Chapter 2

Lin Chun'er remembered that day.

It had rained the day before, and unknown flowers were blooming on campus. The blazing light shone on the glass wall in front of the teaching building, blinding everyone.

Chen Kuannian, a camera slung around his neck, directed everyone from the east end to the west, finally finding a good vantage point.

"Come on, take a picture to get a feel for it," Chen Kuannian held up his camera.

"Lin Chun'er, stop showing your teeth!" Song Qiuhan suddenly said, and everyone burst into laughter. Young Lin Chun'er turned around and smiled at him.

It was so long ago. "Let's reminisce in the group later. I have an online meeting soon. Is that all for today?" Song Qiuhan suggested dismissing them, then turned to Chen Kuannian and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To your online meeting." Chen Kuannian winked at him, then turned to everyone and said, "I'm really a little disappointed today. We haven't gotten together since graduating from high school. It's our class monitor, Lin, who's failed in his duties. Today, I propose that you be placed on probation. If you still can't serve as a bridge of communication among the students, I will lead the charge to remove you and propose that I become the group leader for the adult group for Class 16..."

"I resign, I resign. You come, you come." Lin Chuner said with a playful smile. "Anyway, our rule is that the group leader pays for group gatherings. Mr. Chen has the ability to do that."

Chen Kuannian jumped into his own trap: "Okay, okay, I'll pay. Let's go. Let's go. We'll play some other time."

"Can I take your car?" Yuan Ru suddenly looked at Song Qiuhan. "Isn't that inconvenient? If the entertainment reporters take pictures, it'll damage your reputation." Song Qiuhan politely declined, standing up and putting on his coat, his posture becoming even more upright. "Let's go, Mr. Chen. We'll be late for the meeting." By addressing him as "Mr. Chen," he was imitating Lin Chun'er.

The group stood up. Lin Chun'er put on her coat and left with Xiaomei.

"Where's the car?" Xiaomei whispered to Chun'er. She pointed to the door: "Beneath the wall. Follow me." Lin Chun'er heard the clamor fade away and turned to see Song Qiuhan just as he stepped out the door. Turning back, he was gone.

Hand in hand, the two of them, like they'd go to the bathroom together after school, swung each other and headed towards the wall. Lin Chun'er snapped on her cycling cap and gloves, then pulled a bag from the luggage rack and tossed it to Xiaomei: "Take this back and feed those two greedy cats in your house."

Xiaomei opened it and saw it was full of dairy products: "You carried it all the way back? Are you stupid? You'll be exhausted."

"With pleasure." Chun'er placed the bottle of pear soup on the cup holder and started pushing the bike. "Your face is sunburned. You'll probably need to stay indoors for a while. If you're feeling free, come cook for me. A hundred bucks a meal..."

Xiaomei chuckled: "I got the project bonus a while ago, so I don't need your help anymore. Cook as usual. I'll support you this time." She grabbed Lin Chun'er's bike frame: "But first, tell me where you got that stable boyfriend."

Lin Chun'er smiled, got on the bike, and drove off. Occasionally, when she thought of Song Qiuhan, she wished him well. Sometimes she felt she was too naive. So many people's loved boys eventually grew old, walking the streets with potbellies, their faces calm but their hearts cursing life. She was afraid Song Qiuhan would become that kind of person. She hoped Song Qiuhan would forever retain the glory of his youth.

The bicycle sped under her feet. She had first started riding after that special topic. She seemed to be ill. She would suddenly feel breathless in the crowded subway and burst into tears. Or she would open her eyes late at night and all the deceased seemed to float in the air, like giant particles. Or she would choke up while presenting her ideas in meetings. She was indeed ill. But she didn't see a doctor. She took a long vacation and embarked on a journey of self-redemption.

A car passed beside her, with Chen Kuannian and Song Qiuhan sitting in the back seat. Chen Kuannian rolled down the window and leaned out to look at the lone cyclist. The driver couldn't help but remind him, "Keep your head down. It's dangerous." He hummed a nod, then turned and said to Song Qiuhan, who was standing beside him, "She's really serious. Look at her cadence and muscle extensions—she's comparable to a professional."

"Really? Then encourage her to compete, and break the wind for her."

"Shouldn't you break the wind? You've ridden in championships."

"No," Song Qiuhan said flatly. He didn't feel like talking tonight. "Let's go have a few drinks?"

"You suggested leaving just now because you weren't drunk enough?" Chen Kuannian was puzzled.

Song Qiuhan didn't answer. Lin Chun'er had just vomited and needed to go back to rest. "Pull over to the side of the road," he suddenly said, without giving a reason. The driver did as he was told, found a spot to park, and activated his hazard lights. Song Qiuhan watched the lights outside, shimmering like a galaxy. It was like the "Heavenly Market" Lin Chun'er had recited in class that time. When she reached the line "It must be a treasure unseen in the world," her eyes sparkled, and her gentle voice, mingling with the chirping of insects, drew him into a dazzling celestial river.

She arrived, passed his car, and continued on.

"Let's go. Let's go to Luan Nian's." He rolled down the window. Chen Kuannian, standing nearby, pulled out his phone, opened a WeChat group, and threw a large red envelope into the chat. The chat, with over a dozen people, instantly exploded. Chen Kuannian smiled with satisfaction, his fingers clacking away as he typed: "So, is he more reliable than Squad Leader Lin?"

A group of people flattered him, saying yes, yes, yes. Zhao Yu disagreed, saying, "Give the squad leader another chance, let's see if he's sincere."

Everyone echoed the sentiment. Lin Chun'er was riding her bike, so she naturally had no chance to check the chat. Everyone waited for a moment, but when no response arrived, they moved on to other matters. "Everyone seems to be doing well, except Lin Chun'er. Her claim of having a boyfriend was probably just bluffing, she simply didn't want anyone to know she wasn't doing well." Chen Kuannian brought up Lin Chun'er again, and his words about her struggles made Song Qiuhan frown.

While he was speculating, Yuan Xiaohua in the group chat threw out a red envelope. The cover read, "The best time is now," clearly demonstrating her commitment to romanticism. Chen Kuannian opened it, and wow, he was truly generous.

When Lin Chun'er got home, she saw the red envelopes and Chen Kuannian's teasing in the group chat, and laughed out loud. After all these years, Chen Kuannian still couldn't change his ways, always determined to oppose her. She snatched the red envelopes and said, "I wish Mr. Chen all the best." She fell silent and fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already noon, and the security guard kept calling for her to leave. She staggered to her feet and went to open the door. Xiaomei, laden with bags, barked at her the moment she entered: "Oh my god, I pressed the button for so long! I almost called the police, you know?"

"I'm sleepy!" she yawned, and she went to open Xiaomei's bag. He was really ruthless. Dr. Liu was known for his generosity: "Wow! You've got a lot of bonus money for this project..."

"Hehe, it's rare to meet such a generous boss." The two of them packed up together, tidying up the refrigerator and balcony, and taking the snacks to their own snack cabinets.

"Your face will need at least ten days to heal." Xiaomei lifted Chun'er's chin with her hand. She'd been sunburned so much that it was a little peeling today. It was a bit red, black, red, black, and it looked as awful as it could be.

"I'll be a brave man again in ten days." Lin Chun'er tore through a bag of potato chips, sat cross-legged on a chair, and picked up her phone. "Or Erguotou and dark beer?"

"Perfect." Xiaomei patted her head and went to the kitchen. Only then did Lin Chun'er realize her phone was flooded with messages. Hundreds of work messages, and she'd received over a dozen voice calls from the accuser Chen Kuannian.

She read the work message first, which was about the Q3 agricultural assistance topic. She checked and saw that Xiaoyun and Erqian's project plan was flawless. She replied, "Okay, get started!" Then she opened Chen Kuannian's chat and asked, "I was so tired yesterday, I just mute my voice." What's wrong, Mr. Chen?

Chen Kuannian slammed the phone down and barked, "How dare you respond? What the hell are you doing? Lin Chun'er, can you be a human being? We haven't seen each other in over a decade, and you're not excited at all?... I'm so excited I can't sleep. I want to catch up with you!"

Chun'er put the phone aside, ate potato chips, and listened to him fire away. She waited until he was out of ammunition before picking up the phone: "Is it over?"

"It's over." The other end sneezed, and Chun'er heard the sound of drinking water. "Cold?"

"Song Qiuhan dragged me up the mountain for a drink. That lousy place had a power outage yesterday, and I was freezing in the middle of the night."

Chun'er laughed, then said, "Chen Kuannian, you're right about what you just said about me, but you have to apologize. Do you know why? I was supposed to go to Mohe with my teammates, but you called, and I rode back nearly 2,000 kilometers all by myself, risking my life. You said I wasn't enthusiastic, but that's because I poured all my enthusiasm into the 2,000 kilometers back home!" Lin Chun'er brought out her skill as a prolific writer of in-depth nonfiction. By the time she finished, she could almost feel Chen Kuannian's tears welling up.

He sniffed.

Chun'er pressed the issue: "Am I wronged?"

"Yes."

"Did you misunderstand me?"

"Yes."

"Then apologize."

"I'm sorry." Chen Kuannian, always bluffing, would always be defeated by Lin Chun'er, and he accepted it. "Okay, considering your sincerity, I'll forgive you. Kneel down and say hello!" Chun'er hung up the phone, a warm feeling welling up in her heart as she recalled Chen Kuannian's impassioned speech.

Then she walked to the kitchen door and saw Xiaomei's red earlobes. It was so touching; at her age, she still blushed at the mere mention of a name. She watched for a moment as Xiaomei expertly cleaned the fish's innards and fry it in the pan. Then she said, "Let's go play together someday, Chen Kuannian?"

Xiaomei paused. "Forget it." Xiaomei knew they couldn't be together. Since their youth, he had been drawn to girls with dazzling beauty. Xiaomei, like a bowl of water, couldn't stand his scalding frying pan. "How did he get in touch with us?"

"Yuan Xiaohua. While not a top star, she's still on various channels. I found Yuan Xiaohua, then someone else, and finally Zhao Yu. You know Zhao Yu. My advisor was specially appointed to Zhao Yu's school. I ran into him while delivering materials to him one day, and I told you about it."

"Wow, that's a long way to go."

Xiao Mei placed the sliced pork belly into the stew pot, adding the seasonings. She filled both burners and then went to wash the other dishes. The female doctor was a master of time management, never wasting a minute. "You haven't told me yet. Why did you lie about having a boyfriend yesterday?"

"...I just made it up."

"You don't want to lose to Song Qiuhan."

"What's the point of winning or losing for adults? He'll only be here for six months at most. We won't see each other often, and we might never see each other again. Don't take it seriously."

Then he remembered the bottle of pear soup from last night. That private chef doesn't offer takeout. So he ran to his bike and took it down from the bottle rack. He saw the undulating Mount Fuji at the bottom of the cup and the hand-painted starry sky on the top. It was a custom-made glass bottle. In all the chaos yesterday, he hadn't noticed that the little pear soup was in such an expensive bottle.

Opening the WeChat group, he clicked on Song Qiuhan's WeChat. He kept adding friends for a long time before giving up. He was engaged, which meant he had already stepped foot into marriage. Chun'er didn't act like Yuan Ru. Her moral compass told her that it was just a teenage crush. Even if she still felt a little guilty and nostalgic, she shouldn't get involved with him. Setting the phone aside, she poured out the pear soup from the bottle, rinsed it vigorously, and then placed it on the bookshelf.

Over there, Xiaomei finished cooking and took off her apron, greeting her, "My lady, it's time to eat!"

"This girl is worth buying." Chun'er pinched her cheek, then unscrewed the cap of the Erguotou bottle and poured each of them a glass.

Xiaomei raised her glass and suddenly said seriously, "Now, when the glasses clink together, there's a sound of heartbreak." "Imitating Yuan Ru!" The two of them burst into laughter.

Over the years, I've come to love these times the most: being with my best friends, getting drunk, crying, letting loose, ignoring the changes in the world, simply wasting time like this. It's the medal I most desire.

The medal of love.

If it rains tonight, please don't cry.