novelinnhs Chapter 279 Long Time No See
Chapter 279 Long Time No See
The rain started suddenly.
As Song Huan walked back to school, she was thinking about the hug she had just received.
Xiao Yunqing's hair brushed against his chin, tickling him, while the scent of shampoo still lingered on his nose.
The sky above us changed.
He looked up, and the orange-red sunset that had been hanging in the sky was gone.
Instead, a large expanse of gray-black clouds appeared.
The air was filled with a dusty smell, mixed with the heat rising from the asphalt road after it had been baking in the sun all day.
Song Huan cursed inwardly.
The weather changed even faster than Xiao Yunqing's mood.
He looked around and saw a general store on the street with several umbrellas, red, blue and checkered, placed in a tin bucket at the entrance.
Without much thought, he went inside, picked out the sturdiest black folding umbrella, and paid for it.
The shop owner, a chubby middle-aged man, was sitting behind the counter reading a newspaper. He looked up at Song Huan and said, "This rain is quite heavy." Song Huan responded and took the umbrella.
The rain started as soon as I stepped out of the store.
It wasn't the kind of rain that falls slowly and drizzles; it was raining down hard.
Large raindrops pelted down, splashing water on the ground with a loud pattering sound, like someone banging drums on your head.
The pedestrians on the street were instantly thrown into chaos.
Some ran while covering their heads with their hands, some held up their bags to shield themselves from the rain, and some huddled together under the eaves of shops.
Song Huan opened the umbrella, the black canopy spreading out overhead. The frame creaked, and the rain hitting the umbrella surface made a muffled sound, as if there was a layer between them.
He rolled up his trousers to his knees, exposing his calves, and stepped into the water.
The water had already soaked through the soles of my shoes; it was cool and seeped between my toes.
He waded through the water, his pace neither fast nor slow.
The gate of Nanjiang University was blurry in the rain, as if viewed through frosted glass.
When Song Huan walked in, the campus was already in complete chaos.
Boys and girls ran around covering their heads, some holding textbooks to shield themselves from the rain, and others taking off their coats and putting them on their heads.
Some people simply stopped running and stood in the rain laughing, completely soaked but still enjoying themselves.
Several boys playing basketball on the playground ran towards the gymnasium with their balls in their arms. Their jerseys clung to their bodies, and their shoes splashed through the water.
As Song Huan passed by the library, holding an umbrella, he saw someone.
A girl stood under a sycamore tree by the roadside, holding a bulging snakeskin bag in her arms, the kind with red and blue stripes, which is commonly seen when migrant workers return to their hometowns.
The bag was so big that it almost completely covered her, leaving only her face and two hands visible.
She held it tightly, as if afraid it would get wet in the rain.
The sycamore tree's branches and leaves weren't very dense, and rainwater leaked through the gaps, dripping onto her hair and shoulders.
The shoulder of the T-shirt was already wet, and the color had darkened in one area.
She stood there, occasionally tiptoeing and looking around, as if she didn't know where to go.
The new students, who should have just arrived today, were caught in this sudden rain.
Without thinking much, Song Huan walked over with her umbrella.
He walked to the sycamore tree, stopped, and tilted the umbrella forward to shield her head.
"Excuse me, do you need any help?"
The girl was looking down at the snakeskin bag in her arms, one corner of which was wet from the rain.
Rain dripped from her bangs and streamed down her cheeks.
She heard the sound and looked up.
Under the umbrella, their eyes met.
Song Huan was stunned.
He knew that face all too well.
She has an oval face, fair skin, large eyes, long eyelashes, and slightly upturned eye corners, giving her a natural charm.
Raindrops clung to her face, and stray hairs clung to her forehead.
She's thinner than she was in junior high, her chin is sharper, her baby fat has mostly disappeared, and her features have matured, making her even more beautiful.
But those eyes haven't changed.
It was still so bright, like a pool of water.
Lin Yue.
Something seemed to explode in Song Huan's mind.
Lin Yue? What's she doing here?
In her previous life, she applied to Nanjiang Art Academy, majoring in performing arts, which was quite far from here.
He never expected to meet her on the campus of Nanjiang University.
How did she end up here in this life?
Was it a butterfly effect caused by his rebirth? Or was it some other reason?
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his throat felt blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Yue was also stunned.
She looked at the person under the umbrella.
He's much taller than he was in junior high, his shoulders are broader, his features have matured, the baby fat on his face is long gone, and his jawline has become more defined.
He stood in front of her, holding an umbrella, his eyes holding something she couldn't understand.
Six years.
She was only in the first year of junior high school when she left Yucai No.1 Middle School.
At that time, the whole class had just found out about her mother, and people were pointing and gossiping about her wherever she went.
Wang Lei spread rumors that she was "the daughter of a mistress," and she couldn't stay at school anymore, so Zhao He took her back to Jingnan.
She didn't say goodbye to anyone on the day she left.
It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't know who to say goodbye to.
She didn't have many friends at the school; the only one she could talk to was the boy sitting in front of her.
His name is Song Huan.
She collected his homework, wiped his desk, and even secretly put her own homework book next to his.
He stood up for others when he was being bullied.
Later, he took the blow for himself, and a large bruise appeared on his back.
She thought to herself at that time that she would remember this person for the rest of her life.
She later transferred schools.
Before leaving, she went to see Teacher Gao Xiao and asked Song Huan which high school she would apply to.
Gao Xiao said that the child has good grades and will definitely be able to get into Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School in the future. Moreover, his science grades are very good, so he will definitely choose science in the future.
She remembered it.
With a goal to strive for, she was admitted to Jingcheng No. 1 Middle School in the provincial capital from a junior high school in the countryside.
When it came time to choose her major, she also chose science.
She didn't have a good foundation in science, so she struggled with her studies.
I scored 42 in physics and 48 in chemistry.
I would hide under the covers and cry at night, then get up and continue doing my homework.
Zhao He asked her why she insisted on choosing science, and she said that science majors have better job prospects.
Actually, no, it's because that person chose science.
Then, it was time to fill out college applications.
She didn't know which university he would apply to, so she shamelessly called Gao Xiao.
When the call connected, she was so nervous that her palms were sweaty and her voice was trembling.
"Ms. Gao, I'd like to ask...which school did Song Huan apply to?"
Gao Xiao paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then laughed and said she would call back later to ask for her.
Lin Yue was overjoyed in Jingnan for a long time after learning that she could also get into the Computer Science Department of Nanjiang University, which Song Huan wanted to apply for.
It's been such a long, long time!
Now, he stands in front of her, holding an umbrella, looking at her.
Neither of them spoke.
The rain pattered against the umbrella, and the sycamore leaves rustled in the wind.
After several seconds, Song Huan spoke first.
His voice was a little dry. "Long time no see."
Lin Yue looked at him, her lips moving slightly.
Rain dripped from her eyelashes, and she blinked.
"Yeah, long time no see."
The sound was very soft.
She lowered her head, glanced at the black umbrella above her, and then looked up again.
"Thanks."
He's grown taller and more handsome.
[When he walked over just now, I almost didn't recognize him.]
How did he recognize me?
Song Huan coughed as she listened to her inner monologue.
Where is your dorm? I'll take you there.
Lin Yue glanced at him. "B3, fourth floor."
Song Huan nodded. "Let's go."
He reached out to take the snakeskin bag from her arms.
Lin Yue subconsciously shrank back a little, her fingers clenching the bag opening tightly. "No need, I can do it myself."
"It's okay, I'll get it for you." Song Huan's hand didn't retract; it remained suspended in mid-air, waiting.
Lin Yue looked at his hand.
The rain was still falling, and her fingers were already red from being squeezed.
She hesitated for a moment, then handed over the snakeskin bag. "Well... thank you."
Song Huan took the bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder.
The bag was heavy, making his shoulders sag.
He didn't say anything, changed his position, and held it steady.
Lin Yue took the umbrella and held it up.
She was a head shorter than him, and when she held up the umbrella, she tiptoed and tilted the umbrella towards him.
The two walked side by side into the rain.
The raindrops pattered against the umbrella, making a dense, rhythmic sound.
The umbrella wasn't big, and the two of them squeezed under it, their shoulders almost touching.
Song Huan walked on the side closer to the road, while Lin Yue walked on the side closer to the flower bed.
His left shoulder was exposed outside the umbrella, and a small patch of it was wet.
Lin Yue noticed this and moved the umbrella closer to him.
Song Huan sensed it but didn't say anything.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
It wasn't the comfortable kind of quiet; it was the kind of quiet unique to two people who hadn't seen each other for a long time.
I want to say something, but I don't know where to begin.
The rain was loud, pouring down, drowning out all other sounds.
Someone was shouting in the distance, but the voice was muffled and indistinct.
The streetlights on campus came on, their orange glow filtering through the rain and spreading out in patches.
Song Huan spoke first, "How did you end up getting into this school?"
His voice wasn't loud, and it was cut in half by the sound of the rain.
Lin Yue held up the umbrella, looking straight ahead.
Rain dripped from the edge of the umbrella, splashing small water droplets at her feet.
Her canvas shoes were soaked through, and the white uppers had turned dark gray.
"My score was just enough, so I applied."
His tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something very trivial.
Song Huan was stunned for a moment.
Then he heard her voice, drifting over from the side, softly, mixed with the sound of rain.
[Because I asked Teacher Gao to inquire about your college application...]
Song Huan paused for a moment.
Gao Xiao.
He remembered.
No wonder Gao Xiao suddenly called him during the time he was filling out college applications, casually asking him which universities he had applied to.
He didn't think much of it at the time and just said it offhand.
It turns out they were asking for Lin Yue's information.
His heart was filled with mixed emotions.
His past life and this life were like two threads intertwined in his mind.
He remembered the rented room from his past life, the cake she smashed, and how she tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek, saying, "Song Huan, my silly Song Huan."
I remember her saying, "I need 880,000 to marry you."
I remember her jumping into Xuanwu Lake to retrieve that bracelet.
I remember her standing next to a Maybach worth 352 million, saying she would do her own laundry, cook for herself, and have children.
I'm reminded of so many things.
It turns out that in this life, she came here for him.