Chapter 2

The September sky was a flawless, pure blue, like a vast, clear pane of glass. The unobstructed sunlight poured down, scorching the spacious military training ground in the East Campus of University A until it was steaming hot.

As Lü Xiaoyan stepped out of the Yifu Building, carrying several thick books on photography theory, he was immediately enveloped in a wave of scorching sunlight. He instinctively squinted, his gaze passing over the drooping branches along the tree-lined path and landing on the military green formation.

The freshmen military training has been going on for a week.

The air was filled with the distinctive smell of the softened synthetic track, mingled with the scent of grass and earth, and a vibrant yet slightly anxious energy unique to this young group. The instructors' loud, short commands echoed throughout the room, interspersed with the occasional soft, embarrassed responses from students when they were individually reminded of incorrect movements.

His pace slowed unconsciously.

He barely needed to look for it; his gaze immediately caught the figure.

Qiu Yayu stood at the front of the girls' formation. Like everyone else, she wore a slightly oversized camouflage uniform and a matching hat, which concealed her striking long hair. The uniformity blurred the individual details but highlighted a collective, somewhat naive, determination.

The sun shone mercilessly on her face, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead and the tip of her nose. Her cheeks were slightly red from the sun, but her back was ramrod straight, her hands pressed tightly against her trouser seams, her eyes fixed straight ahead, attentively listening to the instructor's commands.

"Forward!"

As soon as the command was given, the formation began to move. At first, their steps were a little disorderly, but they quickly adjusted and made a slightly dull but uniform "thump-thump" sound.

Lu Xiaoyan's gaze followed her the whole time. He saw a few strands of hair peeking out from under her hat brim as she walked, their hair sticking to her forehead with sweat; he saw her lips slightly pursed as she focused; and he saw that occasionally, when she turned around, her gaze would inadvertently sweep across the tree-lined path outside the playground.

On one occasion, her gaze seemed to briefly meet his.

Lü Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively wanted to look away, as if she had done something wrong. But she didn't seem to really see him; her gaze merely swept over him blankly before quickly refocusing on the target in front of her.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but a slight ripple stirred in his heart that he himself was unaware of.

He noticed that a girl next to her seemed to sway due to exhaustion. Qiu Yayu immediately and subtly reached out and gently supported the girl. The movement was so quick that almost no one noticed it. Only Lü Xiaoyan, who had been watching her, saw the concern that flashed through her eyes.

The whistle for a break finally blew.

The tense formation instantly relaxed. The students, as if their bones had been pulled out, quickly sat down or grabbed their water bottles to rehydrate. Qiu Yayu also walked to the edge of the shade, took off her hat, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, picked up her water bottle from the ground, and tilted her head back to drink. Her neck formed a beautiful yet delicate line, and her throat bobbed gently as she swallowed.

Even in such a tired and disheveled moment, she still possessed an indescribable vitality. It was a genuine life force, soaked in sweat.

Lü Xiaoyan stood in the shade of a tree not far away, as if she belonged to two different worlds. His area was quiet, with the coolness of the academic building and the scent of ink from books; while her place was scorching hot, filled with sweat and commands, belonging to the collective and the trials.

He was an observer, a recorder, maintaining a safe distance.

He instinctively raised his camera, adjusted the focus, and aimed the lens at the girl in camouflage who was resting under the shade of a tree, fanning herself with her hand, and smiling and talking with her classmates.

The sound of the camera shutter was drowned out by the noise of the playground.

He captured a profile of her during military training: sweat, exhaustion, and that bright smile that remained even amidst the hardship.

---

In the afternoon, Lü Xiaoyan sat in the softly lit lecture hall.

On the podium, the aesthetics professor was explaining the dialectical relationship between "form and content" in a clear and concise manner, his voice calm yet magnetic. Outside the window, the cicadas chirped incessantly, their calls mingling with the professor's voice to create a soothing white noise.

Many students were already drowsy, either doodling in their notebooks or secretly fiddling with their phones under the table.

A notebook lay open in front of Lü Xiaoyan, with a few keywords scribbled on it. His pen hovered over the phrase "decisive moment," remaining motionless for a long time.

His thoughts drifted uncontrollably out the window, towards the scorching hot playground.

What is she doing now? Is she standing at attention or marching? The sun is so strong, won't she get heatstroke? Is that bottle of water enough?

These trivial and meaningless worries, like tiny vines, quietly entangled his thoughts.

He never imagined he would think of a girl he had only met twice so frequently. Her smile, the tone of her voice, the way she looked up to catch a falling leaf, her upright figure in camouflage... these images played uncontrollably in his mind.

He even unconsciously began to sketch the outline of a blurry girl wearing a military cap in the blank space of his notebook with simple lines.

"Lü Xiaoyan," Chen Mo, a classmate from the same department, nudged him lightly with his elbow and lowered his voice, "What are you thinking about? The teacher just looked at you."

Lu Xiaoyan snapped back to reality, only to realize that the professor's gaze had indeed just swept over him. Somewhat embarrassed, he lowered his head, quickly flipping over the page with the sketch, forcing himself to refocus on the lesson.

But not long after, that inexplicable pull reappeared.

He took out his phone, and almost unconsciously opened the camera gallery, finding the photo he had named "How Autumn Lives." In the photo, she was quiet and beautiful, overlapping with the image of Qiu Yayu sweating profusely under the scorching sun outside the window, creating a more complete and three-dimensional picture of her.

She was like a pebble thrown into the calm lake of his heart, and the ripples she created were far more lasting and far-reaching than he had imagined.

---

The weather remained hot during the last few days of military training.

That afternoon, Lü Xiaoyan had no classes. He carried his camera bag and sat by the window in the library, researching darkroom techniques. From this spot, he could see a corner of the playground.

He saw that the military training seemed to be entering its final rehearsal stage; the formations moved more precisely, and the slogans were louder. He knew that tomorrow was the military training performance, and then these freshmen would officially begin their university life.

His gaze once again instinctively searched for that figure.

He found her. She seemed a little darker than a few days ago, but looked to be in good spirits. Just as he was watching her from afar, Qiu Yayu, who was training, suddenly staggered for some reason and collapsed to the ground!

Lu Xiaoyan's heart suddenly clenched, almost leaping out of his chest. He abruptly stood up from his seat, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a screeching sound, drawing disapproving glances from several classmates nearby.

He disregarded all that and pressed himself against the windowpane, anxiously peering in the direction of the glass.

A small commotion broke out on the playground. The instructor and several students quickly gathered around. Lü Xiaoyan couldn't see clearly what was happening, but he felt his palms instantly sweating, and an unprecedented panic gripped him.

He almost wanted to rush downstairs and run to the playground immediately.

But soon, he saw Qiu Yayu being helped up. It seemed she had only suffered from heatstroke. She shook her head to indicate that she was fine, and then, with the help of her classmates, slowly walked towards the medical station on the sidelines.

Lu Xiaoyan's tense nerves slowly relaxed, but his heart was still pounding. He realized how out of control and intense his reaction had been.

He dared not think too deeply about what this uncontrollable worry and tension meant.

That evening, the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-red.

Carrying his books, Lü Xiaoyan passed by the playground again. Training had ended, and the freshmen were leaving in twos and threes. He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and lingered at the edge of the playground.

Then, he saw her.

Qiu Yayu was walking towards the cafeteria with several girls, chatting and laughing. Her face was still a little pale, but her smile remained bright. She seemed to sense his gaze and turned her head.

This time, their eyes truly met.

She paused for a moment, then her face broke into an even bigger, delighted smile, and she waved to him from afar.

Lu Xiaoyan stood still, watching her break away from the small group and jog towards him.

"Senior!" Her voice was slightly panting from exercise, and her eyes sparkled. "What a coincidence, we've run into you again."

"Hmm." Looking at her still somewhat weak face, Lü Xiaoyan couldn't help but ask, "Are you... alright? I saw this afternoon..."

"Oh, you saw it?" Qiu Yayu touched her nose a little embarrassedly. "I just had a bit of heatstroke and low blood sugar. I rested for a while and drank some sugar water and felt much better. I didn't expect to make such a fool of myself on the last day of military training."

Her tone was relaxed, with a hint of self-deprecation, as if it were just a trivial matter.

Looking at her, Lü Xiaoyan finally relaxed completely. "It's good that you're alright." He paused, then added, "Good luck with the performance tomorrow."

"Thank you, senior!" Qiu Yayu smiled, the afterglow of the setting sun falling into her eyes like a handful of scattered gold. "After the performance, military training will be completely over! By the way," she seemed to suddenly remember something, looking at him expectantly, "senior, after military training is over, can I... go see the other photos you took? I always remember the one you took, it was really beautiful."

A cool evening breeze swept by, ruffling the damp, stray hairs on her forehead.

Looking at the girl in front of her, who had just experienced fatigue and discomfort but was still full of curiosity and longing for beautiful things, Lu Xiaoyan felt a stone thrown into the still lake of her heart once again.

He nodded, hearing himself answer clearly and confidently:

"good."