Chapter 23: The Old Friend Arrives at the Door Twice

  In my definition, the sweltering summer is the most evil of the four seasons.

  In this season of understanding, the sky is dry and things are withered, but the evil fire is not ordinary, so various suppressed human instincts only need to be lightly touched, and they will rise up like a prairie fire... Of course, if it really stops, maybe you should go to the hospital. And when one day, you hold an umbrella, either sad or happy, out the door, but are suddenly caught off guard by a torrential downpour that soaks you from a handsome guy/girl to a wet guy/girl, you will be surprised to find that summer is actually a season of changing human nature. At this time, it has changed from an adjective that understands people's intentions to a verb that understands people's clothes.

  But what's worth mentioning is that I don't like summer because it's so evil, but I'm sure the number of people who come to drink sweet treats in winter won't be more than in summer...

  At this moment, when the weather forecaster on TV, who still had a full head of hair and no belly, was smiling and clearly saying "the city will continue to experience high temperatures for the next week, please take necessary measures to avoid heatstroke", a massive purple lightning bolt suddenly flashed across the dark sky outside the window, illuminating half the sky in an instant. The tree-branch-like arc seemed to hold a power that could change everything. The lightning disappeared in an instant, and the night sky turned black again. A few seconds later, a loud clap of thunder exploded above, followed by heavy rain, which instantly turned the glass window into a waterfall.

  I couldn't help but shake my head and say solemnly to the person sitting across from me who was reading a book, "Is there a feeling of being caught in the act?"

  He looked up at me and nodded silently after a long time.

  I continued to say solemnly: "When your accuracy in guessing questions reaches the level of weather forecasting, you can directly drop out of school. For your sake, I can barely set a precedent and take you as the only male waiter here."

  He stroked his forehead and looked at me coldly, "A Yao, am I really that despicable in your heart?"

  I also looked at him coolly: "Who knows."

  He paused for a moment and suddenly smiled at me: "You don't have to worry about this, you don't know that cheating in our third year is actually very easy?"

  I had a moment of dizziness and suddenly felt that his smile seemed to have a somewhat sarcastic feeling, but the next second I looked again and it was still the same innocent expression as usual.

  It must be that I've seen too many flashes, and my eyes are all dizzy... I comforted myself, and with a serious tone, I said to him: "With someone like you, even if cheating were easy, you'd still get caught and become the target of ridicule. So, it's better for you to mentally prepare yourself to come work for me instead." After pausing for a moment, I added another sentence, "And your ID will be Xiao Qiao Zero, which has very deep and beautiful implications."

  "Target Xiao Qiao Zero" stiffened for a moment, didn't respond, and continued to read the thick book on the table with one hand propping up her chin.

  His remaining hand fell on the book page, with his slender five fingers slightly closed together, so white that it was dazzling to the eyes, and even more beautiful than what I drew. I looked at it for a while, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Why do you read this kind of book? The title... is a bit unmaterialistic, 'The Split Self', are you trying to split out a self that can help you cheat? Does it work?"

  "Can't," said Qiao, shaking his head without looking up, "but at least I can guarantee that I'll stay the way I am now before I win the championship, and also...I heard him sigh, "won't lose myself."

  "Huh?" I became even more bewildered, "What laurel wreath? What now you? Lost you? Psychological test?"

  "A Yao," he suddenly looked up, his face serious as he stared at me, "now is not the time for you to stop me from becoming a master of both internal and external..." He stopped, not continuing.

  I was stunned for a moment, let out a dry laugh, and quickly helped him correct and supplement the words he was too embarrassed to finish: "It's a beautiful young man with both internal and external cultivation. Well, you can take your time cultivating, I'll just enjoy the rain scene and be content." But it was clear that I had forgotten that today's rain was really extraordinary, and when I turned my head to look at the white misty expanse in front of me, my facial expression immediately froze.

  A faint laugh came from beside me, and I resolutely leaned on the table, focusing my attention to see through the beaded curtain, but my thoughts drifted further and further away.

  Tonight, before Cheng Qiao arrived, the muffled thunder had been rumbling above my head for almost half an hour. The French parasol trees outside were no longer calm and elegant under the violent wind, which suddenly reminded me of Feng Jie, who was once extremely popular.

  The dessert shop had so few customers that it was depressing, and some of them had been waiting since the afternoon. The sky outside had been gloomy since then, making people feel anxious. Even the two pastry chefs who usually stayed in the kitchen came out to chat with a few waitresses, discussing their emotional lives and gossiping about each other's relationships. I was impressed that no matter how much they talked, they always centered around emotions and romance. But somehow, when I went to the restroom and came back, they had already decided to experience the thrill of running in the rain after work like young people do. Watching them get more and more excited about this decision, my aunt and I just looked at each other, as long as they didn't go out and cause trouble for others right now.

  Although the air conditioner was always on, the store was always shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere. So in this low-pressure atmosphere, I suddenly thought of that extremely beautiful young man who often recited with great emotion at Xiao Yu's place, and the sentence "Dark clouds press the city, the city is about to collapse, the temptation is under pressure, the attack is not pushed" sounded very timely in my ears.

  Before this, I always thought that Cheng Qiao's sentence "come every day" was just a casual remark, and it would disperse without leaving any trace even if the wind didn't blow. After all, from University Town to Night Market Street, even riding a bicycle takes 15 minutes, let alone walking each time. I believe that if his two long legs could make their own choices, they would have been paralyzed by now.

  It's no wonder that, in a situation where I didn't take his words to heart at all, on a day when even my rough and tumble female friends were afraid of getting wet, when Cheng Qiao pushed open the door and walked in wearing a completely drenched pure black raincoat, I was so shocked and stunned by his appearance.

  But actually everyone was stunned.

  And I finally found out that Cheng Qiao is not only a beautiful young man who keeps his promises and has great perseverance, but also a naturally elegant young man who can turn a shabby raincoat into a mysterious black robe.