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This year's typhoon season arrived particularly early. The notice was released just yesterday, and when I pulled back the curtains this morning, it was already overcast and rainy. Without the sun to wake me up, on days like this, I always just want to go back to bed and sleep a little longer.

However, it was already nearly nine o'clock.

Haruko carefully taped every window, curling up on the sofa wondering what to do today. She opened Weibo to look for suggestions and kill some time, only to find that the top trending topic was that taping windows during a typhoon is actually useless.

She casually shared it to her Moments, thinking that if more people saw it, tape wouldn't be so hard to buy during typhoon season. After scrolling through a few more posts, Haruko lost interest; she wasn't like A-Chen, who could keep scrolling forever. She pulled a bag of potato chips from the large haul she had hoarded yesterday, and just as she opened it and ate one, she saw A-Chen's comment: "But you should still tape the windows properly."

Maybe I should go for a walk. Haruko suddenly thought, even though every place had signs scrolling with "Avoid unnecessary outings." But this seemed like a very necessary thing to do. So she walked to the window and looked at the rain outside through the glass. Downstairs, a middle-aged man was running wildly with his briefcase over his head. Haruko always felt that watching the rain through glass was like watching a movie on mute—it didn't feel real. So she pulled the window open just a crack, and the wind, laden with rain, rushed in, accompanied by the pitter-patter of the downpour.

It's quite heavy. Haruko quickly closed the window. Would time pass faster if I turned on the lights? A sudden thought. Haruko stood on tiptoe to turn on the light—her slippers were on the other side of the sofa. The room suddenly brightened, but it felt even more like daytime than before. Haruko turned the light off and finally picked up her phone; as expected, she had to find A-Chen.

A-Chen is a friend I can talk to for a long time and get along with quite well. I say it like that because, in truth, I haven't seen A-Chen many times. Haruko believes that good friends are those who have experienced many things together and have known each other for a long time. She and A-Chen haven't known each other for very long.

It started with a boring dinner party last week. Perhaps it was only boring for Haruko; the others were having a great time, playing rock-paper-scissors, truth or dare, eating barbecue, and drinking beer, like a group of children pretending to be adults. Of course, she would never say that out loud; after all these years, Haruko could skillfully handle these occasions, but she still felt a bit noisy, so she leaned against the window and played on her phone.

"Hello, your... bracelet is really pretty."

Haruko looked at the person with a puzzled expression. Then she realized it was "truth or dare" time. The boy said she had a unique charm and then asked if he could add her on WeChat.

She put on a perfectly measured smile. Although Haruko was thinking about how there could still be such strange pick-up lines, she nodded anyway. It's always better to be generous at times like these. She brought up her QR code and said to just fill in her name for the verification message. The table next to them, which had been staring at them, finally burst into applause, and the boy gave a shy smile and said thank you.

Haruko didn't reply, thinking to herself that there was absolutely no need to thank her, but she was also curious about how many girls would agree in such a situation. At the same time, she felt that it was about time to leave the party, so she prepared to go.

Just as she stepped out, the boy from before chased after her and asked if she needed him to walk her home since she was alone. Haruko quickly refused, saying it wasn't necessary, she was just taking a taxi and would be there in no time. "Then let me walk you to where you can catch a taxi; I noticed on my way here that there are no streetlights on that stretch."

Then the boy said his name was A-Chen. After introducing himself, he said thank you again.

"No, no, I should be the one thanking you for walking me out."

"Thank you for rescuing me from that awkward situation. I was sure I would be rejected."

"Why would you think that? Because I don't look very approachable?"

"Ah, no, it's because what I said was too silly."

When he said that, Haruko remembered it was indeed quite silly. So she just responded casually.

"They love to use that as a punishment for truth or dare."

Just then the taxi arrived, so she said a casual goodbye and got in.

When riding in a car, Haruko likes to rest her elbow on the window and watch the dim yellow streetlights gently hit her wrist. Whenever she visits a different city, she takes a photo of the same pose. After settling down in this city, she hadn't taken one in a long time. Partly because she felt the background was always the same, and partly because there was no one left to look at these photos.

Distracted from the beautiful view of her own wrist, she checked her WeChat notifications.

"Find me when you want to kill some time."

Haruko hesitated for a moment, clicked accept, and then scrolled through A-Chen's Moments.

Likes to write things,

Not bad...

Selfies,

Cocky...

Likes photography,

So-so...

Shared a current events Weibo post,

Little angry youth...

Campaigning for an all-girl variety show,

Vulgar...

She hadn't scrolled through many posts when A-Chen sent a message.

"Hello."

Haruko had to exit and reply, thinking how nice it would be if she could reply to messages while scrolling through Moments.

Haruko is very stingy with "likes" because she always feels that a "like" means agreement, but she doesn't agree with much of what many people say. A-Chen, however, is very active and can always find topics from her posts to start a conversation. Since they talked about things she was interested in, she didn't feel much aversion. In fact, she even felt a slight sense of anticipation when posting.

Anyway, that's how they met.

A-Chen sent a specific message:

"Taping the windows is still necessary."

"I did tape them, I just think tape is always out of stock during typhoon season."

"Because it's a typhoon."

Haruko looked out the window; the sky was starting to darken.

"What do you usually do during a typhoon?"

"Usually watch old movies, read a boring book, or write something—all things that aren't suitable to do with others."

"That's nice. I clearly feel like there are many things I want to do, but I don't know what to do."

"The pleasure of freely managing time and the hesitation of how to manage that time are often tangled together."

"Lovers."

{% meting "000mKWLh2nEpxt" "tencent" "song" "loop:none"%}

This is one of the chat games between Haruko and A-Chen: one person says a line, and the other answers where it's from. Haruko always wonders if A-Chen has been living as a shadow with her until now; otherwise, why can they both blurt out answers to these chats? But based on their shared growth experiences, it's impossible for them to have had any intersection before.

"Do you want to go out? I'll take you somewhere."

"Unless necessary, try not to go out."

Haruko wanted to say "okay" directly, but she typed this instead. It seemed that if he still insisted on going out, then if something happened, it would be entirely his responsibility. This sentence seemed to carry a strange sense of guilt, making Haruko want to retract it immediately—partly because she felt ashamed of such thoughts, and partly because she was worried A-Chen would give up the idea because of it.

"It is a very necessary thing."

"Okay."

Haruko laughed, put down her phone, and went to find her umbrella and rain boots.

When she went downstairs, A-Chen was already waiting, and she hurried over.

"Sorry, sorry, have you been waiting long? I could never get my eyeliner right."

"I just arrived too. Besides, few men would mind waiting for a girl to finish her makeup to see them."

Haruko smiled, nodded, and said,

"I'm not a little girl anymore; those words only work on young girls."

"Is that so?"

A-Chen stared into Haruko's eyes for a few seconds before looking away.

"Haruko is clearly still a little girl."

Haruko rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

Fortunately, the typhoon wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, so getting a taxi wasn't too difficult. After getting in, A-Chen took out a bag he was carrying and put both their umbrellas inside. When they got in, he had also taken Haruko's umbrella and opened the door for her before closing it. This was one of the reasons she liked A-Chen; he always made the people around him feel comfortable.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Then A-Chen told the driver a place not too far away and rested his elbow on the car window. Haruko saw this and blushed, quietly pulling back the hand she had been about to rest there.

"I've discovered that my wrists are quite pretty."

"Because you're too thin."

Haruko was startled; this was something someone had once said to her, so she went quiet.

The destination was a small drink shop. Fortunately, there was a large umbrella at the entrance, avoiding the awkwardness of trying to close the umbrella while being rained on. Haruko looked up; the shop was called "Yin Xia" (Drinking Summer), with white characters on a blue background, the sign crooked.

"I like the name of this shop."

Perhaps because her name contained "Haru" (sun/clear), Haruko had always liked summer, and now she liked this shop she was visiting for the first time as well.

"Right? I knew you'd like it, because I liked it the first time I saw it."

As he spoke, A-Chen pushed open the door, still putting the umbrellas in the bag, and held the door for Haruko to enter first. As soon as the door opened, the shop's music drifted out. They looked at each other and smiled.

• "Innocent Years" (Qingbai Zhi Nian).

• Yes, "Innocent Years," by Pu Shu.

Although no sound was made, this conversation definitely existed.

It was a dessert shop.

A-Chen seemed very familiar with the owner, simply saying, "The usual." Then he showed off to Haruko:

"You know, the best thing about this owner is that he makes different flavors based on your mood."

Interesting, Haruko thought. She looked at the owner, who smiled and nodded.

"Then what mood does the owner think I'm in?"

"Wait a moment, you'll know once you drink it."

A-Chen got his cup and introduced it to Haruko:

"Most of it is Sprite, but he added jelly made from Vita Lemon Tea. You'll feel super satisfied after one sip."

Haruko even wanted to ask the owner to make the same one, but just then, the owner handed her the second cup. The beautiful cup was divided into two layers: green on top and yellow on the bottom—both lovely colors. Haruko took a sip; the bottom was mango and yogurt.

The owner smiled and said, "Please enjoy."

So A-Chen and Haruko found a table and sat down. Only then did Haruko start to carefully observe the small shop. The wallpaper and the sign had the same color scheme—a blue background with many white characters scattered about in a disorderly fashion. Other decorations were messy but arranged exquisitely; there was even a gramophone on the bar. It was functional—Haruko heard the shop's music coming from it.

The owner saw Haruko staring at the gramophone and explained:

"It's Bluetooth; there are too few records."

Just then, "Innocent Years" ended, and the next song began.

Haruko looked up and met A-Chen's gaze.

• "Guo Yuan Chao"?

• Yes, "Guo Yuan Chao."

Haruko took a sip of the top part—it was kiwi. Too sour. If it were a mood, why would mango and kiwi be together?

The next day, the typhoon didn't arrive as expected; the sky cleared up completely, as if the typhoon had drifted past the edge of the city.

A-Chen invited Haruko to read something he had newly written. In A-Chen's own words:

"If it's Haruko, she'll definitely know where it can be improved."

In fact, A-Chen's profession isn't a writer, but a bank clerk. He said writing is just a habit to relieve stress; if he were to make writing his career, he wouldn't be able to stand it.

Haruko carefully chose what to wear, worrying about being too late for their appointment. Finally, she arrived at the meeting spot one minute early. It was the same little shop.

"You could have just sent it by phone; it's super hot today."

"I like using handwriting, sorry about that. Let me buy you a Coke."

Then A-Chen took out a white A4 paper folder and handed it to Haruko, then went to the bar to get her a Coke slushie. A-Chen's handwriting was very clean, and the story he wrote was also very clean. Summer, a fruit shop, simple character relationships, an abrupt ending. But just like the other things she had read of his, Haruko liked this piece very much.

"It would be nice to open a fruit shop."

"Yeah, it would be nice."

Haruko's eyes were drawn to the woman at the bar. She kicked A-Chen's foot.

• Hey, hey, hey, flirting, right? It's flirting, right?

A-Chen smiled, blinked, and nodded.

• I've run into her many times.

Haruko glanced at the child the woman was holding, about two or three years old, holding a pinwheel and laughing as he spun around.

• A kid? The owner looks very young, no way...

• That kid isn't the owner's.

The woman got her drink, thanked them with a smile, and walked toward Haruko's side holding the child. Haruko and A-Chen stopped their exchange of glances and gestures. Haruko even smiled at the child, and the child smiled back at Haruko. But because he had spun around too much, he felt dizzy and knocked over A-Chen's cup. A-Chen quickly hugged the child to keep him from falling, then used a paper towel to wipe the Sprite off his pants and soaked up the spill on the table. The woman with the child put down her drink, apologized profusely, and prepared to scold the child. A-Chen let go of the child, held his hand, and said with a smile that it was okay.

"Be careful next time, it will hurt a lot if you fall and hit your head on the table."

The owner made a new cup for A-Chen. Then he patted the child's head and produced a White Rabbit candy from his bag.

Haruko bit her straw and mumbled,

"How can one become a gentle person?"

"Wanting to become a gentle person is because you were once treated that way by a gentle person and deeply understand the feeling of being treated with gentleness."

Haruko was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

"That's from Natsume's Book of Friends. You didn't say that out loud. So, is there anything in this piece that needs changing?"

"I don't think so, I like it super much. A-Chen must have had a very good relationship before."

Haruko read it carefully again, even checking for typos.

"Why do you say that?"

"Otherwise, how could you write such a sweet romance? It's sickeningly sweet."

"It's precisely because I haven't seen love that I think love is so beautiful."

{% meting "000EnMb70Tldm3" "tencent" "song" "loop:none"%}

Typhoon season is coming to an end.

If this were a story written by Haruko, she would fall in love with A-Chen during typhoon season and spend one typhoon season after another together. When it was sunny, they would sleep under sun-dried quilts; when it was windy, they would fly kites; when it was cool, they would go for picnics; and when a typhoon came, they would curl up on the living room sofa and watch the super-long old movies they hadn't finished last time.

"Outside, the wind and rain are jingling, and the mountains and plains are full of today."

But this story is not in Haruko's first-person perspective. At the end of the typhoon season, another typhoon arrived, catching the last train. Rainy day, Yin Xia, this time no mango, only kiwi.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Two years, I guess. When I come back, I'll be able to open a fruit shop."

"I can't draw."

Haruko originally wanted to say it with a smile, but her nose felt sore as soon as she smiled. Haruko actually didn't understand why she wanted to cry. After all, the two of them weren't together, and it wasn't a life-and-death separation. Perhaps it was because she felt it would be hard to meet someone as suitable for her as A-Chen again. But what made Haruko feel even worse was that even if A-Chen was so suitable, Haruko couldn't guarantee that she could wait two years for him.

A-Chen reached out, took Haruko's hand, and tapped her palm.

Haruko also tapped A-Chen's palm.

• Can you hear it?

• I can hear it.

A-Chen gently tapped Haruko's palm four times, with a few seconds between each tap.

• I, like, you.

Haruko suddenly pulled her hand away.

The music in the shop happened to cut to the next track, and Haruko thought of the lyrics to this song:

"What is gained is all luck; what is lost is all life."

"Zhang Xuan's."

"Mm-hmm, that's right."

As expected, or perhaps it was Haruko's deliberate choice, she slowly faded A-Chen out of her life over the course of a year. From frequent chats at the beginning to disappearing from the chat window.

During that time, she attended many more dinner parties, encountered "truth or dare" many more times, was added on WeChat many times, and would choose to click "accept" for those who seemed decent.

Another typhoon season arrived, and the rain hitting the windowsill stirred up a faint mist. After waking up, Haruko taped the windows, took the pillowcase off the sofa pillow, wrapped herself in it, and started watching "Once Upon a Time in America," which she hadn't finished the night before.

At dinner, she suddenly thought of something from a long time ago. There was no typhoon season in the city where A-Chen was. After eating, Haruko found some stationery in a box and wrote a long letter.

The next day, Haruko was woken up by the sun. She pulled back the curtains and stretched vigorously. She thought that maybe typhoon warnings were just for supermarket promotions and weren't credible at all. Then she saw the unsigned letter on her desk and casually threw it into the trash can.

Typhoon season is over.