After many years, on this day, I met her again.

I felt like I was ten knives, even more of a knife than Nine Knives himself. There was a song surging within me, echoing in my heart: the heavy rain I missed that year, the girl I missed that year...

The only difference is, she wasn’t the girl we all chased after back then—she was the girl I never tried to chase.

Chapter 006 Jane Jenkins

On July 1, 1997, I represented my eighth grade (Class 3) and gave a speech celebrating Hong Kong’s return. It was a solemn day, but the young me did something not so solemn: after finishing my speech, I didn’t step down from the stage. Instead, I shouted out my confession to the girl I liked.

At the time, I racked my brains and came up with a really bizarre line: “One country, two systems for fifty years—I’ll love you for fifty years too! Fifty years from now, I want to die before you do!”

My completely unexpected move made the girl cry, scared my homeroom teacher half to death, and left the school leaders in the audience all looking green. There was one thing I didn’t understand at the time: why was Jane Jenkins also crying the whole time that day?

I remember that year, because of the handover, the school didn’t start summer vacation until July 5. On July 2, I was publicly criticized. Even though I was a top student, I still couldn’t escape being given a warning—that was the first time I was ever disciplined. July 6 was the last time I saw Jane Jenkins.

Our country’s education system has its own unique characteristics. Ninth graders and seniors all have to face one thing: extra classes.

Although the school let out for summer vacation on July 5, that only applied to seventh graders. Since we would be entering ninth grade after the break, the school ordered everyone to attend extra classes from July 6 to July 31. Of course, you had to pay for these extra classes—otherwise, how would the greatest gardeners under the sun earn some extra cash?

On July 6, out of 47 students in the class, 46 showed up.

That day, every time I lifted my leg, I felt empty inside, because the seat in front of me was empty.

Jane Jenkins didn’t come. The teacher said she was transferring to another school.

When I heard the news, I didn’t feel sad at all. In fact, I found it especially ironic.

Back in elementary school, when we wrote essays about “an unforgettable person,” the teacher gave us a sample essay. The gist was: Later, Xiao Ming transferred to another school, and I never saw him again. He was the most unforgettable person to me...

At that early stage, when writing was mostly about imitation, almost everyone in the class ended their essay like this: Later, Xiao Jun (or Xiao Hong) transferred to another school, and I never saw him (her) again. He (she) was the most unforgettable person to me...

Even though we didn’t actually know any Xiao Jun or Xiao Hong in real life, the teacher told us that as long as you changed Xiao Ming to Xiao Jun or Xiao Hong, it counted as original, you’d get a good grade, and you’d be able to get into college in the future.

I still remember that the essay I wrote back then felt especially insincere, but also especially real. I wrote: My good friend so-and-so transferred to another school, and I never saw her again. She was the most unforgettable person to me...

It was insincere because the so-called good friend so-and-so was actually a pseudonym for the girl in my heart. At the time, after being deeply influenced by Hong Kong movies, I definitely didn’t just see her as a good friend. It was real because, at that time, that girl really was the most unforgettable person to me.

Later, when I got to middle school, I actually met that unforgettable girl. There was no such thing as “never saw her again.” This made me feel not only ironic, but also hurt. The first unforgettable girl in my love story not only didn’t end up with me, but her dad even threatened to kill me if I kept chasing after his daughter.

So, I don’t even know why I’m supposed to say “so” here to connect things, but anyway, when my heart was still hurting from love, and I heard that Jane Jenkins was transferring, my first reaction was: will I see her again in the future? Or will I never see her again?

I didn’t expect that just half a day later, I would meet her again.

That day, it was pouring rain. After school, I ran into Jane Jenkins at the school gate, holding a little floral umbrella.

She did something only a guy trying to pick up a girl would do—she handed me her umbrella.

But that wasn’t all. She also gave me a letter.

Then she turned and ran.

I will never forget that summer, when a girl ran out of my sight in the pouring rain.

Chapter 007 Missed

Looking back on that day, everything happened so suddenly.

First, when she handed me those things, I was completely stunned.

After she walked away, my first reaction wasn’t to chase after her, but to care about how the other students at the school gate were reacting. Back then, I cared a lot about what others thought. Being ambushed like that by Jane Jenkins, I just felt I couldn’t save face.

With everyone watching, not even fifteen years old, I made mistake after mistake, pretending to be calm as I went to the bathroom. In the bathroom, I smoked a cigarette while reading the letter, then, trying to act cool, I threw both the letter and the umbrella away.

That letter was, to be precise, a love letter.

At the time, I didn’t feel any regret. Having just been dumped five days earlier, I wasn’t ready to start another relationship.

Later, I found it a bit strange. In the letter, Jane Jenkins said she would write to me in the future, but after that, she never wrote to me again. Until today, I never had any contact with her.