Autumn
Chapter 4: Autumn
The end of October is rustling in the fallen leaves all over the ground.
Bai Ke stood outside the Literature Club's activity room, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cover of his notebook. He'd heard that today was Chen Yiyu's last time attending the club's activities; he had to withdraw because his physics competition training schedule conflicted with subsequent activities.
"Standing at the door and not going in?"
Bai Ke turned around suddenly and saw Chen Yiyu standing behind her. He was wearing a light grey sweater, which made his features look even softer.
"Just about to go in." She said softly, following him into the activity room.
Today's sharing topic was "Autumn in Poetry." Chen Yiyu stood at the podium, his voice steady and clear, analyzing the poems of Yeats and Eliot. Sunlight streamed in through the west window, casting a golden hue on his figure.
Bai Ke sat in her familiar seat at the back, her eyes unconsciously following him. Since that day when he returned the umbrella, they'd run into each other a few more times in the library, each time with a brief nod and greeting, never engaging in further conversation. But each time they met, she could feel the stirring growing within her.
"...So, in this poem, autumn is not only a change of seasons, but also a turning point in the soul." Chen Yiyu concluded his speech and looked up at the audience. "My sharing ends here. Thank you all for your company during this time."
Warm applause erupted in the activity room. Several girls gathered around him, expressing their reluctance to leave. Bai Ke sat there, watching Chen Yiyu surrounded by the crowd, and suddenly felt a great distance between them.
Just as she was about to leave quietly, Chen Yiyu had somehow escaped from the crowd and came to her.
"Are you leaving?" he asked, with a barely perceptible urgency in his voice.
Bai Ke nodded: "Go back to the classroom to get your things."
Chen Yiyu was silent for a moment, tore off a corner from his notebook, and quickly wrote down a string of numbers: "This is my phone number. If you need help in the future, you can find me."
Bai Ke reached out to take the note, and when her fingertips touched his fingers, she felt a slight numbness.
"Okay." She heard her voice sound unnatural.
Chen Yiyu looked at her with his bright eyes: "Then I'll go first, I'm going to be late for the competition class."
He turned and left. Bai Ke clenched the note in his hand and felt his heart beating abnormally fast.
That night, Bai Ke hesitated for a long time, staring at the string of numbers on her phone screen. Outside, the moonlight was bright, the stars sparse. She typed and deleted the number several times, but ultimately failed to send the first message.
Just when she was about to give up, her phone suddenly vibrated.
"I'm Chen Yiyu." These four short words made her heart skip a beat.
She stared at the message for a long time and replied cautiously: "I am Bai Ke."
"I know." He replied immediately, followed by a smiling expression.
From that day on, they began to communicate sporadically online. Initially, it was just the occasional discussion of homework, but it gradually expanded to sharing daily life. Bai Ke discovered that Chen Yiyu was much more talkative online than in real life, sharing interesting things about class and occasionally asking about her recent situation.
"Do you think Chen Yiyu is interested in you?" During the break, Lin Xiaoyu lay on the table, looking sideways at the message from Chen Yiyu on her phone. "How many times has he contacted you?"
Bai Ke put the phone away, his cheeks slightly hot: "He's just more friendly."
"Friendly?" Lin Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. "Li Meng said Chen Yiyu hardly talks to girls in class, let alone actively giving out his contact information."
Bai Ke pursed her lips and said nothing. She felt that Chen Yiyu treated her specially, but there was always a voice in her heart reminding her: Maybe he was just grateful for the kindness of the umbrella back then, or maybe he was just as kind to everyone.
This uncertainty made her afraid to take a step forward.
On Wednesday afternoon, Bai Ke went to the library for her usual shift. This time, she had to sort through the newly arrived journals, a heavy workload. To make matters worse, the library's system suddenly malfunctioned, and all the new journals could not be entered.
"What should I do?" The librarian anxiously checked the computer. "I have to finish organizing it today. The leader will come to inspect it tomorrow."
Bai Ke tried to restart the system, but it was useless. She looked at the pile of journals and felt powerless.
"Teacher, let me try." A familiar voice sounded behind me.
Bai Ke turned around and saw Chen Yiyu standing at the door. He should have been in the laboratory building for training today, so why was he here?
"Chen Yiyu?" The librarian clearly knew him. "Can you fix this system?"
"I understand a little bit." Chen Yiyu walked to the computer and tapped quickly on the keyboard. After a few minutes, the system returned to normal.
"That's great!" the teacher said happily. "Yiyu, thanks to you."
Bai Ke looked at Chen Yiyu and found that there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead and his breathing was faster than usual, as if he was in a hurry.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Chen Yiyu shook his head: "It's just a piece of cake. I just happened to come here to return a book and ran into you."
But Bai Ke noticed that he didn't have the book he wanted to return in his hand.
It was already evening when she finished sorting the journals. Bai Ke pushed open the library door and noticed a light rain had begun outside. Just as she was debating whether to brave the rain and head home, a dark blue umbrella was handed to her.
"Use mine." Chen Yiyu said, "I live nearby, I can just run back."
After saying that, he turned and rushed into the rain, disappearing around the corner.
Bai Ke held the umbrella, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. She opened the umbrella and was surprised to find a small sticky note stuck to the inside of the ribs, with a line of elegant handwriting on it:
"It's going to get colder tomorrow, so remember to put on more clothes."
There was no signature, but it was Chen Yiyu's handwriting.
After returning home, Bai Ke couldn't help but send a message to Chen Yiyu: "Thank you for helping me fix the system and lending me an umbrella."
A few minutes later, he replied: "You're welcome. System failures are a common problem, and I just happen to know how to fix it."
Bai Ke stared at the message, his doubts growing deeper. Was it really a coincidence? Or did he come here specifically to help?
This doubt was answered the next day. During a break, she overheard her science classmates talking about how Chen Yiyu had suddenly left during the training session yesterday.
"I heard the library's system was down, and he insisted on rushing over to help," a girl said. "That's strange. I've never seen him this enthusiastic."
Bai Ke stood there, feeling his heartbeat suddenly speed up.
That night, she mustered up the courage to ask Chen Yiyu, "Did you come to the library specifically to help me yesterday?"
After sending the message, she waited nervously for a reply. A few minutes later, her phone lit up:
"Just passing by."
These four simple words instantly made Bai Ke's mood plummet. Sure enough, she was overthinking it.
But then, another message popped up:
"But if I can help you, I'd be happy to go out of my way."
Bai Ke stared at the screen, feeling her cheeks grow hot. Outside, night fell, and the stars twinkled. She walked to the window, gazing at the deep blue sky, the throbbing feeling in her heart becoming more and more distinct.
Maybe, Chen Yiyu really treats her a little differently.
She gently stroked the sticky note on the umbrella rib, carefully peeled it off, and put it in her diary.
That night, the stars were exceptionally bright, as if lighting a lamp for the budding of a secret.
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