You Have Everything I Dislike

For the first time ever, the third master came to Beijing after summer vacation to find me.

In order to meet their brother-in-law, the other three people in my dormitory booked their train tickets a few days later. They also wanted to have a meal with the third master. 

I was dressed in a white T-shirt and hot purple pants on the day the third master arrived. He would probably be adamant that I not wear anything shorter than those, so I had to settle with the bright pants.

When I went out that afternoon, the sky was overcast, so I purposefully brought a huge, rainbow-colored umbrella with me. To be honest, I could have taken another of our dorm’s umbrellas, but I thought it was unnecessary for two people, let alone a couple, to have their own umbrellas instead of sharing one. 

I had no choice but to decline my roommate’s generous offer to lend me another umbrella.

When I went to pick up the third master at the station, I was a little shy and did not know what to say. It had been quite some time since we had last seen each other, so I ended up acting like some stranger and just stood there.

The crowd was too much for me, and I was pushed inside the subway line. Without a handrail to grab onto, I almost lost my balance. 

Fortunately, the third master was quick to help me, wrapping an arm around my waist…

On more than one instance, when the occasional sticky couple shows up on the subway, my roommate and I would have an in-depth and solemn discussion on their shameless and blatant display of affection.

Until that moment, feeling the warmth of the third master’s embrace, I promptly had an epiphany.

It’s just not right to save divine justice while destroying human desire! In this crowded place, I have a man who can wrap his arms around me and make me feel safe! Who cares if it’s embarrassing!

I did not make a single peep throughout the whole thing. When the third master eventually took his hand away, my waist felt a little cool. Only then did I notice that his palms were also sweating from nervousness.

It was pouring outside. 

My rainbow umbrella finally did its job, blooming above our heads like a dainty mushroom. I deliberately turned the umbrella so that the red section was facing my face, making my skin look rosy and beautiful when hit with the light.

The third master raised his gaze to the umbrella. 

“Do you know what it means when two people hold a rainbow umbrella in other countries?” he asked me out of the blue.

I shook my head in confusion. 

What is he going on about?

I thought internally at the time.

The third master looked at me, a serious expression on his face. “Only married couples can do it.”

My face turned so red that I did not need the umbrella to do it for me at all. 

“I didn’t know,” I explained weakly.

In the middle of my embarrassment, the umbrella that “only married couples could hold” abruptly shook.

Its rib actually broke… 

We were looking for a hotel to stay in at the time. 

Because all of the rooms were fully booked on rainy days, the one I had reserved for us was instead sold to someone else. Due to the poor reception on the subway, the hotel owner was unable to contact me.

Feeling frustrated with the broken umbrella, we went to the nearest homestay. We took cover under the eaves from the rain while making the phone call.

The third master wiped the dripping rainwater off my face as I confirmed which specific floor our’s was with the owner. 

Without warning, he bent down and kissed my face. To say I was stunned would be a total understatement.

The owner was still asking me in his Hubei-accented Mandarin, “Miss, did you get that?”

I handed the phone to the third master mechanically. “You answer it for me. I can’t remember the address.” 

Anyway, from the time I picked him up at the station until we arrived at our destination on that rainy day, the redness on my face never went away.

Once at the homestay, the owner proudly pointed to the two single beds that were a meter apart. “This is one of the standard rooms in our house. It’s quite clean and cozy, isn’t it?” he told us.

We were too thin-faced to ask something shameless like, “Boss, we don’t need a standard room — could we change to a large bedroom instead?”

“Yes, yes, it’s very clean,” was all we could say.

I reluctantly paid the money and sent the owner away.

The third master looked at our soaked clothes. He rummaged through his suitcase, found a dry T-shirt for me to wear, and asked me to shower first to avoid catching a cold.

I looked like a cooked shrimp for pretty much the entire day. I took his clothes and went to take a shower without looking at him.

When I came out, I discovered that he had rearranged the previously separated single beds so that they were now next to each other.

After the two of us finished taking our turns showering, we waited for the rain to stop before heading out to have dinner with my roommates. However, as time went on, the rain became heavier and heavier.

At that point, it was almost nine o’clock. My roommates had gotten so hungry that they bought snacks at the supermarket instead. 

“I don’t think it’s going to stop raining any time soon. Why don’t we go down and find something to eat?” I asked the third master.

After that, the third master took his sweatpants from his suitcase and handed them to me. I had to roll up the pant legs three or four times and set my soaked sneakers aside. I took the umbrella from the room and went out with the third master, now wearing slippers.

Most of the shops on the street were closed. We found a 24-hour convenience store and bought all the remaining instant bento and oden from the shelves. We then sat in front of the store’s glass windows, wolfing down our food without caring about our image.

The following day, news on television revealed that the heavy rain the night before had caused multiple traffic accidents and numerous casualties. 

In contrast to my impression of that rainy night, the scene of the third master and me walking fearlessly through the streets for food flashed through my mind. Rain splattered on the glass windows, blurring our vision. I could distinctly see the third master’s reflection turning his head to me. 

“What do you want to eat again?” he asked.

After that stormy night, the day after was exceptionally sunny and hot. Both of us went back to the school dormitory to pick up my roommates before heading out of town.

The three of them went downstairs and stared straight at the third master, looking like farmers in the market inspecting cattle. It was as if they were about to pry my boyfriend’s mouth open in the next second to check on his teeth’s health.

The third master involuntarily retreated to my side, stretching his hand out and tugging at my bag strap. This was probably seen by our dormitory head. She was very understanding, successfully shooing the other two roommates away. 

The three people in front ran off like a bunch of crooks. The third master and I trailed slowly behind them.

“What are you so nervous about?” I asked him.

“I’m afraid we won’t get along that well,” he replied.

Later that day, I squatted on the ground by myself, holding all of our snacks. I watched the four of them have fun riding the Sledge Hammer1E/N: It was the only “jumping machine” ride I could find and the Pendulum. 

It never occurred to me that I would be the one who wouldn’t be getting along with others that day…