Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Stroll in the Rain

Today was the day I had arranged to have dinner with Meizi. After all, this could be considered our very first date, so I took it quite seriously. It was only a little past three, yet I had already dressed up early. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, I lay back down on my bed, eyes fixed on my phone screen, waiting for Meizi’s call.

I’m not sure how long I waited. Just as I was beginning to drift off, my phone suddenly vibrated. I jolted awake and quickly pressed the answer button.

“Hello, Xiaobei? It’s Meizi.” Her voice sounded listless.

“I know it’s you. Did you pass yesterday’s interview?” Meizi had gone for a summer job interview in the afternoon, and as her boyfriend, I was eager to know the outcome.

“I’m still waiting for their notice. I don’t know yet.” There was a note of helplessness in her voice.

“Hang in there. I believe you can do it.” I struggled to find the right words to encourage her, and after a long pause, could only offer this rather cliché line.

“Mm, thank you!” Meizi didn’t seem to mind. After a brief silence, she asked, a hint of negotiation in her tone, “By the way, can we change the restaurant for tonight?”

I agreed casually, “Up to you, whatever makes you happy.” Honestly, the location didn’t matter to me, so I was more than willing to go along with her suggestion.

“How about the KFC near East Lake?” She mulled over it for a while before finally voicing her plan.

“So should I wait for you inside the KFC?” I confirmed.

“Uh, yes…” Her voice was so soft I nearly missed what she said.

“I’ll head out soon, see you in a bit.” I stood up and let out a lazy yawn.

But just as I was about to hang up, Meizi suddenly shouted, “Ah! Hey! Come over now! Hurry, hurry up…”

“Oh? You’re that eager to see me?” I couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Hehe, I’m already nearby, just a few steps away. Hey! Sweetheart, did you hear me? Come now, I’m starving!” Meizi whined coquettishly.

“Alright… okay! I’m coming, right away!” Her voice sent a shiver down my spine—I could hardly bear her antics. As we spoke, I slipped on my shoes and dashed down the stairs.

Only when I reached downstairs did I realize it was raining. Too lazy to go back upstairs, I borrowed an umbrella from the security guard and hurried out onto the street. The KFC near East Lake was close to my house; after barely ten minutes, I spotted the unmistakable sign with the old man’s face.

It was just past four-thirty, not yet dinner time, so the place was nearly empty. I easily spotted Meizi by a window seat, with her best friend Lili sitting beside her. As soon as Lili saw me, she said goodbye to Meizi and got up to leave.

As we brushed past each other, Lili shot me a fierce glare and whispered in my ear, “Don’t you dare bully Meizi! Got it?”

“Come on, how could I ever bully Meizi? If anything, she bullies me!” I protested, looking innocent. Lili made a face at me, then pushed open the door and left.

I watched her go, then stepped forward and sat across from Meizi. “How long have you been here?”

“A little while.” She looked up from her phone, set it aside, and slid a KFC coupon toward me, pointing at a few items. “Um, I want these…”

Dinner was rather subdued. Throughout the meal, Meizi’s eyes rarely left her phone for more than a minute, and her responses were distracted. By the time we finished and left the KFC, the sky hadn’t fully darkened.

“Walk with me,” Meizi said naturally, looping her arm through mine, the one holding the umbrella.

The edge of the umbrella was like a curtain of crystal beads, enveloping us in a tiny world. The damp air recycled faded moments, and there, in that mist of memory, I found recollections I could never let go. The sound of rain slowly filled my ears, and that all-too-familiar figure gradually became clear before my eyes…

That year, in a rain just like this, Lele and I once walked side by side as well. The breeze and falling leaves drifted silently through the gentle rain, scattered across the damp street—it was the chapter of our love.

Lele, there was a time I truly thought I had forgotten you, but now I realize I was wrong. I can no longer love anyone wholeheartedly, for your image always lingers in my mind, refusing to fade. Lele, I can’t stop myself from thinking of you—I am powerless against it.

They say painful memories are locked away by time, but even the strongest locks have cracks. Through those tiny fissures, I saw my former self again, especially in this June rain. Lele, from beginning to end, the one I truly loved was you. So this is the truth.

I reached out my hand, raindrops landing in my palm. I tried to catch them, but they slipped away, just as I could never hold on to Lele—I could only watch them fall, shattering into sorrow on the street before me.

“What are you thinking about, Xiaobei?” Seeing me lost in thought, Meizi pinched me.

The sudden pain snapped me back to reality. I quickly turned my head and forced a smile. “Nothing, really.”

Because of the rain, there were few pedestrians on the street, and those who passed by were hidden behind umbrellas, their faces obscured. Occasionally, a car would roar past, sending up sprays of water.

“I used to love walking alone in the rain,” I mused to Meizi, though it felt more like I was speaking to myself. “Letting go of all worldly cares as the drizzle fell, abandoning every chaotic thought, feeling the rain run from my hair down my face and to my feet…”

“Really? I love being in the rain too! When the cold raindrops hit me, I just want to be romantic!” Meizi stuck out her tongue playfully as she spoke.

Her words sounded oddly familiar. After a moment, I recalled that Chu Chu had once said the opposite. Women really are mysterious.

“Why don’t we walk in the rain together?” Before Meizi could respond, I closed the umbrella. Instantly, the rain soaked us both.

“I’m sorry, Meizi. I say I like walking in the rain, but the truth is I just don’t want you to see me cry…” I lowered my head, silently speaking to myself.

(August 20, 2010—Chapter revision complete)