Zhi Ying clutched the bundle of umbrellas and walked forward blankly, with Jiang Wei following and holding an umbrella over her head.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Wei leaned his umbrella towards Zhi Ying and asked.
"Seeing if any tourists want these." Just as Zhi Ying finished speaking, she saw two tourists scurrying around shielding their heads, "Over there."
"Excuse me, do you need umbrellas? Fifteen for one." Zhi Ying raised the umbrellas with difficulty.
The two tourists stopped and immediately responded, "Give us one."
Jiang Wei suddenly pitched in: "It seems that the rain is going to be heavy, and it shouldn't be able to support two people."
The tourist subconsciously looked over, was shocked by Jiang Wei's appearance, and answered after a moment: "Then, two."
"Thirty in total, thank you." Zhi Ying pulled out the QR code that hung around her neck, "Are you paying in cash or by scanning the code?"
The tourist pointed to the QR code, "This."
After the pair of tourists walked away, the rain really became heavier and heavier. Zhi Ying looked towards Jiang Wei and praised, "You are really amazing!"
Jiang Wei pursed his lips, and said modestly, "It's just a little effort."
Zhi Ying offered her umbrellas whenever she saw people along the way, and most people were willing to pay for them. Some people who stayed at hotels with umbrellas thought they had umbrellas, so they refused.
Zhi Ying did not become awkward or discouraged when someone refused, she merely continued to look for the next customer.
Jiang Wei wanted to help her hold the umbrellas several times, but in the end, he gave up and asked, "Can I help you hold the sign?"
Zhi Ying glanced at Jiang Wei, and pointed to the QR code on her neck, as if questioning, "This?"
"Mhm." Jiang Wei nodded.
"Take it, you can lift it up when the tourists pay." Zhi Ying smiled.
Jiang Wei carefully took the sign off Zhi Ying's neck, and watched her carefully observe the surrounding tourists, feeling distressed and helpless.
"There are also folding umbrellas, which are easier to carry." Zhi Ying added when she saw a tourist who thought the long-handled umbrella was too big.
"Then give me a folding umbrella." The tourist agreed.
Zhi Ying turned around and turned her back to Jiang Wei, "Can you get the umbrella for me?"
Jiang Wei took out a sky-blue folding umbrella from inside, and after the tourists paid and left, he asked, "What would you do if I didn't come?"
Zhi Ying didn't mind that Jiang Wei had so many questions today, and smiled softly, "It's okay, I can let tourists get it by themselves, but I still want to thank you for your help today."
After all, it was an emergency. Many tourists did not lack this small amount of money when they came for vacation. In order not to get wet, they were willing to pay generously for umbrellas.
After a while, in the afternoon, Zhi Ying's hands were mostly empty, except for a few leftover umbrellas in her bag.
"Your shoulders are wet." Zhi Ying took a deep breath and found that Jiang Wei had been leaning the umbrella towards her. "What if you get sick later?"
The umbrella in Jiang Wei's hand was nudged by Zhi Ying, and the two of them inadvertently touched each other. Jiang Wei lowered his eyes and moved a little closer to her side, as she wanted.
"I'm wearing a raincoat, so I won't get wet. You have to cover yourself." Seeing that Jiang Wei had only moved a little, Zhi Ying sighed and grabbed the umbrella, "Let's go home."
Anyways, the umbrellas were already almost sold out. In the past, Zhi Ying would have definitely waited for them to be sold out, but now she wanted to go back early and let Jiang Wei rest.
Zhi Ying held the umbrella and leaned against Jiang Wei. He was tall, and Zhi Ying had to raise her hands. It was okay at first, but it gradually became more difficult to do so.
"I'll lift it, this time I won't lean it towards you." Jiang Wei was paying attention to Zhi Ying, and took the umbrella from Zhi Ying's hands again.
Walking on the road, the umbrella surface was hit by heavy rain, which was really hard to support. The two leaned together unconsciously, the umbrella was not big, Jiang Wei said that he would not lean it towards her, so he could only shorten the distance between him and Zhi Ying.
A gust of wind blew by, and the umbrella was blown to the side. Jiang Wei frowned and moved it over again, subconsciously hugging Zhi Ying over.
It was so natural that Zhi Ying didn't even notice, and walked to her villa with his arms around her.
"Go back and change your clothes." Zhi Ying said to Jiang Wei, whose shoulders were half wet, after being sent to the door.
"Mhm." Jiang Wei stood under the steps, his long and curled eyelashes were soaked by the rain and mist, even his eyes seemed to be covered with mist.
Unfortunately, there were still four foldable umbrellas that were not sold. Zhi Ying walked to the living room, still thinking about the umbrellas in her backpack. At this moment, her phone suddenly vibrated.
As soon as Zhi Ying opened it, she saw that the final report card had been sent out in the group chat.
Feeling her pounding heart, Zhi Ying felt nervous again. Sometimes you knew what was going to happen next, but you still didn't want to believe it.
Holding the phone, Zhi Ying slowly unloaded her schoolbag, sat down, and then clicked on the file.
Jiang Wei was still in first place. Zhi Ying stared at the phone for a long time with complicated emotions.
On one hand, she was unwilling to be suppressed by Jiang Wei all the time. On the other hand, Zhi Ying was unwilling to be jealous of Jiang Wei, because he was a very benevolent person.
Zhi Ying felt that her state of mind was completely different from before. She felt sad but couldn't control it.
In the end, the days went on as usual. Zhi Ying and Qin Li went out to set up their stall everyday, selling some small trinkets, and bought their goods according to the weather.
Occasionally, when Zhi Ying saw Jiang Wei, she couldn't help but think that she was still ranked below Jiang Wei. But as soon as they talked together, that thought would completely leave her mind. Even when they parted, there would always be a smile on her lips that she didn't notice.
The time that school resumed was getting closer and closer, along with the time that the competition began.
Qin Li and Zhi Ying spent the whole summer vacation sending questions to each other, and their tacit understanding rose to a very high level. The two had long forgotten the matter of stinging each other back then.
Qin Li already thought in his heart that Zhi Ying could reach the level of brain wave synchronization with himself, of course only in mathematics.
"I must join the national team." Qin Li declared to Zhi Ying the day before school started.
"You can get in." Although Zhi Ying had not compared herself with students from other places, she was quite confident in herself. Not to mention, Qin Li's comprehension in mathematics could completely keep up with her own, so it was definitely not bad.
"When Lao Han asked me to come join Class Zero, he told me about you." Qin Li suddenly remembered, "He thought I had great potential in mathematics, and then Lao Han said that he hoped that we could learn from each other."
"Lao Han? He didn't tell me." Zhi Ying asked suspiciously, "Did the class teacher look for you?"
Before, Lao Han merely said that he picked up two people from the back of the rankings to make up for the two extra spots. Up till now, those two were still at the bottom of the rankings of Class Zero.
"Yes, he thinks that Class Zero doesn't necessarily need students who excelled in all subjects. Lao Han went to the principal and said that he hoped that he could have students who are gifted in particular subjects, so... I wonder if I have a talent in mathematics." Although Qin Li was usually vicious and stingy, he still showed some timidity when it came to his future.
Lao Han's words were a bit harsh. The students in Class Zero were basically in the top 50 of the entire school, and falling out of the top 100 was a serious setback. The results of all subjects were considered top-notch in the key classes.
It was just that the students that Lao Han hoped for were not only reflected in their scores. Especially those who had learned ahead by themselves, but also had talents in a certain subject that others did not have.
"You'll find out after the competition is over." In the past, Zhi Ying would have been very confident, but now her self-confidence has taken a blow. Her words were not as firm, "Don't be discouraged."
Both of them were squatting by the roadside of Lugu Mountain, worrying about a small domestic competition in the future.
Little did they know that they would end up stirring up troubles internationally in the future.