The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

Chapter 226 Extra: Jiang Shubai x Shen Zhixian

Half a year passed like this, and Jiang Shubai managed to become good brothers with all the teachers and students in the astronomy department. They would play ball together, have meals together, reserve seats for each other, and bring each other food. They got along well and felt comfortable with each other.

But her relationship with Shen Zhixian remained lukewarm at all.

At most, we'd exchange polite greetings when we bumped into each other, and occasionally chat for a few trivial things.

Want to take another step forward? Shen Zhixian didn't give him the chance at all.

For the past six months, Wen Zhaoyue has become Jiang Shubai's exclusive listener, reporting on his progress in pursuing her. She's practically tired of hearing it.

She slumped onto her desk, looking utterly dejected, rubbing her throbbing temples and grimacing in pain.

"Zhi zhi zhi zhi zhi zhi—I think you might as well change the species name to cicada. It's been almost half a year, and all you do is talk about 'zhi zhi' all the time, but you still haven't received a call from Zhizhi."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shubai slumped down, his head hanging low.

With his abilities, finding Shen Zhixian's contact information would be a piece of cake; anything obtained through reliable means is hardly reliable.

He was down for only a few minutes before he was fully recharged, slamming his hand on the table, full of fighting spirit, "No problem! Even a fierce woman can be won over by persistence, I can do it!"

Wen Zhaoyue looked at his indestructible cockroach-like appearance and clicked her tongue in amazement. She bowed to him with her hands clasped, making a perfunctory joke.

"Alright then, keep up the good work, Mr. Lover Jiang. I'll be waiting for your good news."

Jiang Shubai wasn't annoyed and continued planning his chance encounter for tomorrow with a smile.

Two weeks later, things really took a turn for the better.

At the end of March, the Department of Astronomy organized a nighttime observation activity on the mountain, with the goal of observing the lunar occultation of the Pleiades.

Simply put, the moon slowly drifts in front of the Pleiades, "swallows" the stars one by one, and then "spits" them out after a while.

A senior student from the astronomy department started getting excited a week in advance, saying that this celestial phenomenon is perfect in March and can be seen with the naked eye; if you miss it, you'll have to wait another year.

Jiang Shubai wasn't particularly interested in stars, but he was very interested in people who looked at them.

A cool night breeze swept over them, and Jiang Shubai remained a few steps behind Shen Zhixian, neither too close nor too far.

I could just see the curve of her jawline when she tilted her head back, and I could just smell the shampoo scent wafting from the ends of her hair in the wind.

The observations started smoothly.

Telescopes were set up, star charts were laid out, and groups of people were scattered on the hillside, looking up and pointing.

Jiang Shubai pretended to look at the star map, but secretly took out his phone and pointed the camera at Shen Zhixian's profile.

Click.

The moonlight softened her features; her eyelashes drooped, her lips were slightly pursed, and she looked so focused that she seemed to have melted into the night sky.

He put away his phone with satisfaction, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

I took another picture.

Take another picture.

Just as he was thinking about how to take another picture from a different angle, several girls suddenly appeared out of nowhere and approached him with smiles.

"Senior Jiang, you're here too? Can you help us identify this star?"

Jiang Shubai frowned, took a step to the side, and said in a tone as indifferent as the night breeze on a mountaintop, "I don't know him. Ask the senior students in our department."

After saying that, she turned around and went to find Shen Zhixian.

There were scattered figures on the hillside. He glanced around, wondering where his big Zhizhi was.

They were standing there just a moment ago, and now they're gone.

Jiang Shubai's heart tightened, and he quickly patted the boy next to him who was adjusting his binoculars: "Dude, have you seen Shen Zhixian?"

The boy didn't even look up, casually pointing west, "They went that way, saying they wanted to find a more secluded angle to see the moon occult the stars."

Jiang Shubai took off running.

On the west side of the hillside was a patch of low shrubs, beyond which was an even steeper slope. He searched, stepping on the gravel, his feet sinking deep into the ground.

After searching for almost ten minutes, I finally found her in a sheltered, low-lying area.

Shen Zhixian sat on a flat rock, tilting her head back and staring motionlessly at the sky, as if she were nailed there by something, not even noticing him approaching.

Jiang Shubai paused, swallowing back the words he was about to say. He looked up, following her gaze.

The moon happened to obscure the brightest star in the Pleiades cluster. On the dark blue sky, a soft halo seeped from the edge of the moon. One by one, the stars reappeared from the other side of the moon, as if someone had scattered a handful of broken diamonds back into the night sky.

It is indeed very beautiful.

But when he looked down at Shen Zhixian, he still thought she was more beautiful.

"Student Shen."

He called out softly, "Why did you come here? It's dangerous if you don't stay with the group."

Shen Zhixian, unusually, did not immediately get up and leave. Instead, she glanced at him, her lips seemed to twitch, and her tone carried a gentleness she didn't usually show.

"Look, the moon is disappearing."

She pointed and said, "The Pleiades has six bright stars, and you can see more with the naked eye... Now is the perfect time, with minimal light pollution and just the right amount of atmospheric transparency."

Jiang Shubai was stunned, a sweet feeling spreading through his heart.

This was the longest sentence Shen Zhixian had ever spoken to him since they met.

He snapped out of his daze, smiled, and said, "Then tell me more about it."

Shen Zhixian glanced at him but did not refuse.

She pointed to the sky and spoke each sentence in a low voice and at a slow pace, but each sentence was delivered with unwavering seriousness.

Jiang Shubai didn't hear a word she said; he was too busy looking at her.

He simply sat down next to her, listened quietly, and occasionally hummed or nodded.

She was looking at the sky, he was looking at her, they were both looking at the love in their eyes.

Ten minutes or so passed like this.

When the first raindrop landed on Jiang Shubai's nose, he hadn't even realized it.

Then the second and third drops fell, the wind on the mountaintop swirled up, and the chill seeped into the bones through the collar.

It's raining!

Exclamations came from the students in the distance, the beams of flashlights began to flicker wildly, and everyone was busy packing up their equipment.

Jiang Shubai quickly stood up and reached out to pull Shen Zhixian, "Hurry up, the rain is going to get heavier."

Shen Zhixian used the stone to stand up, but as soon as she took a step, her foot slipped, and she swayed and almost fell.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Shubai grabbed her arm.

"...I sprained my ankle." Shen Zhixian bit her lip, her brows furrowed.

The rain grew heavier, the raindrops pattering against the bushes, and the mountain wind, carrying the cold rain, swept in, causing the temperature to plummet and making people shiver.

"I'll carry you on my back." Jiang Shubai bent down without thinking.

"No need." Shen Zhixian took a step back, supporting herself on one leg, her tone still indifferent. "I can walk by myself."

Jiang Shubai did not move.

The rain poured down, soaking their hair and shoulders.

Shen Zhixian tried to take a step, gasped in pain, and swayed.

Jiang Shubai didn't move. He stood there, getting soaked in the rain, looking at her with a pitiful expression, his lips slightly pursed.

How can I describe that look? It's like a little dog on the roadside, soaked by the rain, staring at you with pleading eyes, as if saying, "Are you really not going to pick me up?"

"Shen, we really have to go now."

His voice was a little muffled, with a deliberately suppressed hint of grievance at the end, "If we don't leave now, we'll both get soaked to the bone. Can you bear to see me catch a cold?"

Shen Zhixian looked at Jiang Shubai, rainwater streaming down his face, his hair sticking wetly to his forehead, and his coat soaked through and turned dark.

This boy, who is usually as flamboyant as a peacock, looked extremely disheveled and pitiful at this moment.

She was silent for several seconds, then nodded.

Jiang Shubai almost couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He took off his waterproof windbreaker and draped it over her, covering her entire back and shoulders.

"Wear these clothes, it's cold up in the mountains."

Shen Zhixian was stunned for a moment.

The coat still held the warmth of his body heat. She clutched the collar of the coat without saying a word.

Seeing that she didn't refuse, Jiang Shubai's tone immediately became cheerful, with an undisguised upward inflection at the end of his voice.

"Hey Shen, come on up! I'm really steady on my back, you won't fall!"

He bent down, his movements swift and careful, and steadily carried her on his back.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the mountain road was slippery and muddy. Jiang Shubai didn't walk very fast, but he took each step very steadily.

Shen Zhixian lay on his back, able to hear his slightly rapid breathing, feel the muscles in his shoulders tense from exertion, and smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on his body after being soaked by the rain.

It's very faint, but it inexplicably makes you feel at ease.

She lowered her eyes and looked at the whorl of his hair at the back of his head, which was wet with rain. Suddenly, a tight spot in her heart relaxed.

Like a plucked string, the lingering sound slowly dissipates in the air, never to be recovered.

My heart, which had been silent for many, many years, seemed to suddenly stir.