Gaps in collaboration

In December, a few snowflakes drifted down, leaving a thin layer of white on the tree-lined paths of Yishi University, crunching underfoot. Luo Yan, carrying a stack of newly printed event plans, hurried through the snow towards the office building of the School of Physical Education.

As the semester drew to a close, the university suddenly launched the "Campus Charity Carnival," calling on various departments to collaborate across disciplines to design community-oriented public welfare projects. The School of Computer Science and the School of Physical Education were grouped together, with the theme "Smart Sports Entering the Community"—simply put, using computer technology to assist community residents in exercising scientifically.

Luo Yan's participation in this project was purely accidental. Zhang Qi had signed up but was temporarily held back by other competitions, so Luo Yan's name was submitted instead: "Don't you also know programming? Go and help out, consider it a form of social practice."

When she reported to the project team, she learned that one of the people in charge was Qi Sheng.

Among the graduate student representatives sent by the School of Physical Education, he stood at the very edge, wearing a dark gray windbreaker and holding a thick "Community Sports Guidance Manual," listening intently to the group leader. Hearing "Students from the School of Computer Science have arrived," he looked up, a fleeting hint of surprise flashing in his eyes when he saw Luo Yan, before quickly regaining his composure and nodding to her.

"This is Luo Yan from the Computer Science Department, who is in charge of technical support," the team leader introduced. "This is Qi Sheng from the School of Physical Education, a graduate student, who is in charge of event planning and execution."

"Hello, senior." Luo Yan held the proposal in her arms, her fingertips a little cold.

"Hello." Qi Sheng's voice was as calm as the surface of a lake covered with thin ice, just like at the last sports meet. "We are discussing the route for our community survey. Are you familiar with the community distribution in Su Yi?"

Luo Yan shook her head: "I've only been here for half a year, so I'm not very familiar with things yet."

“It’s alright,” he said, pulling a map from his folder and spreading it on the table. “I’ve marked a few pilot communities. Shall we go and take a look at them tomorrow afternoon? Your main responsibility is to record the site conditions in each community and see which places are suitable for installing simple sports data collection equipment.”

His finger landed on the red marks on the map, his nails neatly trimmed. Luo Yan stared at the marks and nodded. "Okay."

The atmosphere during their first collaboration wasn't exactly warm; it was more like a rigorous work meeting. Qi Sheng spoke clearly and logically, breaking down the task into several parts and providing detailed instructions for each person, much like when he explained the basics of passing the ball to them in high school—patient yet maintaining a distance.

The next afternoon, when they went to conduct research in the community, Qi Sheng drove an electric scooter from the college, which had enough space for two people on the back. Another boy from the same group jumped on first, so Luo Yan had to sit on a small stool in the front.

The car drove through the snow-covered streets, the wind blowing into her collar, making her shiver. Qi Sheng seemed to notice, slowed down, and took off his scarf, handing it to her: "Wear this, it's windy up ahead."

The scarf still carried his body heat and a faint scent of laundry detergent. Luo Yan hesitated for a moment, wanting to refuse, but he had already turned his head and was looking straight ahead: "Take it, catching a cold will affect your work."

She had no choice but to take it and wrap it around her neck. The scarf was long enough to wrap around twice, burying half her face in it. Her breath was warm, but her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

They visited three communities, including older neighborhoods and newly built residential areas. Qi Sheng was responsible for communicating with community leaders, inquiring about residents' exercise needs and space limitations, his notebook filled with dense notes; Luo Yan, on the other hand, used a tape measure to measure the space, took photos of suitable corners for equipment installation with her phone, and occasionally answered technical questions from Qi Sheng.

She noticed that Qi Sheng was exceptionally meticulous during his research. He would squat down to check the wear and tear on the fitness equipment, ask the cleaning lady who usually exercises here the most, and even personally test the stability of the equipment, frowning slightly as he noted the swaying of the wheels.

"You seem to know a lot about these things?" Luo Yan couldn't help but ask in the small square of the third community.

“Yes, I’ve done similar social practice before.” Qi Sheng closed his notebook, his breath dissipating in the cold air. “Community sports may seem simple, but there are many things to consider. Safety is always the top priority.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on an elderly man practicing Tai Chi not far away, with a seriousness beyond his years.

He was the same way in high school. When teaching everyone how to pass the ball, he would correct their movements one by one, repeatedly emphasizing "knees should be bent" and "arms should be straight," for fear that someone would get injured.

By the time the survey ended, the snow had gotten heavier. The electric scooter moved slowly through the snow, and it was already dark when they got back to school. The boys in their group had left earlier, leaving only the two of them to deliver the equipment to the office building.

"Thank you for your hard work today." Qi Sheng parked the electric scooter and picked up the equipment box from the back seat.

“It’s not hard work,” Luo Yan shook her head, wanting to help carry another box, but he stopped her.

“This is heavy, I’ll take it.” He bent down and picked up the two boxes, walking steadily toward the office building. Luo Yan followed behind him, watching his broad back stretch long under the streetlights, snow falling on his hair and quickly melting into water droplets.

For the next two weeks, they met almost every day in the project office. Qi Sheng was in charge of the overall framework of the plan, while Luo Yan and several senior students from the computer science department designed a simple sports data recording program and equipment installation plan.

She gradually discovered that although Qi Sheng was from the sports academy, he had extremely strong logical thinking skills. Once, when discussing the placement of equipment, the diagram he drew was clearer than that of the senior students from the computer science department, even taking into account the signal coverage: "There's a big tree here, which might affect the signal. How about we move it over there?"

The senior students were all surprised: "Senior Qi, you know more than we do!"

Qi Sheng smiled and said, "I did a similar project for my mentor before and learned a little bit about it."

Luo Yan sat in front of the computer, his fingers pausing as he typed. He always seemed to be able to reveal an unexpected side of himself.

Disagreements are inevitable in collaborations. Once, Luo Yan and the senior student in charge of hardware argued about the battery life of the equipment: "In winter, the temperature is low and lithium batteries drain quickly, so we must reserve 20% of the power as a backup."

The senior student thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill: "Why is it so exaggerated? 10% is enough."

As the two argued, Qi Sheng, who had been listening in silence, suddenly spoke up: "I support Luo Yan's opinion."

He looked at the senior student and said in a calm but persuasive tone: "Last time I went to do research, there were no charging stations in that old community. Once the equipment ran out of power, it was very troublesome to transport it back for charging. Leaving more redundancy is to reduce the later maintenance costs."

The senior student paused for a moment, then didn't refute her. Luo Yan looked up at Qi Sheng, who was also looking over. His gaze lingered on her face for half a second before he looked away and continued to look at the plan in his hand.

That night, they worked overtime until 10 p.m., and only the two of them were left in the office. When Luo Yan was packing up, she found Qi Sheng still drawing on the computer. The screen showed a 3D model of the community square, and he was using the mouse to adjust the position of a piece of fitness equipment.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" she asked softly.

"Finish this and then leave." Qi Sheng didn't even look up. "You go first and get some rest."

Luo Yan nodded, and as she walked to the door, she suddenly remembered something, turned back and said, "Thanks for the lithium battery thing."

Qi Sheng then raised his head and smiled: "You're right."

His smile appeared exceptionally clear in the blue light of the computer screen, gentler than usual. Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned around: "Then I'll go first, goodnight."

"good evening."

Stepping out of the office building, the cold wind stung her face, and she realized her cheeks were burning. The snow had stopped, and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating the ground in a pale light. She recalled Qi Sheng's smile from earlier, and a snowflake seemed to fall softly into her heart, leaving a subtle yet lasting impression.

As the project progressed, it required installing equipment in the community. That day was exceptionally cold. Luo Yan squatted on the ground, adjusting the sensors, her fingers so frozen they were numb, and she couldn't even plug in the data cable. After several attempts, the cable was bent, and she became a little anxious, sweat beading on her nose.

Suddenly, a hand reached out, steadily picked up the data cable, aligned it with the interface, and plugged it in easily.

"If your hands are frozen, take a break." Qi Sheng's voice rang out above him.

Luo Yan looked up and saw him squatting beside her, holding a hand warmer in his hand: "I just borrowed this from the community office, warm your hands with it first."

The warmth of the hand warmer seeped through the fabric, soothing her icy fingers. She whispered "thank you," her gaze falling on his hands—his hands were also red from the cold, and there was a small cut on his knuckles, probably from being scratched by metal while installing the equipment.

Your hand...

"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Qi Sheng waved his hand dismissively, picked up a screwdriver, and began to fix the sensor base. "This angle is wrong; it'll get wet easily. I need to adjust it lower."

He was very focused when he worked, his brows slightly furrowed and his lips pressed into a straight line. Sunlight shone through the bare branches onto his face, revealing fine downy hairs and the shadows cast by his eyelashes under his eyelids. Luo Yan looked at his earnest profile and suddenly remembered that year in her second year of high school, when he taught her how to pass a ball on the sidelines of the playground. It was the same then, with sunlight falling on him, making the contours of his profile clear and warm.

Time seemed to overlap at this moment. Different scenes, different identities, yet they all shared a similar, reassuring atmosphere.

Halfway through the installation, the community leader brought over some hot water. Qi Sheng took it and handed Luo Yan a cup first: "Drink it while it's hot."

She held her thermos and watched him turn to help another classmate move equipment. His movements weren't particularly fast, but they were steady, and his back was ramrod straight as he lifted the heavy equipment box. For a moment, Luo Yan felt that he had always been like this, silently bearing more weight without ever making a fuss.

The weather was beautiful on the day of the project acceptance. The warm sunshine shone on the community square, where elderly people tried out the newly installed equipment, and children chattered excitedly around the data display screens. Luo Yan stood beside Qi Sheng, watching all this, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"The results are better than expected." Qi Sheng looked at the data changing in real time on the screen, his tone slightly amused.

“Yes,” Luo Yan nodded, “That auntie just said that with this, she can know how many steps she walks each day.”

“That’s the significance of this project for us.” Qi Sheng turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a sincere smile. “Thanks to you this time, the technical aspects are very solid.”

Hearing such praise, Luo Yan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, saying, "It's the result of everyone's hard work."

A breeze blew from the other end of the square, carrying the chill of winter, but not biting. She looked up and met Qi Sheng's gaze. His eyes were bright, like they held sunlight, and he just looked at her quietly, without saying a word.

In that instant, Luo Yan clearly sensed that something was different. There seemed to be a subtle change in the air, like a stream thawing in early spring, flowing silently.

Qi Sheng's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, then suddenly seemed to remember something, turned his head to look at the children playing in the square, and his tone returned to its usual calm: "It's getting late, pack your things and go back to school."

That momentary unease was like a pebble thrown into a lake; it barely created a ripple before he calmly smoothed it out.

On the way back, everyone was exhausted, and no one spoke in the car. Luo Yan leaned against the car window, watching the street scene rushing past outside, feeling a little lost but also somewhat relieved.

She knew that the momentary connection she had just experienced might truly be fleeting. To Qi Sheng, she was probably just a pleasant junior colleague, a responsible partner. In his world, there were more important studies, longer-term plans, and perhaps other more suitable people; he wouldn't linger on this brief encounter.

Back at school, when the project team disbanded, Qi Sheng collected everyone's work summaries: "I'll organize them and send them to the teacher. Everyone has worked hard during this time. Prepare well for the final exams."

He stopped in front of Luo Yan and said, "Your technical documentation is very detailed, thank you."

"You're welcome." Luo Yan looked at him. "You've worked hard too, senior."

"Well... goodbye."

"goodbye."

Qi Sheng turned and left, his figure quickly blending into the evening crowd. Luo Yan stood there, watching him walk away.

This period of collaboration was like a perfectly timed snowfall in this winter, bringing surprises and warmth, but it will eventually melt away and return to tranquility.

After the final exams, Luo Yan bumped into Qi Sheng once in the library. He was sitting by the window, a thick textbook in front of him, taking notes. Luo Yan, holding her book, sat down diagonally behind him without saying hello.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting quiet dappled patterns on him. She looked at him for a moment, then lowered her head and opened her book.

Some feelings are best kept in your heart. Like right now, just knowing he's there, even though we're a few tables apart, is enough.