Qin Yuchuan returned to his courtyard. After bathing, he took out his phone, intending to contact Feng Qingyi.
When the video call connected, Feng Qingyi was eating fruit in the living room.
Seeing the two large dark circles under his eyes on the screen, Feng Qingyi was stunned.
"Qin Yuchuan, how many days have you gone without sleep? You look like a panda!"
Qin Yuchuan sat on the edge of the bed wearing a thin, dark nightgown. "A panda?"
"How can you miss the point? I'm talking about your dark circles!"
She wondered what he had been busy with lately, as if he hadn't slept at all.
Qin Yuchuan: "I've indeed been busy lately and neglected you. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize to me. I understand. So, have you resolved everything now?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Qin Yuchuan replied softly, "Yes, everything's been resolved."
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Feng Qingyi asked with concern. She always felt that what he did must be very dangerous.
If he didn't say, she wouldn't ask. This was the tacit understanding between them.
Qin Yuchuan shook his head gently, "I'm fine. Don't worry. The red maples in the suburbs are gorgeous. I'll take you to see them tomorrow."
"That sounds lovely! You should get some rest early today."
Although his dark circles were quite noticeable, they couldn't hide his charm. How could someone be so handsome?
"Mm, you should rest early too."
The next day, at dusk.
Outside the maple forest on the outskirts of Shengjing, Qin Yuchuan used his phone to show Feng Qingyi the magnificent scenery.
"This maple forest is so vast. It looks so beautiful from a distance. I really wish I could see it in person."
Viewing it through the phone screen couldn't compare to seeing it with one's own eyes. Feng Qingyi longed to experience it firsthand.
"You'll have the chance," Qin Yuchuan's voice was melodious and distant.
Feng Qingyi asked curiously, "Have you figured out how you all came over last time?"
Qin Yuchuan was silent for a moment before replying, "Not yet."
"I really hope I can come visit you. When that happens, you must take me shopping."
Ever since Qin Yuchuan had shown her the streets of Shengjing, Feng Qingyi had been interested in the place.
There were many fun things, delicious foods, and things she had never seen before.
"Alright, I promise," Qin Yuchuan agreed.
As Qin Yuchuan walked, Feng Qingyi saw mountains of red.
The red maples were like an ocean, autumn birds were chirping, the red sun was setting behind the mountains. The quiet late autumn was both lonely and magnificent.
"Qin Yuchuan, do you like autumn?" Feng Qingyi suddenly asked.
"It's fine." Any season in the desert was difficult to endure, so he couldn't speak of likes or dislikes. In the past, in Shengjing, he never had the leisure to appreciate scenery.
Feng Qingyi: "Ancient poems say that autumn has always been a time of sadness and loneliness, but I think autumn is quite nice."
"Why?" Qin Yuchuan inquired about her reason.
Feng Qingyi explained slowly, "It's shed the heat of summer, doesn't have winter's bitter cold, and compared to spring, it's less ostentatious. It's just right."
Qin Yuchuan sat down in a pavilion. By now, the sun was setting, merging with the red maples.
Qin Yuchuan sat in the pavilion, bathed in the slanting sunlight, his entire being seeming to be covered in a layer of golden radiance.
Feng Qingyi stared at Qin Yuchuan for a long while. Somehow, she suddenly felt that while the red maples were like an ocean, they couldn't compare to the man before her.
"Why have you suddenly gone quiet?" Qin Yuchuan asked.
Feng Qingyi felt her face grow warm. "...It's nothing. Why did you think of bringing me to see the red maples?"
"I thought we had already made plans a few days ago." What he wanted to see with her was far more than just this maple forest.
Feng Qingyi suddenly remembered what he had said a few days ago. "You also promised we'd watch the snow together. Is that still on?"
"Of course."
Feng Qingyi's smile bloomed like a flower. "Then we'll watch the snow together this year. But it's getting late now, you should head home. It'll be dark soon."
Qin Yuchuan plucked two maple leaves from a nearby branch and sent one to Feng Qingyi.
Feng Qingyi looked at the leaf Qin Yuchuan sent her, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly giving me a leaf?"
"As a memento." A memento of the scenery they had viewed together.
"Then I'll keep this maple leaf pressed in a book." She hadn't expected him to have this side to him. It was quite adorable.
...
In late November, the annual inter-college martial arts competition of the Martial Arts Club kicked off.
Feng Qingyi and Shen Hanyue followed Luo Qingyu and a group of club members to the martial arts competition venue.
After finding their pre-arranged seats, Luo Qingyu went to draw lots.
"Qingyi, are you nervous?" Shen Hanyue asked.
Feng Qingyi looked completely calm. "What's there to be nervous about?"
"Ah, why do I suddenly feel a bit panicked?" Shen Hanyue said.
Feng Qingyi repeatedly reminded her, "If you can't win, just admit defeat. Remember, don't let yourself get hurt."
"Seniors, you two just need to be pretty. Leave the fighting to me, don't worry!"
The speaker was Luo Nuo, a junior who had just joined the club. According to her, she could take down three 200-pound men by herself.
But without seeing it with their own eyes, Feng Qingyi and Shen Hanyue didn't quite believe it.
After all, she was only 5'3" and weighed 90 pounds. She looked tiny and didn't seem like someone who could fight.
Besides them, two other girls were dressed up glamorously, looking like they were here for a beauty pageant rather than a martial arts competition.
As for the male club members, they were all tall and muscular, looking as if they had formidable fighting power.
When Luo Qingyu returned from drawing lots, he said, "There are five schools in total, competing in pairs."
"Because Hua University next door won the championship last year, they've directly entered the finals this year."
"Our first-round opponent is Pu University. If we can win, we'll advance to the next round."
"If we can't win, we'll have to compete with another losing team for fourth place. Everyone, just perform as you like."
Shen Hanyue and Feng Qingyi exchanged a glance, both feeling that this competition seemed a bit haphazard.
Luo Qingyu sat down on a chair and looked at the people behind him.
"We need three people for the first match. Who's willing to go up?"
Shen Hanyue spoke up, "Do you know who the opponents are?"
Luo Qingyu shook his head, "That's not important. Let's first choose our three people for the first match. It's best two out of three."
"I'll go!" Feng Qingyi volunteered.
Luo Nuo also stood up, "I'll go too."
Luo Qingyu looked at the four male students beside him, "One of you come as well."
However, the four remained unmoved, with none willing to step up. Luo Qingyu let out a sigh, "I guess I'll have to do it myself then!"
Shen Hanyue whispered, "I usually see that male classmate practicing so well. How come when it really matters, not one of them is willing to step up?"
"Senior, what you don't know is that all four of them can't beat me alone. They're probably scared."
Luo Nuo was sitting right behind Shen Hanyue and Feng Qingyi. Although Shen Hanyue had lowered her voice, Luo Nuo could still hear her clearly.
Luo Nuo didn't bother to lower her voice, and the four male classmates heard her words as well. They all felt a bit indignant.
"What do you mean the four of us can't beat you alone? We were just going easy on you!"
