Covered in dust after wiping the blackboard, Yue Zhishi put down the eraser and went to wash his hands. As he came out of the washroom, he happened to run into Song Yu, who had come directly from the third-floor Sky Corridor. His white shirt was particularly conspicuous among a sea of blue school uniforms.

Song Yu was holding a book of competition problems. He didn't seem too surprised to see him. He raised his other hand and passed him a carton of cheese-flavored yogurt.

Yue Zhishi took it with both hands, his eyes widening slightly. "For me?"

"Qin Yan asked me to bring it to you." After saying this, Song Yu inexplicably quickened his pace.

Yue Zhishi remembered that when he told Uncle and Auntie about the Broadcasting Station, Song Yu was in the shower and didn't seem to be there. So he followed behind Song Yu and asked, "Then do you know that Brother Qin Yan asked me to join the Broadcasting Station?"

The way he said "Brother Qin Yan" was so sweet and obedient.

Song Yu stopped in his tracks, and Yue Zhishi bumped right into his back.

'Does he know or not?' He couldn't figure it out.

"And then?" Song Yu didn't turn his head. His speech quickened, unlike his usual state when he was in a good mood.

"Ah? There's... there's no 'and then'." Seeing Song Yu start walking again, Yue Zhishi hurried after him. "Can I go home with you tonight?"

Song Yu didn't answer directly, only speaking just before entering the classroom.

"Go back by yourself."

Yue Zhishi pursed his lips in disappointment and followed him in.

During the study session, everyone worked on their own assignments. Song Yu sat at the teacher's desk, head down, working on competition problems.

At first, only one or two people dared to go up and ask questions, but later everyone discovered that Song Yu was truly brilliant. He only needed to glance at a problem twice to explain it concisely, and they could quickly follow his train of thought. Thus, more and more people went up, and of course, there was no shortage of girls with ulterior motives.

"Why don't you go up?" Jiang Yufan nudged Yue Zhishi with his elbow. "There's almost a line."

Without raising his head, Yue Zhishi diligently worked on his physics paper. "I can ask him anytime. I won't compete with everyone else."

"True." Jiang Yufan mulled over his words and surprisingly detected the magnanimity of a main consort.

Yue Zhishi was true to his word. For the entire period, he showed no intention of going up to the teacher's desk. After finishing his physics, he started on his English test, being exceptionally serious, his head buried so low it was almost resting on the desk.

Song Yu finished explaining a problem and handed the notebook back, and another student came up to the desk. He glanced up at the class, his gaze falling back on this new student. He saw that the student was wearing glasses and looked very shy.

"Your lenses are so thick." Song Yu's tone was casual as he looked down at the problem the student handed him. "What's your prescription?"

The male student, having been shown "concern," was a bit overwhelmed by the favor. He pushed his glasses up shyly. "Uh... six hundred degrees."

Song Yu had already drawn the auxiliary lines and written down the main formula on a piece of scratch paper, but he decided not to explain it.

"Pay attention to your posture." He returned the exercise book to the boy.

He glanced down again. Yue Zhishi, who had just been slouched over, was now sitting up, his back straighter than if he were wearing a posture corrector.

The study session ended quickly, but there were still a few students waiting to ask questions. Although Song Yu still wore a cold expression, he stayed a little longer.

The other students were dismissed to go home. Jiang Yufan tried to pull Yue Zhishi along, but Yue Zhishi made an excuse that he couldn't find something and told him to go on ahead. The number of people dwindled. After explaining the last problem, Song Yu also left.

He didn't even say a word to him.

'Right. It's not like we're going home together anyway.'

Looking at the boarding students who remained, Yue Zhishi hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down to work on his remaining chemistry homework. When doing homework, Yue Zhishi became particularly focused, especially when he encountered a problem he couldn't solve. He would get completely absorbed in it.

"Looks like the weather's turning."

"Ah? I didn't bring an umbrella."

"Let's close the windows first, or the desks in Group Four will definitely be wet tomorrow morning."

Hearing the discussion, Yue Zhishi got up to help close the windows. Sure enough, it had started to rain outside. The rain in this city never had a transitional phase; from the very beginning, it was heavy and urgent. Bean-sized raindrops pelted the glass, making a splattering sound.

Through the glass, Yue Zhishi gazed at the brightly lit Year 3 building opposite him before sitting back down to continue his work. The boarding students with umbrellas prepared to leave with those who didn't. One female classmate wanted to lend Yue Zhishi her umbrella, but he couldn't let a girl run back to her dorm in the rain, so he refused.

He kept thinking that the shower would stop, but fate had other plans. Not only did it not stop, but it also began to pour even harder.

The dense sound of the rain nearly drowned out the school bell. It was a tradition for the Year 3 Rocket Class to stay late; some boarding students would even stay until eleven o'clock after evening self-study.

Qin Yan twirled his pen. "There's no end to these problems. Hey, Song Yu, help me look at this one..." He had just turned his head when he saw that Song Yu had already packed his schoolbag and was ready to leave. "Wait, you're going home this early today?"

"Yeah, it's raining."

Qin Yan was stunned. "Is rain really that rare around here?"

Song Yu didn't reply. He looked up at the door and out the window. All he could see were white shirts. Seeing his unpleasant expression, Qin Yan wanted to ask him what was wrong, but Song Yu just left.

The lights in the connecting Sky Corridor were still on, leading all the way to the Junior High Division building opposite, which was already plunged into complete darkness.

Song Yu silently descended the stairs amidst the flow of Year 3 students. The floor numbers on the staircase changed from 5 to 4, then to 3. His steps grew slower and slower. People behind him squeezed past, their shoulders bumping against him as they pushed forward.

·

Yue Zhishi stretched his legs out. The clamorous sound of the rain numbed his perception of his surroundings, enclosing him as if in a barrier. The light made his brown hair look soft, the softest part of the dark, rainy night.

He felt the edge of the yogurt carton, carefully peeling off the lid in one whole piece. It was also covered with a layer of yogurt, like a skin of milk. Staring at it for a few seconds, Yue Zhishi tentatively licked it.

The yogurt on the lid is always the most delicious part.

A faint cheesy aroma spread in his mouth. It was very sweet. Yue Zhishi inserted the straw and took a big sip. A sense of pleasure welled up with the release of dopamine, making him want to check again if Class 5, Year 3 had been dismissed from evening self-study. As he looked up, Song Yu was unexpectedly standing right in front of him, holding an umbrella.

Yue Zhishi froze, a bit of yogurt still on his lips, looking very foolish.

Song Yu stood still, his gaze a little cold. "What are you doing here?"

Yue Zhishi clutched the yogurt carton, momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn't very well say that he waited here for a while every evening.

"Waiting for the rain to stop, and memorizing some vocabulary while I'm at it." He slowly drew back his outstretched legs. To prevent his trouser cuffs from getting dirty in the rain later, he had already rolled them up, revealing his slender, pale calves.

Song Yu raised an eyebrow. "And if it doesn't stop?"

Yue Zhishi looked at the transparent curtain of rain by the corridor's eaves and muttered to himself, "It'll stop, right?"

He stood up and adjusted the schoolbag on his back. Lacking confidence, he turned the tables. "Then why did you come here?"

'Didn't you say you wouldn't go home with me?'

"I left my pen in your classroom." Song Yu's expression didn't change.

Yue Zhishi believed him and quickly glanced back. "Then... should we go back and get it?"

"No need, the rain's too heavy." Song Yu turned around. "Let's go home first."

"Okay." Yue Zhishi took a few quick steps to walk abreast of Song Yu. "Then can I find it tomorrow and bring it to you?"

"No need."

"Yes, you do need it. I'll definitely find it for you. I'll go look first thing in the morning."

"I said no need, and I mean it."

Yue Zhishi let out an "oh" and said no more. They went downstairs. The rain was indeed getting heavier, making it impossible for either of them to ride their bikes. Song Yu opened the umbrella, and they stood together by the roadside, waiting for a taxi.

It's hardest to get a taxi on a rainy day. Either none come, or several come at once. Their situation was clearly the former. Yue Zhishi was a little hungry, even though he had just had the yogurt.

Speaking of yogurt...

"Oh right, can you help me thank Brother Qin Yan?"

Song Yu didn't speak. A small, unnoticeable patch of dry skin seemed to have appeared on his lower lip. He licked it, feeling very uncomfortable.

"This yogurt he bought is really delicious. The cheese flavor is so rich."

Song Yu still didn't say anything.

Yue Zhishi added in a low voice, "It's just a little small."

The dedicated, umbrella-holding statue finally reacted. He turned his head for a look, then spoke faintly, "Follow me."

As if afraid his words wouldn't be enough, he even reached out and took Yue Zhishi's arm. The umbrella was small, a bit insufficient for two people. Song Yu half-pulled him in another direction, only dropping his arm after confirming that the other was following.

"Aren't we going home?"

"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat before going back."

"I'm a little hungry too." Yue Zhishi was a bit happy to have found something in common. "That dinner wasn't good, I only had a few bites."

As they spoke, they arrived at Granny Luwei's stall at the school gate.

This was the most famous storefront near the school. It was tiny, with no seating, so you could only buy the food and eat it while standing. That's why there was often a circle of people around the entrance. Granny Luwei was a traditional local snack of this city. Seaweed, lotus root slices, dried tofu sheets, accordion-cut dried tofu, quail eggs, beef tendon, duck intestines... all sorts of ingredients were threaded onto thin bamboo skewers, packed tightly into a large pot. The secret braising liquid was fragrant, spicy, and savory, steeping the ingredients as they were slowly simmered over a low flame until tender and flavorful.

Through the glass, Yue Zhishi swallowed. The granny had a kind expression. "Having a late-night snack, eh? Not much left, this is all there is."

Holding the umbrella, Song Yu said, "Two orders of the accordion-cut dried tofu and seaweed, then one skewer of everything else that's left."

The granny deftly put the food into a paper bowl, ladled in a spoonful of broth, and handed it to Song Yu, also stuffing in two pairs of chopsticks and some tissues. "Such heavy rain. Eat up and go home early."

"Thank you."

Most of the Senior High Division students had left. The dense flow of people gradually thinned out. All kinds of umbrellas overlapped at the school gate, smudging the black, rainy night with color.

The downpour battered against the well-ordered life. The teenagers running in the rain, the damp hems of school uniform skirts, the shy souls huddled under a single umbrella—all were woven into a fine net by the threads of rain that connected heaven and earth.

Song Yu and Yue Zhishi were no exception. They stood side by side under the eaves, their very shadows drenched.

When eating, Yue Zhishi was so serious he became oblivious. He would always eat his favorite accordion-cut dried tofu first. On second thought, the name was quite fitting for the scene. The white dried tofu was scored with an accordion-like pattern, deep-fried until its outside was crisp and its inside tender, then stewed in an old braising liquid. The tiny gaps soaked up the broth, and one bite brought an explosion of satisfaction.

"So delicious." Yue Zhishi opened his mouth to puff out air, as it was hot. After chewing, he eagerly stuffed a piece of seaweed into his mouth. The thick seaweed, after being stewed for a long time, was flavorful, soft, and glutinous—even more delicious than meat.

Song Yu only ate one skewer of thick dried tofu sheets and didn't pick up his chopsticks again. The clueless Yue Zhishi didn't find this strange and enthusiastically ate on his own. It wasn't until only one skewer of sausage was left that he realized he had eaten almost everything himself.

"This is for you." He held up the sausage skewer to Song Yu's mouth, but Song Yu leaned his head back, dodging his attempt to feed him.

"I'm full."

"Alright then." Yue Zhishi finished the last sausage in one bite. His luck seemed to improve after eating his fill; just as he was throwing away the paper container, an empty taxi happened to pull up.

The radio was on in the car, not too loud. The female host's voice was very gentle. After getting in, Song Yu touched his left shoulder. His hand came away wet. He found the tissues the granny had given him and wiped it a couple of times.

He heard Yue Zhishi say, "Actually, today was my first time on the broadcast."

This was a continuation of the unfinished conversation from the washroom. For a leap in thought of this magnitude, probably only Song Yu could understand it without any difficulty.

"I know."

Hearing this, Yue Zhishi turned his head to look at him. "What?"

'How could he know? I never mentioned it at all. Was it Auntie Rong? Or Senior Qin Yan.'

Song Yu replied nonchalantly, "I heard it."

Yue Zhishi was so excited that he leaned against his shoulder in a rush, like a little puppy about to pounce. "Really? You heard my voice?"

The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror. Song Yu pressed down on Yue Zhishi's overexcited head, let out a hum of affirmation, and told him to sit properly.

The more Yue Zhishi thought about it, the happier he became. He had always thought his brother didn't know, but it turned out he had heard it, and had even recognized his voice.

When he was in a good mood, even the song playing in the car sounded exceptionally pleasant.

Song Yu turned his head. Raindrops splattered against the car window, melting the city's neon lights into a blurry, dreamlike state. The lyrics, mixed with the sound of the rain, drifted over faintly, landing in his ear and creating ripples.

[The most beautiful thing isn't the rainy day, but the eaves we once hid under from the rain.]*

"What song is this?" Yue Zhishi quietly asked Song Yu.

When there was no response for a long while, he tugged on Song Yu's sleeve and called out softly, "Brother?"

"I don't know." Song Yu thought of the song's title and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to lie.

*T/N: It's Jay Chou's [Secret].