Chapter 1: The Accident in the Library
The university campus in September always carried the bustle and anticipation unique to the new semester. The plane tree leaves had not yet completely turned yellow, yet the air already mixed a faint scent of books with the restlessness of youth. When Lin Xiao dragged her suitcase into the dormitory building, she was still silently cheering herself on: a new beginning, everything will get better.
She was a freshman in the Chinese department, tall and slender, with a casually tied ponytail, large eyes, and shallow dimples when she smiled. Her family said she was too quiet, hoping university would make her more outgoing. Lin Xiao herself didn't think being quiet was a problem; as long as she had books and a quiet corner, she could stay there all day.
Gu Yan was in the same year's computer science department. He was half a head taller than Lin Xiao, with clean features, spoke little, yet always carried a reassuring steadiness. On the first day of school, his roommate dragged him to various orientation events, but he remained unenthusiastic. Only in the evening, when he slipped into the library alone, did he truly relax.
It was the third day after school started. Lin Xiao went to the literature section on the third floor of the library to find reference materials for 'History of Modern Chinese Literature.' The bookshelf was high. Standing on tiptoe, her fingers just reached the spine of the book, but she pushed too hard, causing the whole row of books to wobble. The person next to her reached out and steadied them, saying softly, 'Be careful.'
Lin Xiao turned her head and met Gu Yan's eyes. Both were stunned for a second.
“Sorry, I… didn’t notice.” Lin Xiao’s voice was a little soft.
Gu Yan pulled out the book and handed it to her, straightening a few nearby ones as well: 'No problem. You want this one?'
Lin Xiao nodded, took the book, her fingertips accidentally touched the back of his hand and immediately pulled back. Gu Yan didn't say anything, just nodded, turned around, and continued looking for his own book.
After that, they ran into each other a few more times in the library. Sometimes it was in the morning to snag a seat, sometimes just before closing in the evening. Gradually, they both tacitly accepted that window seat—Lin Xiao on the left, Gu Yan on the right, with an open notebook between them.
One evening, Lin Xiao's pen ran out of ink. She whispered to the person next to her, 'Can I borrow your pen?'
Without looking up, Gu Yan pushed a spare pen over. When Lin Xiao finished writing and returned the pen, she softly said 'thank you.' Gu Yan 'hmm'-ed, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
And so, from strangers to familiarity, it took only half a month.
Chapter 2: Cafeteria and Playground
The weather in October was starting to turn cool. Lin Xiao and Gu Yan had already gotten used to going to the cafeteria together. Gu Yan always helped her save a seat, while Lin Xiao took responsibility for lining up to buy the few dishes he liked to eat. They didn’t talk much while eating, but it never felt awkward. Sometimes Lin Xiao would recite interesting sentences she had read that day to him, and after listening Gu Yan would seriously offer an opinion, occasionally even rebutting her.
“Do you think love has to be earth-shattering?” Lin Xiao suddenly asked once.
Gu Yan thought for a moment: 'Not necessarily. Sometimes simplicity lasts longer.'
Lin Xiao smiled: "I think so too."
On weekends they would go to the sports field to run. Gu Yan ran fast, and Lin Xiao couldn’t keep up, so she just walked slowly behind. After Gu Yan finished one lap, he would run back and accompany her to finish the rest of the way. The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two of them long, side by side on the track.
Once when it rained, they didn't have an umbrella. Gu Yan took off his jacket and covered Lin Xiao's head with it, getting drenched himself. Lin Xiao declined, but Gu Yan just said, 'Hurry up and run, don't catch a cold.'
Back at the dorm building, Lin Xiao returned the wet coat to him, her fingertips icy cold. Gu Yan took it and suddenly said, "Next time remember to check the weather forecast."
Lin Xiao nodded, but her heart felt indescribably warm.
Chapter 3: The Club and the Misunderstanding
In the second semester of freshman year, Lin Xiao joined the literature club, while Gu Yan entered the programming club. They met a little less often, but every evening they still met in the library. Sometimes Gu Yan helped her adjust the formatting of her thesis, and sometimes Lin Xiao helped him check for typos in the comments of his code.
Once the literature club was holding a reading session, Lin Xiao was in charge of hosting. Gu Yan specifically went to listen. After the session, he waited for her at the door, holding a bottle of warm milk.
“You came?” Lin Xiao was a little surprised.
“Just passing by.” Gu Yan handed her the milk. “Your throat’s hoarse, isn’t it?”
Lin Xiao took it, took a sip, it was sweet.
However, not every day went so smoothly. Once, Gu Yan had to work overtime on a project and didn't go to the library for three consecutive days. Lin Xiao texted him, and he only replied, 'Busy, talk later.' Lin Xiao felt a bit empty inside but didn't ask further.
On the evening of the fourth day, she waited in the library until closing time before Gu Yan hurriedly arrived. His hair was a bit messy, and his eyes looked tired.
“I’m sorry, the project got stuck these past few days.” he said.
Lin Xiao shook her head: "It's fine. It's good that you're done with your work."
Gu Yan looked at her, suddenly reaching out to ruffle her hair: 'Next time I'll let you know in advance.'
Lin Xiao's ears grew slightly warm, but she didn't pull away.
Chapter III: Confession in the Rain
The rain in May came suddenly. That day they had arranged to meet at the library, but as soon as they went out, it started pouring. Lin Xiao stood waiting at the entrance of the teaching building, and Gu Yan ran over from the rain holding an umbrella.
The umbrella wasn’t big, and the two of them squeezed together, shoulder to shoulder. The rain came down in sheets, drowning out the voices around them.
Halfway there, Gu Yan suddenly stopped.
“Lin Xiao.”
“Mm?”
"I like you."
Lin Xia froze. The rain was still falling, and the space under the umbrella became exceptionally quiet.
Gu Yan's voice wasn't loud but was clear: 'From our first meeting at the library, I wanted to see more of you. Later, eating together, running, revising theses... I realized life would lack something without you. So, I want to formally tell you.'
Lin Xia looked up; rainwater dripped from the edge of the umbrella, landing on both their shoes. She looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled.
"Me too."
Gu Yan paused, then also laughed. He tilted the umbrella a bit more toward Lin Xiao and gently held her hand with his other hand.
The rain is still falling. The campus streetlights came on, stretching the shadows of the two people very long.
Chapter 5: Daily Life Spent Together
After we got together, life didn't become especially different; there were just many more little details.
Gu Yan would remember that Lin Xiao doesn't eat cilantro, and would specifically note it when ordering takeout. Lin Xiao would quietly brew a cup of hot tea for Gu Yan when he stayed up late coding, placing it beside him. During exam week, they pulled all-nighters together in the library, taking turns dozing off when tired; waking up and seeing each other first thing brought a bit of comfort.
They didn't separate during the summer vacation. Gu Yan's home wasn't far from school. Lin Xiao rented a short-term apartment near the school, and the two met every day. Sometimes they went to old bookstores to hunt for books together, sometimes they watched stars on the sports field. One night, Gu Yan suddenly said, 'After graduation, let's go see the sea together.'
Lin Xiao nodded: "Okay."
The days of sophomore and junior year passed quickly. They had participated together in the school’s cultural performance, with Lin reciting and Gu Yan applauding in the audience. They also endured countless deadlines together, encouraging and cheering each other on. There were occasional quarrels—for example, Gu Yan got busy and forgot their anniversary, and Lin Xia could give him the cold shoulder for half a day, but in the end she would still take the initiative to send a message: “Hungry? The cafeteria has a new sweet-and-sour pork rib dish.”
Gu Yan replied: 'Wait for me, I'll be there in ten minutes.'
Every time after a quarrel, the relationship actually gets a little closer.
Chapter 6: The Promise Before Graduation
In the year of her fourth year, graduation season arrived. The paulownia leaves fell once again, and there were many more people on campus taking photos in graduation gowns. Lin Xia and Gu Yan also took many photos together—at the library entrance, on the track of the sports field, and under the cherry blossom tree where they had once taken shelter from the rain together for the first time.
On graduation day, Gu Yan held Lin Xiao's hand and said, 'Work might keep me busy, but I promise we'll meet at least once a week. If we can't meet one day, we'll video call.'
Lin Xiao smiled and nodded: "Me too. No matter how busy, I'll always leave a light on for you."
They did not say “forever,” only seriously promised “later.”
After the graduation ceremony, the two walked to the small path deep in the campus. The sunset dyed the sky orange-red, and the wind blew, carrying laughter from the distant playground.
Gu Yan stopped walking and took a small box from his pocket. Inside was a pair of simple silver rings, engraved on the inside with the date of their first meeting.
“It’s not a proposal,” Gu Yan said a little embarrassedly, “I just want to give you a reminder. To remind us that this road that started from the library is still very long.”
Lin Xiao took them, put one on her own hand, and gave the other to Gu Yan to wear.
"Okay." she said, "then let's walk slowly."
Epilogue
Many years later, Lin Xiao and Gu Yan were married and living in a city not far from their alma mater. Every weekend, they still return to the school for a walk. The library is still there, the window seats have new tables, the track on the playground has been repaved, but the cherry blossom trees still bloom every year.
Once, they walked to that tree again. Lin Xiao suddenly said: 'Remember our freshman year? You helped me carry books and almost got hit.'
Gu Yan laughed: 'I remember. Back then, I thought, this girl will surely give me a lot of trouble in the future.'
Lin Xiao lightly punched him: "It's because you're willing yourself."
The two looked at each other and smiled. The wind blew, and petals fell onto their shoulders. The campus was still young, and their story had already been written far, far away since that autumn.
But stories never truly end. They just change form and continue to flow gently through the everyday lives of two people.
The first autumn after graduation, Lin Xiao and Gu Yan finally moved into their own rented small apartment. The place wasn't big, just one bedroom and a living room, but the balcony faced the distant sky not yet completely blocked by high-rises. Lin Xiao brought over the old bookshelf from university, while Gu Yan set up his dual monitors for programming by the window. On the night they first officially 'settled in,' Lin Xiao cooked two bowls of plain noodles, and Gu Yan took a bottle of cheap red wine from the fridge, pouring it into inexpensive glasses.
“A toast to us.” Gu Yan raised his glass.
Lin Xiao also raised his glass: 'To that window seat in the library.'
They lightly clinked their glasses together, the glass making a crisp sound. A car light flashed past outside the window, yet the room was quiet except for the steam of the noodles and each other’s breathing.
The days that followed were like stretched film, playing out frame by frame, slowly.
Gu Yan joined an internet company, often working late into the night. Lin Xiao worked as an editorial assistant at a publishing house, dealing with manuscripts and proofs daily. Their schedules gradually drifted apart, yet they always reconvened at a fixed time. When Gu Yan returned from overtime, the entryway light was always on; when Lin Xiao stayed up late revising drafts, a still-warm glass of milk would appear on the coffee table.
Once, Gu Yan came home close to midnight for a whole week. Lin Xiao didn't complain. She just reheated the prepared late-night snack when he entered, then sat across from him, quietly listening as he talked about where the project had gotten stuck that day. After he finished, Gu Yan looked at her and suddenly said, 'Don't you get tired? Waiting for me every day.'
Lin Xiao shook her head, her voice very soft: "While waiting for you, I think about university things. About the first time you helped me carry books, about that umbrella in the rain that wasn't big enough, about the side-by-side shadows on the sports field. Thinking about these, it doesn't feel like I've been waiting long."
Gu Yan reached out and held her hand; his palm was somewhat rough but very warm.
The following spring, they officially obtained their marriage certificate. There was no grand wedding; they only took a few photos at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance and then walked around their alma mater. The cherry blossoms happened to be in full bloom that day. Standing under the tree where they took shelter from the rain years ago, Gu Yan put the ring back on Lin Xiao's finger—the inside was still engraved with the date of their first meeting.
“Starting today,” Gu Yan said, “the library, the cafeteria, the playground, this tree — all of them belong to us now.”
Lin Xiao smiled and nodded. The wind blew, and a few more petals fell into her hair. Gu Yan reached out to help pick them off, his movements very gentle, as if touching something fragile.
Married life didn't become dramatic immediately. More often, it was the mundane details of daily life. Lin Xiao learned to make Gu Yan's favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, and Gu Yan learned to prepare a hot water bottle and her favorite chocolate in advance during Lin Xiao's period. If both were free on weekends, they would take walks in a nearby park or go back to the school's old bookstore to hunt for second-hand books. Sometimes Lin Xiao would suddenly remember how they encouraged each other in the library the night before a university exam, then turn to Gu Yan and say: "I was actually terrified back then, but seeing you sitting beside me made me feel I could get through anything."
After listening, Gu Yan would seriously reply: 'I felt the same way back then.'
In the third year, Gu Yan's company received a major project, and he was sent to work on-site in another city for three months. On the morning of their parting, Lin Xiao pulled the packed suitcase to the door and stuffed a thick coat inside.
“It’s cold over there, remember to wear it.” she said.
Gu Yan nodded, suddenly pulling her into a hug and holding her for a long time.
“Video every day.” he said, “Video no matter how busy.”
Lin Xia buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled: 'Okay.'
Those three months became the first real separation since they got married. Lin Xiao worked during the day, and returning to the empty apartment at night, she would first start a video call. Gu Yan's side was often a temporarily rented dormitory, with a simple background and poor lighting, but he always answered immediately. Sometimes he had just come out of a meeting, his hair messy, but he would still ask first, 'Did you eat today?'
Lin Xiao would prop her phone on the dining table, talking to him while eating. She talked about the new intern at the publishing house, the newly opened milk tea shop downstairs, and how today she passed by the gate of her alma mater and saw another batch of freshmen registering.
“The way they dragged their suitcases,” Lin Xiao said, “was just like us back then.”
Gu Yan smiled on the other end of the screen: 'Back then, you were dragging your suitcase and almost bumped into a pillar.'
“You’re the one who bumped into it.” Lin Xiao retorted, but also started laughing.
At the end of three months, on the day Gu Yan came back, Lin Xiao specially took the day off. She waited at the station for nearly an hour before finally seeing the familiar figure emerge from the crowd. When Gu Yan saw her, he clearly quickened his pace. The two stood at the exit, neither speaking first, just looking at each other.
Then Gu Yan put the suitcase aside, reached out and picked her up, spinning her around once. People around glanced over, but Lin Xiao was too caught up to feel shy, just tightly hugged him back.
In the taxi home, Gu Yan kept holding her hand, as if afraid that if he let go they would be separated again. After they got home, he went to take a shower first. When he came out, Lin Xiao had already warmed up dinner. The two sat at the small dining table and quietly finished a meal, just like in the university cafeteria back then.
After finishing the meal, Gu Yan suddenly said, “Next time if I go on a business trip again, you should come with me.”
Lin Xia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: 'Okay.'
In the fourth year, they finally saved enough for the down payment and bought a small two-bedroom apartment closer to their alma mater. On moving day, several college roommates came to help. While moving things, everyone reminisced about the fun times in the dormitory. Someone mentioned how Gu Yan always returned to the dormitory very late during his freshman year, and someone teased Lin Xiao about how nervous she was when hosting the literary club, sweating in her palms. Laughter echoed in the empty new house, as if they had also moved the past times inside.
After settling down, Lin Xiao started independently负责 a column at the publishing house. Gu Yan was promoted to project manager, busier with work but also more regular. Their lives were like two parallel lines, occasionally intersecting, yet always moving in the same direction.
One weekend, they decided to completely unwind for a day and spend a whole day back at their alma mater. In the morning, they first went to the cafeteria for a bowl of beef noodles — the taste was about the same as back in the day, just a few bucks more expensive. Then they went to the library. The window-side seats on the third floor had been replaced with new desks and chairs, but the view outside the window was still there. Lin Xiao sat down and took an old notebook from her bag, the one she used in college. Opening to a certain page, there were a few formatting marks Gu Yan had helped her correct, the handwriting clear.
"Still keeping it?" Gu Yan asked.
Lin Xiao nodded: "Can't bear to throw it away."
They sat in that spot for a long time, just like back then, one reading a book, the other looking at a screen. Only this time, neither of them hurried to leave.
At noon they walked around the playground a few times. The track had been resurfaced, and its color looked newer than in memory. Lin Xiao couldn’t run, so she just walked slowly. Gu Yan stayed by her side, occasionally reaching out to hold her and help her avoid the puddles.
“Do you remember our first run together?” Lin Xiao asked.
“Remember. You ran two steps and were out of breath, and still insisted you could keep going.”
“Back then you ran very fast, but each time you came back to wait for me.”
Gu Yan smiled but didn't respond, just slowed his pace even more.
In the evening, they walked over to that cherry blossom tree again. The blooming season had passed, but the leaves were still thick and green. The two of them stood leaning against the trunk for a while, neither saying a word. A wind blew past, bringing the clock bell from the teaching building in the distance.
"We've really come a long way." Lin Xiao said suddenly.
Gu Yan turned his head to look at her: 'But the starting point is still here.'
Lin Xiao reached out and tugged gently at the corner of his clothes, just like she did in university. Gu Yan understood and, in turn, took hold of her hand.
In the fifth year, Lin Xiao discovered she was pregnant.
That morning, she felt a bit unwell and went to the hospital for a checkup. When the results came out, she sat on the bench outside the consultation room, looking over the report again and again, then called Gu Yan.
On the other end of the line, Gu Yan was silent for a few seconds, then his voice tightened slightly: 'Where are you now? I'll come right away.'
He really arrived very quickly. He jogged all the way into the hospital, and when he saw Lin Xiao, his eyes were a little red. He sat down beside her, carefully took over the report, and checked it again and again before finally smiling.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Gu Yan tightened his grip on her hand; his palm was all sweaty.
Since then, life had gained a new rhythm. Lin Xiao began paying attention to her diet, and Gu Yan pushed aside every overtime shift he could. On weekends they would go for walks in the park together; Gu Yan always walked on the side closest to the road, still carrying Lin Xiao’s water cup. At night he would massage her calves and listen to her talk about what interesting pregnancy articles she had seen today.
Once Lin Xiao woke up in the middle of the night and gently nudged the person next to her: 'Can't sleep.'
Gu Yan immediately opened his eyes, his voice still tinged with drowsiness: 'Where does it hurt?'
“No. It’s just... I suddenly wanted to drink that bowl of porridge from the university cafeteria.”
Gu Yan was silent for two seconds, then sat up and put on his clothes: 'I'll go buy it. It's not from the cafeteria, but there's a congee shop nearby open 24 hours.'
Lin Xiao grabbed him: "No need to actually go..."
"If you want to drink, go ahead." Gu Yan bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Wait for me to come back."
He really went. Half an hour later he came back with porridge that was still hot. Lin Xiao sat on the bed and finished it in small mouthfuls. Gu Yan sat by the bed watching her, then suddenly said: “When the child is born, let’s bring him back to the school too. Tell him that’s where Dad and Mom met.”
Lin Xiao nodded, her eyes a bit moist.
The day the child was born was in early winter. In the corridor outside the delivery room, Gu Yan paced back and forth, his phone saved with a message Lin Xiao had recorded in advance—"Don't be nervous, I'm fine." He listened to it many times, but was still so nervous his palms were sweaty.
When the nurse finally came out to notify him, he almost rushed into the ward. Lin Xiao's face was somewhat pale, but she smiled the moment she saw him. In her arms was a small, wrinkled baby.
Gu Yan carefully took the child and looked down for a long time. Then he looked up and said to Lin Xiao: 'Looks like you.'
Lin Xiao shook her head: "The nose looks like you."
The two of them laughed together. Outside the window, the sky had already brightened, and sunlight streamed through the glass onto the hospital bed, bathing everything in a soft glow.
During the days after giving birth, Gu Yan took paternity leave and was almost never out of sight. He learned to mix formula, change diapers, and burp the baby, and he also learned that when Lin Xiao was feeling low, he only needed to stay quietly by her side. ერთხელ, in the middle of the night, Lin Xiao started crying and said she felt like she couldn’t do anything right. Gu Yan gently pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back again and again.
“You’re already very good.” he said, “From university until now, you’ve always been very good.”
Lin Xia buried her face in his chest, listening to his heartbeat, gradually calming down.
When the child was one month old, they specifically returned to their alma mater. The weather was very good that day, clear and crisp autumn air. The two of them pushed the stroller, slowly walking along familiar paths. The cafeteria, the sports field, the library, the cherry blossom tree—they stopped to take photos at each place. The child in the stroller slept soundly, completely unaware of the surroundings.
Standing under that tree, Lin Xiao suddenly said softly, "Our story truly started here and has been written all the way to now."
Gu Yan nodded, reaching out to tuck her wind-blown hair behind her ear.
“I’ll keep writing.” He said, “Write all the way to a very, very far place.”
The wind blew again, this time without petals, only clean sunlight and faint sounds of reading in the distance. The campus remained young, but their story no longer belonged to just two people. It began to have new chapters, new voices, new warmth.
But the starting point is forever that autumn library, that accidental reaching-out, that simple "Be careful."
From that moment on, all the tenderness, waiting, separation, and reunion that came later had a place to return to.
They would still walk through many more springs and autumns together. The child would grow up, learn to walk, learn to speak, and one day ask: “Mom and Dad, how did you meet?”
By then, they would bring their child and return once again to this campus. Standing at the library entrance, standing on the playground track, standing beneath that tree that had already grown taller and thicker, they would slowly tell the whole story from the beginning once more.
We talked about the umbrella in the rain, the cafeteria's location, the graduation rings, and all the ordinary yet precious days that followed.
After finishing, the wind will blow again.
Petals, or leaves, or sunlight, would fall on the shoulders of the three people.
And the story would still continue.
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