Mu Zi and Ouyang Liuse stand side by side on the city wall, the sky now completely covered by dark clouds, casting a gloomy shadow over the land. In the distance, the rumble of thunder can be faintly heard.
As a storm brews, tourists hasten their steps, seeking shelter.
In the blink of an eye, only Mu Zi and Ouyang Liuse remain on the city wall.
"We should leave; there's going to be thunder and lightning soon," Ouyang Liuse suggests, glancing at the dense clouds overhead.
Mu Zi calmly checks the time on his phone, then gazes back at the clouds.
Ouyang Liuse looks at him curiously, "Are you trying to predict the weather like Zhuge Liang?"
Mu Zi smiles, "I'm observing the clouds." He stands up, takes Ouyang Liuse's hand, and they start to descend from the city wall.
After a moment of silence, Ouyang Liuse can't help asking, "I've been wondering, if you said dealing with Wen Jun will be simple, why haven't you acted yet? Why are you leisurely sightseeing and observing clouds here?"
"I'm waiting," Mu Zi responds simply.
"Waiting for what?"
He points to the clouds, "For this rain."
Ouyang Liuse pauses, then smiles, "Dark clouds don't always mean a heavy rain."
Mu Zi shakes his head, "But this time, it will be a heavy rain." He directs her gaze to the sky, "See there, what's beneath those thick rain clouds?"
Ouyang Liuse looks closely and honestly replies, "Scattered clouds."
"Those are Jiangzhu clouds, indicating that the rain clouds are full of moisture, and rain is imminent. And it will be heavy!"
As they leave the city wall, Ouyang Liuse is increasingly intrigued by the young man she loves deeply, feeling there's much about him she's yet to discover.
As the first bright lightning splits the heavy clouds, followed soon by an earth-shattering thunderclap, the whole city trembles.
Then, the rain pours down like a torrential flood, as if it had gathered strength during the hot days, with the thunder acting as its signal.
In the world now filled with the sound of rain and occasional thunder, Wen Jun is sound asleep, not disturbed by the noise. But the persistent ring of his phone stubbornly wakes him.
Irritated, he picks it up, barely able to see the screen through sleepy eyes.
It's an unknown number.
Who is this, calling during a thunderstorm and in the middle of the night?
He answers with a gruff, "Who is this?"
Silence follows. Wen Jun suspects the call has ended, but the screen shows it's still connected.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes. Speak up!" Wen Jun snaps.
The call ends abruptly.
"Freaking lunatic!" Wen Jun curses, tossing the phone aside and lying back down.
Today was already rough enough. That girl Lingzi was almost in his grasp before her classmate took her away. Now he's left to sleep alone.
As he looks at the white sheets beside him, his mind fills with alluring images of young, healthy bodies...
His frustration grows, and the more he recalls past nights on those white sheets, the more he finds it impossible to sleep, his primal urges flooding his mind.
All because of her damned classmate...
Just then, the phone rings again.
He grabs it, hits the answer button, ready for a confrontation. This time, a girl's clear laughter comes through.
The sound is young, innocent, and vibrant. It's so familiar – if not Lingzi, then who?
"Lingzi..." Wen Jun's heart leaps, but the call ends again.
Is this some sort of midnight game she's playing?
He tries calling back. No answer.
As he waits, a tapping sound from outside his window startles him.
In the middle of a thunderstorm, the sound is eerie and frightening. He jerks upright and pulls open the curtains.
No one's there.
What's going on? Surely it wasn't his imagination?
Confused, Wen Jun peers into the dark, rain-drenched night.
Just as he's about to close the curtain, lightning illuminates the ground like daylight. In that instant, he sees someone standing outside his window with an umbrella!
The person, dressed in a white shirt and white sneakers, is obscured by the shadow of the umbrella, but he can see the long black hair hanging by their shoulders. It's a young girl.
Wen Jun quickly remembers the image of Lingzi from earlier in the day.
A sly smile appears on his lips.
She's crazy enough to play this game with him, pretending to be outside in the middle of a thunderstorm just for him.
He taps on the window, mimicking her earlier actions.
But the girl, presumed to be Lingzi, remains still as if she hasn't seen or heard him.
Waiting for an invitation, huh?
With a resigned chuckle, Wen Jun quickly dresses, ready to leave the bed when his phone alerts him to a new message from the same mysterious number.
Wen Jun checks his phone while glancing outside at Lingzi, who seems to be putting away her phone.
Another game? He opens the message.
It reads enticingly:
"Teacher, take me out in the rain…"