The autumn sun shone through the classroom window, falling across rows of desks. Outside, the smell of osmanthus flowers drifted through the air. Students were chatting and laughing until the homeroom teacher clapped her hands.

“Quiet down, everyone,” Ms. Liu said with a smile. “We have a new student joining us today. Please welcome him kindly.”

The sliding door opened, and a tall boy stepped in. His uniform was perfectly neat, his hair trimmed short, and his expression calm but distant.

“My name is Lu Yichen,” he said softly. “I transferred from Beijing No. 4 High School.”

His voice was low and polite, but it carried no warmth.

“You’ll sit by the window, next to Jiang Rui,” Ms. Liu said.

“Here!” A cheerful voice called out immediately.

Jiang Rui was already half-standing, waving his hand. His hair was slightly messy, and his smile was bright like sunlight after rain. When Lu Yichen walked over, Jiang Rui grinned.

“Hey, I’m Jiang Rui. Welcome to Class 2–3! Need help finding anything?”

Lu Yichen shook his head slightly. “No, thank you.”

The short answer didn’t bother Jiang Rui. He only laughed. “Alright, but if you ever need help, I’m the guy to ask.”

All morning, Jiang Rui tried to talk, but Lu Yichen stayed quiet, focused on his notes. Still, Jiang Rui noticed small things—the way Lu’s handwriting was clean and perfect, how he always kept his sleeves buttoned, how he never joined the noise around them.

During lunch break, Jiang Rui turned toward him again. “Let’s eat together. The cafeteria’s fried noodles are pretty good.”

“I brought my own lunch,” Lu said, opening a neat bento box filled with rice, vegetables, and egg.

Jiang Rui leaned closer, eyes wide. “Wow, that looks so nice! Did you make it yourself?”

Lu paused. “No. My grandmother did.”

“Ah, lucky,” Jiang Rui smiled. “My grandma only knows how to ask if I’ve eaten.”

For a moment, Lu Yichen’s eyes softened. His lips moved slightly—almost a smile, quick and shy.

Jiang Rui caught it and felt something warm inside.

The rest of the day passed quietly. When the final bell rang, most students rushed out. Jiang Rui lingered by the window, looking at the fading sunlight.

He glanced at Lu Yichen, who was packing his books carefully. “Hey, want to walk together?”

Lu hesitated, then gave a small nod.

They walked side by side under the golden sky, the sound of cicadas fading as the wind carried the smell of autumn. They didn’t talk much, but it wasn’t awkward—just quiet, like the beginning of something neither of them could name yet.

Jiang Rui looked at Lu Yichen and smiled.

“See you tomorrow, Lu Yichen.”

Lu looked up, surprised for a second. “Mm. See you.”

And just like that, a small warmth began to melt the edge of winter in Lu Yichen’s heart.

• ~•Let's countinue to next

i love u

The week after Lu Yichen’s transfer passed quietly. He sat by the window every day, head bent over his books, rarely speaking unless a teacher asked him something.

Jiang Rui, however, was anything but quiet.

He was always chatting with classmates, passing notes, helping with decorations for the upcoming autumn festival. But no matter how busy he seemed, his eyes often drifted toward Lu Yichen.

The other boy fascinated him. He was polite, but distant; serious, but never cold in a cruel way. It was as if he’d built invisible walls around himself—not to push people away, but to protect something fragile inside.

Jiang Rui didn’t know why, but he wanted to climb those walls.

That Friday afternoon, dark clouds gathered above the school.

By the time the final bell rang, thunder rolled across the sky.

“Ah, great,” Jiang Rui groaned as he stuffed his books into his bag. “I forgot my umbrella again.”

Most students ran for the gates, umbrellas popping open like flowers. Within minutes, the hallways emptied, and the sound of rain filled the air.

Jiang Rui sighed, leaning against the window. “Guess I’ll wait until it slows down…”

When he turned, he saw Lu Yichen still at his desk, quietly wiping his pen and stacking his notebooks. Not rushing, not worried. Calm as always.

“Hey, you’re not leaving yet?” Jiang Rui asked.

Lu looked up. “It’s raining too hard.”

“Oh, so you forgot your umbrella too?”

“No.” He pointed to the black umbrella leaning against his chair.

Jiang Rui blinked. “Then why—”

“I was waiting,” Lu said simply.

“Waiting? For what?”

Lu looked out the window. “For the rain to get lighter.”

Jiang Rui tilted his head, smiling. “You’re the careful type, huh? I’d already be running through the rain by now.”

Lu didn’t answer, but Jiang Rui could’ve sworn he saw the corners of his mouth twitch—just a little.

Minutes passed. The sound of rain softened from thunder to steady rhythm.

Jiang Rui sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Okay, I’m going for it. Can’t stay here forever.”

Before he could take a step, Lu’s voice stopped him.

“Wait.”

Jiang Rui turned.

Lu Yichen stood up, umbrella in hand. “We can share.”

Jiang Rui blinked. “What?”

“You don’t have one. It’s fine.”

For a second, Jiang Rui just stared. Then he grinned. “You sure? I walk kinda fast.”

“I’ll keep up,” Lu said.

Outside, the world was wet and gray. Puddles shimmered like mirrors, reflecting the cloudy sky. Lu opened his umbrella—simple, black, and large enough for two if they stood close.

Jiang Rui stepped beside him, the rain drumming softly above.

The distance between them shrank. The scent of rain mixed with the faint smell of soap from Lu’s uniform. Their shoulders brushed slightly as they walked through the school gate.

Jiang Rui laughed quietly. “Wow. You’re actually nice, huh? I thought you didn’t like me.”

Lu looked at him, rainlight flickering in his dark eyes. “I never said that.”

“Then why do you always look like I’m annoying you?”

“I don’t,” Lu said, voice calm. “You just talk too much.”

Jiang Rui gasped, pretending to be offended. “Hey! I’m just trying to make friends.”

Lu didn’t reply, but that tiny, barely-there smile appeared again.

They walked like that for a while—through quiet streets lined with wet trees, puddles rippling under their shoes.

“Do you live far?” Jiang Rui asked.

“Ten minutes,” Lu replied. “And you?”

“Same direction, I think. My house is near the east market.”

Lu nodded slightly. The rain fell softer now, misty and silver under the streetlights.

At a red light, they stopped. Jiang Rui tilted his head up. “You know, I kinda like rain.”

Lu turned to him. “Why?”

“It makes everything feel clean. And quiet. Like… the world’s taking a breath.”

Lu thought about that for a moment. “I don’t like it,” he said softly. “Rain reminds me of leaving.”

Jiang Rui blinked, caught off guard. “Leaving?”

Lu’s eyes stayed on the puddles. “When my parents divorced, it rained for three days straight. I remember because I had to move to my grandmother’s house that week.”

Jiang Rui’s chest tightened. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” Lu said gently. “It’s been a long time.”

Silence fell between them, but not the awkward kind. The kind that feels heavy with unspoken understanding.

When the light turned green, Jiang Rui walked a little slower than before, careful not to splash water onto Lu’s shoes.

By the time they reached the corner where their paths split, the rain had almost stopped.

“Thanks for sharing,” Jiang Rui said, smiling. “Guess I owe you one.”

Lu handed him the umbrella. “Keep it. You’ll probably forget again next week.”

“Eh? But then what about you?”

“I have another one at home.”

Jiang Rui took the umbrella slowly, touched by the small kindness. “You’re… actually really nice, you know that?”

Lu looked away. “You talk too much.”

Jiang Rui laughed. “That’s just my charm.”

For a moment, Lu’s eyes softened again, something unreadable flickering in them—like the quiet glow of a streetlight after rain.

“See you Monday,” Jiang Rui said, stepping backward toward his street.

Lu hesitated, then nodded. “See you.”

As Jiang Rui turned the corner, he glanced back once more. Lu was still standing there, watching the fading drizzle.

He looked calm, but somehow… less alone than before.

That night, as Jiang Rui sat by his window doing homework, he caught himself smiling. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was the rain still dripping outside. Maybe it was the quiet way Lu had said “we can share.”

At the same time, in another small apartment, Lu Yichen placed his spare umbrella by the door and looked out at the same sky.

The air smelled fresh, washed clean. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t mind the sound of rain.

Somewhere deep in his chest, a tiny warmth stirred—a feeling he didn’t quite understand yet.

But maybe, just maybe… it felt like the beginning of spring.