On the last day of military training, the morning was reserved for the school-wide drill performance, with each department sending out one formation to compete. The afternoon would be a showcase of individual platoons organized by each department. And by then, the long-anticipated typhoon finally started showing signs of its imminent arrival.

  Dark clouds loomed over the sky, and gusts of wind swept through the stands in waves. All morning, the wind howled across the field, sending ripples through the watching crowd, followed by bursts of laughter and shrieks: “Ah! My hat’s flying away—!” In the end, the instructors had no choice but to order everyone to remove their hats and neatly place them aside.

  Following her classmates’ lead, Lin Xian took off her cap and laid it carefully on her lap. Tilting her head back, she gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, pondering silently—if it rains this afternoon, will the drill still go on? After two weeks of grueling practice, everyone had been waiting for this one final performance to win a good rank. If it got cancelled, it would feel like all their efforts were in vain.

  That worry stayed with Lin Xian until the afternoon. Luckily, although the sky remained overcast, the rain never came. Everything went ahead as planned. Lin Xian finally let out a breath of relief.

  The performance order was determined by a draw made by the instructors. Unfortunately, Lin Xian’s group had the worst luck—they drew the very last slot. When the news broke, her entire squad erupted with groans and complaints. In everyone’s eyes, performing first or last rarely ended well.

  Shi Man, one of the day-students from Class 3, had been standing to Lin Xian’s left during drills. After days of practice, they’d grown close. As the first group began lining up for their show, Shi Man couldn’t hold back her grumbling any longer. “I bet we’ve lost our shot at first place. Going last? The judges will be totally burned out by then.”

  Though Lin Xian felt a bit disappointed with the order too, she quickly brushed it off. Since nothing could change it now, there was no use complaining. Better to stay optimistic. Sitting on the bleachers, she smiled lightly as she watched the first group get into formation and comforted Shi Man, “Think of it this way—we’re the grand finale. What if we wow everyone and snatch the highest score?”

  Shi Man cast her a sideways glance, her eyes narrowing mischievously as a teasing smile tugged at her lips. “Well, if it’s a beauty contest, I actually believe you could steal the spotlight.”

  Lin Xian raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Look who’s talking. I think you’re the real showstopper here.” She knew she wasn’t bad-looking, but Shi Man was undeniably beautiful—fair-skinned, delicate features, and a pair of mischievous, sparkling peach blossom eyes that exuded natural charm, very different from Lin Xian’s gentle elegance.

  Shi Man quirked a brow, amusement glinting in her eyes as she leaned in and whispered mysteriously, “I’m not joking. Don’t believe me? Lean forward a bit and turn your head ninety degrees to the right.”

  Lin Xian did as told, leaning slightly and glancing to the right—only to be met with a few intense stares from the boys sitting in the male formation nearby. She quickly looked away, feigning calm as she turned back to Shi Man. “Nothing there,” she said flatly, though in her heart, she silently cursed those guys: Creeps.

  Shi Man burst out laughing. “Come on, just admit it already!”

  Clearing her throat, Lin Xian straightened up and changed the subject. “The drill’s starting. Let’s pay attention.”

  She wasn’t sure how other girls felt about being admired by boys—perhaps they felt flattered or even smug. But for her, it was nothing but an annoyance. Still, she couldn’t say this aloud. People might think she was just showing off in a weird way. So, the only thing she could do was pretend not to notice, and not care.

  Truthfully, Lin Xian knew she had a problem—she didn’t like being liked by people she didn’t like. It felt burdensome, bothersome. When it came to feelings, she preferred to be the one who made the move, not the one being chased.

  Finally, when it was Lin Xian’s squad’s turn to leave the stands for their performance, a fine mist of rain began to fall. While the stands were sheltered, the field wasn’t—there was no protection at all.

  The second-to-last team was wrapping up their performance. Their usually stern but gentle instructor glanced at the sky, then at the group of students with rain-speckled faces, and called out with encouragement: “Just hang in there a few more minutes—we’ll finish before the heavy rain hits!”

  But fate had other plans. As the loudspeaker announced the next formation—Finance Classes 3 and 4, Platoon 6, Group 3—the rain suddenly intensified, slamming down on them without mercy. For a moment, everyone stood frozen in shock.

  Up on the platform, the leaders seemed uncertain, hesitating on what to do next.

  After a pause, the instructor blew his whistle sharply. The students immediately straightened and fell into formation. Looking at their young but determined faces through the rain, he bellowed, “Can you hang in there?!”

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  A beat of silence—then all at once, loud voices rang out: “We can!”

  “Louder!” the instructor roared again. “Tell me, can you hang in there?!”

  This time, the voices boomed like thunder: “We can!”

  Satisfied, the instructor barked, “Good! Then show them what you’ve got!” Another sharp whistle. “Attention! Eyes right!”

  The team’s synchronization was flawless, unaffected by the downpour.

  Lin Xian was already soaked through. Her ponytail, once neatly tied, now drooped, dripping wet. She looked like a sorry little kitten caught in the rain—but her eyes were fierce, unwavering, her posture straight and proud. With every command, she moved in perfect sync, her spirit burning brighter than ever.

  As thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, moved by the squad’s determination, Lin Xian felt a sudden pang of emptiness.

  If only Xiao Wanqing could see this.

  She remembered the first day of training—how Xiao Wanqing had smiled and praised her for looking sharp, how she’d taken photos of her. Lin Xian believed that just now, her every movement had been flawless—worthy of another compliment, another sparkling smile from Xiao Wanqing.

  Maybe the downpour was a blessing in disguise. Against all odds, their drenched and defiant performance earned them first place.

  At that moment, Xiao Wanqing was preparing for a meeting in the conference room. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the rain came down in torrents, relentless and wild. She frowned slightly, took out her phone, and, fearing Lin Xian wouldn’t be able to answer a call, opted to send a message instead:

  “Has the drill ended? Did you get caught in the rain? If it’s over and you don’t have an umbrella, don’t try to get home alone. Wait a bit—I’ll come get you after my meeting.”

  Lin Xian saw the message after the group photo had been taken and everyone was heading back to change. Shi Man mentioned her sister was driving over and asked if Lin Xian wanted a ride. Her clothes were dripping—she could wring a bucket of water from them. Some dormmates offered to let her shower and borrow a T-shirt. After thinking it over, she politely declined Shi Man’s offer. She wasn’t sure if their routes matched and didn’t want to trouble her.

  As she walked to her friend’s dorm, phone in hand, reading Xiao Wanqing’s message, a smile broke across her face. She glanced down at herself—not a single dry patch left. After a brief pause, she typed back:

  “It’s okay, you don’t need to come. I’ll head home myself. Don’t worry—I didn’t get caught in the rain. I’ll just borrow an umbrella.”

  She didn’t want Xiao Wanqing to go out of her way in this weather. It wasn’t safe to drive in such rain either. So she told a harmless little lie.

  Even after changing into a dry T-shirt and blow-drying her hair, her underwear and pants were still damp. She was desperate to get home, to wash up and "destroy the evidence." With no extra umbrellas to borrow, she stood by the dorm entrance for a long time. When the rain finally lightened up, she decided to make a run for it. Just as she stepped out, someone extended an umbrella toward her.

  “Lin… Lin Xian, did you forget your umbrella? Here, take this.” The voice was youthful and slightly shy.

  She looked up. The first thing she saw was a large, pale hand—long fingers, knuckles oddly thick. She followed the arm upward and recognized him: one of the guys who’d been staring at her during the performance.

  She stared at him for a moment, then blinked and calmly said, “Thanks, but no need.” With that, she opened her damp training jacket over her head like a makeshift shield and walked straight into the rain.

  As she ran, a different image came to mind—a slender hand, fingers neat and elegant, nails carefully trimmed. Clean and graceful. Just like the person herself.

  At the bus stop, Lin Xian looked at her own hand, comparing it to that boy’s… to Zhou Qin’s, to Shi Man’s—and suddenly, no one’s hand seemed to compare to Aunt Xiao’s.

  On the bus home, Lin Xian shivered uncontrollably, sneezing several times in a row. As soon as she got back, she found that Xiao Wanqing wasn't home yet. Not even pausing for a sip of water, she quickly rushed into the bathroom, washed her hair and took a shower. Without even drying her hair, she then hurriedly washed her soaked clothes – quick, efficient, perfectly covering up all traces.

  That day, with everyone rushing to get home, traffic was a mess. Xiao Wanqing left work thirty minutes early, but because of the congestion, she actually arrived home later than usual.

  Rubbing her temples tiredly, she pulled out her keys and opened the door.

  The moment she stepped in, she was greeted by Lin Xian’s bright, radiant smile and a cheerful, “Aunt Xiao, you’re home!” Warmth bloomed in Xiao Wanqing’s chest, melting away the cold and weariness.

  With her brow unfurrowed and her eyes softening, she answered Lin Xian in a gentle voice, “Mhm, the traffic was terrible, so I'm a bit late getting back. Are you hungry?”

  Lin Xian took her umbrella and shook her head. “Not at all. I accidentally ate too much at lunch.”

  Xiao Wanqing smiled faintly, closed the door, and looked Lin Xian up and down, a hint of worry in her eyes.“You’ve showered? Did you get caught in the rain on your way back?”

  Lin Xian flashed a wide, bright smile. “Of course not! I borrowed a classmate’s umbrella to come back.”

  Xiao Wanqing’s eyes swept around the room, a look of suspicion on her face. “Then where’s the umbrella?”

  Lin Xian froze, then quickly replied, “We took the same bus. She lives nearby, and we only had one umbrella, so she dropped me off and took it back.” Not wanting to dwell on it, she reached out, grabbed Xiao Wanqing’s cold hands, and boldly intertwined their fingers. “See? My hands are warm—really didn’t get rained on.”

  Xiao Wanqing reflexively tried to pull away, but seeing Lin Xian’s youthful, glowing face and sparkling smile, she relaxed and let their fingers stay locked.

  It had been so long since she’d let someone hold her hand like this. She’d nearly forgotten what it felt like—how warm, how grounding it could be.

  Lin Xian actually vaguely knew that Xiao Wanqing didn't like this kind of close physical contact, but she herself particularly enjoyed being close to Xiao Wanqing like this. What surprised her, though, was when she felt Xiao Wanqing’s fingers subtly tighten around hers.

  She heard Xiao Wanqing's warm and melodious voice, carrying a faint smile of pleasure, answer her affirmatively, “Yes, they’re warm.”

  Surprised, Lin Xian raised her head and looked directly into Xiao Wanqing's clear eyes. She saw it – a small reflection of herself in Xiao Wanqing's eyes, her own image shimmering with a brilliant smile. And in Lin Xian’s eyes, Xiao Wanqing was the same as her – her gaze flowing with emotion, her smile genuine from the heart.