Summer Reunion
After spending only a few days in Su Yi and deciding on her final choice of university, Luo Yan plans to stay in the city for a while longer.
In July, Suyi is like being soaked in honey, with the sweet fragrance of watermelon and the chirping of cicadas in the evening.
Luo Yan sat at the desk in Ren Xiangzhou's off-campus residence, her fingertips tracing the gold-embossed words "Admission Notice" on the express delivery envelope, her fingertips itching from the raised lettering.
Inside the envelope lay her admission letter from Yiyang Normal University. The cover featured the arched school gate she had once stood outside and gazed upon; the green of the ivy seemed to spill from the pages, as if flowing into reality. As she opened it, the letter rustled softly. Staring at the words, "Congratulations, Luo Yan, on your admission to our Computer Science and Technology program," she suddenly burst out laughing.
Ren Xiangzhou walked in carrying a freshly cut watermelon. When he saw her, he raised an eyebrow and said, "It can't be that bad, little one. You just got into university, it's not like you won the lottery."
Luo Yan pushed the acceptance letter in front of him: "I'm just so happy."
"Yeah, I'm happy." Ren Xiangzhou put the watermelon plate on the table, picked up the admission notice and flipped through it. "Computer science, not bad, it's a good match for you."
“Hmm,” Luo Yan took a bite of watermelon, the sweet juice washing over her tongue, “I just think… this place is pretty nice.”
It's good—good enough to hold all her struggles and perseverance throughout her three years of high school, good enough to allow her to stand where she once looked up and re-examine the world. What she didn't say was that there was also a vague reason here that made her willing to work hard, like a seed buried in the soil, quietly sprouting in the summer sun.
Before coming to Su Yi, she left Xiao Hei at home. That once timid little cat has now become a "big black cat" that can jump onto the desk and cuddle with her wrist with its tail.
She temporarily stayed at Ren Xiangzhou's house off-campus, living a simple and regular life. He had to go to the lab during the day, so she planned her own time: in the morning, she would follow online courses and do programming problems; in the afternoon, she would go to the library to read books related to her major; and in the evening, she would help organize the bookshelves at a bookstore near the school—this was a temporary job she had found, not too tiring, and it allowed her to get used to Su Yi's rhythm in advance.
"You're so meticulous!" Ren Xiangzhou looked at her unwavering daily schedule and clicked his tongue in amazement. "Others are having a blast after the college entrance exam, but you're already living the life of an old cadre."
Luo Yan was attaching magnetic strips to new books in the bookstore when she heard this. She turned around and smiled, "Get used to it in advance so you won't be caught off guard when school starts."
Actually, she was afraid of being idle. Once she was idle, those thoughts about Qi Sheng would sprout up like vines: What was he doing during the summer vacation? Was he still in Su Yi? Was he also reading in some corner of the campus, like her?
But she didn't contact him first. After sending that message, "Thank you for the encouragement, I'll do my best," after the college entrance exam, the chat window remained there; he didn't reply, and she didn't send another message. Some distance needed to be maintained, some expectations needed to settle, and she didn't want to let her mind be easily disturbed like she had in high school.
Half of the summer vacation passed by in a blur. The cicadas chirping in Su Yi's area of the bookstore grew from sparse to dense, and the section she was in charge of was kept in perfect order. Even the store manager praised her, saying, "This young lady is quick and efficient, even more meticulous than the college students who work part-time." She even found a few professional books that Qi Sheng might have read on the sports section of the bookstore. There were no signatures on the title pages, but they made her feel inexplicably close to them.
The incident occurred on a sweltering afternoon.
That day, she was covering for a colleague who was on leave. She sat behind the bookstore cashier, flipping through a book called "Introduction to Computers." The sunlight outside the window made the sycamore leaves wilt, and even the cicadas' chirping sounded listless and languid.
"Hello, do you have the latest edition of 'Sports Training Science'?"
A familiar voice rang out from behind the counter, gentle as filtered sunlight. Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat, and the book in her hand fell to the table with a "thud."
She slowly raised her head.
Qi Sheng stood in front of the counter, wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his strong wrists. He was taller than he had been six months ago, and his skin was tanned to a healthy wheat color. Two boys were beside him, chatting and laughing.
The moment their eyes met, Qi Sheng was also stunned for a moment, then recognized her, and a faint, slightly surprised smile appeared on his lips: "Luo Yan?"
"Teacher Qi." Luo Yan subconsciously stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. She had forgotten that he was no longer a student teacher, but should be called a "senior".
The boys next to him immediately egged him on: "Qi Sheng, do you know this junior?"
Qi Sheng nodded and said calmly to his companion, "Yes, a student I mentored during my internship."
Qi Sheng turned to Luo Yan, his gaze lingering on her for a moment, with a hint of natural curiosity: "What are you doing in Su Yi?"
Luo Yan nervously twisted the hem of her clothes. "I'll be staying with my cousin during the summer vacation and will be doing some work." She paused, looking at him cautiously. "Besides, I'll be studying at Yishi University in the future."
A flicker of emotion crossed Qi Sheng's eyes. One of the boys nudged Qi Sheng's arm, winked at Luo Yan, and said half-jokingly, "Don't be offended. This guy is definitely going to graduate with his bachelor's degree. If he wants to stay at this university until he goes to graduate school, there will be plenty of opportunities to ambush him here in the future."
Qi Sheng glanced helplessly at the boy, then simply grunted to Luo Yan without asking any further questions. He turned his gaze to the depths of the bookstore, as if checking the location of the bookshelves, before looking at Luo Yan again: "We're looking for 'Sports Training Science,' do you know which shelf it's on?"
Luo Yan then remembered the important matter and quickly pointed to the depths of the bookstore: "In the sports theory section, second row, arranged by course category, the latest edition is on the outermost side."
"Thank you." Qi Sheng nodded, then turned and walked inside with his companion. As he passed her, he paused slightly, as if suddenly remembering something, and added, "How's your summer job here going?"
His voice was soft, carrying a hint of polite concern, yet it was like a small pebble, rippling through her heart in wave after wave.
Luo Yan nodded before he left.
She stood there, watching his figure disappear at the end of the bookshelf, before slowly sitting down and picking up the "Introduction to Computers" that had fallen to the ground.
The pages of the book rustled in the wind, as if accompanying her frantic heartbeat.
It turns out he's going to pursue a master's degree at the same university; it turns out he'll stay in Suzhou; it turns out they might really meet again in this city... Things she had only dared to secretly guess about before suddenly had clear answers, making her feel like she was dreaming.
When Ren Xiangzhou returned in the evening, Luo Yan was cooking noodles in the kitchen. He leaned over, sniffed the noodles, and exclaimed dramatically, "Wow, did the sun rise in the west today? She actually took the initiative to cook!"
Luo Yan didn't turn around, her voice a little muffled: "Brother, I ran into my former intern teacher at the bookstore today."
Ren Xiangzhou was taken aback. "Who?"
“It’s… the physical education assistant who used to intern at our school,” Luo Yan ladled out the noodles and placed them on the table. “He’s going to pursue a master’s degree at Yishi University.”
Ren Xiangzhou picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, and asked, "Sports-related? Is your campus far away?"
"It seems... a bit far." Luo Yan lowered her head and ate her noodles, saying nothing more.
My heart felt warm, as if it had been soaked in lukewarm water. Even though it was just a few simple words, even though his attitude carried just the right amount of distance, just to meet him again, to know that he would stay in this city, seemed to be enough.
That summer evening, the aroma of food wafted in through the window of Su Yi's house. Looking at the noodles in her bowl, Luo Yan suddenly realized that her future university life seemed far more anticipated than she had imagined.
She didn't deliberately look for Qi Sheng; she continued her daily shift at the bookstore, organizing the shelves and reading professional books. Only occasionally, when strolling through the sports theory section, would she subconsciously slow her pace, hoping to hear that familiar voice again.
One afternoon a week later, she was attaching magnetic strips to newly arrived physical education textbooks when she suddenly heard the soft sound of pages turning behind her. Thinking it was a customer coming to buy books, she turned around and bumped into Qi Sheng standing by the bookshelf with a book in his hand, their eyes meeting.
He nodded politely as a greeting, then turned around and continued flipping through the book in his hands.
Luo Yan quickly lowered her head, her fingertips rubbing against the magnetic strip reader. Sunlight streamed through the bookstore's glass windows, falling warmly on the pages, much like the distant, yet subtly growing anticipation in her heart.
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