The path back to the observation station from the forest clearing was much easier than the way there.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, making the outline of Changbai Mountain even clearer. The distant snow-capped peaks gleamed with a cool white light under the sun, and even the moisture in the air felt warm.
Yu Jiuyuan walked slowly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the half-eaten compressed biscuit in her pocket. Yuan Xu's focused look as she stared at the small purple flower reminded her of herself staring at the petri dish in the laboratory, pure to the point of obsession.
As the outline of the observation deck came into view at the end of the pine forest, she could see Rong Shenghan standing on the steps at the entrance from afar.
The wind lifted a corner of his off-white knitted cardigan as he looked down at his phone, his fingertips lightly tapping the screen. The lines of his profile appeared exceptionally soft in the sunlight, yet they exuded an indescribable tranquility.
"The vice president seems to have more free time than anyone else," Yu Jiuyuan thought to herself, but a smile appeared on her face as she quickened her pace and walked over. "What do you need me for? Is President Xie's equipment malfunctioning?"
Rong Shenghan raised his head, his gaze falling on her trouser legs covered in grass clippings and her slightly disheveled hair. A very faint ripple flashed in his eyes, so quick that it was impossible to catch it.
"President Xie just said the spectrometer parameters are a bit off, and he wanted you to take a look." He spoke casually, reaching out to brush a pine needle off her shoulder. "Where did you go? My phone has no signal."
"I went with Yuanxu to the back mountain to find samples." Yu Jiuyuan turned to avoid his touch, bent down and patted the grass clippings off her trousers, the movement as natural as if she were tidying up clothes. "The signal is bad in the mountains, that's normal."
She didn't miss the moment when Rong Shenghan withdrew his finger, nor did she overlook the slight jump in his positive emotion on the system panel, which dropped from 70 to 68 and then quickly rebounded.
This vice president always kept his emotions hidden so deeply, like a pool of water deep in the Changbai Mountains, calm on the surface but with undercurrents surging beneath.
"Let's go in first, don't keep President Xie waiting." Yu Jiuyuan took the lead and stepped onto the stairs, her voice light and cheerful as if she were laughing.
The observation deck was busier than it was in the morning.
Several members were gathered around a half-person-high spectrometer, discussing something, their brows furrowed.
Xie Zhecheng stood in front of the instrument, holding a recording tablet in his hand, his fingertips tracing the data, his profile cold and hard, the low pressure around him almost tangible.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze pausing noticeably when it met Yu Jiuyuan's before quickly looking away, a familiar blush rising to his ears.
"Here you are." His voice was still cold, but there was a hint of tension that was less noticeable than usual.
"What's wrong?" Yu Jiuyuan walked to the instrument, her gaze sweeping over the fluctuating curves on the screen. The spectrometer was a sophisticated piece of equipment brought by the Astronomy Club this time, capable of capturing the spectra of celestial bodies in different wavebands, which was crucial to the accuracy of the observation data.
“Look here.” Xie Zhecheng pointed to an abnormally fluctuating curve on the screen. “After three consecutive calibrations, the absorption line of the hydrogen atom has shifted by 0.3 nanometers.”
When he spoke, his fingertips were very close to the screen. If Yu Jiuyuan wanted to see him clearly, she had to lean forward. The distance between the two of them instantly closed. She could smell the faint scent of cedar mixed with the metallic smell of the instruments on him, which was completely different from the warm woody scent on Rong Shenghan.
“Light interference?” Yu Jiuyuan tapped the edge of the screen with her fingertip, avoiding touching it. “The fog was too heavy this morning, which may have affected the receiver.”
“We’ve already ruled that out,” Xie Zhecheng retorted immediately, his tone carrying the stubbornness of a perfectionist. “We adjusted the receiving angle and waited for the fog to clear before taking the test, but it’s still the same.”
"Then it's a problem with the equipment itself." Yu Jiuyuan bent down to check the connection cable at the bottom of the instrument. "Is the interface loose?"
Her hair fell with her movement, brushing against Xie Zhecheng's hand. He jerked his hand back as if burned, almost dropping the clipboard.
"President Xie?" Yu Jiuyuan looked up at him, her eyes filled with just the right amount of confusion. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing." Xie Zhecheng gripped the recorder tightly, his knuckles turning white. "You...you look carefully."
A hint of a smile flickered in Yu Jiuyuan's eyes, but she didn't point it out, continuing to inspect the connectors. The wires were firmly plugged in, not appearing loose. She straightened up, her gaze falling on the ventilation holes on the side of the instrument: "How long has it been powered on?"
“From eight o’clock this morning until now,” a member next to him replied, “it hasn’t been shut down in between.”
“It’s overheated.” Yu Jiuyuan reached out and touched the instrument’s casing. Sure enough, it was a bit hotter than normal. “When a precision instrument works continuously for more than six hours, the circuit is prone to minor deviations. Turn it off for half an hour to let it cool down before trying again.”
Xie Zhecheng was stunned, clearly having not considered this factor. He looked at Yu Jiuyuan with surprise, seemingly not expecting her to be so knowledgeable about the instrument's characteristics.
"This..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say "impossible," but couldn't find a reason to refute it. In the world of perfectionists, "oversight" is an unforgivable mistake, especially when that oversight is pointed out by someone they care about.
"Why don't you try it and see?" Yu Jiuyuan pressed the power button, and the screen went dark instantly. "Turn it back on in half an hour. I'll wait with you."
"No need..." Xie Zhecheng subconsciously refused, but when he saw her clear eyes, he swallowed the rest of his words.
The observation deck suddenly fell silent. The other members tactfully dispersed, leaving only the three of them.
Yu Jiuyuan leaned against the instrument, Xie Zhecheng stood still, still holding the recording tablet in his hand, while Rong Shenghan had moved a folding chair to the corner at some point, holding an observation log in his hand, seemingly reading it, but his gaze would occasionally drift over.
On the system panel, Xie Zhecheng's positive emotion was stable at 93, while Rong Shenghan's fluctuated between 68 and 70, like an out-of-tuned pointer.
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