The rain beats against the windows, a steady rhythm that matches the restless pounding of my heart. I've been lying awake for hours, the events of the evening replaying in my mind. When I finally decide to get some water, the dim light from the kitchen reveals the silhouette on the balcony—Jiang Heng, his back to me, shoulders hunched as he stands in the rain with a lit cigarette glowing between his fingers.\n\nThis isn't the first time I've caught him like this this week, but something about tonight feels different. The weight of his secret hangs in the air as heavily as the rain clouds outside. I pause in the doorway, watching him take a long drag, his body trembling—not from the cold, I realize, but from some internal storm far more powerful.\n\nThe sliding door makes a soft noise as I open it, and he spins around, eyes wide with panic as he tries to hide the cigarette behind his back. For a moment, neither of us speaks, the only sound the relentless rain and the rapid beating of two hearts that have been keeping the same secret for far too long.\n\n"I... I couldn't sleep," he says, his voice rough with emotion and nicotine, the usual brightness gone from his eyes.