☆, 03. I’m afraid you might get wet.

It was dusk when Le Ya finally returned home. Aunt Zhang greeted her at the door: “You’re a bit late today.”

Le Ya responded, “Yeah, I walked home today.”

She added hesitantly, trailing off. She had mentally prepared to call the police, but it turned out the other person didn’t have any ulterior motives.

She still didn’t understand why he followed her.

There were no men’s shoes on the floor. Le Ya peeked into the living room again. The vast house seemed empty, with no trace of anyone else.

Seeing that Le Ya seemed fine, Aunt Zhang remembered the phone call she received earlier in the afternoon. No one had been home at the time, so she answered it.

She hesitated before saying, “Mrs. Le called from the hospital. She said she’s recovering well and wants to come back…”

Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

Le Ya suddenly looked up, pleading softly, “Aunt Zhang, please don’t mention this. I don’t want to hear it…”

Aunt Zhang froze, seeing the uncertainty and fear in Le Ya’s dark eyes, like a startled little animal.

It had been a long time since she last saw Le Ya like this.

Realizing she had said the wrong thing, Aunt Zhang quickly apologized, “Alright, alright—it’s my fault. I won’t say anything else. What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll make it for you.”

The atmosphere improved slightly.

Le Ya took a deep breath, lowered her head to change her shoes, and mumbled, “Did Dad say when he’d be back?”

Aunt Zhang handed her a glass of water. “Yes, he said he has work at the company tonight and can’t have dinner with you. He’ll probably return late at night.”

Le Ya sipped a little water and said softly, “Okay.”

She was used to it. Her father managed a company and was always busy. They only ate dinner together two or three times a week.

Le Ya said, “Aunt Zhang, I’m going upstairs first.”

Aunt Zhang had been working for their family for ten years. Ever since that incident years ago, she had stayed with the Le family, acting like a true elder.

She shuffled upstairs in her slippers.

When she passed by the study, Le Ya finally stopped.

The study door was slightly ajar today, likely forgotten by her father when he left.

Le Ya suddenly remembered the conversation she overheard yesterday. It was her father talking on the phone: “…I received the report card. I’ve reviewed it…”

Since he was sponsoring someone, there should be records.

Le Ya hesitated at the door for a while before pushing it open.

The study was dim because the lights were off and the curtains drawn. The cool air enveloped her as she stepped onto the carpet silently.

While turning on the desk lamp, Le Ya softly read aloud the report card.

There weren’t many documents on the desk; most were locked away by her father. That was why she entered without much concern.

Le Ya picked up a folder that seemed promising, but upon opening it, she was disappointed. She tapped her head lightly—it wasn’t the report card.

However, perhaps due to luck, as she returned the folder, she spotted another sheet of paper.

Le Ya picked it up and realized it was indeed the report card.

She didn’t recognize the names, but at the top, it read: “Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, Línshuǐ Campus, Class 17, September Monthly Exam Results.”

The sponsored student attended the same school as her?

Le Ya’s mind clouded for a moment. Since it was the new campus, which she would move to in two days, wouldn’t it be easy to figure out who it was?

Instinctively, she thought of the boy she saw earlier that day.

Le Ya quickly shook her head.

The first name on the report card was followed by columns of scores for each subject, along with rankings. He was ranked first in his class and first in the grade, circled in red ink.

The teachers at the new campus and the main campus were different, essentially making them two separate schools. Their exams weren’t compared together.

Le Ya had consistently ranked among the top ten at the main campus. Seeing the scores here left her in awe.

She stared at it for a while, then began searching the desk. A folder caught her eye. Opening it revealed old report cards.

The same name was circled there too.

Le Ya read the name aloud: “Chen Yang.”

The name sounded nice. This must be the student she was looking for—his grades were excellent, so he was likely a model student.

Holding the folder, Le Ya thought that if he really was malnourished, she’d buy him some food to bring over. Otherwise, hunger might affect his performance.

She also wanted to see what he looked like.

The three-day National Day holiday passed quickly. After returning to school, the eight senior classes from Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School’s main campus prepared to relocate.

The only class period they had turned into a homeroom meeting.

As soon as Le Ya sat down at her desk, she heard everyone around her discussing the upcoming move to the new campus.

Since they were moving to the new campus today and time was tight for their final year of high school, their homeroom teacher took it very seriously.

When the bell rang, Teacher Jiang arrived in the classroom.

She mentioned a few important points and reminded them: “At the new campus, we’ll be in a new building. The seniors there follow the same schedule as us—they’re in the adjacent building.”

The senior students at the main campus had all been promoted directly from the junior high division, but things were different at the new campus. Some students were newly recruited, while others transferred in through exams.

The structure of the teaching buildings at the new campus was different too. They were shaped like a square, with two buildings facing each other. Corridors on both sides connected them, allowing students to move between buildings easily.

A boy called out from below: “How many classes are there?”

Teacher Jiang replied: “The same as here—sixteen classes. Our classes are numbered one to sixteen, while theirs start from seventeen.”

Once they moved over, the two groups would merge into a complete senior year section.

Le Ya, who had been listening attentively, caught the words “Class Seventeen” and instinctively thought of the report card she saw a few days ago.

Chen Yang was in Class Seventeen too.

Teacher Jiang continued without pausing: “The school has given us half a day to move. Once you’ve settled in, we’ll resume classes this afternoon. We’ll go over the monthly exam papers from last time.”

As soon as she finished speaking, groans erupted throughout the classroom.

“Seriously? Such a big deal and they only give us half a day? It’s way too rushed. Can’t they give us an extra half day?”

“This is exploitation!”

“Teacher, you guys are terrifying. Can’t you give us a break?”

Complaints mixed with the sound of desks being slapped, creating chaos. Le Ya found it amusing.

Whenever something happened, the boys in the class always made a fuss or rebelled against something.

Though, more often than not, they ended up getting shut down.

Teacher Jiang’s expression hardened. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. That’s all I have to say. Start packing now.”

With that, she left the classroom.

Without any restraint, noise filled the room again. Reluctant as they were, everyone began packing.

All the books for their final year were piled on their desks, along with supplementary materials—dozens of books in total. Now, they had to carry everything over in multiple trips.

The boys managed fine since they were stronger, but the girls struggled.

Xie Qingyu patted her chest. “Thankfully, the bus arrives just in time. Two round trips should do it for us.”

Le Ya touched her own stack of books. “Let’s get packing.”

Though everyone complained endlessly, deep down, they were excited. Every now and then, someone would burst into song while packing.

When Le Ya stepped out of the classroom holding her textbooks, she could hear shrieks coming from upstairs.

It felt even more thrilling than a holiday.

Xie Qingyu boarded the bus with her. Most people were still packing, so the first trip wasn’t too crowded. The only inconvenience was the light drizzle.

Along the way, everyone on the bus discussed the new campus.

“Will we share classes with the seniors there? Just thinking about it feels exciting. There’s supposed to be a really handsome guy over there.”

One girl suddenly chimed in: “I know, I know! I saw him when I visited my younger sister there.”

“Quick, describe him!”

The girl blushed, visibly excited. “I saw him smoking. Oh my god, it hit me right in the heart! He’s so rebellious, you know? The kind of quiet bad boy who’s irresistibly sexy.”

Girls loved gossiping, and soon enough, squeals filled the air.

Le Ya, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as the conversation grew increasingly bold.

Her ears turned red. She asked, puzzled: “Why do they find boys who smoke attractive too?”

Xie Qingyu knew why, but she didn’t want to corrupt her innocent friend. “You shouldn’t talk to boys like that—they’re all trouble.”

Le Ya shook her head. “No way.”

After half an hour, the bus arrived at the new campus.

Everyone disembarked, carrying books and backpacks. The school gate was open today, and as the rain intensified, those without umbrellas started running inside.

Once inside, Xie Qingyu exclaimed, “The new campus really is new!”

The main campus had been around for so long that even the walls had faded. Everything else was outdated too.

Here at the new campus, whether it was the teaching buildings or the landscaping, everything was beautifully done—on par with some universities.

Le Ya had stuffed her backpack full of books and was holding even more in her arms. Combined with having to hold an umbrella, managing everything became a bit troublesome.

She muttered under her breath, “I hate rainy days.”

After entering the campus, signs directed them to the senior year classrooms on the right.

Since it was class time, the area was deserted except for the students from the main campus who had just arrived.

The rain poured down, quickly forming puddles on the ground.

Ahead, students held up all kinds of umbrellas, while those without them sprinted through the rain. Among them, a small rabbit-shaped umbrella stood out.

When Xie Qingyu turned around and noticed it, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Le Ya, your umbrella is so cute!”

Not only was there a giant rabbit face on the umbrella, but two long ears also stood upright, moving up and down with Le Ya’s movements.

Le Ya pouted, “I went to Disneyland, and Dad insisted on buying it.”

“Looks like Uncle Le really understands you, hahaha!” Xie Qingyu burst into laughter. “It suits you perfectly—it’s adorable. I want to pinch those ears!”

Le Ya ignored her overly excited friend and walked straight ahead.

Suddenly, a girl without an umbrella, holding a stack of books, ran past between Le Ya and Xie Qingyu, bumping into her.

The impact made Le Ya stagger.

She had been struggling to hold everything together, and now, not only did her umbrella tilt, but her books also began slipping. Her math textbook slid off the top and fell toward the ground.

Le Ya gasped.

She watched helplessly as the other books wobbled and threatened to fall too. But just then, a pair of hands reached over, catching all her books.

Then, the same hand picked up the water-soaked Compulsory Math II from the ground. That hand was quickly drenched in the rain.

Xie Qingyu turned back and called out, “Le Ya, are you okay?”

Le Ya was startled when her arms suddenly emptied. After a few seconds of confusion, she looked up and met a steady gaze—his dark eyes betraying no emotion.

In her mind, she was surprised. It was him.

Chen Yang spoke in a flat tone, as if he hadn’t just taken her books. “Can’t even hold an umbrella properly? Planning to get soaked?”

Le Ya snapped out of her daze and hurriedly adjusted her umbrella.

From where she stood, Xie Qingyu eyed the two curiously. She couldn’t see what the person looked like but thought he seemed quite gentlemanly.

Le Ya stammered, “Th-thank you.”

Chen Yang said, “If you’re fine, let’s keep moving.”

Le Ya nodded repeatedly like a little chick pecking at rice. In a soft voice, she asked, “You… do you want to carry my books for me? Then I’ll hold the umbrella for you.”

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Receiving his affirmative response, Le Ya relaxed slightly, revealing a faint smile. Her teeth peeked out shyly.

The two continued walking side by side.

Le Ya thought how lucky she was. If she hadn’t run into someone, her books would’ve gotten wet today, and so would she.

She didn’t expect this boy to be such a good person.

But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, a deep voice rang out above her head: “Are you sure you want to stand so far away?”

Chen Yang stopped and stared at her intently.

Startled by the sudden reminder, Le Ya looked up and saw that one shoulder of his uniform was already soaked.

Her eyes widened slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Le Ya glanced at the distance between them. It seemed they were too far apart.

After some thought, she slowly moved closer to Chen Yang, inching the rabbit umbrella nearer to him like an ant taking tiny steps.

Worried the umbrella wouldn’t cover him, she raised it a little higher.

They walked silently into the school gate. When Chen Yang heard no further movement, he subtly turned his head to observe her.

The little girl’s face was flushed red as she struggled to tiptoe and hold the umbrella over him, gripping the carrot-shaped handle tightly.

Chen Yang feigned ignorance. “What are you doing?”

Le Ya tilted her head up and let out a soft “Ah,” then quickly explained, “I… I’m afraid you’ll get wet.”

Although she didn’t know who this boy was, he still held her books. They couldn’t get wet, so she moved the umbrella closer to him.

Chen Yang remained silent for a moment before using his left hand to gently guide her wrist, pulling the bewildered Le Ya closer.

“Then move a bit closer.”