Under the Umbrella

Hearing those words from Yu Qingkong, Lin Wanzhao found herself completely stripped of speech. She simply squeezed Yu Qingkong’s hand tighter, her gaze bouncing back and forth between the slushy pavement and the girl beside her.

“What’s with that look?” Yu Qingkong teased, tilting her head to look down at her.

“Nothing!” Lin Wanzhao shook her head vigorously, then pointed toward the paper bag in Yu Qingkong’s hand. “Let’s eat first!”

Yu Qingkong let out a soft chuckle. She opened the bag, pulled out a disposable plastic glove, and handed it over: “Here.”

Lin Wanzhao slipped it on with practiced agility, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she continued to stare expectantly.

Seeing this, Yu Qingkong retrieved a golden-brown chicken drumstick from the bag and held it out to her: “Eat up. Since you’re so happy today, I’ll let it slide, but you need to cut back on this stuff in the future. It’s junk food, after all.”

“Oh, I’ll do whatever you say!” Lin Wanzhao cheered, waving the drumstick next to her head like a tiny flag.

She certainly talked a big game, but who knew if she would completely forget her promise the moment she turned around?

Yu Qingkong looked at her, shaking her head with an affectionate, helpless sigh. She reached over to pull the hood of Lin Wanzhao’s coat up, covering her head: “Let’s go buy an umbrella over there first. You look like you’re about to freeze into an idiot.”

“I am not! I don’t feel cold at all right now!” Lin Wanzhao countered fiercely. She took a massive bite of the chicken drumstick, bobbing her head side to side as she chewed.

“Nonsense,” Yu Qingkong shot her a look. This girl’s hands already felt like a pair of frozen chicken feet plucked straight from the supermarket’s fresh-food display.

“I’m not talking nonsense, I’m telling the absolute truth! Right now, I feel like I’m floating in an ocean of pure sunshine. My blood is boiling, and my heart is completely burning hot!” Lin Wanzhao insisted, her lips curving into a radiant smile. It was true—Yu Qingkong was her ocean of sunshine.

“I don’t care what ocean you’re swimming in,” Yu Qingkong retorted playfully, gently guiding her by the shoulder toward a nearby convenience store. “We are buying an umbrella first, end of discussion.”

“Oh…” Lin Wanzhao ultimately nodded, though she couldn’t resist murmuring, “I was just trying to say that as long as I’m with you, I wouldn’t even care if I froze to death!”

“I know,” Yu Qingkong’s eyes softened, her gaze lingering on Lin Wanzhao through her peripheral vision. “You aren’t afraid, but I am.”

With that, Yu Qingkong turned and stepped into the small shop.

Lin Wanzhao stared blankly at her retreating back for a beat. Then, a massive grin broke across her face. She pumped her fist in silent victory and happily skipped over to her side: “Wait for me!”

Inside the convenience store, the two of them huddled by the umbrella display. After browsing for a moment, Lin Wanzhao picked out a classic clear, transparent umbrella and turned around: “Let’s get this one. I think walking through a snowfall with a clear umbrella looks incredibly aesthetic. Come on, let’s go pay.”

However, before Lin Wanzhao could take more than two steps toward the counter, Yu Qingkong extended a long arm, looping it gently around her upper chest and shoulder to pull her right back.

“What is it?” Lin Wanzhao asked, clutching the umbrella to her chest as she looked up in confusion.

“We aren’t done shopping yet. Look at these hand-warmer pouches over here; see which one you like.” Yu Qingkong pointed toward a colorful row of plush hand-warmers lining the shelf.

Lin Wanzhao’s lips curved into a tender smile. She pointed directly toward a plush Totoro pouch: “I want this one.”

“You like Totoro?” Yu Qingkong asked.

“Yes! Totoro is incredibly cute. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to keep a real chinchilla as a pet,” Lin Wanzhao chattered happily.

Yu Qingkong nodded, reaching up to pull the plush pouch from the shelf. She took the clear umbrella from Lin Wanzhao’s hands, walked over to the checkout counter to pay, and asked the shopkeeper to plug the hand-warmer in to charge it up for a few minutes.

When they stepped back out onto the street, Yu Qingkong promptly tucked the freshly warmed pouch into Lin Wanzhao’s arms: “Hold onto it.”

“What about you? Aren’t you going to use it?” Lin Wanzhao asked.

“No need. My constitution isn’t as weak as yours,” Yu Qingkong teased, waving her hand dismissively before popping open the clear umbrella.

“Let me hold it!” Lin Wanzhao reached out, her fingers aiming for the umbrella handle.

However, Yu Qingkong deftly lifted the umbrella slightly out of her reach: “Just focus on holding your hand-warmer.”

Lin Wanzhao let out a soft “Oh,” her eyes instantly locking back onto Yu Qingkong’s face without moving an inch.

“Why aren’t you walking?” Yu Qingkong asked.

“I want to link arms with you,” Lin Wanzhao stated bluntly.

Yu Qingkong looked down, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She extended her arm toward her.

Lin Wanzhao’s face instantly lit up. She eagerly looped her arm securely through Yu Qingkong’s, tucked her hands back into the warm Totoro pouch, and continued her happy march toward the cinema.

So this is what it feels like to share an umbrella with the person you love. The romance tropes in novels and television dramas really weren’t exaggerated; walking like this made her feel entirely enveloped by the other person’s presence. It was profoundly comforting.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, the cinema was absolutely teeming with people, and nearly every showing was sold out. Fortunately, their movie was scheduled to start in just a few minutes, so they didn’t have to wait around in the crowded lobby.

After collecting their tickets from the automated machine, Yu Qingkong checked the time and noted that it was almost time to head inside. Meanwhile, Lin Wanzhao had managed to procure a giant bucket of popcorn.

Staring at the massive tub, Yu Qingkong let out a helpless sigh: “You have seriously consumed far too much food today…”

“I know, I know! Just this once, never again—” Lin Wanzhao instantly cut her off, shutting down the highly educational lecture that was undoubtedly about to follow.

“Alright, fine.” Yu Qingkong realized she was completely defenseless against her. Together, they walked toward the ticket gate.

While passing through the ticket check, Lin Wanzhao noticed a young couple ahead of them. The girl was clinging tightly to her boyfriend’s arm, leaning her head against his shoulder in a display of affectionate dependency. Lin Wanzhao tilted her head, watching them intently for a long moment before letting out a soft, competitive huff. She instantly tightened her own grip on Yu Qingkong’s arm.

She didn’t need to envy anyone else. Besides, her partner was infinitely more attractive than anyone else’s anyway.

Yu Qingkong turned her head to look at Lin Wanzhao, who was concurrently clinging to her arm and stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Stunned for a fraction of a second, Yu Qingkong’s hand folded over Lin Wanzhao’s, her voice laced with warmth: “Let’s go in.”

The film was a highly anticipated action blockbuster. The plot was incredibly tight, fast-paced, and thrilling from the very first frame, keeping the entire theater completely spellbound. Yet, Yu Qingkong found herself completely distracted. Her eyes bounced back and forth between the massive silver screen and Lin Wanzhao’s face beside her.

In the past, she had constantly agonized over what a romantic relationship was supposed to look like, unable to ever puzzle it out. But sitting here tonight, she realized she didn’t need to solve any equations. When the right person arrived, everything simply fell into place naturally.

Beside her, Lin Wanzhao held the bucket of popcorn in her lap, munching away like a tiny mouse. The popcorn made soft, rhythmic crunching sounds. Whenever a particularly thrilling sequence unfolded on screen, she would freeze with a piece of popcorn hovering right at her lips, completely forgetting to eat it. Every single one of her minute expressions sent a quiet ripple through Yu Qingkong’s heart. No matter how dark the theater grew, it couldn’t dim a fraction of her inner radiance.

In this exact moment, Yu Qingkong felt as though the rest of the world was infinitely far away, while Lin Wanzhao was the only reality close to her. It was a spectacular feeling.

In the blink of an eye, two hours flew by. When the credits rolled and they stepped out of the theater, Yu Qingkong immediately opened the clear umbrella, holding it over both their heads as they fell into a leisurely stroll.

The snow continued to fall steadily. However, because the ground temperature hadn’t dropped to freezing yet, the flakes dissolved the moment they touched the asphalt, leaving the streets looking dark and slick. Despite the steady stream of pedestrians bustling past them, the colorful city lights reflecting off the wet pavement lent the night a strange, tranquil beauty.

The soil in the public square’s flowerbeds, however, had already accumulated a thin, pristine layer of white. It looked incredibly beautiful. If the snow maintained this pace, the entire city of Shengcheng would undoubtedly be transformed into a winter wonderland by tomorrow morning.

“Should we head back now? You still have to work tomorrow. Plus, as the director, you have a lot on your plate, right?” After walking a few more paces, Yu Qingkong turned her head to ask.

Lin Wanzhao’s brows knitted into a slight frown upon hearing this: “I fall asleep instantly and wake up early. It doesn’t matter even if I sleep a bit late tonight.”

“Phrasing it like that basically means you just don’t want to go home yet, doesn’t it?” Yu Qingkong immediately saw right through her little scheme.

“So what if I don’t? I’m incredibly happy today—can’t you just indulge me a little?” Lin Wanzhao countered instantly, her secret exposed.

Yu Qingkong let out a soft laugh: “Of course I can. I’m just worried you’ll catch a cold from the wind.”

No matter how much Lin Wanzhao dismissed it, the winter wind tonight was brutally sharp. Although Yu Qingkong considered herself highly resistant to the cold, she still let out a sharp breath whenever a stray gust snuck down the collar of her coat.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a fragile infant. I’m not that delicate,” Lin Wanzhao insisted. She was actually freezing, but her desire to stretch out their time together completely overrode her physical discomfort.

“Alright then,” Yu Qingkong reached over to touch the Totoro hand-warmer. Finding it still reasonably warm, she released her grip. “Let’s walk a bit longer.”

Hearing this, Lin Wanzhao finally flashed a satisfied, triumphant smile.

As they entered the main public square, Lin Wanzhao turned her head to ask: “By the way, what did you think of the movie? It was pretty good, right?”

“Um…” Yu Qingkong hesitated, stumbling over her words.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wanzhao was thoroughly perplexed.

“To be completely honest… I didn’t really watch it,” Yu Qingkong confessed.

“Huh? Why? Was it not your style?” Lin Wanzhao pressed.

Instead of answering, Yu Qingkong brought their footsteps to a halt. She gave the umbrella handle a slight twist, stepping directly in front of Lin Wanzhao to look her dead in the eye.

“What is it…?” Meeting the intense, profound depth of Yu Qingkong’s gaze, Lin Wanzhao’s heart instantly began to race.

“I want to kiss you,” Yu Qingkong stated simply.

“H-Here?” Lin Wanzhao cast a frantic glance around them. They were standing in a public square right outside a bustling shopping mall and cinema; the foot traffic was heavy, with people constantly walking past.

“Mm,” Yu Qingkong nodded firmly.

“As your girlfriend?” Lin Wanzhao whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs.

“Yes. In our brand-new capacity.” Yu Qingkong continued to hold her gaze, her eyes overflowing with absolute sincerity.

A brilliant, beautiful smile crinkled the corners of Lin Wanzhao’s eyes. She nodded vigorously, slowly closing her eyes.

The next second, beneath the canopy of swirling winter snow, Yu Qingkong tilted her head, gently took Lin Wanzhao’s gloved hand, and pressed her lips against the corner of Lin Wanzhao’s mouth.

As the sudden, intoxicating warmth enveloped her, Lin Wanzhao’s head recoiled slightly in surprise, her shoulders tensing up. The sensation of their lips brushing together was incredibly delicate—almost fleeting—yet it struck a profound chord deep within her soul, sending a powerful wave of electricity surging through her entire frame. Even though it was a perfectly chaste, fleeting kiss with zero undercurrents of deeper passion, it left her utterly breathless.

After a long moment, Yu Qingkong broke the contact. She opened her eyes, gazing down at the flush on Lin Wanzhao’s cheeks before speaking in a low, tender whisper: “It wasn’t that the movie wasn’t my style. It’s just that… I spent the entire two hours looking at you.”

Meeting her intense gaze, the butterflies in Lin Wanzhao’s stomach went absolutely wild: “Huh?”

Yu Qingkong’s voice dropped to a gentle murmur, her eyes crinkling with affection: “How could a movie ever compete with how beautiful you look?”