When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The moment the tip of the brush hovered, the strange, warm woody smell of cedar in the air, like ink droplets thrown into a still lake, slowly spread through Ye Qiulan’s senses, dyeing all the nerve endings she was trying to focus on.Under the pen tip, the fragile fibers of the ancient book paper were almost transparent in the morning light, but the strength of her fingertips was subtly unbalanced by this sudden and too private “smell”.

An extremely fine droplet of reinforcement fluid, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, detached from the tip of the pen and fell onto the paper – the landing point was not the planned reinforcement edge, but slightly off the edge, facing an old crease that was slightly darker in color and already fragile!

Ye Qiulan’s pupils shrank suddenly and his breathing stopped.His mind went blank, except for the slow-motion trajectory of the drop of transparent liquid that was distorted by the light as it fell.

Just at the critical moment when the droplet is about to touch the paper——

A hand reached out from her side like lightning, with the index finger pointing upwards, and placed it accurately between the drop of liquid and the paper!

“Ta.”

A sound so slight that it was almost non-existent.The cold droplets fell on the warm skin, instantly spreading a small wet mark, and condensed into a slightly trembling water droplet that reflected the morning light between the light blue blood vessel lines on the pad of Ling Xueqing’s index finger.

Time freezes.

Ye Qiulan turned his head stiffly and looked at Ling Xueqing, who was very close at hand.Ling Xueqing didn’t look at her, her eyes were fixed on the liquid on her fingertips and the undamaged ancient book paper below.Her profile was extremely tight, her mandible was slightly raised, and her lips were pursed into a bloodless straight line.The morning light clearly revealed the subtle lines next to her nose that were stretched out by holding her breath.

The slightly warm scent of cedar suddenly became clear and strong at this moment. It was no longer just a lingering undertone, but had an almost cold and existential impact, rushing towards Ye Qiulan’s face, wrapping Ye Qiulan airtightly.This breath lacked the usual restraint and coldness, and was full of primitive tension that belonged to Alpha and could not be completely restrained due to instant bursts of movement and high tension. Mixed with the lukewarm touch of the skin, it overbearingly occupied all of Ye Qiulan’s perceptions.

After a brief pause, Ye Qiulan’s heart began to beat wildly, hitting her ribs heavily with every beat, making her eardrums buzz.She looked at the drop of water that was about to fall on Ling Xueqing’s fingertips, looked at the fragile paper that was intact under the drop of water, looked at Ling Xuequing’s tightly pursed lips and the deep darkness in her eyes that was full of fear and unresolved… The huge guilt, fear, and a deeper throbbing of being hit by this strong and swift protective gesture mixed into a scalding torrent, overwhelming all her language abilities.

Ling Xueqing finally slowly and extremely slowly let out the breath she had been holding for a long time.The breath brushed against Ye Qiulan’s cheek, carrying the slight warmth and astringency of her own pheromones.Then, she removed her fingers, her movements steady, but with an extremely slight tremor that lasted a lifetime.The drop of water rolled down with the movement of her fingers, dripped on the absorbent tissue paper that had been prepared, and spread silently.

She retracted her hand and let it hang by her side. Her fingertips curled up almost imperceptibly, as if she wanted to wipe away the remaining cold moisture, but she resisted.Then his eyes turned to Ye Qiulan.

The eyes were very deep and heavy, and something was violently tumbling inside – it was the panic that had not faded away, the relief after confirming that the paper was intact, and… an almost scorching severity that was suppressed but still leaked out.

“Focus.” Ling Xueqing spoke, her voice lower and hoarse than usual, like rough sandpaper rubbing against wood, each word carrying weight, “Concentrate.”

Only three words.No blame, no questioning.But it made Ye Qiulan more embarrassed than any rebuke.She lowered her head suddenly, her cheeks were burning hot, and her eyes were filled with sourness uncontrollably.It’s not because of grievance, but because of his own mistakes, because it almost led to irreversible consequences, and even more because of… Ling Xueqing’s instinctive reaction that he didn’t hesitate to use his fingers to take on danger.

“I’m sorry…” Ye Qiulan’s voice was as thin as a gnat, with a choking tremor.

Ling Xueqing did not respond to this apology.She just picked up a piece of clean absorbent tissue paper and carefully wiped the fingertips that had just received the drop of liquid. Her movements were meticulous, as if she was cleaning a precision instrument.After wiping, she threw away the ball of tissue paper and replaced it with a new one. She gently placed it on the spot where the ancient book paper had almost been dripped, pressing it very gently to absorb any insignificant moisture that might have seeped from between her fingers.

After doing all this, she looked at Ye Qiulan again.Ye Qiulan still lowered his head, his shoulders hunched slightly, and his fingers clenched the troubled brush tightly until his knuckles turned white.

The turbulent things in Ling Xueqing’s eyes gradually subsided and were once again covered with a thin layer of restrained ice. However, under the ice layer, there was still an undercurrent that could not be completely calmed down.She was silent for a few seconds, and then she reached out her hand, not to touch Ye Qiulan, but to gently take away the pen in her hand.

The warmth and moisture of Ye Qiulan’s palm still remained on the pen holder.

Ling Xueqing put the pen into the pen washer next to her, and then pushed the untouched cup of moderately warm water in front of her to Ye Qiulan’s hand.

“Rest for five minutes.” Her voice was still low, but a little softer than before, “Drink some water.”

The commanding tone leaves no room for doubt.

Ye Qiulan raised his head, with red eyes, looking at the glass of water and then at Ling Xuequing.Ling Xueqing had already looked away and lowered her head to check the state of other parts of the ancient book. Her side face had returned to its usual calmness. Only at the base of her ears, there seemed to still be a faint trace of crimson color that had not completely faded away due to the sudden explosion and emotional fluctuations just now.

Ye Qiulan picked up the water cup, and the warm cup wall pressed against the cold and trembling fingertips.She drank in small sips, the warm water sliding over her dry and tight throat, bringing a real sense of comfort.She didn’t dare to look at Ling Xueqing, nor the paper that almost caused trouble, but just stared down at the slightly swaying water in the cup.

The reading area was still quiet, with the occasional sound of books turning in the distance.The shadow of the camphor tree crawled for a short distance on the table.The warm scent of cedar that suddenly became strong due to the accident and slowly converged at this moment still lingered vaguely on the tip of the nose, intertwined with the warmth of the warm water in the cup, and pressed heavily on Ye Qiulan’s heart.

Five minutes.Five minutes of silence.

Ling Xueqing picked up a clean new pen and dipped it in a little reinforcement liquid. However, she did not hand it to Ye Qiulan. Instead, she leaned over and started to take over the edge reinforcement that Ye Qiulan had not completed.Her movements remained steady and her strokes were even and precise, as if the thrilling scene just now had never happened.

Ye Qiulan looked at her calm silhouette, at her steady hands, at her long and dense eyelashes that were slightly trembling. The torrent in her chest that was mixed with guilt, fear, and something deeper and throbbing finally gradually subsided and settled into a cold and clear understanding.

She couldn’t afford to be distracted anymore.Not even a tiny bit.Not only for the ancient books, but also for… not to let down the person next to me, this almost instinctive protection at all costs.

She put down the water glass, took a deep breath, and straightened her back again.When Ling Xueqing finished the small area and handed the pen back to her, her fingers no longer trembled.She took the pen, met Ling Xueqing’s calm gaze, and nodded very lightly but firmly.

No words.Everything is left unsaid.

Restoration work continues.The rustle of the brush across the paper sounded again, regular and steady.Only this time, Ye Qiulan seemed to be able to hear the heavy and clear heartbeat in her chest with every breath she took and every time she put pen to paper, as well as the warm cedar breath that lingered on the tip of her nose, always reminding her of concentration and boundaries.

The sun continued to move westward, making the shadows of the two people working side by side long and silent on the red brick ground.