The heavy rain was pouring down with a loud "huā lā lā" sound, and raindrops were splashing on the ground, creating tiny splashes of water. The pedestrians' pant legs were getting wet, and the darkened sky seemed to be covered by a piece of black cloth, making people feel depressed as they looked at it.

In the brightly lit classroom, a series of clicking and clacking sounds could be heard. The young man sitting in his chair straightened his back, meticulously staring at the information on the computer. His fair fingers swiftly tapped on the keyboard, while the pitter-patter of raindrops was blocked by the window glass, not disturbing him in the slightest.

Until he typed the last word, Shen Qing finally moved his stiff neck, relaxed his strength and leaned back against the backrest. He rubbed his slightly sore wrist and habitually glanced at the time displayed at the bottom of the computer screen.

21:21

He actually managed to stay up so late, it's almost time for the lights to go out, just in time.

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat pleased. Although it took a bit of time, at least it was finally done. Tomorrow, there wouldn't be anything that had to be done.

But Shen Qing's good mood instantly worsened as she looked out the window at the rain - water droplets slid down the smooth glass, while the pitch-black sky and rain obscured everything in the distance, making it difficult to see clearly.

Shen Qing's brows furrowed, and his thin lips tightened into a thin line.

He doesn't like rain.

Rainy days always made his mood turn extremely bad, without any specific reason. It was just that he disliked rain from the bottom of his heart - especially heavy downpours and incessant drizzles.

This made Shen Qing develop a habit of always carrying an umbrella when going out.

He lowered his head to look at his drawer - there was nothing inside except for study materials with black printed words on white paper.

The things inside made Shen Qing pause for a moment, and then he clutched his head in pain, letting out a mournful whimper as he knocked into the table, furrowing his brow—he had forgotten to bring an umbrella.

I brought my laptop with me when I went out, but forgot to bring the umbrella that was placed on the bed. It's fine usually, but unfortunately, it's raining now, and it's not just a light drizzle.

Oh no, it's a complete mess.

Shen Qing rubbed his slightly painful temples, feeling extremely miserable. He began to regret not returning to the dormitory earlier today.

The dim and desolate light illuminated the empty classroom, making this room, with only him left, feel even more deserted. Without the noise of classmates' conversation, it became eerily quiet, sending a chill down one's spine.

The light bulb made a gentle sound, so faint that one could hardly notice it.

Shen Qing pursed her lips and discontentedly shut down the computer. Then, she calmly began tidying up the messy desk.

"Shen Qing."

Suddenly, a strange male voice exploded in Shen Qing's ears, startling her. She looked up and saw a tall man standing at the doorway of the office, smiling at her with narrowed eyes.

"It's time to turn off the lights and go back to the dormitory," the man said without coming in, leaning lazily against the doorway, watching him.

"...En." Shen Qing opened his mouth, wanting to call out his name, but his voice got stuck in his throat. In the end, he just responded with a sound and closed his mouth.

He had forgotten what this person's name was.

Shen Qing recognized him, but at this moment, she suddenly couldn't remember his name.

"Isn't Ms. Xu the on-duty teacher today?" Shen Qing placed her laptop into her bag, zipped it up, and then picked it up as she walked towards the man.

"I was handing out umbrellas, so it's just a little side task," the man shrugged with a cheerful smile, somewhat resigned. "Do you have an umbrella with you?"

"Forget it," Sheng Qing sighed, thinking about it always gave him a headache. Even though the dormitory wasn't too far away, going back in the rain would still be unbearable for him.

"I happen to have an extra one. Want it?" The man shook the long-handled white umbrella in his right hand and handed it to Shen Qing, who looked puzzled. "Treat me to dinner tomorrow."

"Stood up?" Shen Qing raised an eyebrow, reaching out to take the umbrella. In that instant, he felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him in the middle of winter, the chill spreading from his fingertips to the very core of his bones - icy and piercing, causing him to shudder uncontrollably.

Cold.

It's so cold!

His mind went blank, yet it seemed chaotic at the same time. His eyes also appeared to be malfunctioning as he vaguely saw a towering mountain. He couldn't feel his own body as he passively succumbed to this strange illusion.

"...Qing..."

He heard someone calling out to him by his ear, but the next second, it was drowned out by a distant yet seemingly near singing voice.

"...Chengshan... white..."

...Shen Qing...

"In the cave... cultivating this body~"

"Shen Qing!"

Until the explosive roar of a man's voice rang in his ears, Shen Qing suddenly snapped out of his daze. He blinked his eyes twice and sluggishly looked at the man before him. After a while, he abruptly lowered his head and glanced fiercely at the umbrella in his hand.

That was a very ordinary umbrella, the kind that you can buy for around ten yuan at the supermarket.

It is indeed a bit cool, but this is normal for inanimate objects. It doesn't even reach the level of being cold.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" The man gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Hurry back home."

"...Yes." After Shen Qing uttered these words, he paused for a moment. His voice was hoarse, as if he had just finished crying uncontrollably, filled with both hoarseness and sorrow.

What's going on?

- This doesn't seem right!

Shen Qing felt so restless in her heart that she wanted to kick the table, but she maintained a calm expression on her face as if nothing had happened. She turned off the light with a snap and followed the man downstairs.

What he didn't see, at the moment he closed the door, was that the large clock hanging on the wall let out a faint groan. The short and thick hour hand coincided with the long and slender minute hand, coming to a stop at the number twelve.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The leather shoes stepped on the cold, hard floor, emitting a crisp sound, which echoed through the silent corridor.

No.

There is something wrong.

No, perhaps I'm just too tired?

Shen Qing weighed the umbrella in her hand, it was very light, so light that it felt weightless.

"——No weight?"

A chill quietly crept up Shen Qing's body, and he suddenly realized that his back was already covered in cold sweat, wetting his thin T-shirt.

Enough, Shen Qing, stop scaring yourself.

He comforted himself in his heart and stopped in his tracks.

The man opened his umbrella and prepared to walk outside the teaching building.

"Ai—" Shen Qing couldn't hold back any longer and called out to the man in front, "Bro, here's your umbrella. Since the dormitory isn't far, I'll just run back. I can't be bothered to bring it for you tomorrow."

The man turned around, looking at him with a smile that was not really a smile, without saying a word.

A silence spread between the two, causing Shen Qing's muscles to tense up involuntarily, so that she could react in an instant to whatever happened.

- Who is he?

-I feel like I know him, I feel like I've met him before, but do I really know him? What's his name? What class is he in? Which dorm does he live in?

- Why do I feel so familiar with him?

"Really don't want it?" The man laughed out loud.

"No need, thank you." Shen Qing handed the umbrella back, his gaze fixed tightly on the man's face—his face was ordinary, easily lost in a crowd, easily forgotten in an instant, with no distinctive features to speak of.

"Alright." The man nonchalantly spread out his hands, took back the umbrella, and then without hesitation, turned around and stepped into the curtain of rain.

Anyway, the umbrella has already been delivered.

The man curled up his lips.