When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 58

Chapter 58

It started raining in the middle of the night.It’s not the hearty torrential rain of summer, but the unique, continuous cold rain of autumn.Pattering, tapping on the glass window, the sound is thin and stubborn, like countless cold needles, constantly piercing into the quiet darkness.By early morning, the rain had not abated at all, and the sky was a uniform, heavy leaden gray, pressing very low, as if it would never light up again.The cold and humid air penetrates everywhere, and even if you stay indoors, you can still feel the chill that penetrates your bones.

Ye Qiulan was sitting by the window of the lecture theater, listening to the professor on the podium speaking in a steady tone about the pavilion system and document compilation in the Tang Dynasty.A layer of white mist condensed on the window glass. The camphor tree outside the window was washed dark green by the rain, and its branches and leaves drooped, dripping water continuously.Her notebook was open, with only a few lines written on it. The pen tip stopped next to a certain noun explanation and did not move for a long time.

cold.The coldness spreading from the soles of her feet made her couldn’t help but gently close her legs, and her fingers curled up unconsciously, her fingertips were cold.She wore a sweater that wasn’t too thick today. She thought it would be enough for indoors, but she didn’t expect that the autumn rain would bring such a severe cooling effect.Especially in the lecture theater in this old teaching building, the heating has not yet been turned on, and the damp and cold atmosphere is constantly seeping through the tall windows.

There was also a familiar, vague feeling of bloating in my stomach. I didn’t know if it was because of the cold, or because the continued low mood in the past few days had affected my diet.She subconsciously raised her hand and gently pressed her upper abdomen through the fabric of her sweatshirt.

At this moment, someone sat down in the empty seat next to her.

The movement was very light, making almost no sound. It just brought a small flow of air and a trace of… a very light, fresh breath moistened by rain, mixed with a fainter, almost nonexistent undertone of old library books and cold cedar.

Ye Qiulan froze and forgot to put down the hand on his stomach.She turned her head very slowly, almost stiffly.

Ling Xueqing sat next to her.Close to the corridor.She was carrying the humidity outside, her hair was a little damp, and a few strands of hair stuck to her smooth forehead.She wore a dark gray long thin windbreaker with a white round-neck sweater underneath, which looked much thicker than Ye Qiulan’s sweater.Her face was still a little pale, but it seemed to have regained some color compared to when we saw it under the wisteria flower stand a few days ago.She was lowering her head to take out textbooks and notebooks from her backpack, her movements were calm, and her profile was calm, as if she just randomly chose an empty seat to sit down, and it made no difference who was sitting next to her.

She didn’t look at Ye Qiulan, or even glanced this way.Just spread out the textbook, take out the pen, look at the podium, and start listening to the class.The posture is focused, as usual.

Ye Qiulan’s heart was beating wildly in his chest, and the blood rushed to the top of his head and froze the next second.She didn’t expect Ling Xueqing to sit next to her at all.Ever since the “accident” in the library, Ling Xueqing had been deliberately avoiding her, like avoiding some taboo that shouldn’t be touched.At this moment, this sudden “appearance” at such a close distance caught Ye Qiulan off guard and his mind went blank.

She sat stiffly, not daring to move. She even breathed softly unconsciously.The presence of the people around her was so distinct, and that faint, almost impossible to capture scent made her more flustered than any strong smell.She could feel the body temperature radiating from Ling Xueqing’s body, which was slightly higher than the surrounding air (perhaps she had just come in from outside), and could see her long and bony fingers resting on the table, holding a pen.So close, so close that as long as she moved her arm a little, she might touch it.

The professor’s voice echoed in the empty classroom, mixed with the endless sound of rain outside the window.Time becomes sticky and unbearable.Ye Qiulan forced himself to move his eyes back to the blackboard, trying to concentrate on listening to the boring content about “Hongwen Hall” and “Jixianyuan”.But the words hit my ears, but they completely failed to form any meaning in my mind.All the senses seemed to be focused on the small, suffocating space beside him.

The coldness seemed to be getting worse.She couldn’t help but shudder slightly, and her teeth clicked lightly.The fingertips of the hand pressing on the stomach were even colder due to tension and cold.

At this moment, something warm and dark gray was gently placed on her knee.

Ye Qiulan lowered his head suddenly.

It’s Ling Xueqing’s thin windbreaker.The fabric was soft and still retained the warmth from the ironing she had just taken off her body, as well as the very light and refreshing breath of her body.

Ye Qiulan was completely stunned, his eyes widened, and he looked at the neatly folded windbreaker on his knees in disbelief, then suddenly turned his head to look at Ling Xuequing.

Ling Xueqing was still looking at the podium with a calm face, as if the action just now was not hers.Only the shell of her ear quickly spread a light but extremely clear red color at a speed visible to the naked eye.The red color looked particularly eye-catching and… fragile against the pale skin.Her lips tightened almost imperceptibly, and the knuckles of the fingers holding the pen were slightly raised.

She didn’t speak, didn’t explain, and didn’t even give Ye Qiulan a look.He just put the coat, which still had his own body temperature, on Ye Qiulan’s knees that were shaking slightly due to the cold in an almost arrogant and silent manner that could not be refused.

Then she continued to listen to the lecture and take notes as if everything was normal.

Ye Qiulan’s throat seemed to be blocked by something. The sour heat rushed into his eyes without warning, and his vision blurred for an instant.The real, steady warmth from the windbreaker on her knees quickly spread to her cold lower limbs through the thin fabric of her pants, then followed her blood vessels and flowed to her limbs bit by bit. Finally, it hit her chest hard, causing a violent throbbing that was almost unbearable for her.

Why?You are clearly avoiding and distancing yourself, so why do you do it in this way at this time?

She looked at Ling Xueqing’s red ears and pursed lips, and at the profile that was pretending to be calm but even the neck was slightly tense, and suddenly she seemed to understand something.

Ling Xueqing is not “giving out” warmth, nor is she “compensating” for apologizing.She was just following some deeper, almost instinctive drive—seeing that she was cold and uncomfortable, so she gave what she could.Even if she herself is still behind that frozen defense line, even if the action embarrasses her (as evidenced by the red ears), even if it may break the “safe distance” she strives to maintain.

This knowledge, more than any straightforward concern or explanation, made Ye Qiulan’s heart tremble.The sourness was still raging, almost breaking through the embankment, but under this torrent of sourness, a more turbulent and hotter current of warmth surged out unstoppably, instantly submerging all the cold corners.

With trembling fingers, she very slowly picked up the windbreaker on her knees that still had Ling Xueqing’s body temperature, unfolded it, and then carefully put it on herself.The large coat instantly wrapped her thin body, and the remaining warmth and the crisp breath enveloped her tightly, isolating all the dampness and coldness around her.

Warmth penetrated through the skin, and the bloated feeling in the stomach seemed to be strangely relieved.She lowered her head, buried her face in the soft collar, and took a deep breath.The breath was cold, yet extremely real.

On the podium, the professor continued.The rain outside the window continued to fall.

Ling Xueqing seemed to tilt her head slightly, and the corner of her eye quickly glanced at Ye Qiulan, who was wearing a coat and curled up with his head down.Then, she withdrew her gaze, and her fingers holding the pen relaxed a little unnoticably.The blush at the base of the ears seemed to have quietly faded a little, leaving only a shallow, ambiguous trace.

No one spoke.The rain pounded on the window, and the professor’s voice flowed steadily.On this cold autumn rainy morning, in this lecture hall full of ancient knowledge, a coat with body temperature, a red ear, and a silent cloak, like a weak but stubborn light, quietly pierced the cold and hard barrier between the two people for days.

The warmth continued to spread from my shoulders.Ye Qiulan still lowered his head, his cheek pressed against the soft and cool fabric, his eyes were hot, and the frozen mess in his heart that had been entangled for a long time seemed to be melted away by the sudden warmth, gently but firmly.