Chapter 110 A Happy Ending
Then, there was a sound like a heavy object hitting the soft soil, and also like the groan of a struggle that was forcibly suppressed. The sound was extremely subtle and fleeting, so fast that people almost thought it was an illusion, and then everything returned to silence.
It was as if nothing had ever happened, only the wind by the lake still blew through the lilac trees, making a monotonous rustling sound.
Gu Qiuyue pressed her back tightly against the cold wall and breathed a long sigh of relief silently. Her nerves, which had been stretched to the limit, slowly relaxed, leaving her with a feeling of exhaustion as if she had survived a disaster. The thick darkness that swallowed up the suspicious figure also swallowed up this brief and fatal confrontation.
The next afternoon, the largest lecture hall on the third floor of the Physics Building was packed, and even the aisles were filled with students eager to learn.
Professor Schmidt stood on the podium, his silver hair combed meticulously, his blue eyes behind the glasses sparkling with wisdom. He was explaining the current cutting-edge progress of European condensed matter physics research in English with a slight accent but clear and fluent, while the translator on the side was translating simultaneously in real time.
When he got to the key points, he would pick up the chalk and quickly write down several complicated formulas on the blackboard, which aroused low gasps of admiration from the audience and the rustling sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper.
Gu Qiuyue sat by the window, but her eyes could not help but look out the window again and again. Downstairs was a path leading to the key laboratory area. The branches and leaves of several tall poplar trees cast heavy, swaying shadows in the afternoon sun. Her mind seemed to still retain the shock of last night by the lake and the chill brought by the brief muffled sound.
At this moment, a tall and familiar figure flashed very briefly at the edge of the dense shadow of the poplar tree.
The corners of his dark green military uniform, his neat crew cut, his profile with clear and stern lines - it was Xie Shi. He seemed to be just passing by on a very quick, routine inspection. His sharp eyes swept across several key entrances and exits of the laboratory building and the surrounding commanding heights. Without pausing for a moment, his figure was like a stone thrown into the water, instantly sinking into the shadow of another tree and disappearing.
It didn't alarm anyone, not even the students discussing a problem under the tree, but Gu Qiuyue's heart suddenly settled at this fleeting glimpse. He was there, just outside this tranquil academic hall, like a silent barrier, guarding this hard-earned exchange and tranquility.
Mrs. Schmidt sat elegantly in the reserved seat in the front row, with a focused and gentle smile on her face. From time to time, she turned her head and whispered a few words to a school leader who was accompanying her.
The atmosphere in the entire venue was warm and harmonious. The chilly spring air by the lake and the dead silence behind the boiler room last night seemed like just a distant nightmare to Gu Qiuyue.
The academic exchange ended successfully as planned.
In the evening, the golden glow of the setting sun casts a warm hue on the ancient campus buildings.
Gu Qiuyue, holding several thick professional books and notes, walked out of the Physics Building as the crowd dispersed. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees unique to spring. The tension of the day and the fear of last night seemed to be dispelled a little by the warm sunset.
She had intended to go directly through the central garden to the cafeteria, but her feet somehow turned towards the tree-lined avenue leading to the west gate of the school.
A vague thought crossed her mind: Maybe... could she take another look at that half-worn jeep? Or... just confirm the peace of the area? She felt a little embarrassed by her own thoughts, but she couldn't suppress the tiny, inexplicable hope in her heart.
As she approached the school gate, she caught a glimpse of a half-worn military jeep quietly parked beneath the old locust tree next to the message room. Beside it, a figure in a neatly trimmed military uniform stood with his back to her, his head slightly lowered, seemingly checking his watch.
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat and her pace involuntarily quickened.
As if sensing her approach, the man turned around. The afterglow of the setting sun outlined the angular profile of Xie Shiyu's face, and his dark green military uniform made his shoulders look even more upright.
There was no special expression on his face, still as cold as usual, but when he raised his eyes and his gaze fell accurately on Gu Qiuyue, a very fast, almost elusive warmth seemed to pass through his deep eyes, like a glimmer of light that flashed under the ice.
"Yueyue." He spoke in a low voice, with the unique calmness of a soldier and a hint of imperceptible hoarseness, which came clearly through the slightly cool evening air.
Gu Qiuyue stopped in front of him, looked up at him, and said "hmm" softly.
"This time," Xie Shiyu's gaze paused on her face for a brief moment, as if confirming something, then shifted away, looking towards the deepening dusk outside the school gate, "she reacted quickly."
His words were as concise as a mission brief, without any unnecessary embellishment, but those four words, falling into Gu Qiuyue's ears, carried more weight than any compliment. A small, warm feeling of recognition flowed quietly through her heart, diluting the lingering chill of last night.
"I'm glad you're okay." Gu Qiuyue's voice was very soft, as if she was talking to him, or as if she was talking to herself.
Xie Shiyu gave a barely perceptible nod, a slight movement of his jaw. "Mission accomplished, I'm heading back." He succinctly explained his whereabouts, without explanation or lingering goodbyes. As he finished speaking, he had already decisively opened the jeep door.
"Well, aren't you going to see the children?" Gu Qiuyue looked up in surprise.
Xie Shiyu paused for a moment, without looking back, and just replied softly: "I don't have time this time, but I may have a day off next month, and I will spend more time with them and you then." After the last word fell, his tall body nimbly got into the driver's seat and closed the door.
The engine let out a low and powerful roar, and the headlights suddenly lit up. Two dim beams of light pierced the dark twilight. The jeep drove away from the school gate quickly without any delay. The red light of the taillights flashed at the corner, and then it completely merged into the night traffic in Beijing as the lights just came on, leaving no trace.
Gu Qiuyue stood there, looking at the direction where the red light disappeared. The thick book in her arms weighed heavily on her arms. The evening breeze blew her hair, bringing the vague hustle and bustle of the distant city. The direction of Weiming Lake was calm, with only the lake water emitting a tiny glimmer of light in the night.
The brief muffled chill, Professor Schmidt's wise voice, the fleeting glimpse of a silhouette in military uniform under the shadow of the tree, the roar of the jeep engine and the taillights disappearing in the traffic...all the images and sounds settled down, and in the end only the eternal, deep tranquility of Weiming Lake remained.
She hugged the book tightly in her arms and turned to join the sparse flow of people on campus.
The street lights lit up one after another, casting dim halos of light on the stone road, and footsteps on it made a slight, steady echo.
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