Chapter 48: Return. "Ci Ci, it's me."

The lights were off in the room, and Gu Ci sat by the window, his mind reeling uncontrollably from past memories.

In the dimness, only his phone screen glowed, displaying a page requesting to add him on WeChat.

He'd asked Shang Zui for Huo Wenyuan's contact information. Initially, he'd thought it would be nice to reconnect with Huo Wenyuan, but on second thought, he hesitated.

He certainly hoped to reconnect with his childhood friend, but he wasn't sure what Huo Wenyuan felt.

After all, people change.

But then Gu Ci thought: Huo Wenyuan had been through so much alone abroad. To avoid worrying him, he'd deliberately kept Shang Zui from sharing any information, even indirectly asking about his recent situation. Could it be that, like him, their feelings for each other hadn't changed, but he simply didn't want to bother him?

Suddenly, a light bulb went off. Gu Ci reached out, about to tap the "Add to Contacts" button, when two notifications popped up at the top of the screen.

One was a text message: [Ci Ci, this is Huo Wenyuan.] Can you accept my friend request?]

Another message was a WeChat friend request, which read: [Hale wants to add you as a friend.]

Gu Ci accepted it almost without hesitation.

After so many years, he and Huo Wenyuan were finally "friends" again.

Hale: [I'm sorry, Cici. I'll apologize in person.]

Gu Ci choked up, a thousand words suddenly rushing through his mind, but he didn't know how to express them.

They had been apart for so long, and some things seemed only suitable to be said in person.

After a long thought, Gu Ci replied: [Okay.]

[//Hug//Hug]

There was nothing else he could say except a hug. He really wanted to travel back to when Huo Wenyuan was struggling with his treatment and give him a hug.

Huo Wenyuan must have been exhausted back then...

Gu Ci put down his phone, stood up, spread his arms, and leaned back, sinking into the soft comforter.

At the headboard, a purple doll accompanied him day and night.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind gradually vacillating. Soon, he sat up again, opened the bedside chest of drawers, and pulled out a wooden photo frame.

Gu Ci carefully examined each face, then expertly located a familiar face in the corner of the last row.

Compared to the photo, the man he had seen in the media tonight had essentially remained unchanged in his features, though his features were now sharper and deeper, his eyes more piercing, and his entire being exuded a decisive edge.

Gu Ci opened the diary, which had been changed for who knows how many times, and grasped the pen, struggling for a moment to find where to start.

Finally, he wrote a concise and concise line in beautiful handwriting: "

Brother Wen Yuan is back."

Outside the window, leaves fluttered, and the maple leaves turned red. It turned out that those who left in late autumn really do return in late autumn.

The next day was another nearly full day of experiments, from early morning to afternoon. When the experiment concluded, Gu Ci stepped outside to remove his goggles and mask, and just then received a call from Shang Zui.

Shang Haohao sounded like he was in the car, his voice coming near and far: "Little Gu Ci, the group called me back for something urgent, so I'll leave first. I'll come to play with you next time!"

Gu Ci expressed his understanding and reminded: "Okay! Be careful on the road."

After hanging up the phone, a figure suddenly came up behind him and asked, "Are you answering the phone with a friend?"

Gu Ci turned around and met Qiu Yue's face.

He curled his lips slightly: "Yes, Senior Brother Qiu."

Qiu Yue nodded thoughtfully, and asked straight to the point: "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"The school has a campus singing competition. Do you want to go together?"

Gu Ci: "Huh?"

Seeing Gu Ci confused, the senior sister next to him pointed out: "Actually, your Senior Brother Qiu is going to participate, and he wants us all to go and be his fan club to cheer for him!"

Gu Ci really didn't know that Qiu Yue was going to participate in the singing competition. He turned to look at Qiu Yue in surprise: "Senior Brother Qiu... I didn't expect you to have such a hobby."

"Don't worry, I will come to cheer you on!"

Qiu Yue smiled happily: "Thank you, Junior Brother Ci! My level is just average. I hope I won't embarrass our school then..."

Amidst laughter and joy, the sunset quietly fell. The open-air square had already been set up. The staff was debugging the equipment in the studio. The electronic prompter was scrolling the lyrics of the preliminary contestants. The host in a dress was speaking on the stage. The golden afterglow sprinkled on the backdrop and stairs, adding a special atmosphere to the competition.

Senior Brother Qiu had already entered the venue as a contestant in advance. Gu Ci and several senior sisters held up their freshly made cheering signs and found a seat.

A short-haired senior sister named Jiang put down her cheering sign, picked up the glow stick prepared on her seat, and teased, "Senior Brother Qiu is really abnormal this year. He refused to participate in the singing competition before, but now he is like a different person. He actually registered without telling us."

Gu Ci asked curiously, "Didn't Senior Brother Qiu sing before?"

"Not at all." Senior Sister Chen denied, "You are younger than us and may not know. Senior Brother Qiu was the champion of the first generation campus singing competition. Putting aside his funny personality, he really sang well and he was also handsome. But we don't know what went wrong at the time, and he captured the hearts of many... uh, boys. Some of them chased him outside the laboratory. We laughed at him for a long time."

Gu Ci suddenly realized, "So, Senior Brother Qiu chose to keep a low profile and not show his charm easily?"

Senior Sister Lu couldn't help but laughed, "He's back again this year. I wonder if there's anything new."

Gu Ci also raised the corner of his lips in an unrighteous manner, shaking the glow stick gently, and curiously fixed his eyes on the center of the stage.

As the third ray of dawn descended, warm yellow spotlights staggered across the stage, hushing the bustling square as all eyes converged in anticipation.

The lights dimmed, then reappeared, and the host and hostess appeared center stage. After introducing the rules, contestants, judges, and guests, the campus singing competition officially began. There

were twenty-five contestants in total. Gu Ci found Senior Brother Qiu on the program; he was thirteenth, right in the middle.

The previous contestants had all performed brilliantly, and the competition was interspersed with raffles and interactive sessions. Gu Ci, not usually one for joining in the fun, was watching this kind of campus singing competition for the first time, and seeing everyone so enthusiastic suddenly struck him as quite amusing.

The results of the top twelve singers were announced, and Gu Ci and her three senior sisters raised their cheering placards, anticipating their seniors' appearance, when the lights suddenly flickered on, and the host reappeared.

It was time for another interactive session.

Gu Ci, clutching his cheering sign, was about to wait a bit longer when he heard a huge exclamation and commotion from the crowd, surrounded by discussions and exclamations of admiration.

Gu Ci was momentarily confused as to what was happening. Senior Sister Lu was the first to notice, calling out, "Junior Brother Ci, you're on the big screen!"

He instinctively looked up at the big screen. Sure enough, the photographer had somehow spotted him from the crowd and projected him onto the interactive screen.

The female host on stage covered her mouth with surprise, nearly jumping up and down. She turned to the male host and exclaimed, "Wow, wow, I'm so excited! It's Senior Brother Ci!"

The male host also exclaimed excitedly, "What a surprise! No wonder the crowd is so enthusiastic!"

Gu Ci overheard their words and could only smile uncomfortably, waving awkwardly but politely toward the camera.

Another round of exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"Oh my god, so cute!"

"Such a small face! Such big eyes! Such fair skin! Such red lips!"

"Senior Brother Ci is so gorgeous! He's a real beauty!"

Gu Ci's ears flushed, and he hid his face behind his cheering sign. In the end, it was the female host who calmed down and managed to control the situation, bringing the audience's attention back to the interaction.

"Brother Ci, everyone's beloved, is here at the preliminary round today. I'd like to ask, who are you cheering for?"

Gu Ci took the microphone and pointed to his own and his fellow sisters' cheering signs. "Thank you for your concern. We're here to cheer on contestant number thirteen, Brother Qiu Yue."

The female host couldn't stop smiling. "So you're cheering for another of our popular Brother Qiu! So, Brother Ci and the other sisters, do you have anything to say to Brother Qiu?"

Gu Ci and the three sisters exchanged a glance, took the microphone, and said in unison, "Over the hills, only your voice is melodious! Brother Qiu, fly bravely, and we will always be with you! Besides endless experiments, you also have endless popularity and applause to win. Go, go, go!"

Gu Ci almost blushed as he finished his cheering speech with his sisters, for no other reason than a bit of awkwardness.

But everyone in the room gave him a warm round of applause.

The lights dimmed, and on the big screen, Qiu Yue sat center stage, guitar in hand.

The audience awaited his performance in silence. Qiu Yue's fingers plucked the strings, playing the prelude to "Meeting." A few seconds later, the music began. He leaned into the microphone, lowered his eyes, and sang the first verse.

Someone in the audience gasped, and Gu Ci was clearly captivated.

"So beautiful..."

Senior Brother Qiu's voice was actually quite gentle, and his singing had a lingering quality. The audience, engrossed in his singing, lit up their flashlights, waving them in a sea of pure white light.

Senior Sister Jiang, wielding her light stick diligently, exclaimed, "You're still as skilled as ever. He's a killer."

Senior Sister Chen: "I'm wondering if he's in a relationship?"

Senior Sister Lu: "With the opening screen and the 'meeting' thing, it seems like it."

After the last few strings, Qiu Yue stood up, hugged his guitar, and bowed gracefully to the audience.

"Thank you for all the journeys, thank you for meeting me. 'Meeting,' for you."

The audience erupted in excitement, all debating who Senior Brother Qiu was referring to. But Qiu Yue turned gracefully and walked off the stage.

He walked through the crowd, walked to the empty seat next to Gu Ci and sat down, and asked expectantly: "How was it? Did you embarrass yourself, brother?"

Gu Ci gave him a thumbs up: "Not at all, Senior Brother Qiu is amazing!"

After hearing this, Qiu Yue's eyes almost overflowed with smiles. In the end, as expected, he won the championship with the highest score.

At ten o'clock in the evening, the game was over, and people in the square walked out one after another. On the way back, Gu Ci and several senior sisters praised Senior Brother Qiu's performance tonight, and made an appointment to find time to celebrate. As a result, as soon as they walked out, two boys came to him to ask for his contact information.

Senior Brother Qiu's face was a little subtle, and he politely declined his junior brother's appreciation.

Senior Sister Jiang scoffed, "See? I told you to act cool in public, and now your sweet troubles are back, right?"

Senior Brother Qiu retorted with a hint of resentment, "Do you want this sweetness?"

Senior Sister Chen asked, "Just who could make a senior brother come out of retirement for this?"

"..." Qiu Yue choked, secretly glancing at Gu Ci and saying guiltily, "Alright, you're all at the dorm now. Go back and get some rest. I'll treat you to dinner later." After saying goodbye

to the other senior sisters, Gu Ci and Qiu Yue were left alone. Gu Ci, who lived off campus, said to Qiu Yue, "Senior Brother Qiu, you've worked hard after the competition. Go back to the dorm and get some rest."

Qiu Yue shook his head, "No problem, I'll take you there."

Gu Ci waved his hand to decline, "You don't have to bother. I can just get a cab at the door."

Qiu Yue stared at Gu Ci and changed his tone, "Then you'll take me there?"

Gu Ci: "Huh?"

Perhaps to avoid the crowds, Qiu Yue chose a less-traveled side road, chatting casually with Gu Ci.

Not sure how the topic got to this point, but Qiu Yue suddenly asked, "Junior Brother Ci, do you have someone you like... or have liked in the past?"

"If not, I could consider it..."

"Bang!"

The streetlight ahead suddenly exploded and went out, leaving all around in darkness. Gu Ci successfully stopped dead in his tracks.

Qiu Yue realized he'd made a mistake and changed the subject, saying, "Why is the streetlight broken here? I need to report it to the school logistics department..."

He pulled out his phone to report it, then turned on his flashlight and said to Gu Ci, "Shall we continue?"

Gu Ci nodded.

Qiu Yue didn't discuss relationships on the way there, and they soon arrived at the male doctoral dormitory. Gu Ci had been thinking all the way, and in response to Qiu Yue's farewell, he said, "Senior Brother Qiu, I might not be able to answer your question just now." It wasn't that

he didn't want to talk, but he simply didn't know.

Qiu Yue's expression was visibly startled for a moment, then he chuckled, "Hahaha, it's okay. I was being abrupt, but I couldn't resist gossiping."

"Thank you, junior brother, for supporting me tonight. I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow. Be careful on your way home, and text me when you get home!"

Gu Ci replied, "Okay, senior brother."

Qiu Yue turned his back, looking back every few steps, and waved to Gu Ci with a smile. "Let's go home!"

Gu Ci tilted his head, looked up at the moon overhead, and prepared to go home.

The streetlight that had gone out earlier still hadn't been repaired. Gu Ci slowed his pace, took out his phone, and turned on the flashlight. Illuminated by the moonlight and the flashlight, he set out onto the quiet path. The soles of his canvas shoes treaded on fallen leaves, making a crisp, melodious sound in the still night.

It was the sound of autumn.

A thought suddenly struck Gu Ci, and he checked his phone for all the messages. After confirming there were no more messages, he used his phone as a flashlight again.

Just as he was about halfway there, the crisp sound of leaf veins crackling came from behind him. Gu Ci subconsciously glanced to the side, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall, dark figure behind him.

His heart tightened, and he stopped, and the figure also stopped. Gu Ci calmly walked forward again, and the figure followed suit.

Gu Ci quietly clenched his fists and quickened his pace, and the figure also quickened his pace, always keeping a few steps away from him.

Gu Ci couldn't stand it any longer, so he turned around and glared at the follower with his eyes wide open in anger.

But soon, the anger turned into surprise.

The man in front of him was wearing a windbreaker, with a tall and straight figure, holding a large bunch of gorgeous red roses in his hands, standing just opposite him.

"Smell..."

Before Gu Ci finished speaking, he was embraced in a warm and broad embrace, and the overwhelming scent of vetiver hit his face.

The man's strength was so great that Gu Ci had to stick close to his body, breathing disorderly, his heart beating like a madman, and letting a big hand gently caress his back.

"Ci Ci, it's me."