Chapter Title: An Unexpected Friend
Winter arrived quietly.
The golden leaves beneath the ginkgo tree had long since fallen, leaving bare branches swaying against gray skies.
The air grew colder with each passing week.
Students hurried between classrooms bundled in scarves and jackets, their breaths visible in the morning air.
Life continued as it always did.
Classes.
Homework.
Exams.
Letters.
For Lu Yuan, the letters remained the brightest part of every month.
Each envelope carried a small piece of Qingyue's world.
Stories about her new school.
Photographs of places she visited.
Little sketches she occasionally added in the margins.
He answered every one carefully.
And then waited for the next.
In between those letters, however, another routine had quietly begun to form.
"Lu Yuan."
He looked up from his notebook.
Tang Ruxin stood beside his desk.
Again.
For reasons he still didn't understand, she appeared surprisingly often.
At first he assumed it was coincidence.
Then he realized she was doing it intentionally.
"Yes?"
"You forgot your lunch."
Lu Yuan blinked.
"My lunch?"
She pointed.
The lunch container sat abandoned beside his bag.
He stared at it.
Then at her.
Then back at it.
"...Oh."
Tang Ruxin sighed dramatically.
"You really would lose your head if it wasn't attached."
Several nearby students laughed.
To Lu Yuan's confusion, Tang Ruxin looked entirely pleased with herself.
That wasn't the only time.
One afternoon she stopped him in the hallway because he forgot a textbook.
Another day she reminded him about an upcoming assignment.
Once, she even returned a pen he had accidentally left in the library.
"You pay attention to strange things," Lu Yuan finally remarked.
Tang Ruxin looked genuinely surprised.
"Someone has to."
The answer left him unexpectedly speechless.
Gradually, conversations became easier.
Not long conversations.
Not deep conversations.
Just ordinary ones.
The sort most people never remember.
Complaints about difficult homework.
Arguments about which teacher assigned the most work.
Discussions about books.
Occasional debates about school rules.
Tang Ruxin always seemed to have something to say.
Lu Yuan usually listened.
Yet unlike most people, she never appeared bothered by his quietness.
In fact, she seemed to treat it like a challenge.
One afternoon, they found themselves assigned to the same cleaning duty.
Several students immediately complained.
Tang Ruxin rolled her eyes.
"Imagine acting like sweeping a floor is a life-threatening task."
A boy nearby protested.
"It is after school!"
"It's literally dust."
"Dust is dangerous."
Tang Ruxin laughed.
The sound echoed lightly through the classroom.
Without warning, she turned toward Lu Yuan.
"What do you think?"
Every head immediately turned toward him.
Lu Yuan froze.
The sudden attention felt uncomfortable.
After a moment, he answered honestly.
"...Dust isn't dangerous."
The room erupted into laughter.
Even the boy accusing dust of attempted murder laughed.
For some reason, Tang Ruxin looked absurdly proud.
As though she had personally achieved something.
The friendship deepened gradually.
Almost accidentally.
Neither of them ever sat down and decided to become friends.
It simply happened.
Day after day.
Conversation after conversation.
Moment after moment.
Like water slowly wearing down stone.
One snowy afternoon, they walked part of the way home together.
The streets were dusted white.
Children chased one another through the snow while shopkeepers swept pathways clear.
Tang Ruxin talked about a novel she had recently finished.
Apparently, she felt strongly about the ending.
"The author completely ruined it."
"It wasn't that bad."
She stopped walking.
"You read it?"
Lu Yuan immediately regretted speaking.
Tang Ruxin stared.
Then pointed accusingly.
"You said you didn't read novels."
"I don't."
"You literally just criticized the ending."
"..."
"..."
"You read it."
He looked away.
Tang Ruxin burst out laughing.
For the first time, Lu Yuan found himself laughing too.
A small sound.
Brief.
But genuine.
The laughter faded.
The moment settled.
Then Tang Ruxin glanced at him curiously.
"You know, you smile more now."
Lu Yuan paused.
"What?"
"You do."
"I don't."
"You absolutely do."
He frowned.
Tang Ruxin seemed delighted by his denial.
"See? There it is."
"What?"
"That face."
"What face?"
"The one people make when they know they're wrong."
"I'm not wrong."
Tang Ruxin laughed again.
And somehow, without realizing it, Lu Yuan felt a little lighter.
That evening, after returning home, he found a new letter waiting on his desk.
His heartbeat quickened immediately.
The familiar excitement returned.
Carefully, he opened the envelope.
Inside was another photograph.
Another story.
Another piece of Qingyue's world.
As he read, a small smile appeared on his face.
The same one Tang Ruxin had noticed earlier.
Outside, winter winds rattled against the windows.
Inside, the house remained tense as always.
His parents argued downstairs.
The familiar noise filled the air.
But tonight, it seemed slightly farther away.
Because for the first time since Qingyue left, Lu Yuan realized something.
The loneliness wasn't quite as overwhelming as before.
The letters still mattered.
More than anything.
But now there was also someone else.
A girl who constantly talked.
Constantly noticed things.
Constantly appeared beside him whether he expected it or not.
An unexpected friend.
And though neither of them knew it yet, that friendship would quietly become one of the most important relationships of their lives.