When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The third day of the special exhibition, afternoon.The corridor on the first floor of the School of History, which was originally sparsely populated, now had a different and slightly noisy sound coming from the past.The sound was not loud, it was a continuous hum created by many people talking in lowered voices, mixed with the occasional raised tone of voice with excitement or surprise, and the slightly urgent friction sound of leather shoes or casual shoe soles on the smooth floor tiles.

The source of these sounds clearly points to Classroom 107 at the end of the corridor – the temporarily arranged “Local Document Protection and Utilization” preview exhibition hall.

Ye Qiulan stood a few steps outside the door of Classroom 107, leaning against the cold mottled wall, holding in his hand the supplementary exhibit description page that had just been hastily printed and was still warm from the printer.Her fingertips felt a little cold and her heart was beating faster than usual, not because she was nervous about things in the exhibition hall, but because of the unexpected sight before her.

The preview was originally just a small-scale internal communication for teachers and students in related majors. This was indeed the case in the first two days. Visitors were sparse, most of them watched quietly, occasionally asked in low voices, and left quickly.But somehow, starting from this morning, the flow of people suddenly increased.By the afternoon, it can be said to be an “endless stream”.There were not only students from the School of History and the School of Liberal Arts, but also many unfamiliar faces. Judging from their temperament and age, they looked like teachers from other colleges, and even… there were a few people carrying professional cameras and wearing press badges.

Ye Qiulan was a little confused at first, until she vaguely heard a few students gathered in front of the “Yun Yun Pavilion” and Liu Zongyuan’s lost poems and essays research case study booth in low voices:

“Have you heard? Professor Li specifically mentioned this undergraduate group report at yesterday’s classical literature seminar. He rated it very highly, saying that the argument was solid and innovative…”

“Not only that, but there seem to be experts outside the school who are interested. They feel that the clue of ‘Yiyun Pavilion’ may be enlightening for the excavation of local culture…”

“No wonder there are so many people here…Look, is that the school newspaper over there?”

“That’s Senior Sister Ling Xueqing, right? She really has a strong aura…”

Ye Qiulan’s heart slowly sank and then rose again. It was a mixture of glimmering light and glory, and a clearer, shameful dimness that was swept away by the edge of the light.They made the report together, she discovered the clues, and she compiled the notes.But when these achievements are placed in the spotlight, affirmed by academic authorities, and attract more attention, it will always be Ling Xuequing who stands at the core, calmly responding to inquiries from all parties, with calm eyes and clear words.

And she is more like a bystander hiding in the shadows who accidentally provides a small piece of the puzzle.

She looked at the figures coming in and out of the door of Classroom 107, the crowd of heads inside and the vaguely upright profile of Ling Xueqing standing beside the booth explaining.Ling Xueqing wore a smoky gray V-neck sweater today, paired with a simple white shirt and dark straight pants. Her long hair was still tied behind her head, revealing a fair and slender neck.She was leaning forward slightly, pointing to a copy of the ancient map scroll in the display cabinet and saying something to a group of people who looked like teachers.The profile of the face is clear and focused. Occasionally, he raises his hand to signal, and his movements are steady and powerful.

The teachers listened attentively, nodding from time to time, chatting in low voices, and looking at Ling Xueqing with unabashed appreciation in their eyes.

Ye Qiulan squeezed the paper in his hand tightly, and his fingertips turned white with force.She should go in as a “facilitator” to help maintain order or provide additional explanations.But her steps seemed to be nailed to the spot.A familiar, suffocating feeling of powerlessness and distance gripped her tightly again.The Ling Xueqing who was surrounded by everyone and was comfortable in the academic world was too far away from her.It was so far away that she needed to muster up a lot of courage to even get close, and this courage seemed so insignificant against the hustle and bustle at the moment.

Just when she was hesitant and almost wanted to turn around and leave, Ling Xueqing in the classroom seemed to have ended her conversation with the teachers.She straightened up, glanced at the door habitually, and then froze.

Her eyes passed through the shaking figure at the door and landed accurately on Ye Qiulan, who was leaning against the wall.

Separated by a few meters of distance and noisy voices, their eyes briefly met in the air.Ling Xueqing’s eyes were still calm, but Ye Qiulan seemed to catch a trace of… what?Is it a question?Or something else?

Ling Xueqing did not come over immediately, but said a few words briefly to another student who came forward to ask, then turned slightly sideways, got away from the crowd, and walked towards the door.Her pace was steady, but Ye Qiulan noticed that her eyebrows were frowning almost imperceptibly, and her lips were pursed tighter than usual, revealing a hint of imperceptible fatigue.

When he walked to the door, Ling Xueqing did not look at Ye Qiulan, but said in a small but clear voice: “Follow me.” Then he walked straight through the few people gathered at the door and walked towards the other end of the corridor, leading to the safety stairs.

Ye Qiulan was stunned for a moment and quickly followed.

There was no one in the safe stairwell, and the light was darker than in the corridor. Only a small window high up let in some light.The air smelled of dust and old paint.The hustle and bustle in Classroom 107 was completely cut off here, leaving only a sudden and panic-inducing silence.

Ling Xueqing stopped by the window on the corner platform of the stairs, turned around, and leaned her back against the cold wall.She raised her head slightly, closed her eyes, took a deep, silent breath, and her chest rose and fell.When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Ye Qiulan who had followed him in, and her eyes fell on the wrinkled printing paper in her hand.

“Additional explanation?” Ling Xueqing asked, her voice lower than in the classroom just now, with a hint of unnoticeable hoarseness.

“Yes,” Ye Qiulan nodded and handed the paper over, “Teacher Zhao just sent an email with the latest dating opinions on the photocopies of the land deeds. Please add them to the exhibit description.”

Ling Xueqing took it, glanced through it quickly, and relaxed her brows slightly.”Okay. Stick it up later.” She folded the paper and put it in her shirt pocket.After completing this action, she did not leave immediately, but still leaned against the wall and turned her eyes to the window.Outside the window is a small deserted open space behind the college building, with weeds and a few crooked-neck trees with all their leaves gone, and the scenery is lackluster.

“There are a lot of people.” Ye Qiulan whispered, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.” Ling Xueqing responded without any emotion, “Exceeded expectations.”

There was another moment of silence.The only sounds in the stairwell were the two of them breathing softly.The vague noise in Classroom 107 in the distance seemed to be separated by a thick layer of frosted glass, blurry and unreal.

“You…” Ye Qiulan looked at Ling Xueqing’s slightly tired profile, and the sourness of self-pity in his heart was quietly replaced by worry, “Are you… very tired?”

Ling Xueqing turned back and looked at her.His eyes stayed on her face for a few seconds, as if judging how much of this question was polite and how much was sincere.Then she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

“It’s okay,” she said, paused, and added, “I just talk too much.”

Ye Qiulan knew that this was not all.Ling Xueqing hates unnecessary socializing and noise, and she doesn’t like receiving too much attention.The noisy voices and gazes outside at this moment were nothing more than a drain on her.

“Then… do you need me to go in and help?” Ye Qiulan summoned up the courage to ask, “I can help you share some explanations or maintain order…”

Ling Xueqing looked at her, a hint of complicated emotions flashing across her eyes.There is scrutiny, there is weighing, and perhaps a little bit of…hesitation?Ye Qiulan couldn’t read it.

“No need.” Ling Xueqing finally said, her voice returned to its usual calmness, even with a hint of deliberate indifference, “I can handle it. You…” Her eyes glanced at Ye Qiulan’s slightly uneasy face, “Just do your own thing.”

That’s it again.Draw clear boundaries.Push her away from the “scene” that needs to be dealt with side by side.Ye Qiulan’s heart felt as if it had been pricked by a fine needle. The warmth and courage that had just arisen quickly cooled and solidified.She lowered her head and looked at the dust on the toe of her canvas shoes.

“Oh.” She responded softly.

Ling Xueqing seemed to want to say something else, her lips moved, but in the end no sound came out.She straightened up and moved away from the wall she was leaning against.”I’m going back,” she said, walking toward the stairwell door.

Just when her hand was about to touch the door handle, Ye Qiulan suddenly raised his head and called her.

“Senior Sister Ling.”

Ling Xueqing’s hand stopped in mid-air and did not look back.

“It’s a good thing that the report is recognized.” Ye Qiulan’s voice was very soft, but extremely clear in this silent space, “You… did a good job.”

This sentence was spoken with sincerity, but also with a slight choking that she was not even aware of.She was happy for Ling Xueqing, but also felt sad for her insignificant contribution that she couldn’t integrate into.

Ling Xueqing’s back stiffened almost imperceptibly.She didn’t respond immediately, nor did she look back.But the hand that had stopped in mid-air slowly lowered itself and hung by his side.

After several seconds, she said very softly, almost like a sigh:

“You found the clue.”

Her voice was very low and deep, without any ups and downs, but it was like a stone thrown into the lake of Ye Qiulan’s heart, causing ripples that were far more intense and lasting than the “can handle it” just now.

After saying that, Ling Xueqing opened the stairwell door and walked out without stopping.The door closed gently behind her, isolating the noise outside from the silence inside again.

Ye Qiulan stood there, staring blankly at the closed door.Ling Xueqing’s last words echoed in her ears.

“You found the clue.”

There is no unnecessary embellishment, no emotional elaboration, just a simple statement of facts.But these words, like a weak but stubborn light, penetrated the thick layer of sourness and haze in Ye Qiulan’s heart caused by being pushed away.

Ling Xueqing remembered.She hasn’t forgotten where she started.Even amid the attention and praise from the stars, she still clearly defined who the starting point belonged to.

The sourness remains because the gulf of reality between them has not disappeared.But there was something on this sour background that became different because of that concise admission.It was a kind of heavy comfort that was “seen”, and it was also a more complicated and unspeakable bond that connected the two people more closely.

She slowly walked to the window and looked out at the deserted open space.The sky was getting dark, with leaden gray clouds hanging low.

In the distance, the hustle and bustle of Classroom 107 shows no signs of abating.And Ling Xueqing has probably returned to the center that she needs to “deal with” at this moment.

Ye Qiulan withdrew his gaze, turned around, and gently opened the stairwell door.She did not go to Classroom 107, but walked in the opposite direction and slowly left this still noisy corridor.