He used a downpour to teach me what it means to l…

Shen Xingchu has been in a terrible state lately. Her boyfriend of three years, Lu Zijin, broke up with her out of nowhere, giving a reason that was just two words—he was bored. She had been holed up in her apartment like a dehydrated plant, only kept from starving to death by her brother Lin Yuan, who would stop by every few days to feed her. Lin Yuan was cold by nature, a man of few words, his gaze always laced with a detached sort of scrutiny. But this evening, when Lu Zijin sent a message saying he was coming over to pick up the last of his things, Shen Xingchu clearly saw Lin Yuan’s hand pause as he toyed with a lighter, a very faint, almost smile-like but not quite light flickering in his eyes. She suddenly had the uneasy sense that something was going to happen tonight.