The stairwell was lit by low-wattage lights, and no one made a sound except for the steady footsteps.
After going down two floors to the parking lot, Lu Lin was about to put Yan Heqing down when he found him asleep.
His thin face was half-buried in his back, sleeping peacefully; he was exhausted today.
Lu Lin's sharp features softened like never before. He didn't open the car door, but turned around and carried Yan Heqing home slowly.
It was almost eleven o'clock. There were few pedestrians on the road, only the occasional car headlights flashing by. The night breeze was neither cold nor hot, and the air was filled with the fragrance of unknown flowers.
For the first time, Lu Lin wished the road would never end; he wanted to carry Yan Heqing on his back forever.
The road has no end, but home is there. Just after midnight, we arrived at the small house that Yan Heqing rented.
The apartment building was already asleep; even the motion-sensor lights in the hallway weren't on. Using the dim light from outside, Lu Lin stopped in front of the old iron gate.
Guessing the key was in Yan Heqing's pocket, and just as he was about to free his hand, Yan Heqing woke up at some point, took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and with a gentle twist, the door opened.
Lu Lin didn't put Yan Heqing down either, carrying him into the house before finally setting him down.
Yan Heqing turned on the light, instantly illuminating the small room. Lu Lin, without changing his shoes, patted his head and said, "Get some rest, remember to apply the medicine." He was about to leave.
Yan Heqing looked at him, "You can stay."
Only after saying it aloud did Yan Heqing realize that his words were ambiguous.
For adult couples, staying means more than just staying in the literal sense.
His pupils flickered slightly.
After the initial shock, Lu Lin leaned over and hugged Yan Heqing, then lowered his head and kissed his eyes.
"I have something to do next time. I'll come again tomorrow."
He then let go and left.
The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on this time, and only after the footsteps disappeared and the lights went out one by one did Yan Heqing close the door.
After standing against the wall for 15 minutes, Yan Heqing let his thoughts rest, unusually finding himself not thinking about anything at all.
After finishing the wall covering, he went into the bathroom to shower. As he dried himself off, he looked in the mirror and noticed a bruise on his right shoulder.
Actually, it didn't hurt, or rather, Yan Heqing didn't feel any pain; this minor injury was nothing to him.
A moment later, Yan Heqing opened the bathroom cabinet drawer and found a jar of ointment.
It was the herbal ointment Lu Lin gave him; there was still No. 1 Primary School left.
The light green ointment felt cool on the wound. Yan Heqing lowered his head and blew on it before putting on his pajamas.
The next day was another full day of classes. After the four periods in the morning, Yan Heqing didn't go to lunch first. Instead, he received the lab key and went to check out the lab.
The laboratory is in a separate building, which is much quieter than the teaching building.
Yan Heqing was assigned to a laboratory on the fourth floor. The old building had no elevator, only stairs.
The sun was out today, casting dappled shadows in the hallway without shining directly on people.
As soon as Yan Heqing reached the fourth floor, she ran into Gu Xingye.
It should be said that Gu Xingye was specifically waiting for him.
Gu Xingye, still wearing his lab coat, looked at Yan Heqing and smiled, " Fengzhi is awake."
During the second period, Yan Heqing received a call from Mother Lin. Lin Fengzhi woken up and, apart from the external injuries, was otherwise fine.
Yan Heqing responded and started to walk forward.
" Yan Heqing," Gu Xingye called out. "How about the collaboration?"
Gu Xingye offered a reason. "One plus one is greater than two."
Yan Heqing politely declined, "No, I want to try it myself."
Gu Xingye chuckled, "I thought you wouldn't let your emotions get the better of you, but it seems I was wrong. This project isn't just for Beijing University; it's for the whole country. Anyone in the life sciences field wants to join this top-tier team to learn."
Yan Heqing calmly said, "Think what you want," and stepped into the adjacent laboratory.
Gu Xingye stood there for a few seconds, scratched his forehead, sighed, put his hands in his pockets, and went downstairs to eat.
Yan Heqing spent the afternoon in the lab. After school, he received WeChat from Lu Lin on time, which contained a shared address.
The map shows that Yan Heqing is only a few hundred meters away.
Yan Heqing took off his white coat, washed his hands, and followed the map to find Lu Lin.
Lu Lin waited for Yan Heqing at the side gate exit of Beijing University. From afar, he saw a slender figure walking towards him.
The weather was warming up, Yan Heqing was wearing a black cardigan over a white T-shirt, light blue jeans, and a backpack. Bathed in the setting sun, he finally looked like a carefree college student. Lu Lin's lips curled up slightly. When Yan Heqing came over, he ruffled his soft hair and asked, "Shall we go eat first?"
Yan Heqing was indeed a little hungry. He took out his meal card from his pocket. "Eat at the cafeteria?"
Lu Lin chuckled, "I remember the clay pot rice at the third canteen was pretty good, do they still have it?"
Yan Heqing had never been to the third canteen; it was quite far from his classroom. He took out his phone, searched for information, and nodded, "Also, it's moved to the second floor."
As they talked, the two entered the campus again and headed towards the third canteen.
Even after the peak hours, there were still quite a few students in the third canteen. Yan Heqing ordered two clay pot rice dishes, Lu Lin ordered minced meat clay pot rice, and he ordered beef brisket clay pot rice. The prices were very reasonable, and they also gave him a bowl of pumpkin soup and several cold dishes, including smashed cucumber and cold potato shreds.
After finding an empty seat, Yan Heqing was about to pick up his chopsticks when Lu Lin first scooped a spoonful of minced meat into his bowl. "Eat more, you've lost weight recently."
Yan Heqing did not refuse and finished the casserole rice, pumpkin soup, and cold dishes completely.
After finishing his meal and putting his tray in the recycling bin, Yan Heqing received a call on his phone.
It's Ge Tongyuan; the two exchanged phone numbers last night.
"Thank goodness, Lin Fengzhi awake." Ge Tongyuan breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I heard he'll be in the hospital for a while. Shall we arrange to go see him sometime?"
Next week is May Day, Yan Heqing politely replied, "After May Day."
Ge Tongyuan was filled with envy, "Are you going out to play during the May Day holiday? Take lots of pictures and send them to me! I'm so miserable, I have to stay home and be my sister's chores all day."
Yan Heqing agreed, and Ge Tongyuan talked on and on for a while before hanging up. Yan Heqing put away his phone, and Lu Lin asked, "The student surnamed Ge from yesterday?"