Chapter 85: The Morning Drizzle

Wednesday morning, a light drizzle fell.

Chen Lin walked to school holding an umbrella. The ground was wet, with thick rainwater gathered in occasional puddles.

The rain had started the evening before. According to the weather forecast, it might not stop until noon.

Chen Lin hated rainy school days. His shoes always got dirty by the time he arrived, and he’d have to wipe them with a tissue right away, or the mud would dry into stubborn spots.

He entered the high school gate, went to his classroom, and sat in his usual seat. He started handing in yesterday’s homework.

Maybe because of the rain, many classmates were late today. Normally by this time, most of the classroom would be full, but today only about a third had arrived.

About twenty minutes later, Jin Jie walked in.

“Morning, Mumu.” Only Jin Jie called him that.

“Morning. You’re a bit late today. Another few minutes and you’d be tardy.” Chen Lin glanced at the time on his phone.

“Almost late means not late. If I’m not late, what’s the problem?” Jin Jie waved his hand dismissively and sat down.

Chen Lin looked at him strangely. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but Jin Jie seemed off today.

Something was different, but he couldn’t say what.

At lunch, they ate in the school cafeteria. A boy cut in line right in front of Jin Jie.

“Sorry, man, I have something urgent this afternoon. Mind if I cut in?” The boy apologized after cutting.

Knowing Jin Jie, he wouldn’t normally let someone cut. But today, Jin Jie agreed without even asking what was so urgent.

Chen Lin frowned. “You’re really off today.”

“Huh… am I?” Jin Jie scratched the back of his head.

“Definitely weird. Did something strange happen to you?” Chen Lin asked.

“Strange? Well, something good actually happened. I was going to tell you over lunch anyway.” Jin Jie replied.

For some reason, when Jin Jie said “good,” Chen Lin’s heart skipped a beat.

He felt that what Jin Jie considered “good” might not be good for him. It might even be bad.

This uneasy feeling had a reason, and Chen Lin knew why.

But he shook his head. Maybe he was overthinking. No need to scare himself.

After getting their food, they sat by the window. The drizzle had almost stopped, but the glass table was still covered in tiny, pearl-like droplets.

“So what’s the good thing?” Chen Lin asked, uneasy.

“Listen, don’t freak out… I think I’ve become friends with Liying. We talked for over an hour yesterday, and we even added each other on social media.” Jin Jie said happily, not noticing Chen Lin’s face darken.

Chen Lin clenched his teeth. His words came out strained. “Don’t you think that’s strange? Why would Liying want to be friends with you?”

Jin Jie frowned. He didn’t like Chen Lin’s attitude or his suspicion of Liying.

“Hey, you’re the one being weird today,” Jin Jie said.

“Weird… yeah, maybe. Think carefully. Didn’t she ask about me at all?” Chen Lin tried.

“Are you feverish? Why would Liying ask about you? Don’t try to make yourself the center of attention.” Jin Jie paused, then continued. “She’s just interested in some peripherals, and I know a lot about them. That’s all we talked about. Just two hobbyists sharing interests.”

Chen Lin said nothing. He knew it wasn’t that simple.

He understood Jin Jie’s mood, though. That’s probably why he didn’t want to say more.

Chen Lin looked down at his right hand, covered by a glove. It was a physical seal for his curse.

Even though the weather was hot and humid, and his hand was sweating inside the glove, he didn’t dare take it off.

So now his bad luck had started to affect his friend, too.

Chen Lin knew Liying’s target was him. For his friend’s sake, he couldn’t run anymore. He had to talk to Liying clearly.

He had to talk to Liying for his friend’s sake, as well as for Liying’s and his own.

Since hiding was useless, Chen Lin decided to stop being cowardly. He would face Liying and make her stay away from Jin Jie.

“Are you meeting Liying again today?” Chen Lin asked.

“How’d you know? After school, I’m taking her to the store I usually go to. They’ve got great stuff, from trackball mice to pro speakers, even some rare vintage gear.” Jin Jie didn’t hide anything from his friend.

Chen Lin filed this information away.

After school, since the rain had stopped, Jin Jie left his long umbrella by the desk on purpose.

As he walked out of school with light steps, he didn’t notice Chen Lin watching him.

He took a bus for five stops, then turned down a street.

He waited happily for half an hour. Then the person he was waiting for appeared. Liying wore a pure white jacket over her school uniform.

“Sorry, am I late?” Liying looked a bit embarrassed. She had left as soon as school ended, but traffic was slow because of the wet roads.

“Not at all. I just got here too.” Jin Jie didn’t mention that he’d been waiting for half an hour.

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