Chapter 008: Together in the Twilight Summer Rain

That night, Ben Xuedao came home later than usual, but his parents didn't ask any questions.

After washing up, his mother brought him two freshly fried eggs and reminded him to sleep early before going back to her room.

Sitting at his desk, Ben Xuedao opened the small metal box and noticed that it was heart-shaped, filled with chocolates.

This was something new.

In his previous life, during the last few days before the college entrance exam, Ben Xuedao had almost no memory of those days. Even if he wasn't in a daze, he was likely just muddling through. But one thing was clear—there had been no involvement with Dong Xue.

He placed the small box at the corner of his desk and went back to studying.

Ben Xuedao was the type of person who thrived at night—what one might call a "night owl." Since childhood, his energy had always been at its peak during the evening hours.

When he got tired of studying, he would go out into the yard, take a few deep breaths, and gaze at the stars.

To the stars, the years between 2001 and 2014 passed in the blink of an eye—perhaps even less. But for Ben Xuedao, it was the most precious and beautiful period of his life.

In his past life, things weren't particularly good or bad, neither successful nor a failure.

But what about this time?

How would he live it? What kind of life would he have?

The next evening, after the self-study session, Dong Xue didn't say anything, but Ben Xuedao took the initiative and waited by the school gate.

When he saw Dong Xue coming, he pulled out the small metal box, took out a piece of chocolate and gave it to her, then popped one into his own mouth. He hopped on his bike and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Dong Xue smiled as she watched Ben Xuedao's retreating figure.

In the following days, Ben Xuedao and Dong Xue became a regular pair. They arrived at school early, ate together for lunch and dinner, and then Ben Xuedao would ride his bike to take Dong Xue home.

The chocolates in the small metal box ran out quickly, and Ben Xuedao began buying various kinds of candy to replenish it. Within a few days, he figured out that Dong Xue preferred soft candies.

Zhou Hang didn't oppose Dong Xue, though he did feel a bit of jealousy. But deep down, he knew that after the college entrance exam, he would probably go to a reputable university and, after a few more years of effort, find a good job. By then, he would naturally have women around him.

Besides, graduation was approaching, and everyone was about to go their separate ways. Zhou Hang thought that Ben Xuedao and Dong Xue were wasting time and emotions.

But Zhou Hang never mentioned this to Ben Xuedao. It wasn't that he didn't think their relationship was strong enough, but rather, it was simply his personality.

Zhou Hang thought Ben Xuedao was wasting his feelings, while Ben Xuedao felt that even if he was dreaming, he wanted to make it meaningful.

Ben Xuedao had already made up his mind. He was happy to spend these last days of high school with Dong Xue, even in a somewhat intimate way, to fill the emotional void from his past high school years. But he would never be overly affectionate in public or let Dong Xue become the subject of gossip among their classmates.

After graduation, they would each start a new life, and time and distance would blur these memories.

One day during a self-study session, Dong Xue was looking through Ben Xuedao's textbook for answers when she curiously pointed to some marked symbols and asked, "What do these marks mean?"

Ben Xuedao glanced at the marks, knowing they were his annotations for potential exam questions. He replied without changing his expression, "Nothing much, just some questions I missed before. You can review the marked areas, I'm good at predicting questions."

Dong Xue thought he was making up excuses and didn't bother to check, flipping past it.

Ben Xuedao smiled and didn't say anything.

As a man in his thirties, he had a deep understanding of how "troubles come from the mouth" and "disasters arise from words." He wasn't foolish enough to say things like "I know the exam questions," even if it was to Dong Xue.

During the intense review period, Ben Xuedao liked walking around the campus after dinner, often finding a spot to sit or lean against a tree and quietly watch the teaching building, its windows filled with students sitting, walking, or chasing each other in the golden light of the setting sun.

He loved the atmosphere and the feeling during this time. He loved the feeling of this fulfilling and carefree period.

Perhaps the students around him felt that high school was exhausting, but in reality, this was probably the least stressful time in their lives, the years with the fewest worries.

Once time had passed, it would be nearly impossible to relive such carefree days.

June was beautiful on campus.

Every evening after dinner, Dong Xue would buy two bottles of soda or two ice creams from the school store and bring them to Ben Xuedao while he was walking around campus.

Dong Xue's friends, knowing the situation between the two, often created opportunities for them. At their age, helping others find love was a common life philosophy.

So, by the monkey bars, the basketball court, the back garden, and the small square in front of the science building, their figures could be seen walking together. Every corner of the campus left Ben Xuedao with beautiful memories.

One day in late June, something big happened at the school.

Peng Hongjiu, who had been pursuing a beautiful girl in vain, somehow ended up beating the boy sitting in front of her.

The fight occurred during self-study.

The boy in front was no pushover. He fought back against Peng Hongjiu and his friends, but ended up with two head wounds, blood splattered all over the wall.

The commotion was huge, and the noise in the hallway was so loud that half of the building was stirred up.

Two days later, Peng Hong's family paid compensation to the injured boy's family, and Peng Hongjiu packed up his things and left.

Ben Xuedao knew that, most likely, Peng Hongjiu would follow the same path as before—he wouldn't take the college entrance exam and would join the military instead. The beautiful girl he had fought over would disappear from his life, and many years later, she would be in another man's arms, loving and gentle. This was the fate of most teenage crushes and the ultimate end of most youthful romances.

But, in the end, love only has two outcomes—either separation or union.

In Class 7, it was no longer a secret that Dong Xue liked Ben Xuedao.

She almost sat next to him every day during class.

One day during self-study, Dong Xue wrote a few words on a piece of paper and passed it to Ben Xuedao: "Have you decided which university to apply to?"

Ben Xuedao had his heart set on Dongsen University, but he wasn't going to tell anyone just yet. He replied, "I haven't decided. I'll figure it out after the exam."

Dong Xue asked: "Oh, do you want to study in the province, or go out of town?"

Ben Xuedao answered: "Probably in the province, since the scores for local schools are usually lower."

Dong Xue asked: "What do you think is the best part of my looks?"

Ben Xuedao stared at the question for a while, then wrote on the paper: "Your legs."

Seeing the note, Dong Xue glanced down at her chest, then stretched out her legs, ending the paper conversation.

That Friday, the whole day was cloudy. By evening, a light drizzle started to fall.

After school, at the school gate, Ben Xuedao told Dong Xue, "Leave your bike here and take a car home."

Dong Xue gripped the handlebars of her bike and said, "No! I'll go home on my own. You should go home too."

Ben Xuedao didn't agree and insisted on taking Dong Xue home.

They were halfway there when the rain suddenly intensified.

Ben Xuedao gave his outer jacket to Dong Xue, and they both pedaled through the pouring rain, drenched to the bone.

"The rain's too heavy. Let's find a place to take shelter until it slows down," Ben Xuedao shouted to Dong Xue.

The rain was falling so hard that Dong Xue could barely open her eyes, nodding vigorously in agreement.

After riding a little farther, Ben Xuedao spotted a doorway where they could take shelter. He guided Dong Xue there.

They leaned their bikes against the wall, and seeing Dong Xue soaking wet, Ben Xuedao asked her to take off his jacket and wring out the water.

With the wet clothes sticking to her skin, the wind blowing through the doorway made Dong Xue shiver uncontrollably. She told him that they should leave now, but Ben Xuedao refused.

"The rain's too heavy, and it's getting dark. It's dangerous. Let's wait a little longer," he said.

So, they found a sheltered corner and stood together, watching the rain outside.

Ben Xuedao noticed that Dong Xue was shivering so much that she was pressing herself against his back. Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly.