Don't be afraid, I'm here
The corners of Lu Yu's lips lifted up uncontrollably.
Before he could reply to Zhao Teng in the group chat, his phone started dinging again. This time, it was a special attention push notification from the campus forum.
Almost at the same time, Zhao Teng synced this photo to his Weibo and the campus photography section of Jiangnan University's confession wall.
His caption read: [The Sichuan West Ancient Town project has concluded successfully! Thank you for meeting us, we are the best team! [Yeah] #JiangchengUniversity##AncientArchitectureProtection#]
This photo, which can be said to be of legendary level, was quickly transferred to the square of Yuguang CP within less than ten minutes after it was posted, instantly setting off all the lurking fans.
In the super topic, it’s like the New Year.
[Ahhhhhhhh! Help! The officials are giving out candy!]
[Oh my god! Look at the way Brother Lu is hugging someone's shoulder! That possessiveness! And that look in Mr. Time's eyes! The look that's only focused on him! Oh my god!!!]
So, that "I caught the star" post on the confession wall was real?! I thought it was some fake account joking! Turns out it's real! We got the real thing!
[Details! Ladies! Look at the details! Brother Lu's body is completely turned towards Mr. Time. In micro-expression psychology, this is a gesture of complete trust and protection! kswl!]
Lu Yu read these enthusiastic comments one by one with great interest, and the smile on his lips became deeper and deeper, almost reaching his ears.
He took his cell phone, walked up to Shi Guang who was sorting books, and put the screen in front of him.
"You see, our mass base is quite good."
Lu Yu took back his phone and tapped the screen quickly with his slender fingers.
He directly forwarded Zhao Teng’s post, @陆島://@赵腾: The Sichuan Ancient Town project has been successfully completed! ... [Picture] @时光
The success of the Qingwa Town project brought about subsequent effects that far exceeded everyone's expectations.
The Yuguang team's detailed data report and exquisite three-dimensional digital model of the ancestral hall caused quite a stir within the college. Several veteran professors of ancient architectural history, usually reserved in their expressions, clapped their hands excitedly when they saw the model during the review meeting, declaring it a new chapter in the university's digital preservation research.
This evaluation is quite high.
Soon, counselor Zhou Sisi excitedly informed Lu Yu that their project not only received the highest rating from the college, but was also recommended as an excellent case to the local TV station's science and education channel.
"In other words," Zhou Sisi said in her office, looking at her two most proud students, her face etched with unconcealed pride. "The TV station wants to do an exclusive interview with you, specifically about the innovative practices of Jiang University students in the field of cultural heritage protection. This is a great opportunity to show yourselves to the entire city. As representatives of the team, you two should prepare well."
The interview was held at the school’s integrated media center.
Under the spotlight, Lu Yu, dressed in a perfectly ironed white shirt, looked even taller and more imposing. He sat across from the host, speaking eloquently to the camera without a trace of nervousness. With clear logic and a humorous touch, he vividly and captivatingly described the project's original aspirations, the challenges it encountered, and the importance of teamwork.
"...We believe that protecting ancient buildings isn't about turning them into cold specimens. Instead, we need to use the technology of our time to understand and preserve them, allowing more people to transcend time and space and feel their former breath and warmth. This is our responsibility as a new generation of cultural heritage conservators."
When the host turned the question to Shi Guang, everyone was worried about this young man who looked too quiet and cold.
Shi Guang also wore a white shirt today. The style was extremely simple, but it made him look like a bamboo after the rain, clean and upright.
When asked about the most core technical difficulties, he spoke slowly.
"…The accuracy of the model depends on the completeness of the initial data collection. The core of our solution is air-ground integration and multi-source fusion. The drone is responsible for the macroscopic skeleton, and the 3D scanner is responsible for the microscopic texture. The data from both are aligned using a unified coordinate system, and then the topological relationship is corrected using an algorithm. The final result is a digital twin that is infinitely close to the real world."
When he was explaining, he exuded the confidence and charm of a technician.
One is passionate as fire, the other is calm as ice.
The two sat side by side, one describing the dream, the other building the ladder to it. Their unspoken tacit understanding and complementary nature made everyone in the studio, including the knowledgeable host, nod in agreement.
After the recording of the program ended, Zhou Sisi immediately rushed over and patted the two of them on the shoulders excitedly: "Great! It's perfect! I dare say that this year's admission score for our department will be raised by at least another five points just because of this interview with you two!"
After the interview aired, Lu Yu and Shi Guang became prominent figures in Jiangcheng. Their photos were hung on the college's honor wall, and the interview video garnered tens of thousands of views on the school's official WeChat account.
But life went on smoothly. Sun Rui had finished his pre-sessional Econometrics course and had reached the final chapter. Jiang Xiaopang had also successfully reached King in his gaming rank.
As the New Year's Day holiday approaches, the atmosphere on campus begins to feel restless and chaotic. Students, eager to return home, have already begun scrambling on various ticket-grabbing apps, discussing their first big meal back home.
Lu Yu was as excited as a husky about to be released from its cage. This was his first long vacation with Shi Guang, and he had already begun planning ten thousand possible dates in his mind.
"Let me tell you, there's a delicious Japanese restaurant that just opened near my house. Let's go there on the first day of the holiday." Lu Yu excitedly said to Shi Guang beside him while scrolling through the food recommendations on his phone, "Then on the second day, we can go see the newly released movie. My sister said the special effects in that sci-fi movie are amazing. On the third day..."
He was like a child who had received a new toy, talking nonstop about the itinerary for the next few days.
Shi Guang listened quietly, a faint smile on his face. He really liked seeing Lu Yu's high spirits; his boundless enthusiasm for life always easily infected him.
"Oh right," Lu Yu suddenly remembered something. He put down his phone, turned around and looked at the time, and asked in a very natural tone, "It's a four-day long vacation. Do you... want to go home first? I'll take you to the station. When you come back, we can continue playing."
Shi Guang subconsciously leaned back. "...I'm not going back." He lowered his eyes, his voice becoming a little dry. "My mom...she's going on a business trip out of town, and there's no one at home."
Lu Yu felt an indescribable pain and remorse in his heart. He regretted bringing up this topic.
He put on a relaxed smile, "It's just right that you don't go back!" He laughed heartlessly, "I was worried that if you went back, I would be bored to death in Jiangcheng alone. It's a deal then, you belong to me for the next few days. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning to the moment you close them at night, you have to stay with me and you are not allowed to go anywhere."
That uneasiness was like an ominous prophecy, which was confirmed two days later.
On Friday afternoon, in the library's third-floor window reading area, it was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of pages. Lu Yu and Shi Guang sat side by side, each reading a specialized book.
This is one of their most normal ways of getting along. There is no need for excessive words, just being quietly in the same space and feeling each other's presence is enough to make people feel at ease.
Lu Yu would occasionally look up from his book and steal a glance at the person beside him. He felt that afternoons like this could last forever.
However, this tranquility was completely shattered by the sudden vibration of a cell phone.
The sound was particularly harsh in the quiet library, attracting dissatisfied glances from the students around.
The source of the vibration was the mobile phone that Shi Guang placed on the table.
Shi Guang suddenly came back to his senses. He glanced at the lit screen, and when he saw the clear word "mother" on the caller ID, his face turned as pale as paper.
It was not the joy that one should feel when seeing a call from a loved one, but a violent reaction mixed with fear and resistance.
His hand holding the phone began to shake violently and uncontrollably, and even the simple action of pressing the answer button took him several tries before he succeeded.
"Hello..." His voice was so dry that he could hardly utter a word.
He stood up suddenly and staggered towards the secluded corridor outside the reading area.
Lu Yu had a strong sense of foreboding, so he put down his book and followed him out quietly.
The corridor was empty. Shi Guang had his back to him, his entire body pressed tightly against the cold wall, as if trying to draw strength from it.
Lu Yu didn't dare to get too close. He could only stand a few meters away and clearly hear a woman crying with suppressed and extreme fear on the other end of the phone. The voice was intermittent and broken.
"...Time...Time...come back soon..."
"Your dad...he went gambling again...and lost everything...Now...now he's at home..."
"...The loan shark...came to my house...He...he was drinking...he beat me..."
"...Run...don't come back...call the police..."
The sound on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped, as if someone had snatched the phone away. Then there was a loud noise of something being smashed and a woman's scream.
"Hello? Mom! Mom! What's wrong with you?!" Shi Guang let out a heart-wrenching roar into the microphone.
The phone was hung up abruptly.
After a few seconds, the hand holding the phone dropped limply.
The black cell phone slipped from his bloodless fingers and fell to the cold terrazzo floor with a snap.
The young man who always kept his back straight like a solitary cedar tree seemed to have all his bones pulled out, and slid down along the cold wall and sat down.
His entire body began to shake violently and uncontrollably.
Lu Yu rushed over in two steps and suddenly squatted down in front of the cold and trembling body.
"Time!" He called his name, his voice hoarse.
The person in the corner didn't react at all, but just shook even more violently.
Lu Yu stretched out his arms and used all his strength to hug the curled up broken boy tightly into his arms.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
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