Chapter 9
The note that read "Replaced. Lü Xiaoyan" was treasured by Qiu Yayu like a talisman. She carefully tucked it into the first page of her most frequently used notebook, and every time she opened it and saw the clean, strong handwriting, the corners of her mouth would involuntarily turn up. It was more than just a postponed exhibition appointment; it was a confirmation, a confirmation that she held a place in his heart that needed to be solemnly "replaced."
This week, with this clear expectation, even the gray winter sky seemed lovely. She even started secretly planning where to eat after the day she "made up" for the missed meal—whether to go to that cozy claypot rice place behind the school or try that newly opened little coffee shop with a supposedly great atmosphere. She kept all sorts of little thoughts to herself, like a little squirrel storing up nuts for winter, full of sweetness.
Lü Xiaoyan went home. He carried with him the negatives of the old town and a longing for home that he himself hadn't fully realized. The atmosphere at home was as always, filled with the scent of books and tranquility. His father didn't talk much to him, but when Lü took out the photos, his father adjusted his glasses, looked at them carefully for a long time, and finally patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You've improved." His mother was busy preparing his favorite dishes, nagging him to wear more clothes because of the cold weather.
Uncle Li arrived as promised. He was a sprightly old man with sharp eyes. He carefully examined Lü Xiaoyan's series of photos documenting everyday life in the city, staring at them silently for a long time, so long that Lü Xiaoyan almost thought he was dissatisfied.
“Xiao Yan,” Uncle Li finally spoke, pointing to one of the close-up photos of an old man sitting on the doorstep basking in the sun, “Your technique is impeccable, the light and shadow are captured very skillfully. But…” He paused, raised his eyes, his gaze sharp, “there’s something missing here, a bit of ‘humanity’.”
Lü Xiaoyan was stunned.
"Too calm, like a sophisticated machine recording." Uncle Li's tone was calm, yet incisive. "For a good photograph, technique is the skeleton, but emotion is the flesh and soul. You've been hiding behind the lens for too long, concealing yourself too deeply. Try... taking a step forward, letting your emotions also be conveyed through the lens."
Uncle Li's words were like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up huge ripples in his heart. The calmness and objectivity he had always been so proud of had become a flaw in the eyes of a true master. He recalled what Qiu Yayu had said when she saw his photos—"It's like I can hear the sound of sunlight hitting the ground"—and her casual snapshots with their naive compositions yet full of life... Was it precisely because of the emotion she poured into them that those images were so moving?
He locked himself in his room for a long time, looking at his photos repeatedly. He recalled Qiu Yayu's smiling face as she looked back in the ginkgo rain, her focused profile under the red light in the darkroom, and her eyes illuminated by the sunset by the lake... Those photos he took of her, which unintentionally revealed tenderness, seemed to have a more powerful impact on people's hearts than this carefully composed set of entries for the competition.
Emotions...?
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Just as Lü Xiaoyan was at home, moved by the words of her seniors and reflecting on her photography journey, another silent wave was quietly brewing on campus.
The student union's arts and culture department was preparing programs for the year-end gala. Qiu Yayu, with her outgoing personality, was asked to help coordinate backstage. During a break in a rehearsal, as she was checking the program schedule, a gentle voice sounded beside her.
"Qiu Yayu?"
She looked up and saw a refined-looking young man with thin-rimmed glasses standing in front of her. He was Cheng Hao, the vice president of the student union and a third-year law student. He was quite famous on campus, with excellent grades, outstanding abilities, and always polite manners. He was the object of many girls' admiration.
"Senior Cheng Hao? Is there something you need?" Qiu Yayu asked, somewhat surprised.
Cheng Hao adjusted his glasses, a perfectly timed smile on his face: "It's like this, our gala needs an opening video to showcase the four seasons on campus and the spirit of the students. I heard you know Lu Xiaoyan, a senior from the photography department? His work is very moving. I wonder if we could ask him to help shoot some footage? Or... provide some authorization for his previous excellent works?"
“Ah, this…” Qiu Yayu hadn’t expected this. She thought for a moment, “I can ask him for you, but he might not agree.”
"It's alright, just ask around for me first." Cheng Hao's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze fell on her face with a hint of barely perceptible inquiry. "Also, seeing that you have good coordination skills, would you be interested in trying out for the Student Union's Arts and Literature Department next semester? We need energetic fresh blood like you."
His invitation felt natural, carrying the air of a senior's appreciation and encouragement for a junior. Qiu Yayu didn't think much of it, taking it as just a polite gesture, and smiled, saying, "Thank you, senior, I'll think about it."
Rehearsals continued. In the following days, Qiu Yayu ran into Cheng Hao several more times on campus. Sometimes it was in the cafeteria, where he would come over to greet her and chat about the progress of the gala or her studies; other times it was on her way to the teaching building, where he would stop and ask if she needed help carrying the heavy documents he was holding.
His care was considerate and thoughtful, maintaining just the right distance—not offensive, yet impossible to ignore. His roommate, Su Xiaoxiao, was the first to sense something unusual.
"Yuyu, does Senior Cheng Hao have a crush on you?" Su Xiaoxiao asked directly during a late-night chat. "I heard he's never been this proactive with any girl before."
"Don't talk nonsense," Qiu Yayu immediately denied, turning over to face the wall, unconsciously stroking her phone in her hand. The screen showed a simple text message interface with Lü Xiaoyan. "He's just a nice person, and he only talked to me a few more times because he wanted Lü Xiaoyan to help him shoot a video."
"Come on," Shen Yuqi interjected while playing her game, "Does asking for his help require such frequent 'chance encounters' and expressions of concern? I think he has ulterior motives."
Lin Xue also looked up from her book, adjusted her glasses, and calmly analyzed, "Senior Cheng Hao is indeed very outstanding, and his family background is good; he's many people's ideal type. However..." She paused, then looked at Qiu Yayu, "You like the type like Lü Xiaoyan, right?"
Qiu Yayu's face flushed slightly in the darkness. She didn't answer, but the answer in her heart was crystal clear. Cheng Hao was wonderful, like a perfectly polished diamond—standard and dazzling. But Lü Xiaoyan was like a silent, deep sea, calm on the surface, yet containing a rich and unique world she longed to explore. His occasional tenderness, the promises he wrote on notes, the moments he captured with his camera just for her—these were what truly moved her and what she cherished.
She felt only respect for Cheng Hao as an outstanding senior and ordinary friendship with him. Her heart was already completely filled with that slender figure, clearly defined under the red light of the darkroom, pressing the shutter for her amidst the falling autumn leaves; there was no room for anything else.
Unbeknownst to her, Cheng Hao's quiet attention was not a spur-of-the-moment thing. Back at the freshman orientation ceremony at the beginning of the semester, as a staff member, he had noticed a girl in the crowd whose smile stood out brightly and whose eyes were clear. However, he was used to planning ahead, and it wasn't until he had more contact with her through his work in the student council that he cautiously released signals of goodwill and approach.
This was a secret crush destined to fail before it even officially began. All of Qiu Yayu's expectations and joy were tied to Lü Xiaoyan, who was far away in his hometown and undergoing inner reflection, and to the future promised on the note that read "make up for it."
She carefully guarded the growing tacit understanding between herself and Lü Xiaoyan, maintaining a polite but distant distance from Cheng Hao. She only hoped the weekend would pass quickly, that Lü Xiaoyan would return soon, and then they could go together to fulfill the promise about the art museum written on the note.
She thought everything was moving in a positive direction, but little did she know that the gears of fate had begun to slowly turn in an unexpected direction.
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