Chapter 14
The first snow of the season was falling outside the window, and the wind howled, scraping against my face like a knife.
However... under Lü Xiaoyan's almost strict "supervision," Qiu Yayu's illness quickly subsided. The illness was like a small storm that swept through, leaving behind not chaos, but a clearer sense of attachment and closeness.
After recovering from her illness, Qiu Yayu noticed that Lü Xiaoyan seemed to have taken on an extra layer of subtle "control" over her. He would remind her to check the weather forecast every day, and if the temperature dropped, he would definitely send her a message to put on more clothes; when she occasionally craved ice cream, he would look at her with disapproving eyes until she sheepishly put it down; he even kept a thermos in the side pocket of her backpack, which was always filled with warm water.
These small, almost trivial acts of concern formed a strange contrast with his aloof appearance, warming and softening Qiu Yayu's heart. Occasionally, she would tease him on purpose: "Senior, how come you worry more than my mother?"
Lu Xiaoyan would usually glance at her indifferently, offering no comment, or simply shut her up with a "I don't want to bother you." But Qiu Yayu knew that he wasn't afraid of causing trouble; he just... cared. That kind of care was ingrained in the little things of daily life, an instinctive caution born from the panic of briefly losing a possibility.
Final exams arrived as scheduled, and ended amidst chaos. Winter break has begun.
Most students dragged their suitcases and eagerly embarked on their journeys home, leaving the campus instantly deserted. Qiu Yayu and Lü Xiaoyan both lived in the same province, not far from City A, but they both postponed their return home.
Lü Xiaoyan's reason was that she wanted to use the relatively free time during the holiday to organize and develop the large number of negatives accumulated this semester, in order to make more thorough preparations for the photography competition next semester. Qiu Yayu, on the other hand, told her parents that she wanted to stay at school to read more books and experience the quiet campus life.
The unspoken reason they shared was their desire to prolong their time alone together.
The dormitory buildings were now empty, with only a few scattered students remaining. The library's opening hours were shortened, and most of the cafeteria windows were closed. The vast campus seemed to have become a secret territory belonging only to the two of them.
The campus in winter possesses a stripped-down beauty unlike any other season. The trees have shed their leaves, leaving only their strong branches, like concise and powerful sketches pointing clearly towards the greyish-white sky. A thin layer of ice covers the lake, shimmering coldly in the sunlight. On the rarely traveled paths, the snow remains untrodden, fluffy and white.
They were wearing thick down jackets and scarves of the same color but different shades—scarves that Qiu Yayu had dragged him to buy together at the school store, considered "couple's items." Hers was a warm beige, and his was a dark gray. She put her hands in his coat pockets, and he put his hands in hers, holding hers tightly. The two walked slowly along the snow-covered path, their breath mingling in the cold air.
They didn't talk much, just walked quietly, enjoying the tranquility away from the hustle and bustle and the warmth of each other's company. Sometimes Lü Xiaoyan would stop, raise his camera, and photograph the branches covered with icicles, or the few lines of sparrows' hopping footprints on the snow. Qiu Yayu would wait quietly to the side, watching his focused profile, feeling that this desolate winter scenery was filled with poetry because of his presence.
The darkroom became their favorite place to while away the time. The heating was on full blast, isolating them from the cold outside and creating two separate worlds. Lü Xiaoyan was focused on developing photos under the red light, while Qiu Yayu sat on a high stool beside him, casually snapping photos of the details in the darkroom with her rangefinder camera—his fingers stained with chemicals, the still-dripping photos hanging on the wall, or simply his blurry but focused shadow reflected on the wall.
She began trying to develop photos independently. When she successfully developed her first clear image of Lü Xiaoyan's back in the snow, she was so excited she almost spilled the fixer. Lü Xiaoyan caught the tray in time, and seeing her joyful expression, a faint smile spread across her eyes.
"Not bad." He picked up the photo, examined it carefully under the red light, and gave a fair assessment.
Upon receiving his affirmation, Qiu Yayu smiled even more happily, as if she had received the best reward in the world.
Sometimes, they would go to the supermarket off campus together to buy food, then heat up a simple dinner in the microwave downstairs in the dormitory, or eat at one of the few small restaurants that were still open. At night, he would walk her to the dormitory, and under the dim streetlights, they would exchange a brief kiss, a kiss that carried both chill and warmth between them.
"See you tomorrow." She always seemed reluctant to part.
"Okay, see you tomorrow." He nodded, watching her run into the building until her figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs before turning and leaving.
These days were simple and repetitive, yet filled with a quiet sweetness. It was as if they were experiencing a shared lifestyle in advance, gradually embedding their own marks into each other's habits. Qiu Yayu liked to see his eyebrows slightly raised when he ate his favorite dishes, while Lü Xiaoyan was used to her rambling on about trivial matters, a sound that made the empty campus and the cold winter less unbearable.
The New Year arrived amidst a heavy snowfall. Neither of them went home; instead, they found a small restaurant near the school and had a simple New Year's Eve dinner. Outside the window, countless lights twinkled and the occasional firecracker exploded; inside, it was the two of them, and a budding yet already profound affection.
“Lv Xiaoyan,” Qiu Yayu raised her glass of juice, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the room and a touch of excitement, “Happy New Year!”
Lu Xiaoyan looked at her, the light shimmering in her eyes like stars falling into them. He raised his glass and gently clinked it against hers.
"Happy New Year." He looked at her, his voice deep and clear, "The new year is here."
Qiu Yayu was taken aback for a moment, then understood. He wasn't just giving a simple blessing; he was making a promise. A promise that he would still be by her side in the new year.
A surge of warmth welled up inside her, and she nodded emphatically, her smile radiant: "Yes! You too! I look forward to your guidance in the new year, Lü Xiaoyan!"
The winter night was cold, but the lights in the small restaurant were warm, and the smiles in their eyes were even warmer. This winter, because of each other's companionship, it was no longer synonymous with cold and loneliness, but rather a season for deepening feelings and accumulating warmth. They both believed that when spring arrived, this relationship, nurtured in the cold winter, would blossom into even brighter flowers.
However, the trajectory of fate does not always follow the warm path people expect. The end of winter is not necessarily spring. It may also connect to another, deeper, more resolute... autumn.
But at this moment, immersed in happiness, they are completely unaware of this.
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