Chapter 7 Who is talking? ...Am I still not well? ...
That day, Anping had promised, "If you come, I'll be here." Whenever Chang Xile came to Linhuan Lake, Anping was always there.
However, on the day Chang Xile was discharged from the hospital, he wanted to come to Lin Huanhu to find him, but the place was empty and there was no one in sight.
She sat by the lake for a while, not knowing what she was waiting for. After a long time, she stood up and walked out. As she passed the side door of the school library, she heard a very shrill "Help!"
The voice sounded like that of a little girl of four or five years old, and it sounded very anxious. Chang Xile subconsciously turned his head and looked around, but there was no one in sight.
"Help! Help me... I can't get down."
Chang Xile frowned and listened carefully, finally finding the source of the sound above her head. She looked up and this time finally spotted a living creature. It was a small calico cat, shivering on the branch of a large tree near the library.
It sounds unbelievable, but Chang Xile had to say that she heard a cat crying for help.
"...Is my illness not cured yet?" She murmured, and after a while she realized that the most urgent thing was to save the little cat.
She had lived with her grandmother as a child. She was adept at climbing mountains, rivers, trees, and fishing. She put her bag on the ground, then casually placed her hands on the tree trunk and slowly climbed up.
The little cat didn't climb particularly high. When Chang Xile's upper body was at the same level with it, it cautiously stretched out its arm and called out as softly as possible: "Hey, kitten, I'm here to take you down."
The kitten had been staring at Chang Xile the moment she started climbing the tree. It was difficult to gain the trust of a frightened kitten without speaking the same language, and Chang Xile was afraid of accidentally scaring it and causing it to jump from such a height.
However, to Chang Xile's surprise, the little cat slowly climbed onto her arm without much hesitation.
She curled her lips, cradling the kitten in her arms, and began to consider where to place her feet when descending the tree. She could only use one hand, so she was extremely cautious. She didn't even notice a man standing not far from the tree. He had his arms folded, a camera hanging from his neck, watching with fascination the entire process of Chang Xile's communication with the cat.
When she was about one meter above the ground, he suddenly exclaimed in admiration: "I didn't expect that this school girl is not only good at taking photos, but also climbing trees and playing with cats."
Chang Xile was startled. She subconsciously looked up at the source of the sound, and then missed the next landing point of her left foot.
The view in front of her changed rapidly. She only had time to hold the little cat in her arms. She sighed in her heart: "How can people be so unlucky...!" Then she slipped from the tree and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Hiss... Who is that?" Chang Xile felt dizzy after the fall. She sat up with difficulty and immediately checked the condition of the little cat in her arms.
With her human flesh pad protecting her, the little cat was completely fine. He even had the leisure to lick her cheek and said, "Thank you!"
"Oh... you're welcome." Chang Xile's cheeks were itchy from being licked, and she tilted her head and sighed - her butt was so painful from the fall.
"Wait...what did you say just now?" Chang Xile opened his eyes wide and looked at the little cat in his arms again. Did it say thank you just now?
“Hahahaha…hahahahaha.”
Chang Xile wanted to confirm if there was something wrong with his hearing, but the kitten suddenly fell silent. When it heard the man's laughter not far away, it shrank back and hid in Chang Xile's arms.
Chang Xile then remembered the culprit who caused her to fall. The man was wearing sportswear, half leaning against the outer wall of the library, and was laughing with his head down and his hands covering his lips.
"Chen Moxin?" Chang Xile recognized the president of the photography club, Chen Moxin, a junior. He was very popular because of his good looks, humor, and exceptional care for the club members.
However, Chang Xile didn't like him very much. For example, now, he had clearly caused Chang Xile to fall from the tree, but his first reaction was to laugh secretly.
"Ah... Sorry, did I scare you?" Chen Moxin stopped smiling and waited until she caught her breath before walking forward and extending a hand to Chang Xile.
The little cat in his arms suddenly ran away without waiting for him to get close, disappearing into a bush in the blink of an eye. Chang Xile hadn't figured out whether the cat had spoken or if she had gone mad. She ignored Chen Moxin's support and stood up on her own. She brushed the dust off herself, still gazing thoughtfully at the bush.
Chen Moxin withdrew her hand without feeling awkward at all, and smiled, "I'm sorry, seeing you talking to a cat so seriously, I couldn't help but..."
"Didn't you hear it?" Chang Xile frowned and turned around to ask Chen Moxin, "It just said thank you to me."
"Yeah." Chen Moxin tilted his head and said seriously, "The kitten meowed twice and licked the side of your cheek. It should be expressing gratitude, right?"
"No." Chen Moxin didn't hear it. Chang Xile shook his head and didn't intend to say more to him, "Forget it."
"Wait a minute, Xile." Chen Moxin took a step forward. Because of his height, he easily blocked Chang Xile's way. He spoke in a very gentle tone, and asked her in a persuasive manner, "Is there any misunderstanding between us? Why do you want to quit the department?"
"If you are talking about what happened on the day of the department team-building event, I don't think we have any misunderstandings." Chang Xile frowned, and suddenly remembered that her unfortunate college life seemed to have started from that day.
University clubs and departments always conduct interviews when recruiting new members. Although most of them say that the screening is based on personal ability and compatibility with the group, Fang Xinai has definitely summarized a pattern with them.
"I've never seen anyone rejected by a handsome man or a beautiful woman."
To be fair, Chang Xile was quite good-looking. She had a small face, a pointed chin, and large, round eyes that formed bags under her eyes when she smiled. Her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were thin and rosy, with a natural, slightly upturned corner. Even when she stood there, saying nothing, she always seemed to be smiling, making her instantly appealing.
She really liked photography, and her past portfolio had a very personal style, so she was admitted to the photography department almost without any suspense.
Minister Chen Moxin, on the other hand, took good care of her.
During our departmental team building two weeks ago, we discussed camping at a flat area called the Moon Viewing Terrace on the hillside behind the school. It's a tradition in the photography department to go up there on weekends to capture inspiration, and even spot fireflies among the trees at night.
Chang Xile had only seen fireflies when she was five or six, in the mountains behind her grandmother's home. Back then, the countryside was sparsely populated, and without the bright lights of today's cities, which make it seem like daylight even at night. The fireflies scattered like stars in the forest, leaving the young Chang Xile transfixed.
Little Chang Xile didn't have a camera at that time.
Therefore, such a beautiful scene has only remained in her memory until now, gradually becoming blurred, and finally making people wonder if it was just a dream.
Chang Xile really wanted to find an opportunity to photograph fireflies again.
However, going camping with a group of unfamiliar people didn't seem like a very wise decision. Chang Xile considered herself a very outgoing person, but for some reason, the senior student who shared the same tent with her seemed to dislike her. While they were in the same tent, they avoided even eye contact, let alone conversation.
Although Chang Xile was a little depressed, he didn't mind it too much. Friends are more valuable when they are good than when they are few.
During dinner, Chang Xile sat alone at the edge of the crowd, silently checking her camera. Whenever someone approached her, the senior student would calmly talk to them and take them away.
Finally, only Chen Moxin walked over to her, handed her a glass of orange juice, and then sat down slowly, asking her with concern: "I feel that you are not in a good mood. Did something happen?"
Since there was no overt conflict, and they only needed to spend one night together in close proximity, Chang Xile didn't intend to bring it up. She simply shook her head, looked at the moon hanging high in the night sky, and said softly, "I just miss home."
Chen Moxin smiled as if she understood, her beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly: "Well, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and your family must be missing you too, right?"
If missing home was just an excuse, Chang Xile was genuinely moved by the words. It had been ages since she'd been home to visit her grandparents. If she took any pictures this time, she'd definitely print out a bunch and give them to them when she got home.
Thinking of this, her eyes became red.
Chen Moxin patted Chang Xile's shoulder with understanding, and reminded her worriedly, "You two are new here, and you are like my brothers and sisters in my heart. If you have anything that makes you unhappy, you can tell me, don't keep it in your heart."
In such a vaguely ostracized and somewhat isolated environment, anyone's kindness can be many times more effective than before. Chang Xile nodded, and in a corner where she couldn't see, a few people were quietly observing the man and woman sitting side by side outside the crowd.
By midnight, Chang Xile couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned several times, unable to fall asleep. She heard the senior student next to her tut impatiently. It wasn't her intention to disturb others, but with someone so hostile lying next to her, it was understandable that she couldn't sleep. She simply sat up, grabbed her camera, and left the tent.
At around 7 or 8 o'clock, the students flocked to the woods, but perhaps because of the crowds or the bright moon, no fireflies were seen. It was now past 11 o'clock at night, and the moon had already disappeared behind the clouds. Chang Xile decided to try his luck and go looking for fireflies.
She followed her memory and walked into the woods. She still had the map left by her predecessors on her phone. The map showed that there was a chance to see fireflies by the small river about a hundred meters west of the moon viewing platform.
It was quite dark along the way, and Chang Xile walked cautiously along the path. After about five minutes, he felt the view suddenly become clear.
On this moonless night, the stars cast a thin blanket over the trees. Dots of light shimmered through the grass and trees. Chang Xile didn't even dare breathe loudly, fearing to disturb these beautiful creatures. She quietly found a large rock by the river, sat down, and carefully switched her camera to silent mode, turning off the flash. Then, she began filming.
During this time, a brave firefly even flew onto her finger. Chang Xile held her breath and took a close-up photo of it.
Only after the twinkling lights faded did Chang Xile let out a sigh of relief. She stood up, rubbed her stiff knees, and slowly walked back toward the camp.
However, a thick fog had suddenly descended upon the mountains. In this mist, the short distance of just over a hundred meters seemed incredibly long. Chang Xile was certain she was returning the same way, but for some reason she hadn't made it out of the woods. It wasn't until she reached the rocks by the stream that she realized she had lost her way.
Unconvinced, she walked twice more, but still couldn't find the right path. It was getting late, and getting lost in the woods late at night wasn't a good idea, but there seemed to be nothing she could do but keep walking. Suddenly, a figure loomed in the fog.
"Classmate." Seeing someone in this place greatly alleviated her panic. Chang Xile called out carefully, wanting to ask him if he knew the way back.
The man was originally leaning against the tree trunk. After hearing the call, he slowly turned his head.
Chang Xile almost cried out when he saw the face of the man in front of him.
A closer look revealed that this was not a human being, but a weasel dressed in men's clothing.
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