen’s mind—

Find shelter.

Otherwise, even with their boxes, the appliances in the bike basket would get soaked.

The countryside road had many trees, but few with thick enough foliage.

The rain blurred the path ahead. Despite being noon, the village turned dark as midnight.

“There’s a big camphor tree ahead. We’ll shelter under it!”

Unsure if Yin Xing could hear, Sang Shen shouted anyway, as if yelling would make him pedal faster.

They stopped under the tree at a bend. Raindrops pounded the camphor’s dense leaves with a patter.

The tiny green leaves formed a giant umbrella.

It had gaps, though—rain still dripped through, falling on them.

But the light drizzle beneath was better than the storm outside.

“Phew… just a minute, and I’m half-soaked.”

Sang Shen shook his wet hair, glancing worriedly at Yin Xing.

“You okay?”

“…Fine.”

“The rice cooker should be alright…”

He eyed the basket.

“It won’t break right after buying, right? They probably won’t take it back.”

“It’s got foam inside.”

“Oh, right, foam blocks some water… and rice cookers aren’t that easy to ruin, are they?”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s almost a hundred yuan, so I was freaking out. Ahem… but the heating rod got wet. What now?”

“…”

Yin Xing gave him a look like he was an idiot.

“…It’s a heating rod.”

“I know it’s a heating rod!”

“…Guess what it’s for.”

“Huh… oh… right! It’s meant for water!”

Sang Shen coughed to hide his embarrassment.

“…Catching a cold?”

“Nah.”

“…”

She blinked, taking a moment to realize he was covering his gaffe.

“…Idiot.”

“So, haha… rain came fast, huh? No escaping it. Mei-yu season, alright. Wonder when it’ll stop. Once it does, it’ll get hot, right? Thirty, forty degrees.”

Sang Shen scratched his head, chuckling.

“But the countryside’s not too bad without AC. Not as hot as the city.”

“Yeah.”

She nodded faintly, a half-smile on her face, her wet hair messy.

“What were you gonna say earlier?”

“Earlier?”

“Before the rain.”

“Oh… forgot.”

“No big deal.”

She turned her cheek, gazing at the cascading rain, letting droplets slip through the leaves onto her face.

Her old school uniform, thin and soaked, turned translucent, outlining her graceful curves and faintly revealing her pale skin.

“Yin Xing…?”

Tentatively, Sang Shen called her name softly.

She didn’t answer, just shifted her pale green eyes slightly.

“This scene right now, it’s beautiful. Like you’re part of nature. Just looking makes me happy.”

“It’s just this pretty shell.”

“No, even the prettiest face only stuns at first. To keep making someone happy to see, you need a beautiful heart.”

Sang Shen scratched his cheek, shyly turning away, his voice drifting into the rain.

“Your heart’s more beautiful than this body.”

“…”

“Uh… didn’t hear me?”

“Heard you.”

“Even if it was Uncle Jing Hong Ye standing here, I’d think, seeing him is great, it makes me happy. It’s a pure feeling. You get that, right?”

“…Like praising myself.”

“Ahem, but I think only someone who’s been through so much, gone numb, exhausted, yet still holds a shred of their true self—that’s the most beautiful.

Me?

I haven’t been tempered yet, so I’m not that ‘beautiful.’”

Yin Xing opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Sang Shen cut her off.

“Oh, rain’s stopping! Let’s hurry home! Gotta bathe or we’ll catch a cold!”

“…Okay.”

She nodded lightly.

“Gotta ride fast this time, no leisurely breeze.”

“Doesn’t matter. It won’t rain again.”

“Huh?”

Yin Xing looked up, her voice soft but clear in his ears.

“Clouds are breaking. Sky’s clearing.”

***

The stream babbled, cicadas buzzed again.

Pedaling along the path, the renovated old house grew closer.

Back in the empty home, your heart settled.

This morning wasn’t busy, but for you, too much had happened.

Your gaze softened as it fell on the boy.

Your life had a new purpose. Death was no longer all you sought.

You wanted him to grow into a true person.

Not deceived, not betrayed, not stripped of his colors by others…

A real, whole, independent… person.

Not a dog, a battery, a screw.

You’d been through too much. Though your body was young, your soul might still be aging. But he was different.

He had a fresh future, a long life, countless new and wonderful things yet to experience.

The future might not improve.

But you were willing to believe again, to let the nearly extinguished spark of hope in your heart burn once more, to see what the future held…

At least, his future couldn’t be more hopeless than yours.

The boy’s voice broke your thoughts.

His concerned, eager question about bathing warmed your heart, as if the heat could dry the dampness on your body.

“Yin Xing, Yin Xing, you don’t expect me to help you bathe again today, do you?”

“…Yeah.”

“No way… still hate your body?”

“…Need to get used to it.”

“Oh… sorry, I oversimplified it. Even if you’ve untangled some knots, it’s hard to adjust, huh? Take it slow. Accepting life now is a good sign—things are getting better.”

“Or maybe it’s the final glow before death.”

You suddenly felt playful enough to tease.

“Hey, don’t say scary stuff like that! Fine, I’ll help you bathe. Wait, I’ll grab a towel, blindfold myself, same as yesterday… okay?”

“Whatever.”

“You don’t care, but I think respect matters between people. I can’t just look at your body because you’re my future self.

Even if it’s not your original body, it’s yours now… ugh, my brain’s all muddled, I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

You found the thick-browed boy somewhat adorable—a feeling you never got looking in the mirror before.

“Alright, lead me in. Uh, did I hit the doorframe…?”

“Yeah.”

“Guide me properly, hey!”

“We’re here.”

“Stool, where’s the stool… got it. Let’s start. Plenty of hot water today—oh, after a noon bath, should we bathe again tonight? Hmm… if we’re sweaty, probably should, right?”

You didn’t respond to his muttering, just nodded lightly, turning your head to the window.

“Let’s wash your hair first. Turn around, I’ll make lots of foam. They say more foam cleans better.

“No matter how many times I touch it, your hair’s so smooth. Just using that cheap bulk shampoo, too. Sigh, if we had money, we’d get body wash.

Soap’s slippery, makes me worry about dropping it.

But shampoo’s the priciest—same size, costs half more…”

His not-so-rough hands gently touched every inch of your skin.

It didn’t feel intrusive. Instead, it made you feel closer to him.

“Phew, tiring. Let’s rinse the foam now. Got everywhere, right? Even between your toes—I don’t wash myself that thoroughly.”

Blindfolded, Sang Shen stood, adjusting the water temperature, testing it with his hand to ensure it wasn’t too hot, then gently rinsed the foam from your hair.

On impulse, you lightly hugged his arm, prompting his confusion.

“Huh… what’s up?”

“Phew…”

You closed your eyes. “Thank you” rose to your heart but stuck in your throat, turning into a heavy sigh.

“Haha, what’s that?”

His voice was warm.

“We’re bathing.”

“If you like this body, no need to blindfold yourself… look if you want.”

“Hey, hey! What kinda nonsense is that? Is that really an uncle’s soul in there? That’s way too embarrassing!”

“To me, this isn’t my body.”

“Oh… seeing you struggle makes me feel bad. I’d rather switch with you.”

“…No way.”

“Why not?”

“I’d puke seeing you.”

“Ahem…! Speaking of… was your ex-girlfriend pretty? Uh… should I not ask?”

“…Ordinary.”

“Then you now… this body’s way prettier than her.”

“…”

“Sorry, shouldn’t have said that.”

“I told you… stop blaming yourself for everything.”

You held his hand, pressing it to your small face, rubbing gently.

“How’s it feel?”

“Soft, smooth, nice…”

“To you, is this body beautiful?”

“…Y-Yes.”

“Good.”

Countless clear droplets slid over your skin. In the sunlight from the window, your pale skin shimmered like crystal…