Chapter 3
The end of military training signifies the true beginning of university life. Qiu Yayu, carrying a thick stack of new books she had just received, used her shoulder to push open the dormitory door.
"I'm back!"
Instantly, a flood of sounds rushed in and enveloped her.
Hurry! Support, follow me quickly! I'm about to be killed by the enemy. Shen Yuqi, wearing headphones, got out of bed. Her fingers flew across the screen as she was engrossed in the game, making a lot of noise that was disturbing those nearby.
Ya Yu's back! Lin Xue was sitting by the window. She turned to look at her and adjusted her glasses. Lin Xue was busy organizing her class notes, with an unopened English textbook beside her. Was it a new book? Ugh! This semester's courses are definitely going to be exhausting. She looked completely listless.
"I've got it, it's so heavy." Qiu Yayu placed the book on her upper bunk desk near the door and rubbed her aching arms.
"Hey, look at my new hoodie, what do you think of the color?" Su Xiaoxiao, who was on the upper bunk across from me, was showing off a bright yellow hoodie to the front camera of her phone. Several other newly opened clothes and packaging bags were scattered on the bed.
This is Qiu Yayu's dormitory, a typical yet unique little world of four. Shen Yuqi is a gamer, straightforward and a bit carefree; Lin Xue is a top student, incredibly self-disciplined, aiming for a master's degree; Su Xiaoxiao is a fashionista, loves shopping and socializing, and is well-informed.
In stark contrast to Lü Xiaoyan's quiet world, where only the sounds of camera shutters and turning pages could be heard, this place is always full of vibrant, even somewhat noisy, everyday life.
"Yuyu, can you take a look at these notes for me? I feel like the teacher's explanation here is a bit vague." Lin Xue brought the notebook over.
"Wait a minute, I'm going to wash my hands," Qiu Yayu replied with a smile, putting down her things and going to the sink by the balcony.
Amidst the rushing water, Qiu Yayu could hear the intense sound effects from Shen Yuqi's game and Su Xiaoxiao's comments on the clothing styles. Instead of finding it annoying, she felt a sense of comforting warmth. This was communal living—vibrant, real, a little chaotic, but full of vitality.
At night, after lights out, it's often the start of late-night chats in the dorms.
The darkness amplified the subtleties of sound and also eased the daytime's restraint.
"Hey, have you guys noticed? That senior from the School of Economics and Management, the one who's always playing basketball, seems to have a bit of a crush on our Xiaoxue, huh?" Su Xiaoxiao's voice, tinged with mischievous laughter, came from the darkness.
"Su Xiaoxiao, don't talk nonsense!" Lin Xue's voice rang out immediately, tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. "I only met him once during the last club activity."
"You remembered it in one go? That means there's potential!" Shen Yuqi rarely joined in the gossip, and the game seemed to have come to an end.
"If you ask me, Xiaoxue, those sporty ones are too noisy. You should find something quieter, like..." Su Xiaoxiao drawled out her words, then suddenly changed the subject, "Hey, Yayu, have you been getting close to that photography major lately? What's his name again, Lü something?"
Suddenly called upon, Qiu Yayu, who was gazing absently at the moonlight outside the window, paused for a moment. "Lü Xiaoyan," she answered subconsciously, her heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason.
"Yes! Lü Xiaoyan!" Su Xiaoxiao became interested. "I heard he's quite famous, he's won awards for photography, but he seems a bit cold and unapproachable. How do you know him?"
In the darkness, Qiu Yayu's lips unconsciously curled up. The image of the slender figure holding a camera and looking focused under the sycamore tree appeared before her eyes, along with his deep "Okay" from the darkroom.
“I met him by chance on the day I registered.” She tried to keep her voice calm. “He took a picture of me.”
"Wow! What a chance encounter!" Shen Yuqi exclaimed dramatically.
"And then what?" Su Xiaoxiao pressed.
“Nothing much,” Qiu Yayu turned over to face the wall, her voice carrying a softness she herself didn’t realize, “It’s just that… when he takes pictures, it’s like he’s glowing. And, he’s actually a really nice person, he just doesn’t talk much.”
"Not talkative?" Lin Xue interjected, "That complements your talkative nature perfectly."
"Get lost!" Qiu Yayu laughed and threw a soft pillow at Lin Xue, who caught it precisely.
The dormitory was filled with laughter and noise.
“Seriously, Yuyu,” Su Xiaoxiao said more seriously after the laughter subsided, “those who are involved in the arts are all very cunning, you have to be careful.”
"I know," Qiu Yayu replied, but inwardly she was somewhat unconvinced. She felt that Lü Xiaoyan wasn't scheming; he was just used to speaking through the camera. His world was quiet yet rich, like a treasure trove waiting to be explored. And she longed to be the one allowed to enter.
The noisy dormitory was her daily routine, but the quiet, budding feelings for her senior, Lü Xiaoyan, were a sweet moment that belonged only to her amidst the bustling world. Little did she know that in another quiet moment, with only light and shadow flowing through the space, someone might be gazing at her photograph, lost in thought.
Two completely different people from different worlds began to slowly but surely intersect because of an autumn encounter. Qiu Yayu held her breath and leaned close to the red safety light to carefully examine the photograph floating in the basin of water. The image rippled gently in the water; it was an empty library corridor, sunlight streaming through the high windows, forming beams of light, with dust motes dancing in the light.
“It’s so quiet…” she said softly, afraid of disturbing the dust in the photo. “It’s like I can hear the sound of sunlight falling to the ground.”
Lü Xiaoyan glanced at her with some surprise. Few people could directly perceive the "dynamic tranquility" he was trying to capture in the still images.
"Hmm." He responded, walked to her side, picked up a pair of tweezers, carefully picked up one of the photos, and placed it in the basin of clean water next to her for a second rinse. "It's still being fixed; it can't be exposed for too long."
His movements were practiced and gentle, with a delicate care for fragile objects. Qiu Yayu watched as his profile was sharply defined in the red light, his focused gaze appearing even more profound than in the sunlight.
"Do you usually... develop photos here all by yourself?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.
“Most of the time,” Lü Xiaoyan said, clipping the developed photos together and hanging them on a rope nearby, “it’s quiet here.”
“It’s really quiet, like a different world from the outside.” Qiu Yayu said understandingly, her eyes scanning curiously over the various medicine bottles and equipment on the shelf. “It feels like we’re doing some kind of mysterious chemical experiment.”
This metaphor made Lü Xiaoyan's lips twitch almost imperceptibly. He liked her unique perspective.
“You could say that.” He walked to the other side of the workbench and picked up a brown glass bottle. “Different recipes, different times, temperatures, and the frequency of shaking will all affect the final result.” He paused and looked at her. “Like… cooking.”
Qiu Yayu was amused by his suddenly down-to-earth analogy, and her eyes crinkled into a smile: "So you're a master chef then?"
In the dim light, her smile seemed to radiate a soft glow, dispelling the inherent chill of the darkroom. Lü Xiaoyan felt his heart beat a little faster; he shifted his gaze and focused on the bottle in his hand.
“Not really,” he said softly, then, as if remembering something, he walked to a locked cabinet, took out a key, opened it, and took out a thick photo album with a kraft paper cover.
“The other photos you want to see…” He handed her the album, his movements slightly solemn.
Qiu Yayu accepted it with a somewhat flattered expression, and carefully opened it under the red light.
The photos in the album vary in style. There are majestic snow-capped mountain vistas, close-ups of elderly people playing chess in city alleys, blurry light trails on a rainy night street, and a tenacious weed growing in a corner. Black and white and color intertwine, but without exception, they all carry a strong emotion and a sense of story, quiet yet full of power.
She turned the pages slowly, one by one, as if reading about his past and the world he had seen. Then she stopped, turning to a particular page.
That page contained only one photograph.
It's the one where she's under the sycamore tree, looking up to catch a falling leaf. However, this one is a carefully printed and cropped finished product, with clearer details and richer light and shadow. Below the photo, in extremely fine silver pen, are a few small words: "The Way Autumn Lives."
Her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, a tingling sensation spreading from her chest.
She looked up at Lü Xiaoyan, who was pretending to organize medicine bottles but was actually keeping a close eye on her out of the corner of her eye.
"This one... you got it developed too." Her voice trembled slightly.
Lu Xiaoyan paused, turned around, and in the dim red light, his ears seemed to burn. "Hmm," he responded, offering no further explanation.
Silence filled the darkroom, but it wasn't awkward; instead, a subtle, surging emotion flowed between the two. Even the smell of chemicals seemed less pungent.
Qiu Yayu closed the photo album, holding it in her arms, and looked at him very seriously: "Lü Xiaoyan, thank you for showing me these. They... are all wonderful. I feel like I've seen another world that's usually overlooked through your lens."
Her praise was sincere and direct, like a ray of light shining into his habitually closed-off heart.
"And... thank you for being my model," he replied, though his voice was still low.
Qiu Yayu smiled and carefully handed the thick photo album back to him. "In the future... can I still come to see you develop photos? Or, look at the photos you took?" she asked, her eyes filled with anticipation and a little nervousness.
Lu Xiaoyan took the photo album, and her fingertips briefly touched hers. Both of them quickly separated as if struck by a weak electric current.
He looked into her sparkling eyes under the safe light, and the light in them moved him more than any image of the finished developing process.
He nodded, and heard himself say clearly:
"Anytime is fine."
Qiu Yayu's smile blossomed completely, like a lamp suddenly lit in a dark room, warm and bright.
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