good evening
The days seemed to be pressed on a fixed rhythm, rolling forward regularly. University life was not what Lin Xiyan had imagined. There were not so many ups and downs, but more of the same routine of classroom, cafeteria, library, and dormitory day after day.
The professor of introductory psychology was a gray-haired, slow-talking old man who delighted in using everyday examples to explain seemingly profound theories. Lin Xiyan sat in the middle row of the lecture hall, diligently taking notes. He was surrounded by unfamiliar faces, occasionally hearing someone whisper or their phone light up. He still wasn't used to this pure, solitude, but thankfully, when his attention was filled with knowledge, the feeling of emptiness was temporarily forgotten.
The bell rang, and the crowd poured out of the classroom like a tide. Lin Xiyan packed up her books and just stood up when her phone vibrated in her pocket. It wasn't a message, but a video call request.
Jiang Yibai's name was jumping on the screen.
Lin Xiyan's heartbeat inexplicably quickened. He subconsciously looked around at the noisy surroundings, quickly walked to a relatively quiet corner of the corridor, and then pressed the answer button.
The screen lit up, and the first thing that caught my eye was a small patch of gray sky and a few intertwined dark brown branches, a somewhat odd composition. Then, the camera shook, and Jiang Yibai's face finally appeared in the center of the screen. He seemed to be on a rooftop or in an open space. The sound of wind in the background made his black hair slightly messy. He was wearing a black jacket, zipped up to his chin, which made his skin look even colder and paler. His purple eyes looked straight at me through the screen.
"Is get out of class over?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of the coldness of the outdoor air and the slight hum of electricity.
"...Yeah." Lin Xiyan nodded, looking at the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar face on the screen. It had only been a few days since they'd been apart, yet it felt like ages. He noticed that Jiang Yibai's jawline seemed a bit firmer.
"Where?" Jiang Yibai asked. The camera shook slightly as he walked, and the background changed from the sky to the concrete wall of a building.
"The corridor of the teaching building." Lin Xiyan answered honestly and turned the camera of his mobile phone slightly, allowing him to look at the classmates who were hurriedly walking around with books in their arms.
Jiang Yibai seemed to frown: "There are too many people. Let's go back to the dormitory?"
"Not yet..." Before Lin Xiyan could finish her words, she heard an unfamiliar, smiling male voice coming from Jiang Yibai's side: "Brother Jiang, who are you reporting to? Why are you so serious?"
The camera suddenly turned and pointed at the ground, leaving only Jiang Yibai's cold words: "Get lost."
The voice was quiet, but intimidating. The unfamiliar voice immediately fell silent, followed by the sound of receding footsteps.
Lin Xiyan: “…”
The camera panned back to Jiang Yibai, who looked unhappy, his eyes still tinged with irritation. "Noisy," he commented succinctly, not knowing if he was referring to the person or the noisy environment around Lin Xiyan.
Lin Xiyan looked at his undisguised impatience towards outsiders, but her heart inexplicably calmed down. It seemed that no matter where he was, Jiang Yibai was still the same Jiang Yibai.
"I'm going to the library." Lin Xiyan whispered, holding a book and walking towards the library. He pointed the camera of his phone at the road ahead so that he could also see it.
"Yeah." Jiang Yibai responded, not saying he was going to hang up. The camera was still focused on his face. He seemed to be walking, and the background kept changing, from outdoors to indoors. The light dimmed, and only the light from his phone screen reflected on his face, outlining a clear outline.
Neither of them spoke again, just like that, separated by the screen, one walking on the tree-lined path to the library, the other walking in an unknown, dimly lit corridor. The sound of each other's breathing and the subtle ambient sounds transmitted through the electricity, interweaving into a strange companionship.
Lin Xiyan could even hear the occasional, blurry sound of a camera shutter coming from Jiang Yibai's side.
"Taking pictures?" he couldn't help asking.
"Homework," Jiang Yibai replied. The camera shook again, as if the phone was brought closer. His face magnified on the screen, his eyelashes clearly visible. "Light and shadow structure. Trouble."
There was obvious impatience in his tone, but Lin Xiyan knew that he was just complaining. He would do as much as he should, and would most likely do it to the best of his ability.
Lin Xiyan stopped at the entrance of the library and said, "I'm here."
"Go in." Jiang Yibai said.
Lin Xiyan swiped his card and walked into the library. It was quiet inside, the only sound being the rustling of pages and writing. He found a corner by the window and sat down, resting his phone against a book, the camera still pointed at himself.
Jiang Yibai's side had also quieted down. He seemed to have found a place to sit. The camera was fixed on his profile and part of his shoulder. Behind him was a studio shelf piled with photography equipment and sundries. He pulled out a tablet and swiped his fingers across it, probably looking at the photos he had just taken.
Lin Xiyan also spread out his textbooks and notes and began to organize the content of the previous course.
For a moment, silence fell on both ends of the video. Only the subtle sounds of each other's breathing and the rustling of pens across paper connected the two different spaces through the small screen.
Sunlight streamed through the library's tall glass windows, scattering warmly onto the pages of Lin Xiyan's book. Occasionally, he would look up and see Jiang Yibai's focused profile on the screen. He frowned slightly, tapping and swiping his fingers on the tablet, occasionally letting out a soft "tsk" of dissatisfaction.
It was a magical feeling. They were each doing completely different things, in different environments, and not even communicating, but just through this real-time video connection, it was as if the barrier of space was broken down, as if the other person was sitting next to them.
A silent, close connection.
After a while, Lin Xiyan encountered a concept he didn't quite understand. He subconsciously wanted to turn around and ask, but when his eyes met the cold air and the unfamiliar tables and chairs, he suddenly realized what was happening. He paused, picked up a pen, wrote the question on a piece of scratch paper, and held the paper up to the camera.
Jiang Yibai was looking down at the tablet and didn't seem to notice.
Lin Xiyan hesitated for a moment and said "Hello" very softly into the microphone of the mobile phone.
Jiang Yibai immediately raised his head and looked at him on the screen with his purple eyes, asking questions.
Lin Xiyan moved the paper with the questions written on it closer to the camera.
Jiang Yibai squinted his eyes, then picked up the pen beside him and wrote something on his tablet or notebook, holding it up to the camera. It was his solution, the steps clear and the handwriting sharp.
Lin Xiyan looked at it, suddenly realized it, and quickly lowered his head to write it down.
The problem was solved, and the two returned to their previous quietness and went about their own business.
Time passes quietly in the silent communication between the pen and the screen.
It wasn't until Lin Xiyan felt a little sore in his shoulders and raised his head to stretch his neck that he realized it was getting dark outside the window. The lights in the library started to light up one after another.
Jiang Yibai on the other side of the screen seemed to have finished his work as well. He was leaning back in his chair, drinking a bottle of water, his eyes fixed on the screen. I don't know how long he had been looking at him.
"Are you tired?" Seeing Lin Xiyan look up, he spoke, his voice a little hoarse from not speaking for a long time.
Lin Xiyan hummed softly and rubbed his eyes.
"Let's go eat." Jiang Yibai put down the water bottle, his tone carrying his usual, unquestionable sense of arrangement.
"...Okay." Lin Xiyan began to pack up.
"Where are Lu Panji and the others?" Jiang Yibai asked again.
"They...seem to have a club activity tonight."
"Yeah. Go eat by yourself. Don't go hungry."
"Know."
After packing up, Lin Xiyan walked out of the library with her phone. The cool night breeze felt very comfortable on her face.
"I'm going back to the dormitory to put my things, and then I'm going to the cafeteria." He spoke into his phone as he walked, as if it was a daily report.
The camera on Jiang Yibai's side began to shake, and he seemed to be standing up and walking. "Yeah," he replied, and after a moment, he added, "Take some pictures for me when we get to the cafeteria."
Lin Xiyan paused, her cheeks flushed. This also needs to be filmed?
"...Oh." He still agreed.
The video never ended. Lin Xiyan returned to the dormitory, put down her books, said something to Jiang Yibai, who was still walking in a corridor in the camera, and then went to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was brightly lit and bustling with activity. Lin Xiyan found a seat, propped her phone against her water glass, and focused the camera on her plate—a simple tomato and egg rice bowl.
"Eat this," he said.
On the other side of the screen, Jiang Yibai seemed to have returned to his dorm or some private space, and the background was much quieter. He looked at the food on Lin Xiyan's plate and frowned slightly. "It's too plain."
"...It's okay." Lin Xiyan defended herself in a low voice.
"Add some meat tomorrow." Jiang Yibai gave the order directly.
Lin Xiyan: “…Oh.”
He picked up the spoon and started eating. Jiang Yibai didn't say anything else, and seemed to be eating too. The camera was facing the ceiling, and only the subtle chewing sounds from his side could be heard.
This feeling of eating together through a screen is strange, but also... strangely reassuring.
After finishing the meal, Lin Xiyan cleared the plate and said to the phone, "I'm done."
"Yeah." Jiang Yibai responded, and the camera turned back to his face again. The background seemed to be a corner of his desk. "Go back?"
"Um."
The two of them were separated by the screen again, one walking on the night road back to the dormitory, the other staying in a quiet room, talking to each other in a very simple manner.
"What classes do you have tomorrow?"
"Experimental class."
"Yeah. Be careful."
"Know."
Until Lin Xiyan walked downstairs to the dormitory building.
"I'm here." He stopped.
Jiang Yibai looked at him from the other side of the screen. The night and the light from the screen intertwined to cast soft shadows on his face. He was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice:
"Go up."
"……And you?"
"There's something else."
"oh."
The two of them fell silent again, neither of them hanging up first. The dim light from the street lamp fell on Lin Xiyan. He looked at Jiang Yibai on the screen, who was also looking at him quietly. The feather in his heart, which had been floating around because of the new environment, seemed to finally slowly settle down.
"Then... I'll go upstairs." Lin Xiyan said.
"Um."
"good evening."
"……good evening."
After pausing for a few seconds, Lin Xiyan finally reached out and pressed the red hang-up button.
The screen went dark, reflecting his own dazed face.
The night wind blows, bringing a cool feeling.
He stood there, holding the phone in his hand, which seemed to still retain the warmth of the video call, and looked up at the densely lit windows of the dormitory building.
The new life doesn't seem that difficult.
Because he knows that no matter how far apart they are, there will always be someone who will participate in his every day in a clumsy and stubborn way.
He took a deep breath of the cool night air, turned and walked into the dormitory building.
In the bright lights, his steps were steady and firm.
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