Back to School
We didn’t enjoy the lunch very much, so we gathered at Li Ji Firewood Chicken for dinner in the evening. This restaurant is indeed the number one signature restaurant in Qingwa Town. The iron pot with boiling soup and fragrant aroma was brought to the table, and the whole private room was filled with everyone’s satisfied sighs.
Fat Jiang boldly ordered several cases of ice-cold beer and soda, filling everyone's bottles one by one like a bandit leader. "Come on, come on! Don't go home until you're drunk tonight! Anyone who dares to raise fish is looking down on me, Jiang!"
The team members cheered loudly. The usually calm Lin Xiyue even cracked open a can of beer, a smile of relief on her face. As the glasses clinked, everyone was immersed in the joy of the project's complete success.
After dinner, Lu Yu took Shi Guang to the rooftop of the inn to enjoy the fresh air.
Qingwa Town is free of the heavy light pollution of the city, and the night sky is exceptionally clear and clean. Looking up, you'll be greeted by a sky filled with stars, and even a faint Milky Way stretching across the sky. The magnificence is so breathtaking that it leaves you speechless.
The two of them sat side by side on the edge of the rooftop, letting the cool evening breeze gently brush their cheeks.
"Actually," Lu Yu was the first to break the silence. His eyes were not on the time around him, but on the distant galaxy. "I first noticed you, not because you were pretty."
Shi Guang was slightly startled and turned to look at him.
"Because," Lu Yu retracted his gaze, turned his head, and stared intently into Shi Guang's eyes, "I see in you a kind of...how should I put it, a kind of incompatible, stubborn loneliness."
"That feeling makes me very curious." Lu Yu's voice sounded particularly low and sincere in the quiet night. "It also makes me want to... protect you."
"I..." Shi Guang began, his voice a little soft and a little intermittent, "I'm not used to people being too nice to me."
"Because I'm afraid," he raised his head, his eyes reflecting the starry sky, "that kind of goodness could disappear at any time."
Lu Yu silently stretched out his hand and held Shi Guang's somewhat cold hand with an unquestionable strength.
"Mine won't. As long as you don't push me away, I'll always be here."
The next morning, before the entire team was ready to leave, Shi Guang came to the secluded alley again alone.
He wanted to thank the old lady who sold him the bookmark.
Unexpectedly, under the century-old ginkgo tree deep in the alley, he ran into Mr. Chen, who had also risen early. The restoration work on the ancestral hall had concluded, and the old man, wearing reading glasses, was chatting cheerfully with the woman working the silver jewelry stall.
Seeing the passing of time, a hint of understanding appeared in Old Chen's cloudy eyes.
He pointed to the wooden buildings nearby that had weathered centuries of wind and rain with his pipe, and said something meaningful to time:
"Young man, look at these old trees. What they fear most is not the wind and rain, but the dampness and darkness that comes with years of no sunlight."
"Wood," the old man put away his pipe and tapped the ash lightly on the sole of his shoe. "It needs to see the sun often to be strong and withstand the passage of time."
Shi Guang instantly understood the hidden meaning of Mr. Chen's words.
Shi Guang bowed deeply to the old man in front of him, and with all his sincerity, he said softly, "Thank you, Mr. Chen."
Due to insufficient funds, everyone did not take the high-speed rail. On the minibus returning to Jiangcheng University, most of the team members were drowsy due to days of hard work.
Shi Guang sat by the window. Before he knew it, the scenery outside the window began to become blurred. He leaned against the cold window and fell into a deep sleep.
Halfway through the drive, Lin Xiyue, the team's housekeeper, took out her little notebook and began to make financial arrangements for the trip.
"Okay, everyone, wake up!" She cleared her throat. "Excluding the project funds, our total spending on meals and snacks these past few days is 1,256 yuan. There are six of us, and excluding the meal the proprietress treated us to, if we split the bill, it'll be 209 yuan per person. I'll round up the difference, so everyone, please give me a turn."
The team members took out their mobile phones to transfer money.
Shi Jing was sleeping soundly on Lu Yu's shoulder when he was awakened by the noise around him. He sat up straight in a daze, rubbing his eyes and preparing to pick up his cell phone.
Lu Yu said calmly: "The time share is mine, I will give it to you as well."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire carriage fell silent for three seconds.
The next second, Fatty Jiang let out a howl of grief and indignation:
"Oh my god! Lu Yu! You're a man who values love over friendship! Going AA is the last bit of dignity left for us singles! You're blatantly trying to be special! This is a show of affection over money! It's shameful! My eyes! You're blinding me!"
His exaggerated performance instantly set off laughter in the entire car. Even the driver couldn't help but glance at them in the rearview mirror.
The minibus was running smoothly under the bright sunshine, carrying a lot of harvest, heading towards the school.
At six o'clock in the evening, the fiery clouds in the sky had not yet completely faded away. Accompanied by a slight brake sound, the minibus carrying a group of people stopped steadily at the familiar west gate of Jiangcheng University.
The car door hissed open, and the unique noisy atmosphere of city car exhaust and the aroma of roadside snack stalls rushed in, bringing everyone in Qingwa Town, who had been immersed in the fresh mountain air, back to reality.
"Ah—my waist! I feel like it's going to break!" Fat Jiang jumped out of the car, stretched exaggeratedly, and let out a satisfied wail. "School is still good. There's internet and takeout. I feel like I can live again!"
The team members got off the bus one after another, each stretching their stiff bodies, their faces showing a trace of fatigue after the journey.
Lu Yu walked to the luggage compartment on the side of the car and dragged out his black suitcase. Then, with a quick glance, he accurately located the heaviest-looking backpack in the corner, which Shi Guang used to carry his professional equipment.
Without any hesitation, he stretched out his arm and took out the bulging backpack.
Shi Guang was the last one to get off the bus. He looked at Lu Yu a little embarrassedly and reached out to take his bag: "Let me take it. It's very heavy."
"Zhongcai knows why I let you take it?" Lu Yu dodged his hand with a light turn, "I'll do it."
After he finished speaking, he threw Shi Guang's backpack onto his empty left shoulder, dragged his own suitcase with his right hand, and held his own backpack with his left hand. He had three people's luggage hanging on his body, but he seemed not to feel the weight at all. He still stood upright and looked effortless.
Fat Jiang, who had just been lamenting how wonderful the city was, now exaggeratedly covered his chest and shouted to Lin Xiyue and Sun Rui beside him, "Look! Look! This is a naked display of boyfriend power! First he corrupted us with money, and now he's using physical strength to attack us! How shameful!"
He shook his head in grief, then changed the subject, revealing a sly smile as he waved at Lu Yu and Shi Guang: "Alright, alright, I know you two are conjoined twins now. I'm going to the internet cafe to play games first, so I won't disturb your world of two. Have a nice after-dinner meal!"
He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the two words "after dinner", which caused Zhao Teng and several other team members to burst into ambiguous laughter.
"We're leaving too. Lu Yu, Shi Guang, remember to send me a copy of the data report tomorrow." The uncontrollable smile on Lin Xiyue's lips also revealed her good mood.
In the blink of an eye, the group of people who were so lively just now dispersed tacitly and disappeared in the evening crowd on campus.
The noise faded, and beneath the enormous plane tree at the school gate, only Lu Yu and Shi Guang remained. The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows so long they almost overlapped.
Dormitory 602 was empty.
Sun Rui had probably already dove into the library again, catching up on his unfinished homework. The dormitory was quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the distant clatter of basketballs, punctuating the vibrant atmosphere of a midsummer evening.
Lu Yu put his suitcase and backpack on the ground with a thud and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and saw Shi Guang taking out a change of clothes and toiletries from his backpack, preparing to take them to the balcony to wash.
"Put it aside for now, there's no rush." Lu Yu walked over, took the things from his hands, and placed them on a chair beside him. "Sit down and rest for a while. I'll go get you a glass of water."
He watched Shi Guang, still standing there in silence, as he began to help him organize his heavy equipment bag. Data cables, external hard drives, surveying notebooks, and that precious laptop... Lu Yu sorted them out, grumbling, "How much stuff is in that bag? It's like a piece of iron. Next time, let me do all the hard work."
When Lu Yu turned around to get water from the water dispenser, Shi Guang unzipped the compartment and carefully took out a small cube wrapped in a soft blue cloth.
He held the cloth bag in his palm and opened it layer by layer.
When the last layer of cloth was removed, the silver piece that was carefully crafted into the shape of a ginkgo leaf lay quietly in his palm.
It's beautiful and hot.
Shi Guang turned and walked to his desk, where a pile of professional books he had recently been reading was neatly stacked. He reached out and pulled out a book with a dark blue cover from the middle.
This is a rather boring academic monograph, and he has already read two-thirds of it.
He gently turned the pages with his fingertips, found the place he had marked with a piece of notepaper before leaving, and then inserted the ginkgo leaf bookmark in his palm between the lines of that page.
After doing all this, he closed the book and carefully put it back to its original place on the bookshelf.
Lu Yu had already fetched the water and was leaning quietly by the door.
When Shi Guang put the book back on the shelf and was about to turn around, a warm embrace suddenly covered him from behind.
Lu Yu gently put his arms around his waist from behind and rested his chin naturally on his thin shoulders.
"Do you like it so much?" he asked in a low voice, his warm breath with a barely perceptible smile sprayed all over the sensitive side of my neck, causing a slight shudder.
Shi Guang's cheeks felt a little hot for a moment, and he hummed in a depressed tone.
His arm around Shi Guang's waist involuntarily tightened a little. He tilted his head and placed a gentle and lingering kiss on Shi Guang's face, which was slightly flushed with shyness.
Suddenly, Lu Yu's cell phone on the table rang crisply.
Shi Guang subconsciously broke free from Lu Yu's arms, with a blush still on her face.
Lu Yu smacked his lips nonchalantly, seemingly dissatisfied with the inappropriate interruption. He loosened his arm, walked over, picked up his phone, unlocked it, and the screen lit up.
It was a WeChat push notification from Zhao Teng. He had posted a picture and tagged everyone in their Western Sichuan Hardworking Team group.
@Everyone, a fresh group photo! Have my photo editing skills improved again? [Proud]
Lu Yu clicked on the picture, and it was the group photo they took in front of the Qingwa Inn yesterday evening.
It's undeniable that Zhao Teng's photography skills and post-production skills are truly professional. The composition, lighting, and color tones of the photos are all impeccable. He captures the warm and soft light of the evening sun perfectly, and everyone's face is filled with heartfelt smiles, full of storytelling and a youthful aura.
Lu Yu's gaze quickly focused on the center of the photo.
He stood side by side with Shi Guang, closer than anyone else. His right arm was around Shi Guang's shoulders. Perhaps because of the way he held her, Shi Guang leaned slightly towards him, his head subconsciously tilted to the side.
That intimate gesture, that unconcerned atmosphere, that tension that almost overflows the screen...
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