By the time Violet and Chūn Lěng Fēng left the house, the latter had reached the stage of regret usually associated with eating far beyond one's limits.
He walked beside her with one hand resting on his stomach, his usual springy steps reduced to a slow, reluctant shuffle.
Violet glanced at him.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you walking like that?"
"I ate too much."
"You don't say."
Chūn Lěng Fēng gave her a wounded look.
"You cooked too much."
"I cooked enough for two people."
"You served enough for four."
"No.. you ate enough for four."
He had no answer to that. He simply continued walking, looking as though every step required careful consideration.
Violet shook her head. Eating a large meal could certainly leave someone sluggish, especially when they'd eaten more than their body was comfortable with, but Chūn Lěng Fēng had managed to turn an ordinary afternoon lunch into a personal endurance test.
"Next time, stop when you're full."
"What if the food is still there?"
"Leave it."
He looked at her as though she'd suggested throwing away a perfectly good treasure.
"That's wasteful."
"Then learn to save some for later. It's called leftovers."
He considered this while they crossed the road.
"Can we eat the leftovers tonight?"
Violet turned to him.
"You're already planning dinner?"
"I was only asking."
"Walk properly first. We'll discuss dinner when you can move at a normal speed."
He straightened at once, determined to prove he could. It lasted until they reached the university gates, where he slowed again and began looking around with considerably more interest than his stomach seemed willing to accommodate.
The campus was busy even at this hour. Students were leaving afternoon classes, some carrying laptops under their arms, others gathered around the noticeboards or hurrying towards the canteen before it closed. Bicycles moved between the buildings, and a delivery rider had stopped near the entrance while two students argued over whose order had arrived.
Chūn Lěng Fēng watched them for a moment.
"Do university students ever stop moving?"
"During lectures."
"What about after lectures?"
"They move somewhere else."
He looked at her.
Violet continued walking.
"Don't start."
"I haven't said anything."
"You were about to."
He grinned and followed her.
They had come to pick up Yè Yī and Qiū Huà Bǐ. The two usually finished at different times depending on their classes, so Violet had told them to wait rather than wander around looking for each other. She expected to find them somewhere near the main buildings, probably with Qiū Huà Bǐ complaining about having to wait and Yè Yī quietly pretending he hadn't heard him.
Instead, they spotted Qiū Huà Bǐ beneath a tree a little farther along the path.
He had his headphones on, one hand tucked into his pocket while the other rested loosely at his side. His glasses sat neatly on his face, and the evening sun fell across his features as he tilted his head towards the branches overhead. A small bird had settled among the leaves, hopping along a branch as though it owned the place.
The light suited him. It caught the clean lines of his face and the edges of his glasses, drawing attention to features that were already difficult to overlook. He looked so comfortable standing there that the students passing by barely seemed to register him, though a few glanced back after walking past.
Chūn Lěng Fēng stopped.
Violet took another step before realizing he was no longer beside her.
She turned.
He was staring at Qiū Huà Bǐ.
"What's wrong now?"
Chūn Lěng Fēng didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the man beneath the tree.
"He's handsome."
Violet followed his line of sight, then looked back at him.
"Child."
"What?" Chūn Lěng Fēng asked. "He is."
"Come on."
She started walking again, leaving him to catch up.
He did, although he continued looking at Qiū Huà Bǐ as they approached. There was no embarrassment in his expression, nor any particular attempt to hide his admiration. He was simply appreciating what he saw, much as he'd examined the university buildings, the bookshelves at Wén Yuán Book Hall and the red rice Violet had cooked for him.
Violet had already learned that trying to predict what would catch this man's attention was a waste of time.
She stopped beside Qiū Huà Bǐ.
"What are you doing? Displaying your beauty for everyone to admire?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ glanced at her over the edge of his glasses.
Then he looked back at the tree.
"I'm looking at the bird."
Violet followed his gaze.
Chūn Lěng Fēng leaned slightly to the side to get a better view.
A small bird sat on the branch above them, turning its head from one side to the other.
Violet looked at Qiū Huà Bǐ.
"You like birds?"
"No."
She waited.
Qiū Huà Bǐ took off his headphones and lowered them around his neck.
"That bird almost pooped on my head."
Chūn Lěng Fēng's eyes widened.
"What?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ pointed upwards.
"If it weren't for the gruesome training I endured at the hands of Mù Xiāo Xiāo, it would have succeeded."
He sounded so serious that Chūn Lěng Fēng looked at the bird with renewed respect.
"You dodged bird poop?"
"I avoided being hit by it."
"That's impressive."
"It's not impressive. It's basic reflex training."
"Still impressive."
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked at him, apparently uncertain whether to take that as a compliment or a personal insult.
Violet had been trying to hold her laughter in. She'd managed it through the explanation, and even through Chūn Lěng Fēng's sincere admiration, but the look on Qiū Huà Bǐ's face finished her off.
She burst out laughing.
It came so suddenly that she had to reach for his shoulders to steady herself. Qiū Huà Bǐ stiffened when her hands landed on him, while Chūn Lěng Fēng watched her with open curiosity.
"Sorry," Violet managed between laughs. "I couldn't hold it in."
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked down at her hands, then at her face.
He had seen Violet smile. He had seen her laugh at something someone said, or let out a brief chuckle when Chūn Lěng Fēng did something ridiculous. But he had never seen her laugh like this, without restraint, as though she'd forgotten for a moment that there was anything else she needed to do.
Her eyes had brightened, and she was still trying to catch her breath. One hand remained on his shoulder while the other moved to cover her mouth, though that did very little to contain her laughter.
Qiū Huà Bǐ forgot about the bird.
He couldn't quite explain why he was still looking at her. There was no shortage of things to look at on campus, and he had spent the past few minutes watching a bird because he had nothing better to do. Yet now Violet was standing in front of him, laughing so hard that she could barely speak, and he found himself paying attention to every small change in her expression.
Something shifted inside his chest.
It was slight enough that he couldn't put a name to it. He only knew that he wanted to see her laugh like that again.
The thought arrived without warning.
Qiū Huà Bǐ blinked.
Violet finally managed to straighten up, though she was still smiling.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "But the way you said it—"
"I could have been injured, you know."
His injured pride, he meant.
That set her off once more.
"I'm not saying you couldn't!"
"You're laughing at me."
"Sorry."
Qiū Huà Bǐ sighed.
"It's okay though. It was just conducting an ordinary biological function at an unfortunate location."
Chūn Lěng Fēng stared at him. Then he burst out laughing too.
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked between them, his expression growing increasingly displeased.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Violet said, still smiling.
"You're both laughing."
"It's a difficult situation," Chūn Lěng Fēng told him solemnly. "You were almost defeated by a bird."
Qiū Huà Bǐ closed his eyes for a moment.
"I should have stayed in class."
Violet finally released his shoulders and wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Come on. Where's Yī?"
"He's still in the library. He said he'd be out in a few minutes."
"Then we'll wait."
She stepped away to find somewhere to sit, leaving Qiū Huà Bǐ beneath the tree. Chūn Lěng Fēng lingered beside him, glancing up at the branch.
"Do you think it'll do it again?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ put his headphones back on.
"I'm going home."
"Wait, we're waiting for Yī."
"I'll wait somewhere else."
He walked after Violet.
Chūn Lěng Fēng followed, his stomach apparently recovered enough to support a normal pace now that the conversation had become interesting.
Behind them, the bird hopped farther along the branch.
Qiū Huà Bǐ didn't look back at it.
He was thinking about Violet's laughter, and for the first time, he wondered what it would take to hear it again.