Chapter 34

Ch.34

Because of some extenuating circumstances, school was released early on Thursday.

But the sky wasn’t cooperating, with a major downpour. Huge rain drops splattered down, soaking the whole of First Middle School.

The students who had umbrellas went off first, while the people who didn’t have umbrellas but weren’t afraid of being soaked also went off under the rain. All the people left in school were those who didn’t have umbrellas and were just waiting for the rain to stop.

At the entrance of the building, Song Yu Meng was holding onto her umbrella and calling her driver to pick her up. After the call, she was planning on waiting in the classroom, but Liu Luo Yang came by at this moment.

“That… I’m in a rush to go home, but I didn’t bring an umbrella. Could I borrow yours?” He smiled innocently, confident that Song Yu Meng would give him the umbrella.

“Take it.” Song Yu Meng hesitated for a few seconds before giving it to him, looking like she was just helping out a friend.

Liu Luo Yang took the umbrella, a little annoyed at Song Yu Meng’s reaction. He thought that she would go crazy at his request, but she was unexpectedly calm.

But it didn’t matter. To him, getting the umbrella was more important.

Liu Luo Yang was about to leave when Xu Yuan arrived and asked him directly without even looking at Song Yu Meng: “Could you send me too, I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

Standing at the side, Song Yu Meng was enraged. So be it if she was ignored, but this was her umbrella, she should be the one to agree or not!

Song Yu Meng was about to explode and say, this is my umbrella. I didn’t even ask Liu Luo Yang to send me home. Where did you get the courage from, have you asked for my permission?

But before the words could come out of her mouth, Liu Luo Yang immediately agreed. “Sure, it would be my honour to send the school flower home.”

Xu Yuan smiled gently, then looked at Song Yu Meng. She did it on purpose. After seeing Song Yu Meng give the umbrella to Liu Luo Yang, she had intentionally walked over, intentionally ignored Song Yu Meng and intentionally said all that to Liu Luo Yang.

Honestly, she just wanted to irritate Song Yu Meng.

“Then let’s go.” Liu Luo Yang was a little overeager, completely forgetting the owner of the umbrella was still there.

“Then I’ll go off with Luo Yang first, thanks for your umbrella.” Xu Yuan couldn’t resist provoking Song Yu Meng right before leaving.

Amidst the heavy downpour, the two of them walked side by side, talking and laughing, holding onto an umbrella that did not belong to them while the owner was forgotten at the entrance of the building.

Seeing how intimately they were walking, Song Yu Meng’s lips twisted in a self-mocking smile. Aside from laughing at herself mentally, she didn’t feel sad or bitter about it. She even regretted lending Liu Luo Yang her umbrella.

He had changed a long time ago. He was no longer the same person who had made her fall for him all those years past. She suddenly felt as if the Liu Luo Yang in front of her was a complete stranger.

Song Yu Meng didn’t cry or make a fuss like before. She controlled her emotions and planned to return to the classroom.

But a crowd had gathered behind her unknowingly. People from different classes, a whole bunch of boys and girls, probably those who were waiting for the rain to stop. Everybody was silent, looking at her.

Song Yu Meng was dazed. All these people, they had seen everything? She felt especially embarrassed.

When she saw Yi Ran was there too, right at the middle in the back, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Song Yu Meng’s tears fell and her vision blurred.

She couldn’t take it anymore, scrubbing at her face roughly with her hand. Without caring that it was still pouring outside, she dashed into the rain, running towards the gym. Her whole body was soaked immediately as her tears melted into the rain.

It was a pitiful sight to behold.

All the students who had gathered to watch the show were stunned.

“Woc[1], does this girl not want to live anymore? It’s pouring so heavily out there, wouldn’t she catch a major cold since it’s autumn?!”

“Sigh, is it even worth it? She’s from such a good family, she can have whatever she want. Why does she have to be so hung up over one person?’

“Tsk tsk tsk, this sister didn’t even rush to tear Xu Yuan apart, how boring.”

“……”

As the discussion got louder, the fire in Yi Ran’s stomach got bigger and bigger and her irritation grew.

“Can you all stop talking?!” She suddenly hollered.

Everybody fell silent, looking at her.

Yi Ran took her jacket off and covered her head with it, running out into the rain in the direction of the gym.

She thought to herself: Such a fool! Does she absolutely have to like Liu Luo Yang? What’s so good about that scheming man? Can’t you be better to yourself? Idiot in love! Stupid! Dumb! Foolish!

Yi Ran’s actions surprised the crowd again, and they all started gossiping.

“What’s this situation, is she mad too?”

“Um…… Weren’t they enemies who were quarrelling every day? Could she be going over to laugh at her?”

“Are you stupid? Look at Yi Ran, does she look like she’s going over there to laugh at her?”

“……”

Su Xiao Xiao had just walked down the stairs to see Yi Ran covering her head with her jacket and running off into the rain. She asked the people what had happened out of curiosity. Worrying about Xiao-Yu and Yi Ran, she quickly took her umbrella and rushed to the gym.

– Inside the gym –

Yi Ran dripped water with every step, pushing open the glass doors.

“Song Yu Meng!” The gym was huge and she couldn’t see any sign of her, so Yi Ran shouted.

But she didn’t get a reply.

“Damn it!” Yi Ran cursed. She wasn’t cursing at Song Yu Meng not replying. She was cursing at the two of them, and cursing at herself fo rnot stepping in earlier.

In the end, she still managed to find Song Yu Meng.

She was curled up in a corner of the gym, sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. She had buried her head in her lap and she was sobbing. She looked like an abandoned kitten, pitiful and small.

She had heard Yi Ran’s shout, but she felt too embarrassed and didn’t want Yi Ran to see her like this.

But Yi Ran didn’t think she was pitiful, she just felt like her heart had been slashed with a sharp knife and it was dripping blood.

She clenched her fist and walked slowly toward her, before kneeling down and releasing the fist. She said seriously: “Look at me.”

Song Yu Meng cautiously raised her head. Her eyes had been cried swollen, and her nose was red too. There were still tears in her eyes and she was trying to catch her breath. “You, why are you here…… Don’t look……”

How could someone not love her?

Yi Ran didn’t say anything, taking out a clean napkin and wiping her tears away. Her actions were as soft as a feather, heartbreak showing in her usually-clear eyes.

“Silly, is it worth crying over Liu Luo Yang?”

“I didn’t!” Song Yu Meng looked at her with those watery eyes and said seriously. “I’m not crying because of him!”

“Then why?”

“Because……” She didn’t know why she was crying either. She had seen Yi Ran, then felt so upset she wanted to cry. If that was the case, it seemed like she was crying because of Yi Ran.

“Nothing. I just wanted to cry.” Song Yu Meng buried her head in her lap again.

“Crybaby.” Yi Ran threw away the tissue and sat by Song Yu Meng’s side.

“Am not……” She mumbled.

Yi Ran smiled and said jokingly: “Don’t like him anymore. What does he do except hurt you? Seriously, you might as well like me instead.”

Song Yu Meng copied her tone: “You won’t hurt me?”

“I won’t.” Yi Ran suddenly sounded serious, her eyes glimmering.

Originally, it was just her eyes and nose that were red, but now, her whole face was red too and her heart thumped. Song Yu Meng looked at Yi Ran, trying to find a crack in her facade.

“Pfffttt.” Yi Ran suddenly chuckled and said casually: “I was just making you laugh, you won’t take it seriously, right?”

“How could I? Only idiots will take you seriously.” Song Yu Meng turned her head away, remnants of red still on her cheeks.

She scolded herself mentally, she was dumb enough to almost take Yi Ran’s words seriously. She had wanted it to be fake, but she suddenly felt disappointed. Song Yu Meng couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.

“Don’t be sad anymore, okay? Look at you, you’ve cried yourself ugly.”

Song Yu Meng laughed. “Nobody consoles people like that! Stupid!”

“Am I stupid? A lot of people say I’m pretty funny.”

“But I think you’re silly!” Song Yu Meng smiled and looked at Yi Ran.

“If you say I’m silly, then I’m silly.” Yi Ran lowered her head, smiling to herself.

When Su Xiao Xiao came in, she saw the two of them sitting side by side with their heads turned to face each other with smiling faces. Just based on this scene, why did she feel like the two of them were quite sweet?

Unwilling to interrupt, Su Xiao Xiao quietly left the gym. She was quite worried about Song Yu Meng, but seeing Yi Ran accompanying her, she was relieved.

The driver had already arrived at the school gates, but it was still raining outside and the two of them had no umbrella.

“Looks like we can only hide under the jacket and run.” Yi Ran waved the damp jacket she was holding.

“Will that work? Will I end up soaked again?” Song Yu Meng asked doubtfully.

Knocking her head, Yi Ran smiled. “If you were scared of the rain, why did you run here? Regretting it now?”

She draped the jacket over her head, leaving some space beside her.

“Come here.” Song Yu Meng obediently ducked under the jacket. Yi Ran continued: “I’ll try my best not to let you get wet. Run faster.”

The rain was still pouring down outside with no sign of stopping. The two of them each held one side of the jacket over their heads and ran in the rain.

Yi Ran naturally held onto Song Yu Meng’s other hand, pulling on her to run. The jacket was tilted towards Song Yu Meng.

With almost the entire jacket over her head, Song Yu Meng didn’t get wet at all, but Yi Ran, on the other hand, was drenched from her shoulder to her feet.

Yi Ran thought that Song Yu Meng didn’t know that the jacket was tilted towards her, but she knew. The warmth in her heart was spreading, and even the rain couldn’t put a dampener on it.

Song Yu Meng actually hated rain, but at this very moment, she wished she could stay under it longer.

As for the students who were hiding in the main building, they saw the two of them running under the rain while sharing a jacket, and their jaws dropped. Didn’t they not get along?!

[1] Sooooo, this is internet slang. “Woc” is shorthand pinyin for 卧槽, pronounced/typed wo cao, which is generally used to mean “wtf” and depending on how you say it, it can mean a lot of things. It can be used as an exclamation for surprise, anger, disbelief… Yeah.