"You go back, I'll sit here for a bit."
Yang Wuluo sat by the lake, hugging her knees, letting the drizzle fall on her face.
Teenage girls are always sentimental.
If a girl is sitting alone in the rain, 80% of the time it's to vent her emotions—because in the rain, one can either sink into a trance or become unusually clear-headed.
After a while, she turned her head and found Lin Can not far away, holding up a camera and taking pictures of her.
Yang Wuluo smiled gratefully: "Classmate Lin Can, thank you for spending the afternoon with me. You should go now. It's raining—the pictures won't look good."
"It's the rain that gives it a special charm."
"???"
The camera blocked most of Lin Can's face. Yang Wuluo could only see the corners of his lips curling up, forming a little Nike swoosh.
Then she saw the camera angle drop downward, and in the lens's reflection, she vaguely saw that he was aiming at her white shirt.
Yang Wuluo looked down and realized that the drizzle had already dampened her white shirt. And the rain was getting heavier. In just a few more minutes, the white shirt would turn transparent, and the pink lace of her sports bra would be fully exposed in his camera lens—no wonder he thought it had "charm."
Whoa...
A girl is drowning in sorrow, and a boy is trying to heal?
Unforgivable.
"Hmph."
Yang Wuluo's face turned red with embarrassment. She grabbed a handful of grass and tossed it at him, then stood up, brushed off the grass from her pleated skirt, gave a little "hmph," slipped on her shoes, and strutted off, her long legs moving gracefully under the skirt.
"Wait."
Lin Can called out to her.
"What?"
Yang Wuluo turned her head and saw Lin Can breaking off a banana leaf. She quickly went over to stop him.
"Public greenery is for viewing, not for destroying."
Snap...
Lin Can broke off the banana leaf anyway, held it over their heads like an umbrella, and glanced at her white shirt.
"Public greenery shouldn't be damaged, but if your shirt becomes see-through, then everyone will be 'viewing' something else."
"You…"
Yang Wuluo bit her lip, wanting to retort, but his reasoning kind of made sense. Compared to a banana leaf, her white shirt becoming see-through was definitely the bigger problem.
She had to admit—Lin Can was quite thoughtful.
But then she noticed his bold gaze on her semi-wet white shirt.
So others couldn't look, but he could?
Yang Wuluo turned around and walked off. You're not allowed to look either.
If she'd known it was going to rain, she would've brought a jacket.
Pitter-patter—
The light rain quickly turned into a torrential downpour, and the two of them ran through the muddy ground toward the edge of the wetland park.
In the end, a banana leaf couldn't withstand a heavy downpour. After leaving the park, Yang Wuluo's white shirt still ended up soaked. Just then, a bus pulled up, and a large group of tourists rushed to board.
"Let's squeeze in."
After saying that, Yang Wuluo dashed out from under the banana leaf, covering her head with her hand, and ran toward the bus across the street.
"Did she just curse?"
Lin Can chuckled, ran after her, tossed away the banana leaf before getting on the bus, and squeezed in behind the soaking wet JK-uniform-clad girl.
…
Rainy days always mean more people on the bus than usual.
The two of them finally managed to squeeze into a corner by the window in the middle section. Lin Can braced his arms on both sides, creating a barrier around Yang Wuluo. As the bus drove on, people kept bumping into them from behind. Luckily, Lin Can had impressive arm strength and held on tight to either side.
Looking down, he saw that Yang Wuluo's white shirt had been completely drenched by the rain, revealing the soft pink outlines underneath.
Yang Wuluo awkwardly brushed her wet hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest, which only made the outlines more defined.
"At the next stop, I'll take off my jacket and let you wear it."
"Okay."
Yang Wuluo nodded shyly.
When a girl is at her most vulnerable, a boy's protection creates a strong impression.
He had good grades, was tall and handsome, witty and humorous, with just the right touch of bad-boy charm—exactly the kind of guy girls find irresistible.
The fact that she was wondering about all this meant she was curious about Lin Can.
Once a girl gets curious about a boy, it's dangerous.
Yang Wuluo got lost in thought as she pondered these things.
…
At the next stop, Lin Can finally managed to take off his jacket from within the crush of people and handed it to her.
"You should p—"
The word put on hadn't fully come out yet when someone bumped him from behind. Lin Can had let go of his handholds just moments earlier. Off balance, his body tilted forward. "Careful—" Yang Wuluo reached out to steady him, but it was too late. He tumbled forward and landed right in her arms.
[Current Status: You've received a moment of healing, bringing peace to your mind.]
[Reward: 40 healing points.]
"Whew…"
"Sorry, someone pushed from behind."
Yang Wuluo's face flushed red as she mumbled, "It's okay." What else could she say?
Now the two of them were pressed together. Yang Wuluo wanted to push him away, but with people packed in behind, there was no room. They had to stay like this.
She felt the warm breath he exhaled near her ear.
Yang Wuluo's ears turned bright red. Then, a tingling sensation spread from her ears all through her body—like little ants crawling over her skin. It made her squirm against the window, trying to shake off the feeling.
[Name: Yang Wuluo]
[Healing Progress: 10% — A teenage girl, touched by close contact with the opposite sex. Dopamine production has begun.]
Screech—
The driver slammed on the brakes. Yang Wuluo let out a little yelp as she was jolted, falling forward. Luckily, Lin Can caught her by the waist and pulled her into his chest. Otherwise, she would've landed on a stranger.
She smelled… nice.
Like Head & Shoulders shampoo.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine."
Yang Wuluo tried to stand up straight, but someone had already taken advantage of the gap and squeezed into that little corner behind her.
All the handrails were occupied—there was nothing left for her to hold on to.
"Hold onto me. A lot of people will get off at the next stop."
After saying that, Lin Can turned his head to look out the window, acting like it was no big deal. That way, the girl wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Yang Wuluo still looked around for a handrail but found none. She sighed.
Glancing at Lin Can, who looked utterly nonchalant, Yang Wuluo relaxed too. There was no helping it—she had to lean into his arms like a little bird, letting him wrap an arm around her waist like a seatbelt.
She had never been this close to a boy before.
Her ear was pressed to Lin Can's chest. She could hear his steady heartbeat.
Thump, thump—
Listening to a boy's heartbeat for the first time gave Yang Wuluo a strange, wonderful feeling.
That tingling dopamine sensation had faded, replaced by a kind of soft, weak warmth all over her body.
[Name: Yang Wuluo]
[Healing Progress: 30% — Your charm is awakening the hormones in her brain. Her waist feels like it's melting under your hand. As she leans into your chest, listening to your heartbeat, she feels warmth from the opposite sex.]
The best way to heal a girl… is a boy.