The Passion of an Academic Rising Star

Han Shixiu has been doing that research with Zhou Moqun recently. Although the progress is not smooth, the two of them tried their best, but they still can't find a good solution to the problem.

One day, Shixiu Han suddenly thought of a new research method, and excitedly called Zhou Moqun's office, but the person who answered the phone was not Zhou Moqun.

"Teacher Zhou is on leave."

"Hey——ask for leave...please ask for leave?"

Speaking of which, Zhou Moqun hadn't contacted him for a week.

Although it is not a big deal for friends not to contact each other for a week, it is even more so for the communication between adults. , Maybe they are more willing to keep a distance from each other, and not contacting each other for a long time is not a sign of indifference.

But, no matter what, Han Shixiu still cares a little bit.

Probably because they are co-authoring a thesis, Zhou Moqun usually sends at least one or two text messages a day, and meets him regularly every week to discuss topics of interest. Like now, he disappears like evaporated, really is a rare case.

Moreover, Han Shixiu called several times, but no one answered.

So, Han Shixiu made a special trip to P University in the afternoon, because he knew that Zhou Moqun had classes today.

How could Zhou Moqun not contact his partner for a week.

It took several twists and turns to find that classroom. Unexpectedly, the person standing on the podium was not Zhou Moqun.

This person is Zhou Moqun's younger brother, and now he is also a lecturer at P University. Zhou Moqun introduced him to Master Han before——

"Brother asked me to substitute for the class, let's do it for a week."

"Then, where did he go?"

"I'm not sure about this... The senior brother didn't explain it to me in detail. By the way, has any student heard Professor Zhou mention it?"

Whether in the eyes of friends, students, or colleagues, Zhou Moqun is a man who can be relied on and trusted. Now that Zhou Moqun has not informed anyone, it means that he does not want others to know where he has gone. The reason may not be a business matter, but a private matter——

——Han Shixiu returned to T University in a daze, but he couldn't let it go.He called Zhou Moqun every once in a while, and sent countless text messages and emails, but he never answered.

Han Shixiu told himself to calm down.

nothing will happen--

He said this to himself over and over again, trying to focus on that new research method.

Here it is... here it is...

It began to rain outside the window.

In fact, it is not a rainy season, but for some reason, this year seems to have a lot of precipitation.The sky is a little restless, the rain does not let go of any spare time, it has been washing the thin glass of the dormitory, crackling, the world outside the window has been completely distorted by the wind and rain into another shape, in a hazy chaos, can only reluctantly I saw the street lights on the campus trails glowing with halo-like blurred colors.

——At this moment, the phone hidden in a corner of the bed suddenly rang.

The caller ID showed the word Zhou Moqun, and Han Shixiu immediately became nervous, took a few breaths, and then gave a yell.

But after the call was connected, no one made a sound there.

"Hey!" Han Shixiu thought it was a bad signal, ran to the window, opened the window, and tried to let his voice drown out the noise outside: "Zhou...Zhou Moqun? Can you hear me now?"

I don't know if it's from here, or the sound of rain ticking on the other side of the phone is in my ears.

"I heard."

Han Shixiu was taken aback, Zhou Moqun's voice was so hoarse and cracked, it sounded like a saw was cutting the eardrums, and there was an indescribable gloom.

Subconsciously, he felt something was wrong with Zhou Moqun: "You, do you have anything to do with me?"

"I want to see you."

"Eh, but—"

"I'm just downstairs in your dormitory."

The unquestionable tone, the attitude that people can't refuse at all—Han Shixiu grabbed the key and rushed down. The temperature outside the building was quite low, but Han Shixiu had no time to take care of the cold. Zhou Moqun stood under the eaves of the dormitory building without opening his head Umbrella, half of his body was drenched by the rain, and there was a pool of water around him.

"Zhou Moqun! Come in quickly—"

Looking at Zhou Moqun, who was drenched all over but frozen still, Han Shixiu was about to have a headache, anxious and uncomfortable, he grabbed Zhou Moqun's sleeve and dragged him into the room, Zhou Moqun remained silent Followed him, like a hound led home by its master, let Han Shixiu tug at him.

"You... didn't bring an umbrella? You'll get gonorrhea in such heavy rain."

"Bring it, I lost it on the road."

"what……"

Things like losing things don't seem to happen to Zhou Moqun. In my impression, Zhou Moqun always arranges everything in an orderly manner, and he has a plan in everything he does. I've never seen him lose his composure. look.

The faint light in front of the dormitory door hit Zhou Moqun's broad shoulders, his black hair was scattered on his forehead, and the water droplets shone brightly under the warm light. The eyes of the two naturally met. out of sight.

Being stared at by such eyes, it seems that the heartbeat will speed up. Zhou Moqun is standing beside him, his tall and slender body covers the dim light of the roof, and his nose is full of different smells—maybe it’s just the smell of rainwater. Humidity, but the feeling of being surrounded by this smell made Han Shixiu a little inexplicably nervous. He poked the key several times in a row but couldn't get into the keyhole.

It's too cramped... Han Shixiu gently pushed Zhou Moqun.

"You, you stand over a little bit."

If you don't stay far away, you will always be influenced by Zhou Moqun.

Zhou Moqun took a step back obediently, and the ambiguous and tense atmosphere also dispersed.

"Sorry."

"what?"

"I didn't contact you in advance, so I just came here."

"You...don't say that, come in quickly."

Zhou Moqun was wearing black trousers and a silver-gray shirt. The soaked shirt was sticking to his back. Han Shixiu moved a chair for Zhou Moqun to sit down, and found a dry towel——

"Well, there are no new towels here, and I haven't used this towel for long..."

Zhou Moqun took the towel: "Thank you."

The water on Zhou Moqun's body was still dripping. How long has he been in the rain... Zhou Moqun must not be able to wear his own clothes. There is a big difference in height between the two of them. Only pajamas can make Zhou Moqun feel comfortable. Change it first.

"Teacher Xiu."

"Ok?"

"Master..."

The man called his name in a hoarse voice, Han Shixiu turned his head from the closet blankly: "You, what's wrong with your voice?"

"It's a little sandy." Zhou Moqun coughed several times, and the more he coughed, the more sandy he was, and he couldn't regain his previous mellow voice: "It's good to go back and rest for a while."

"I have a fat sea here... Oh, there are other things that can be soaked in water. I'll make you a cup first."

Because of Zou Sijiu's relationship, Han Shixiu's dormitory has a lot of these skin care products, and they are stuffed in the cabinet. When he brought over the brewed tea and throat medicine, Han Shixiu felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment in his heart.

Friends should take care of each other.

A dry towel was placed on Zhou Moqun's wet hair, and the soft black hair fell down. Zhou Moqun held the teacup in both hands, his eyes were peaceful, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"Come talk to me."

Master Han became embarrassed: "But you need to change clothes..."

"I'll be leaving in a while." Zhou Moqun raised his head, the towel slipped from his head to his neck, his eyes were bloodshot and red, I don't know if it was because of fatigue or something else: "Just talk to me."

"Oh...well, I went to your school this morning to look for you, but you were not there... The substitute teacher was your younger brother, and he also said that he didn't know where you were. I called you, but you didn't call back..."

It wasn't a big deal that he didn't return his call, but when Zhou Moqun said it, there was inevitably a bit of complaint in his words.

His slender fingers slowly rubbed the cup. Zhou Moqun arched his back and put his elbows on his lap. He said softly, "The phone... I saw it later, but there are some things that I want to talk about in person no matter what."

"Oh... oh." Han Shixiu scratched his head: "Well... did you encounter any difficulties? If you can... you can tell me. Although I may not be able to help you, at least we can find a way together... ..."

Hearing what he said, Zhou Moqun smiled unexpectedly.

"I encountered some difficulties."

"Then...is it resolved?"

Zhou Moqun didn't make a sound, and took two sips of hot tea: "Maybe... it will take some time."

Sure enough... It must be difficult to solve Zhou Moqun's upset like this.But... It seems that Zhou Moqun doesn't want to involve himself...

"So I've been a little depressed for a few days, and I don't want others to see myself like this... It's embarrassing."

"how come……"

Drops of water slid down from his plump forehead, Zhou Moqun wiped his face with the back of his hand, Han Shixiu couldn't see his expression clearly.

"When I'm alone, I always have a lot of things I want to tell you, but now I don't seem to know what to say."

"Actually, I, I do this sometimes..."

He obviously wanted to convey a lot of feelings to the other party, but he couldn't express them anyway. So Zhou Moqun would also have this kind of distress.

Zhou Moqun's eyes fell on the desk over there. There was a National Geographic magazine on the desk. The cover of this issue was an endless ocean.

"Do you like traveling?"

"Ah... that book is not mine, it is... a friend left it here."

Every time Zou Sijiu came over, he would leave all kinds of things behind, almost treating him like a trash can.People leave their names, geese leave their voices, and Zou Sijiu keeps what he doesn't want.

"I don't like traveling." Han Shixiu said, "Every time I go out, I am tired. If it is not necessary, such as attending a meeting, I would rather stay at home and read a book... Going out is tiring, crowded, expensive, and a waste of time." .”

"That's right, I actually love traveling very much. In fact, I say that I love traveling, but it's better to say that I like that feeling."

"What do you feel?"

"If you don't go with your lover, no matter how beautiful a place is, it's worthless." Zhou Moqun seemed to be saying to himself: "Although I usually pass by many places when I'm working, they are actually very beautiful, but because of different moods, So I don’t think it’s worth nostalgic.”

"Oh……"

"I have always wanted to go to a place that I have longed for since I was a child."

"what……"

"Because it is my favorite place, so I have to stay at the end and go with the person I like, otherwise it will be meaningless. I am very stubborn. There is only that place. I... hope to share that feeling with the other party."

"It's not difficult...you can go when you find a girlfriend."

Zhou Moqun clenched his teacup tightly, his knuckles gradually turned white: "Maybe it won't work."

"what……"

"It's... no time."

"Yes, is there no vacation? But you can go during winter and summer vacations."

Zhou Moqun laughed dryly, then put down his teacup and stood up: "It's getting late, I should go too."

"Oh, oh...then I'll see you off." Han Shixiu said, "I still have an umbrella here, so I'll find it for you!"

Zhou Moqun stood in front of the door, his posture was always handsome, his eyes followed Han Shixiu, until Han Shixiu handed the broken bone umbrella in front of him, he raised his hand.

Without taking the umbrella, Zhou Moqun hugged Han Shixiu tightly with his arms.

"Hey—you...what are you doing—"

What happened suddenly made Han Shixiu a little surprised, his cheek was pressed against Zhou Moqun's chest, he tried to twist his body to escape, but Zhou Moqun's strength was so great that he had no way to escape. .

There are cold rain and a beating heart in my ears.

Zhou Moqun wrapped his arms around his body, as if he was afraid that he would escape, and buried his head on Han Shixiu's shoulder: "Shixiu..."

"You, what's wrong with you..."

"I like you."

Zhou Moqun's cheeks were wet, and his voice was unspeakable, encircling Han Shixiu's back.

"I love you."

When Zhou Moqun said these words, another bolt of lightning fell from the sky, accompanied by dull thunder.

"What?" Han Shixiu pushed Zhou Moqun: "What did you say?"

The lightning and thunder had been going on for a while, and the one just now was especially loud.Outside the window, it was raining and raining, and the sky was gloomy.

Zhou Moqun still didn't let go.

Han Shixiu persevered, pushed Zhou Moqun away forcefully, looked at the other person's face: "I, I didn't hear clearly just now—"

Zhou Moqun was pushed back a step, looked at Han Shixiu, like waking up from a dream.

Why broke away from the opponent at this time, Han Shixiu himself did not know.It seemed that it was not just for asking questions, but also vaguely felt that the emotions surging in the air just now were different from usual.It's a bit like an instinct. Before the mind makes analysis and judgment, the body has already acted on its own.

In fact, Han Shixiu was not afraid of anything, it was just that the atmosphere just now made him feel a little at a loss, he didn't know how to bear it, and his instinctive avoidance made him push the other party away forcefully.

"You..." Han Shixiu asked again: "What happened? Did you have anything to say just now?"

"No." Zhou Moqun closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to maintain his usual calmness: "It's nothing."

"But……"

"It's better not to hear. I was impulsive. I'm very sorry."

He seemed to be trying to smile, but his pale lips couldn't quite express the expression he wanted to present at the moment.There was a clear sadness in his eyes, but Zhou Moqun might not be able to cope with this strange sadness.

It cannot be explained by reason, but by logic, perhaps only emotion.

Zhou Moqun turned his back to the light, and Han Shixiu couldn't see his expression clearly.

Zhou Moqun must have said something before, but now he doesn't want to mention it anymore.Some words slipped out of my mouth, and then I hid them back in my heart again.

Han Shixiu stared blankly at Zhou Moqun, not understanding what happened.He tried hard to recall what Zhou Moqun said, but it was all in vain.At that time, Zhou Moqun's voice was very low and soft, and the sudden thunder covered all the voices, which distracted Master Han again.Those were two very short sentences, and each sentence in my impression only had three or four words.Han Shixiu couldn't imagine what could make the person in front of him look so sad.

——After a long time, Han Shixiu came back to his senses, still holding the umbrella in his hand, and Zhou Moqun left just like that.

He chased out of the corridor, but there was no one in the empty corridor.

Only the night rain outside the window remains.

——In a daze, Han Shixiu remembered that when Zhou Moqun hugged him tightly just now, his nose seemed to smell the smell of disinfectant in the hospital.