Still Frame Chapter 20
byChapter 20: Coincidence or Inevitability (1)
“Senior Wen, please sit here.” A’duo stood up and moved his chair closer to Wen Jin.
Wen Jin casually pulled over a nearby chair. “No need, I’ll sit here.”
A person abruptly sat down beside him, and a unique, cool fragrance, impossible to describe, wafted over. Zhang Liuxin didn’t even dare to turn his head, only secretly glancing at the corner of the clothing and the hand resting casually on the table in his peripheral vision.
Wen Jin’s presence was too intense for him; he deliberately softened his breathing.
“This semester, the school’s club department issued a new regulation: every club must have a teacher or a graduate student or higher as an advisor. We are very fortunate to have Senior Wen from the Academy of Science. Let’s welcome him.”
The applause was thunderous. Wen Jin stood up and nodded slightly, his voice like a classic, expensive cello. “Hello everyone, I am Wen Jin.”
After Wen Jin arrived, the others were no longer as relaxed as before, becoming noticeably more reserved. Zhang Liuxin rubbed his stiff neck and heard Lin Xun say, “We had clearly broken the ice just now, but Senior Wen came and froze it all over again.”
This comment loosened the atmosphere considerably. Zhang Liuxin also dared to look boldly at Wen Jin, pretending it was unintentional, just like the others.
He hadn’t expected Wen Jin to look over at that exact moment, their eyes meeting. Zhang Liuxin held his breath for an instant and quickly withdrew his gaze.
“No need to be so formal,” Wen Jin said. “I will try to participate in your club activities as much as possible this semester.”
“Really?” Someone couldn’t control their volume and gasped out loud.
Everyone chuckled, and the girl blushed.
Wen Jin also curved his lips slightly. “Yes.”
For the remaining time, Lin Xun discussed the club activity arrangements and asked if they wanted to organize a group outing later. Everyone happily agreed, and they simultaneously turned their attention to Wen Jin.
Wen Jin said, “That’s fine. Send me the time and location a week in advance.”
Lin Xun seized the opportunity to ask, “Senior, would you like to join our group chat?”
“Mm.”
Staring at the new profile picture that appeared in the group chat, Zhang Liuxin pursed his lips. He carefully avoided other functions and clicked on the homepage. Unsurprisingly, Wen Jin’s social account was very plain; even his nickname was his real name. Aside from the profile picture of the rain curtain, nothing else could be discerned.
“It’s raining.”
Zhang Liuxin followed the voice and looked out the window. Moisture seeped in through the window, which wasn’t fully closed, bringing a chill mixed with the scent of grass and wood.
“The weather forecast says this rain will last until tomorrow. How about we wrap up for today? I’ll send the rest in the group chat. Everyone head back early.”
After saying goodbye to each other, the club members left one after another. Zhang Liuxin looked at the pouring rain outside. His phone on the table vibrated just then—a message from Li Hangzhou, asking if he was still at the club and if he needed an umbrella delivery.
Zhang Liuxin grabbed his phone, stood up, and said to Lin Xun and A’duo, “Seniors, I’ll be leaving now. Goodbye.”
Lin Xun smiled and waved. “See you next week. Be careful on the way.”
A’duo also said, “See if there’s a shuttle bus. It might be easier if you take that back.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Zhang Liuxin said this to them, his gaze naturally falling on Wen Jin beside him. He recalled the awkward scene downstairs earlier and was afraid Wen Jin would ignore him again in front of others, so he merely gave a slight nod.
Today was truly unlucky for him.
Zhang Liuxin looked at the empty shared umbrella stand, then at the rain curtain outside. He was debating whether to message Li Hangzhou, saying he didn’t bring an umbrella and asking him to pick him up. However, they weren’t close enough for that, and he didn’t want to trouble anyone.
“Where are you going?”
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice when the person beside him appeared. Zhang Liuxin jolted, saw Wen Jin next to him, his pupils slightly constricted, and stammered, “S-Senior?”
This was the start of his first conversation with Wen Jin, separated by not too great a distance.
Wen Jin looked at him coldly, his gaze cooler than the rain outside, and repeated, “Where are you going?”
Zhang Liuxin felt like his brain had turned into a rusty clock. It took a while to process that Wen Jin was asking where he was going.
“The library.”
What did Wen Jin mean by that?
Wen Jin opened a large black umbrella, big enough to cover both of them, and said, “It’s on the way.”
“Senior, are you going to…”
Zhang Liuxin couldn’t bring himself to say the word “send.” Seeing Wen Jin’s faint impatience, he quickly ducked under the umbrella and said, “Thank you, Senior.”
“Oh, right, should I put this in my backpack? Otherwise, it will get wet.”
Zhang Liuxin pointed to his stack of project documents. Wen Jin nodded and handed the large stack to him. Fortunately, Zhang Liuxin’s backpack only contained a notebook, so the documents fit perfectly.
He glimpsed the title on the project documents. Although he couldn’t understand it, he guessed that anything handled by Wen Jin must be extremely important, so he turned his backpack around and wore it on his chest.
The rain outside was heavy, forming a vast white curtain. Students without umbrellas ran wildly with their backpacks over their heads, splashing water half a foot high from their pant legs. Yet, the umbrella Wen Jin held was surprisingly steady. Zhang Liuxin was completely sheltered, not a drop of moisture touching him.
He carefully watched his steps, afraid of accidentally stepping into a puddle and splashing Wen Jin’s pant legs.
Wen Jin’s hand gripping the umbrella handle was beautiful, Zhang Liuxin noticed only when they reached the main road. Faint blue veins were embedded beneath the cool, white, delicate skin texture, slightly protruding, wrapping around the beautifully contoured finger bones—very alluring. He couldn’t help but steal a couple more glances.
“Watch the road,” Wen Jin’s voice came from beside him again.
Wen Jin’s voice seemed to carry a bit more dampness in the rain. Strangely, even with the heavy rain, his voice clearly resonated in Zhang Liuxin’s mind.
“Oh, oh, okay.”
The distance from the Academy of Science to the library wasn’t very long, but Zhang Liuxin still felt it was like a short journey. The downpour was both debilitating and exhilarating, easily leading to impractical fantasies. At this moment, he almost believed that the world consisted only of the two of them.
It wasn’t until they stepped onto the stairs in front of the library that this small world under the umbrella completely collapsed. Zhang Liuxin politely stepped back half a pace, unzipped his backpack, and returned the project documents. “Thank you for the umbrella, Senior.”
Stepping into the air-conditioned library, Zhang Liuxin couldn’t help but shiver. He rubbed his arms and picked up his phone, intending to message Li Hangzhou. He had only typed one character when someone touched his arm. Li Hangzhou asked him, “Liuxin, how did you get here? The rain outside is too heavy.”
“A club member was going the same way,” Zhang Liuxin said. “Let’s go. What floor is that book on?”
“I already checked. It’s on the sixth floor. Let’s take the elevator.”
“This is my first time at the library,” Zhang Liuxin said, looking at the ubiquitous library service robots, the bright study halls, and the stacked bookshelves. He sighed, “It truly lives up to its reputation as the largest library in Huan City. The facilities are very advanced.”
“It’s my first time too,” Li Hangzhou rubbed his nose, embarrassed. “If it weren’t for borrowing books, I might only come a few times during the finals week of the semester.”
Zhang Liuxin smiled. “Don’t say that. I always thought you were amazing.”
The two had reached the elevator entrance. Hearing this, Li Hangzhou raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really? Why?”
Zhang Liuxin said, “Because you have to work when most people only need to study, and you still manage to do your job so well and successfully get into this university.”
Li Hangzhou’s hand, which was pressing the button marked “6,” paused. He looked at Zhang Liuxin through the bright mirror in the elevator car. Amidst the pure steel-gray, Zhang Liuxin’s eyes displayed a unique and charming olive green.
“We’re here,” Zhang Liuxin said. “Let’s go.”
Li Hangzhou snapped back to attention, patted his chest, let out a sigh of relief, and said in a warm tone, “Liuxin, you’re making me blush with all that praise.”
Zhang Liuxin placed his index finger on his lips and whispered, “We need to be quiet.”
Li Hangzhou saw the slight crinkle at the corner of his eyes, a very cute curve. He guessed Zhang Liuxin was in a good mood now, like ripples spreading across calm green lake water, even his eyes reflecting half a circle of waves.
Although the library had many books, which could be overwhelming at first glance, the retrieval system quickly located the third volume of the book they wanted.
“It’s quite new,” Li Hangzhou flipped the book over a few times and handed it to him. “Liuxin, you read it first. By the time you finish this one, I should be done with your second volume.”
“Okay.”
Just then, Li Hangzhou’s phone vibrated. He took it out, frowned, and put his hands together apologetically. “Liuxin, I’m sorry, but a high school classmate needs my help. I have to go deal with an emergency right now.”
“It’s fine, you go,” Zhang Liuxin felt a bit nervous when he was with Li Hangzhou, too. Remembering the heavy rain outside, he added, “Walk slowly. There might be some standing water at the library entrance.”
“Okay. Oh, right, you don’t have an umbrella, do you?” Li Hangzhou shoved the umbrella he was holding into Zhang Liuxin’s hand. “My friend is picking me up at the entrance. Use my umbrella, or it will be inconvenient for you to go back to the dorm later.”
Zhang Liuxin was about to say “No need” because he had just seen public umbrellas at the library entrance, but Li Hangzhou had already slipped away, leaving only a retreating back, waving specifically as he went.
Zhang Liuxin chuckled. He wondered how Li Hangzhou managed to maintain such a guileless, optimistic demeanor despite starting work so young.
The library had the unique ink smell of paper books, making it an excellent place for Zhang Liuxin to relax. Since he had no other classes today, he decided to browse, picking out books he liked to flip through.
Among a densely packed row of books, he noticed a red-covered book particularly standing out on the other side of the shelf. He walked around to take a look, but unexpectedly, standing in the narrow aisle was Wen Jin, whom he had just parted ways with. At this moment, Wen Jin was pulling out that red-covered book, the cool color of his skin forming a subtle visual contrast with the bright red.
Zhang Liuxin’s hand unconsciously loosened, and the third volume fell to the floor with a thud.